Amor y Amargo is a tiny East Village bar that sticks to one lane — bitters, amari, and spirit-forward cocktails, and does it exceptionally well. The place isn’t trying to charm you with décor; it’s basically a compact room with shelves of bottles and bartenders who know exactly what they’re pouring.
The drink list is full of stirred, boozy options. If you like amaro, you’re in the right spot. Their cocktails lean herbal, bitter, and layered rather than sweet or flashy. Something like the Sharpie Mustache gives you that mix of rye, gin, and layered bitterness that hits hard but stays balanced. They rotate drinks often, but the style stays consistent: strong, clean, and built for people who actually enjoy tasting the base spirits.
The space is small, so expect to be close to other people or even standing. The bartenders are dialed in, focused, and efficient without putting on a show. You can ask questions and they’ll break things down for you without being pretentious. If you’re into bitter, complex cocktails and want a spot that doesn’t mess around, Amor y Amargo is a great move. It’s straightforward, specialized, and delivers exactly what it promises.
Atmosphere: 4
Service: 5
Jeffrey Thomas
Amazing amaro based coccktails. The vibe is always good, almost European feel (standing room only). Despite how crowded it can get, the service is always good.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Selma Marrakchi
One of my favorite spots for cocktails in the city. The kind you sip slowly. The staff is super knowledgeable, creative, and passionate about their craft. Lots of bitters you can purchase too if you feel like trying to recreate at home.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Sally P
Very unique place with exquisite drinks. Huge bitter selection. But tiny, so better get there soon!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jodie Wilson
Absolutely amazing cocktail selection, certainly one of the most unique menus in the city.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Anthony Migs
Brought a date here for a few drinks. It was the perfect balance of crowd and intimacy.
I would recommend this place
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
Sara Sikorski
I have been going for about a decade? I would say about 10.1/10 times the bartender is in a bad mood and you will know about. I was ok with it when I wanted to try a new amaro. I have witnessed for years if you ask any question they will respond in a shitty way. For many years when the bartenders responded shitty i would make a straightforward suggestion to the patron asking, like try a spritz to see if you like it. The bartender with a braided goatee (go figure, right) pushed it too far tonight. I asked a question and he was unnecessarily a jerk about it. He doesn’t know anything. This place sucks. The bartenders suck. Don’t got here. Go somewhere else. A woman asked for a sober drink tonight and they said we have absolutely nothing and then served two bartenders a topo Chico about an hour later no problem at all.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 1
Valentin Maniez
Never seen such an extensive bitters collection! The drinks are boozy and balanced, no juice or 10 ingredients, the service is great and the atmosphere is lively thanks to the small space.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
j.p. connolly
Incredibly well crafted cocktails, and friendly staff with absolutely encyclopedic knowledge.
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
Andy Dremeaux
It's a space I've been visiting for over a decade, with many friends and out-of-towners for this truly awesome and unique bar. The decor is beautiful and they offer something you can find almost nowhere else. But why put forth a display of 100 bottles of specialty liquor and then service them with a bartender that is so thoroughly unpleasant and arrogant? I come to this place because I am fascinated by the selection and love to talk about it -- I bought the god damn book -- but this dude (not the author) seems almost repulsed that I'd ask questions. That I'd inquire about one of the ingredients he is mixing into my drink right in front of my face. Although mixing is an overstatement at Amor these days: every single cocktail we watched him make was premixed. Pour it in the glass, slice of lemon, that'll be $18. And lets be honest, it's no secret that despite the incredible sounding descriptions and wild mixes of ingredients, nearly every cocktail at this place ends up tasting the same. Bitter with a little of this, bitter with a little of that. It's great when you have a bartender that likes to engage with you and talk to you about the history and origin of the drinks. Instead I got a bartender that handed me an ipad at checkout that had an $18 tip preselected for 4 drinks that he poured from a glass bottle over ice.
No doubt about it, the ambiance of this place is unique and charming. Overall incredible atmosphere. And best amaro selection I have ever seen. Bartender was a bit put off by questions, it appeared and came off as pompous and arrogant, but he was very knowledgeable and had a certain je-ne-sais-quoi to him.
