The Most Opulent Places to Drink Champagne in New York Right Now

Krug in Baccarat crystal on 53rd Street, a caviar-crowned baked potato on Madison Avenue, a piano at Bemelmans quietly talking you out of your dinner reservation: New York is very good at making champagne feel like the only reasonable order. With Global Champagne Day landing on Friday, October 23, 2026 (an excuse, admittedly, but a convenient one), I’ve gathered the 12 most glamorous rooms in the city to pop a cork, from grand hotel bars at The Plaza, The Carlyle and The St. Regis to newer caviar lounges at RH Guesthouse and The Mark.

Order the martini some other night.

Some of these rooms have entertained generations of New Yorkers; others are giving the city fresh reasons to dress up. One, The Plaza, closes its doors in January 2027 for at least four years, which makes it less a suggestion than a deadline. All of them deserve something sparkling.

Photo Credit: Baccarat Hotel New York

The Bar and Grand Salon at Baccarat Hotel

Midtown | Crystal everything

If ever there was a hotel built for drinking champagne, it’s this one. At Baccarat, the glassware is the occasion: champagne, cocktails and spirits all arrive in the house’s own crystal, which has a way of making even a Tuesday feel like an anniversary.

The Bar brings the theatrical glamour; the Grand Salon is where an afternoon engagement quietly turns into the evening. Champagne choices have included Krug Grande Cuvée (suitably extravagant, given the chandeliers). Come with someone who appreciates a little ceremony, and leave time to enjoy it.

Haute Living take: The most beautiful glass you’ll hold all year. Literally.

Peacock Alley at Waldorf Astoria New York

Park Avenue | The comeback room

The Waldorf’s return gave New York one of its great gathering places back, and Peacock Alley is the heart of it. Anchored by the legendary Grand Clock, it carries the weight of the hotel’s history with the energy of a room people are discovering all over again.

The by-the-glass list makes a very convincing case for settling in: Ruinart Blanc de Blancs, Billecart-Salmon Le Rosé and Dunoyer de Segonzac Blanc de Blancs 2015. Add golden Oscietra caviar or a seafood platter, and a quick drink becomes a very good evening. (It always does.)

Haute Living take: Meet under the clock. Stay for the Billecart.

Champagne & Caviar Bar at RH Guesthouse

Meatpacking District | 32 seats, downstairs

Descend into RH Guesthouse’s Champagne & Caviar Bar and the Meatpacking District simply disappears. The 32-seat lounge layers amber glass, champagne-toned lacquer, Italian marble and camel mohair velvet into a room so polished it borders on the impossible.

The menu is just as focused: fine champagnes, Petrossian caviar and dishes designed to indulge both appetites. This is the date that deserves more thought than “let’s grab a drink.” Reserve, dress accordingly and make the champagne the plan.

Haute Living take: The sexiest basement in Manhattan. Book it for date night.

The Champagne Bar at The Plaza

Fifth Avenue | Last call before January 2027

Few New York addresses carry the same celebratory shorthand as The Plaza. Its Champagne Bar overlooks Fifth Avenue and the Pulitzer Fountain, giving even a spontaneous glass the backdrop of a properly planned occasion, and a tradition that reaches back to the Champagne Porch the hotel introduced when it opened in 1907.

Here’s the twist: The Plaza is scheduled to close in January 2027 for a façade restoration expected to last at least four years. So come after a walk through Central Park, before a night out or simply because you’ve decided the day needs a little Plaza glamour. Just come soon.

Haute Living take: Go now. Your next chance may be 2031.

Photo Credit: Caviar Kaspa

Caviar Kaspia at The Mark

Madison Avenue, Upper East Side | Parisian import

Paris brought the attitude; The Mark supplied the Madison Avenue address. Designed by Jacques Grange, Caviar Kaspia pairs emerald mohair banquettes and signature blue tablecloths with wood paneling and a sculptural black marble bar, a room with enough personality to hold its own against the famous twice-baked potato crowned with caviar.

Order the potato. Choose your champagne. Then let lunch go wherever it wants, because it’s especially good when lunch has no firm end time.

Haute Living take: The potato is non-negotiable. So is the second glass.

