New York City / Christmas Bars
Best Christmas
Bars in NYC
The over-the-top holiday pop-ups and the permanent bars that go all-out at Christmas — what to order, the host venue, the cross street, and which ones are worth the line. They return each year, roughly late November to early January.
The city’s most over-the-top holiday pop-ups and festive bars — they return each year from about late November to early January.
- 13 festive spots
- back each Nov-Jan
- 7 pop-ups, 6 year-round
- 2 boroughs
The short version
- The originalMiracle on Ninth Street — the East Village pop-up that started the trend; order the Christmapolitan.
- Best-made drinksJingle Jangle at The Dead Rabbit — a world-ranked bar gone full holiday in FiDi.
- The institutionRolf’s — 15,000 ornaments in Gramercy, open and decorated all year.
- Best valueLoreley — mulled wine in a heated LES beer garden, walk-in, no pop-up prices.
- Most fun in BrooklynGrinchy’s at Roberta’s — a Grinch tiki bar with the city’s best pizza next door.
The best Christmas bars in NYC are Miracle on Ninth Street in the East Village (the original holiday pop-up), Jingle Jangle at The Dead Rabbit in FiDi for the best-made drinks, Rolf’s in Gramercy for sheer over-the-top spectacle, Sippin’ Santa in Williamsburg for tiki Christmas, and Grinchy’s at Roberta’s in Bushwick. Here’s the thing to know if you’re planning: the pop-ups are seasonal — they return each year roughly late November and run through early January, then vanish until next winter. We split the list two ways: the seasonal pop-ups (book ahead; host venues can move year to year) and the permanent bars like Rolf’s and Pete’s that go all-out at Christmas but stay open year-round. Most cluster in the East Village and Gramercy (4/5/6/L/N/Q/R to Union Square) and across the river in Williamsburg and Bushwick (L to Bedford or Morgan).
At a glance
Every bar, the theme or the drink to order, whether it’s a seasonal pop-up or year-round, and the price band — the whole list at a glance.
| Bar | The theme / the pour | Days | Window | $ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miracle on Ninth Street | Christmapolitan, Snowball Old-Fashioned, Jingle Balls Nog | ~Nov-Dec | Returns each winter | $$$ |
| Miracle on 8th Street | The full Miracle menu in custom holiday glassware | ~Nov-Dec | Returns each winter | $$$ |
| Miracle at Someday | The Miracle menu without the Manhattan trek | ~Nov-Dec | Returns each winter | $$$ |
| Sippin’ Santa | Beachbum Berry tiki cocktails in Santa-on-vacation mugs | ~Nov-Dec | Returns each winter | $$$ |
| Jingle Jangle at The Dead Rabbit | Nostalgic holiday cocktail menu; Irish Christmas playlist | ~Nov-Dec | Returns each winter | $$$ |
| Grinchy’s at Roberta’s | Holiday tiki cocktails + Grinchy’s pretzels and Bee Sting popcorn | ~Dec-early Jan | Returns each winter | $$$ |
| Emo Christmas at Arlo Williamsburg | Emo-named cocktails, black trees, sing-along soundtrack | ~Nov-Dec | Returns each winter | $$$ |
| Rolf’s German Restaurant | Hot toddies and German beer under ceiling-to-floor ornaments | Daily, year-round | Peaks Nov-Dec | $$$ |
| Pete’s Tavern | Old-school tavern pints under a massive holiday display | Daily, year-round | Peaks Nov-Dec | $$$ |
| Lillie’s Victorian Establishment | Cocktails and Irish fare under wall-to-wall Santa’s-workshop decor | Daily, year-round | Peaks Nov-Dec | $$$ |
| Oscar Wilde | Holiday cocktails along NYC’s longest (118-ft) bar | Daily, year-round | Peaks Nov-Dec | $$$ |
| Loreley Beer Garden | Hot mulled wine and German beer in a heated, lit-up beer garden | Daily; garden peaks winter | Returns each winter | $$$ |
| Frosty’s Christmas Bar | North Pole cocktails across a three-floor wrapped-up bar | ~Nov-Dec | Returns each winter | $$$ |
Map: where these 13 spots are
The Manhattan spots run from the East Village up through Gramercy, Union Square and NoMad to Midtown; the Brooklyn pop-ups sit in Williamsburg, Bushwick and Boerum Hill (L and G trains).
Pins are numbered to match the table above – tap any pin for the deal and directions.
