New York City has never felt colder! With temperatures dipping into the negatives, it’s become necessary to find warmth wherever one can. While never leaving your apartment or hotel is always an option, this is the city that never sleeps. Luckily, the city has plenty of bars and restaurants not just with cozy booths, but also with glowing, crackling fireplaces that you can cozy up to with a drink and bites. Here are nine of our favourites, from Brooklyn to the Lower East Side to Midtown.
124 E. 27th St, New York, NY
Borgo, NoMad
Best for: a romantic Italian feast by a wood-burning fire.
When Andrew Tarlow – of beloved Brooklyn spots Diner and Roman – finally debuted in Manhattan last year, Borgo was an instant hit. The Italian menu offers comforting pastas and colourful vegetables in a romantic, candle-lit room. A brick fireplace with a double glass centre divides the room, displaying a roaring fire to both sides.
borgonyc.com
Black Mountain Wine House, Cobble Hill
Best for: pretending you’re in a cosy cabin in the woods.
This long-time wine bar feels like a homey cottage right in the middle of Brooklyn’s Cobble Hill neighbourhood, thanks to wooden clapboard on the outside, Adirondack chairs on the patio, shelves lined with bric-a-brac, and a fireplace that’s always lit in winter. Nibble on a charcuterie and cheese plate as you sip from the curated wine list, with half-bottles available.
blkmtnwinehouse.com
415 Union St, Brooklyn, NY
307 Spring St, New York, NY
Kiko, Hudson Square
Best for: a spicy Soho date night.
One of Esquire’s best new restaurants in 2025, Kiko offers seasonal dishes that draw from Chinese, Japanese, and Mexican cooking. Designed by Studio Tre, the Soho space features exposed brick, a working fireplace, oak and red marble, and rich leather and mohair. It’s an inviting, comfy setting ideal for eating dishes like thrice-fried chicken wings with makrut lime leaf and sansho and Maine lobster crispy rice with red curry and basil.
kikonewyork.com
The Portrait Bar, NoMad
Best for: globally inspired, inventive cocktails.
Tucked inside Fifth Avenue Hotel, this elegant bar oozes style. The library-like room features over 50 portraits hanging on the dark-panelled walls, lending the bar its name. Snag a red velvet chair next to the sculpted marble fireplace for the best seat in the house and order one of the cocktails inspired by global travels, like the Kochi (Japan) with Suntory Toki, Cynar, yuzu, star anise, and sarsaparilla.
theportraitbar.com
1 W. 28th St, New York, NY
300 Spring St, New York, NY
KABIN, Hudson Square
Best for: an escape to Scandinavia without leaving New York.
A Scandinavian refuge in Soho, KABIN is designed by Jeanette Didon, designer of Brooklyn’s Aska and Ekstedt in Sweden. The interiors are both warm and sleek, with high ceilings and exposed beams that evoke a Nordic cabin, and a bright orange firepit provides the ideal glow. Order a Danish hot dog or Swedish meatballs alongside a cocktail inspired by a Scandi cardamom bun.
kabin.nyc
Ludlow House, Lower East Side
Best for: a more private place to curl up with friends.
A member of the Soho House members’ clubs in New York City, Ludlow House on the Lower East Side features two floors of club space for lounging and dining. The ground floor features plenty of comfy seating, with one room boasting a couch facing a crackling fireplace. The Velvet Room, which has a bar and a pool table, has a second fireplace.
sohohouse.com
139 Ludlow St, New York, NY
72 W. 36th St, New York, NY
Keens Steakhouse, Midtown
Best for: a classic NYC steakhouse experience.
This icon has been in Herald Square since 1885 and was recognized by the James Beard Foundation in 2013 with an America’s Classics Award. A roaring fire in the brick fireplace brings warmth to the historic atmosphere. Choose from the Legendary Mutton Chop, King’s Cut Prime Rib, Porterhouse for Two (or Three), and NY Sirloin. A robust raw bar and potatoes in five forms complete the classic steakhouse menu.
keens.com
Leo’s Famous, Murray Hill
Best for: a sophisticated night out in Midtown that can still be cosy.
Chef Ed Cotton opened the Mediterranean-inflected restaurant Leonetta in Murray Hill in 2024, and he debuted Leo’s Famous downstairs in early 2025. While Cotton takes care of the food, bar director Mark Rancourt presents modern takes on classic cocktails. The speakeasy-style bar boasts a sleek black fireplace surrounded by jewel-toned couches and chairs. Flanking either side are curved bookshelves filled with objets d’art.
leonettanyc.com
181 Lexington Ave, New York, NY
451 10th Ave, New York, NY
Spygold, Hudson Yards
Best for: feeling chic as you sip seasonal cocktails.
Head down the stairs inside Chef Dan Kluger’s Hudson Yards restaurant Greywind and you’ll find Spygold, a firelit cocktail bar highlighting seasonal ingredients and local, artisanal spirits. Nibble on toffee popcorn, crispy delicata squash, and chicken wings with tabasco-soy butter paired with winter drinks like an ice-cold pear martini, blood orange paloma, and apple highball.