Rarities at Lotte New York Palace

Villard Mansion, Midtown | Invitation-only

For those who prefer their extravagance discreet, Rarities is the pleasure of disappearing into a historic mansion in the middle of Manhattan. Set on the mezzanine of the 1884 Villard Mansion, the intimate lounge draws on the entertaining traditions of railroad magnate Henry Villard, with exceptional champagnes, rare spirits and a connoisseur’s wine cellar.

There’s a deliciously private feel to the whole thing, partly because you can’t just wander in. The hotel describes Rarities as invitation-only and offers a reservation channel for prospective guests, so arrange access ahead.

Haute Living take: The champagne bar most New Yorkers don’t know exists. Keep it that way.

Bemelmans Bar at The Carlyle

Upper East Side | Murals, piano, late-night jazz

Bemelmans has the kind of atmosphere people spend years (and fortunes) trying to recreate: Ludwig Bemelmans’s beloved murals, nightly piano, late-night jazz and the intimacy of a room with countless evenings behind it.

Yes, the martinis are an understandable temptation. But champagne suits the romance of the place beautifully. Bring someone who loves New York (or someone you’d like to convince), give the music time to work its magic and let another glass become a perfectly reasonable decision.

Haute Living take: The most romantic room in New York. Don’t over-schedule the night.

Swan Room at Nine Orchard

Lower East Side | A former bank’s teller hall

Downtown gets its own grand entrance at Swan Room, where the former bank teller hall has become one of the neighborhood’s most striking places for an evening drink. Vaulted ceilings, pink Tennessee marble and luxurious booths supply the architectural drama.

The venue’s instruction is refreshingly direct: dress for a night out. Champagne fits that brief perfectly, especially when the evening ahead is still open to suggestion.

Haute Living take: Proof downtown does glamour too. Wear the good shoes.

Photo Credit: Bjorn Wallander

Nubeluz at The Ritz-Carlton New York, NoMad

NoMad | 270-degree skyline views

Sometimes the most extravagant decoration is New York itself. José Andrés’s Nubeluz supplies 270-degree skyline views high above NoMad, giving champagne an appropriately cinematic setting.

The room calls for cocktail attire, and I’d embrace the invitation. Book for the moment daylight tips into evening and the city starts to light up, when the view becomes very difficult to ignore. Birthdays, visiting friends and romantic nights that need very little additional itinerary are all covered.

Haute Living take: Book sunset. Dress up. Let the skyline do the talking.

The Russian Tea Room

West 57th Street | Celebrating 100 years

Subtlety has never been the point here, which is precisely why The Russian Tea Room belongs on this list. Red banquettes, gilded decoration and a famously theatrical setting make an afternoon or evening feel wonderfully removed from the everyday.

In its centennial year, the institution has an especially fitting reason to celebrate, with a Champagne & Caviar special among its anniversary offerings. For anyone craving a little unabashed New York extravagance, this room understands the assignment.

Haute Living take: A century of more-is-more. Order the caviar special.

Café Carmellini at The Fifth Avenue Hotel

NoMad | Grand dining room

Café Carmellini makes a strong case for planning the entire evening around dinner. Tiered chandeliers, mirrored columns, blue velvet banquettes and towering trees give Andrew Carmellini’s restaurant the scale and spectacle of a grand occasion.

There’s plenty to keep you at the table too, with an extensive wine program alongside the kitchen’s French and Italian influences. Begin with champagne and let the room set the pace. An early reservation here deserves a late finish.

Haute Living take: Start with bubbles, end at midnight. The room insists.

King Cole Bar at The St. Regis New York

Fifth Avenue at 55th Street | Maxfield Parrish mural

The King Cole Bar is New York grandeur in its most intimate form, with Maxfield Parrish’s famous mural presiding over one of Manhattan’s most storied meeting places.

The Red Snapper has an undeniable claim on cocktail history (it’s widely credited as the hotel’s take on the Bloody Mary), but a celebratory glass of champagne suits The St. Regis just as well. Make it the opening chapter of a special night or the last stop after dinner. Either way, it rewards lingering.

Haute Living take: The perfect first stop or last call. Ideally both.

How to Plan a Champagne Day Crawl

For crystal and ceremony: Baccarat. For caviar: RH Guesthouse or Caviar Kaspia. For a view: Nubeluz. For romance: Bemelmans. For bragging rights: Rarities, if you can get in. For a last-chance moment: The Plaza, before January. Pick two, pace yourself and remember that the best champagne bars aren’t about the bottle at all. They’re about how long the room convinces you to stay.

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