Listening bars are everywhere in New York — and Bar Orai is a standout. The space, hidden on the second floor of a Midtown building, is designed like a living room with midcentury couches and armchairs that make it feel low-key and relaxing. Stop by for Japanese whisky, and listen to songs from the 2,000 vinyl records on its walls. There’s food like katsu sandwiches (the team also owns East Village Japanese restaurant AOI Kitchen). The bar has no website, and reservations are a must.

The Tusk Bar serves smart remixes of cocktails you already know: There’s a play on a Bloody Mary made with soy and Clamato, and a martini mixed with shallot vinegar. The food menu comes from the team behind Wildair and includes a shrimp cocktail, chickpea fritters with Thai basil aioli, and a passionfruit pavlova. The bar is part of a trio of projects at the Evelyn Hotel, with a restaurant and cafe to come. It’s quiet here, making it good for meetings, gossiping, or both.

Housed in a “moody, cozy space” in what had been the newer location of the stalwart diner, Chat ‘N Chew, Another Country is a listening bar named for the 1962 James Baldwin novel. The food menu includes fried peanuts, fried chicken, and a sardine sandwich, while drinks come with names like “No Room for Squares” that show off mezcal, Campari, Carpano, and mole bitters. It’s owned by Botanica’s Mark Connell (also a current partner in Brooklyn pizzeria Oma Grassa and the Ridgewood bar Nowadays), and DJ and bartender Timothy Jenkins.

Sip & Guzzle is two destinations in one. The lower level of the bar, called Sip, is run by Shingo Gokan: Before opening eight bars across Japan and China, Gokan had been the bar director for a decade at the original Angel’s Share in Manhattan. The upper level, named Guzzle, is overseen by Employees Only alum Steve Schneider; he serves classics and more familiar cocktails, plus swanky izakaya fare and Japanese street food from Mike Bagale, former chef of three-Michelin-starred Alinea in Chicago. Don’t miss the special desserts in Sip.

The team behind the Lions knows what they’re doing: They’re behind cocktail bar and tavern, Goodnight Sonny; music venue the Wayland; and Madeline’s Martini, all in the East Village. The Lions has ambitions to be more than just a hangout for drinks, with a standout menu outfitted with magnificent mortadella sandwiches, burgers, triangular mozzarella sticks, and more. It’s a really solid after-work option.

William Elliott, bar director at sibling location, Maison Premiere, oversees the beverage menu at Tigre, which pulled ideas from Playboy’s Host & Bar Book. Cocktails have names like the Rolls Royce and Mister Softee. The space features a horseshoe-shaped bar that evokes “residential sexiness in New York from the 1970s, ’80s, and maybe even ’90s,” according to New York Magazine. It has a speakeasy vibe with an unmarked door attached to a hotel.

From the team behind the Fly, Cervo’s, and Hart’s comes Eel Bar. While Cervo’s nods to Portugal, Eel Bar takes its cue from Basque influences, with boquerones and tinned fish from the group’s Minnow brand, along with dishes like rainbow trout with pil-pil, or meatballs with fries. The space is elegant, but take note it gets loud.

Is anyone surprised that Hellbender is a hit? The new cocktail bar, from the owners of the restaurant, Rolo’s, has customers lining up for carajillos and margaritas in a dining room with booth seating and a stuffed jaguar. Hellbender is a bar, but you could also treat it like a restaurant: There’s a full food menu with fried fish sandwiches, tacos, shrimp cocktail, and more.