If you're looking for bars in New Rochelle, this is the honest version: where to actually go, and what each place is genuinely good for. We've grouped them by the kind of night you're having - a quiet pint downtown, wings and a game on, a glass of wine that isn't an afterthought, or somewhere still going when the kitchens have closed. Last updated October 2026.
New Rochelle's bar scene is a funny mix, and that's the best thing about it. You've got taverns that have been pouring since before anyone's grandparents moved here, a craft brewery two blocks from the train, sports pubs along North Avenue, and a handful of rooms downtown that lean more cocktail-and-DJ than pint-and-peanuts. Nothing here is trying to be Brooklyn. Most of it is just trying to be good.
If you're coming off the Metro-North and want to make an evening of it without moving the car, start here. Division Street is about as close as New Rochelle gets to a bar block.
18th Ward Brewing (40 Division St) is the one to beat. It's a proper downtown taproom with rotating house beers, which means the board changes and you should ask what's new rather than ordering the same thing every time. Good for: a slow afternoon pint, meeting someone you actually want to talk to, and drinkers who care what's in the glass. It's the highest-rated bar on this list for a reason.
A few doors down, Scratch Bar & Grill (26 Division St) is the American bar and grill side of the same street - the place you go when half the group wants food and the other half wants to settle in at the bar. Good for: a reliable sit-down dinner that doesn't feel like a restaurant, or a post-work drink that turns into a plate of something.
179 Bar and Grill (179 Main St) holds one of the best ratings of any bar in town, which tells you most of what you need to know. Good for: a Main Street drink with food on the table and no fuss about it.
New Roc Social Bar & Lounge (16 Memorial Hwy) is the dressier downtown option - a cocktail lounge with bar bites, DJs and outdoor seating. Good for: birthdays, groups, and nights when you want music loud enough that you don't have to make conversation. The outdoor seating is the move in warm weather.
These are the bars people mean when they say they want "a regular bar." No concept, no theme, just a room and a bartender who clocks you after the second visit.
Beechmont Tavern (750 North Ave) dates to 1928 and is known for wings, burgers and draft beer - a combination it has had a very long time to get right. Good for: a cold pint and a pile of wings, watching something on the TV without it being a full sports-bar experience, and bringing visiting relatives somewhere that feels like the real New Rochelle.
Lawton Street Tavern (47 Lawton St) is the neighbourhood tavern in the classic sense, with pub food and a crowd that largely lives within walking distance. Good for: a weeknight drink where nobody's performing, and a reminder that a tavern doesn't need to reinvent itself every eighteen months.
C J Cullens Tavern (77 Pelham Rd) sits on the Pelham Road side of town and keeps a loyal following. Good for: locals in the south end who don't feel like driving downtown.
American Legion Post 8 (112 North Avenue) is exactly what it sounds like, and it's beloved - one of the warmest rooms on North Avenue if you find your way in. Good for: unpretentious drinks, community, and prices that haven't caught up with the rest of Westchester.
North Avenue is where the TVs are. If you're planning a night around a fixture, work from this list.
Spectators Sports Pub & Restaurant (227 North Ave) is the long-standing pick, with a full menu and beer to match the screens. Good for: big games with a group, when you need both seats and food and don't want to gamble on either.
LIT Sports Lounge & Grill (234C North Ave) is the slightly more lounge-leaning take on the same idea - sports on, grill menu going. Good for: a game night that drifts into a night out.
Shooters Bar (155 North Ave) is a straightforward North Avenue bar for people who want a drink and a TV and nothing explained to them. Good for: a no-frills stop on a longer crawl.
Aura Wine & Bar (501 Main St) is the one to know when a pub won't do. It's a wine bar with small plates and salads, and it's the most civilised room in town for a date, a catch-up with a friend, or a glass before dinner somewhere else. Good for: when you want to taste what you're drinking.
Kotton Bar and Grill (103 Union Ave) sits just off the main drags and rewards people who go looking. Good for: a drink away from the North Avenue crowd.
La Clave Night Club (596 Main St) is the late option on Main Street when you want dancing rather than a barstool. Good for: a proper night out, music-first, with friends who intend to stay out.
Feel it Healthy Spot (134 North Avenue) is the outlier here and worth a mention for anyone who wants a sociable stop that isn't built around a pint.
And if you're willing to drive about fifteen minutes down to Yonkers, Empire City Casino by MGM Resorts (810 Yonkers Avenue) has bars attached to a very different kind of evening. Not New Rochelle, but close enough to count when the group wants something louder.
First time out? Start at 18th Ward for a beer, walk to Scratch for food, and finish at New Roc Social if you've still got it in you. Want the local version instead? Beechmont Tavern, wings, and nowhere else. Date night: Aura, every time.
Bars are only half of it. For live music, trivia nights, markets and everything else happening around town, head to happs - your free local guide to New Rochelle. Sign up for the free weekly digest and we'll send the good stuff straight to your inbox.
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