The holiday pop-ups (back each winter)
The seasonal takeovers — here roughly late November to early January, then gone until next year. These aren’t daily happy-hour bars, so the “deal” is the theme and the drink to order. Most run timed reservations and the host venue can shift year to year, so confirm before you go. They cluster in the East Village and across the river in Williamsburg and Bushwick, with The Dead Rabbit down in FiDi.
Miracle on Ninth Street
This is the one that started it all, and it’s still the one to beat. Miracle opened in 2014 as an unfinished East Village bar that founder Greg Boehm filled with tinsel instead of finishing the build, and it spawned 200-plus copies worldwide. For 2025 the NYC flagship moved a few doors over to The Cabinet on E 9th near Avenue C — same kitschy, ceiling-to-floor Christmas overload, same cleverly named drinks in collectible mugs. Order the Christmapolitan (it’s been on the menu since year one) or the Jingle Balls Nog. The Verdict: worth it, and the rare viral thing that earns the hype. The Honest Caveat: it returns each year around early November and runs through New Year’s, it’s tiny, and timed reservations go fast — book ahead or come on a weeknight.
miraclepopup.com · See our East Village happy hours
Miracle on 8th Street
The overflow valve for when the original on E 9th is mobbed, and a genuinely good call. Miracle on 8th Street runs the same nationally franchised holiday menu — the Christmapolitan, the Snowball Old-Fashioned, the nog — out of Mace, the spice-driven cocktail bar from the same Cocktail Kingdom team, on W 8th just off Sixth Avenue. The decor is the full Miracle assault: lights, garland, and enough kitsch to short a circuit. The Verdict: identical drinks, often an easier reservation than Ninth Street. The Local Move: if you strike out booking the flagship, grab a slot here instead — it’s a five-minute walk and nobody will know the difference. Returns each holiday season, roughly late November through New Year’s; reservations recommended.
miraclepopup.com · See our West Village happy hours
Miracle at Someday
Brooklyn’s ticket to the Miracle menu without crossing the river. For 2025 the pop-up took over Someday Bar, the women-owned beer-and-cocktail spot on Atlantic Avenue in Boerum Hill, and decked it head to toe. You get the same drinks — Christmapolitan, the nog, the Old-Fashioned — in the same collectible glassware, just on a stretch of Atlantic that’s easy to fold into a Cobble Hill or Fort Greene night. The Verdict: the smart move for anyone south of Manhattan who doesn’t want to fight the East Village crowd. The Honest Caveat: it’s a seasonal residency that returns roughly late November and runs into early January — the exact host bar can shift year to year, so check Miracle’s site before you go. Worth it; reserve ahead.
miraclepopup.com · See our more Brooklyn bars
Sippin’ Santa
Christmas if Santa swapped the sleigh for a surfboard, and the antidote to peppermint-everything fatigue. Sippin’ Santa is Miracle’s tropical sibling, with cocktails from tiki legend Jeff “Beachbum” Berry served in absurd Santa-on-vacation mugs under palm fronds strung with ornaments. It was born at the old Boilermaker back in 2015; for 2025 the NYC edition set up at The Last Call, the yakitori-and-hi-fi bar on Grand Street in East Williamsburg. The Verdict: rum-forward, well-made, and more fun than its kitsch suggests — worth it. The Honest Caveat: it returns each year around mid-November and runs through December, and the host venue moves, so confirm the location first. The Local Move: go on a weeknight and let the bartender steer you toward the boozier end of the menu.
sippinsantapopup.com · See our Williamsburg happy hours
Jingle Jangle at The Dead Rabbit
When a two-time World’s Best Bar decides to go full Christmas, you pay attention. Jingle Jangle is The Dead Rabbit’s annual holiday takeover, and all three floors of the FiDi pub get buried under hundreds of ornaments, wreaths and lights — Grub Street has called it the city’s most festive display. The difference here is the liquid: beverage director Aidan Bowie builds a nostalgic-but-serious cocktail menu, and the kitchen runs turkey pot pie and shepherd’s pie alongside. The Verdict: the best-made drinks of any holiday pop-up in the city, full stop — worth it. The Honest Caveat: it returns each year around late November and runs through about January 1. The Local Move: grab a stool in the ground-floor Taproom for the decor, then climb to the Parlor for one proper cocktail.
