Asking after a good bar in which to drink a Guinness is like seeking out the best place on Earth to breathe oxygen—most places will do. But if you’re in New York City and desiring a particularly artful pour, either because it’s St. Paddy’s Day, or you want to honor your Irish heritage, or simply because a stout is calling out to you, certain pubs know how to maximize the black stuff’s slay better than others thanks to a considered approach and meticulous bartenders. We already had our favorites, and in delving deeper we found that a good Guinness pour is not so simple as holding the glass at a 45-degree angle (although that’s an essential first step). Ensuring the Guinness is not too cold and drawing from the tap in three to four parts is another key technique for developing a healthy head (read: frothy foam formed by rising carbonation) with ample stout beneath.
Other factors, including ambience and design—does it feel like you’ve been teleported to a well-worn drinking house in Ireland itself upon crossing the threshold?—have also been taken into consideration. Read on for our picks for the best bars in New York for a pint of Guinness, according to two of our New York City-based editors.
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Neighborhood: West Village, Manhattan
As a pub frequenter, admirer, and enthusiast, there’s a fine line between a good Irish pub and the kind that becomes a go-to, close-to-the-heart “local”. Grace’s is firmly the latter. Pulled straight out of Ireland and dropped onto 14th Street, Grace’s boasts dim candlelight, brotherly bartenders, and a leveled grit that leaves you teetering between kicking off a folk song or dragging from a cigarette from a stranger outside. There’s even a snug—private, booth-like rooms traditional to 19th-century Irish pubs—which you never get in the city. The crowd is great too, always lively but never in a way that has you waiting ages for a pint. And the Guinness is on par—perfect pour and settle, perfect head, every time. Notorious for being a full-vibe pub, it’s not uncommon for famous country singers to drop in during Wednesday live music nights and, carried away by the Irish hospitality, end up jumping on the mic themselves until 4 a.m. close. That’s the beauty of a complete pub. —Bridget Knowles