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 2
MICHAEL DAURIO
Drinks are delicious and the vibe is great. Highly recommend!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Kaiser Soze
David made our trip so memorable. The space itself is so great of course, but he helped guide us to some incredible amaros and possibly my favorite. The intimate space lends itself to interaction and conversation which I love and I can't wait to make another trip back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Adam Johnson
A classic
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Dr Bina Bakshi
Nothing to write ✍️ about It's a bar It serves alcohol No stools on weekend Standing bar
Amor y Amargo is a tiny East Village bar that sticks to one lane — bitters, amari, and spirit-forward cocktails, and does it exceptionally well. The place isn’t trying to charm you with décor; it’s basically a compact room with shelves of bottles and bartenders who know exactly what they’re pouring.
The drink list is full of stirred, boozy options. If you like amaro, you’re in the right spot. Their cocktails lean herbal, bitter, and layered rather than sweet or flashy. Something like the Sharpie Mustache gives you that mix of rye, gin, and layered bitterness that hits hard but stays balanced. They rotate drinks often, but the style stays consistent: strong, clean, and built for people who actually enjoy tasting the base spirits.
The space is small, so expect to be close to other people or even standing. The bartenders are dialed in, focused, and efficient without putting on a show. You can ask questions and they’ll break things down for you without being pretentious. If you’re into bitter, complex cocktails and want a spot that doesn’t mess around, Amor y Amargo is a great move. It’s straightforward, specialized, and delivers exactly what it promises.
Atmosphere: 4
Service: 5
Amazing amaro based coccktails. The vibe is always good, almost European feel (standing room only). Despite how crowded it can get, the service is always good.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
One of my favorite spots for cocktails in the city. The kind you sip slowly. The staff is super knowledgeable, creative, and passionate about their craft. Lots of bitters you can purchase too if you feel like trying to recreate at home.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Very unique place with exquisite drinks. Huge bitter selection. But tiny, so better get there soon!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Absolutely amazing cocktail selection, certainly one of the most unique menus in the city.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Brought a date here for a few drinks. It was the perfect balance of crowd and intimacy.
I would recommend this place
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
I have been going for about a decade? I would say about 10.1/10 times the bartender is in a bad mood and you will know about. I was ok with it when I wanted to try a new amaro. I have witnessed for years if you ask any question they will respond in a shitty way. For many years when the bartenders responded shitty i would make a straightforward suggestion to the patron asking, like try a spritz to see if you like it. The bartender with a braided goatee (go figure, right) pushed it too far tonight. I asked a question and he was unnecessarily a jerk about it. He doesn’t know anything. This place sucks. The bartenders suck. Don’t got here. Go somewhere else. A woman asked for a sober drink tonight and they said we have absolutely nothing and then served two bartenders a topo Chico about an hour later no problem at all.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 1
Never seen such an extensive bitters collection! The drinks are boozy and balanced, no juice or 10 ingredients, the service is great and the atmosphere is lively thanks to the small space.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Incredibly well crafted cocktails, and friendly staff with absolutely encyclopedic knowledge.
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
It's a space I've been visiting for over a decade, with many friends and out-of-towners for this truly awesome and unique bar. The decor is beautiful and they offer something you can find almost nowhere else. But why put forth a display of 100 bottles of specialty liquor and then service them with a bartender that is so thoroughly unpleasant and arrogant? I come to this place because I am fascinated by the selection and love to talk about it -- I bought the god damn book -- but this dude (not the author) seems almost repulsed that I'd ask questions. That I'd inquire about one of the ingredients he is mixing into my drink right in front of my face. Although mixing is an overstatement at Amor these days: every single cocktail we watched him make was premixed. Pour it in the glass, slice of lemon, that'll be $18. And lets be honest, it's no secret that despite the incredible sounding descriptions and wild mixes of ingredients, nearly every cocktail at this place ends up tasting the same. Bitter with a little of this, bitter with a little of that. It's great when you have a bartender that likes to engage with you and talk to you about the history and origin of the drinks. Instead I got a bartender that handed me an ipad at checkout that had an $18 tip preselected for 4 drinks that he poured from a glass bottle over ice.
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 1
Restaurantji Recommends
No doubt about it, the ambiance of this place is unique and charming. Overall incredible atmosphere. And best amaro selection I have ever seen. Bartender was a bit put off by questions, it appeared and came off as pompous and arrogant, but he was very knowledgeable and had a certain je-ne-sais-quoi to him.
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 2
Drinks are delicious and the vibe is great. Highly recommend!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
David made our trip so memorable. The space itself is so great of course, but he helped guide us to some incredible amaros and possibly my favorite. The intimate space lends itself to interaction and conversation which I love and I can't wait to make another trip back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
A classic
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Nothing to write ✍️ about
It's a bar
It serves alcohol
No stools on weekend
Standing bar
Service: 3
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