thedeadrabbit.com · See our best cocktail bars in NYC
Grinchy’s at Roberta’s
The most fun holiday pop-up in Brooklyn, and the only one where you can chase a hot toddy with a slice of the city’s best pizza. Grinchy’s is Roberta’s annual takeover of its heated, tented backyard tiki bar in Bushwick, dripping with garland, lights and green Grinch nods. Carlo Mirarchi’s kitchen runs Grinchy’s pretzels and Bee Sting popcorn (a wink at the famous pizza), and the drinks include a Grinchy’s Old Fashioned and a Frostie the Snowman. The Verdict: worth the L-train trek — it’s a party. The Honest Caveat: now in its third-plus year, it returns each year around early December and runs into early January; the covered yard helps, but it’s still half-outdoors, so dress for it. The Local Move: come hungry and order pizza.
robertaspizza.com · See our more Brooklyn bars
Emo Christmas at Arlo Williamsburg
The anti-Miracle: a dimly lit shrine to 2000s pop-punk where the trees are black and the soundtrack is built for screaming along to My Chemical Romance. Emo Christmas takes over the Mirror Bar at Arlo Williamsburg, swapping twinkle-light cheer for neon signs (“Taking Back Christmas”) and cocktails named “Welcome to the Black Parade” and “I’m Not Okay.” The Verdict: more concept than cocktail program, but the concept is genuinely great and it nails a crowd nobody else serves. Worth it if the bit lands for you; skip it if you came for serious drinks. The Honest Caveat: it runs timed, ticketed 90-minute sessions and returns each year around late November through late December — you book a slot, drink included, then turn the table. Best with a group that knows every word.
emochristmas.com · See our Williamsburg happy hours
Festive year-round & themed bars
The permanent bars that stay open all year and crank the Christmas decor to maximum from about November into the new year — no countdown to closing day. Rolf’s and Pete’s anchor the Gramercy cluster; Lillie’s and Oscar Wilde sit near Union Square and NoMad, with Loreley on the Lower East Side and Frosty’s up in Midtown.
Rolf’s German Restaurant
The über-decorated Christmas bar every other one is measured against, and the one tourists fly in for. Rolf’s, the German restaurant on Third Avenue at 17th, keeps roughly 15,000 ornaments, 10,000 lights, garlands and hundreds of porcelain dolls up — and unlike the pop-ups, it’s open and decorated all year, just dialed to maximum from about November through New Year’s. Order a hot toddy, a German beer, and a plate of sauerbraten under the canopy of glass and tinsel. The Verdict: a genuine spectacle, but as much Instagram-bait as bar — manage expectations. The Honest Caveat: holiday reservations open after Labor Day and the line at the bar can run hours on a cold December night. The Local Move: book a table well ahead, or come off-season to see it half-empty.
rolfsnyc.com · See our Gramercy happy hours
Pete’s Tavern
The historic alternative to the pop-up frenzy: a real 1864 tavern that happens to go enormous at Christmas. Pete’s, on Irving Place at 18th — where O. Henry supposedly wrote “The Gift of the Magi” — strings up some 30,000 lights, 3,000 feet of garland, 160 toy soldiers (one per year it’s been open) and dozens of animated displays. It’s open year-round; the decorations go up around November 1 over a two-week build. The Verdict: the move when you want the holiday spectacle with an actual old-New-York bar attached, not a branded photo op. Worth it. The Local Move: skip the dinner rush, post up at the bar for a beer, and take in the soldiers. It returns to full holiday dress every year by mid-November.
petestavern.com · See our Gramercy happy hours
Lillie’s Victorian Establishment
A Belfast-shipped Victorian bar that turns into a Santa’s-workshop fever dream every December. Lillie’s Union Square, steps off the park on 17th, runs an antique marble bar and dark-wood rooms hauled over from a mansion in Ireland — and for the holidays it disappears under red-and-green decor, elves, wreaths and spinning ornaments hanging from the ceiling, with genuinely no bad seat in the house. The Verdict: prettier and far less of a scrum than Rolf’s, with better cocktails and a full Irish menu — worth it. The Honest Caveat: it’s open year-round but the decorations go up around mid-November; the bar is walk-in only with a 90-minute table limit, so reserve a table if you want to sit. The Local Move: come for weekend afternoon tea under the lights.
lilliesnyc.com · See our best cocktail bars in NYC
Oscar Wilde
The maximalist Victorian bar that’s already over-the-top year-round, then somehow doubles down for Christmas. Oscar Wilde in NoMad runs the longest bar in the city — 118.5 feet — inside a room jammed with antique clocks, oil paintings and gilt. It re-decorates for each season, and the holiday layer piles wreaths, lights and garland on top of an already loaded space. The Verdict: one of the most photogenic rooms in Manhattan and a real bar, not a pop-up — worth a look. The Honest Caveat: it can get jammed and the cocktails are good-not-great; you’re here for the room. The Local Move: walk the full length of the bar, grab a stool mid-afternoon before the after-work NoMad crowd lands, and order something classic. Decorated all year; peaks November into the new year.
oscarwildenyc.com · See our best cocktail bars in NYC
Loreley Beer Garden
The low-key, low-cost answer to the reservations arms race: a heated German beer garden that goes full holiday without the velvet rope. Loreley, on Rivington on the Lower East Side, strings its big covered yard with lights and candy-cane touches each winter and pours hot mulled wine alongside its German beer list and schnitzel. The Verdict: the move when you want festive lights and a stein without paying pop-up prices or booking three weeks out — worth it, and the best value on this list. The Honest Caveat: the holiday-garden setup is seasonal, running roughly late November into early January, and the heated tent is still an outdoor tent. The Local Move: grab a long communal table with a group, order a round of Glühwein, and stay put. Walk-in friendly.
loreleynyc.com · See our best dive bars in NYC
Frosty’s Christmas Bar
The big, loud, tinsel-bombed Midtown option built for groups and holiday-party energy. Frosty’s takes over three floors at Bacall’s & Blue on W 44th — a bar, a restaurant and a speakeasy — and wraps the whole thing in lights, garland and interactive photo setups, with a soundtrack that keeps the party going late. Order the Baby It’s Cold Outside Martini or the Very Merry Punch at the wrapping-paper-covered bar. The Verdict: it leans Instagram-bait and the drinks are fine rather than special, but for a Theater District crew night it delivers exactly what it promises. Skip it if you want a serious cocktail; worth it for a group with a reservation. The Honest Caveat: it returns each year around November, runs timed/ticketed entry, and books up — reserve ahead.
frostyschristmas.bar · See our Midtown happy hours
Best Christmas Bars in NYC: FAQ
When do NYC Christmas bars and holiday pop-ups open?
Most of the seasonal pop-ups return each year in mid-to-late November and run through early January — Miracle and Sippin’ Santa typically open in the first half of November and run to New Year’s Eve, while spots like Grinchy’s at Roberta’s open in early December. The permanent bars — Rolf’s, Pete’s Tavern, Lillie’s, Oscar Wilde — are open all year but put their full holiday decor up around early-to-mid November. Exact dates shift each season, so check the venue’s own site or Instagram before you go.
What is the best Christmas bar in NYC?
For the original experience, Miracle on Ninth Street in the East Village — it started the whole trend and pours the Christmapolitan it invented. For the best-made drinks, Jingle Jangle at The Dead Rabbit in FiDi, a two-time World’s Best Bar that goes full holiday across three floors. For sheer over-the-top spectacle, Rolf’s in Gramercy, with roughly 15,000 ornaments and decorations up year-round. Each is the best at a different thing.
Do you need a reservation for NYC holiday pop-up bars?
For most of the pop-ups, yes — or at least it’s strongly advised. Miracle, Sippin’ Santa, Frosty’s and Emo Christmas run timed reservations or ticketed sessions that book up fast in December, so reserve ahead or go on a weeknight. The year-round bars are more flexible: Rolf’s, Pete’s, Lillie’s and Oscar Wilde keep walk-in bar seats but the bar lines can run long on cold December nights, and table reservations are the safer bet. Loreley is the most walk-in-friendly of the bunch.
Which Christmas bar is best for a date or a group?
For a date, Lillie’s Victorian Establishment near Union Square is the prettiest room with the best cocktails and no bad seat, and The Dead Rabbit’s Jingle Jangle is a step up in drink quality. For a group, Frosty’s three-floor party in Midtown and Grinchy’s heated tiki backyard at Roberta’s in Bushwick are built for crews — the latter has the city’s best pizza next door. Loreley’s communal beer-garden tables also work well for a big group on a budget.
Which NYC Christmas bars are open year-round?
Rolf’s German Restaurant in Gramercy is the famous one — it keeps its Christmas decorations up all year and just dials them to maximum for the holidays. Pete’s Tavern (an 1864 tavern), Lillie’s Victorian Establishment near Union Square, Oscar Wilde in NoMad (the city’s longest bar), and Loreley’s German beer garden on the Lower East Side are all open year-round and go big at Christmas. The pop-ups — Miracle, Sippin’ Santa, Grinchy’s, Frosty’s, Emo Christmas — only run for the season.
Last updated: June 2026. Deals and hours change – confirm with the venue before you go. Spot something out of date? Let us know.
