Dutch Kills has been mixing some of the best cocktails in Queens since 2009, and we’ve been sending The Local guests there since we opened in 2013. This is a place that was serving up craft cocktails before that became a thing. The entrance is easy to miss, the room is dark in exactly the right way, and the bartenders know what they’re doing without making a whole performance out of it. Order from the seasonal menu or tell them what you like and let them take it from there. “Something with gin, not too sweet” is a perfectly acceptable drink order here.

It’s a reliable choice for a date, a late-night drink, or a night when you want to go somewhere that feels very New York without getting on the subway. Cocktails run around $18, and Dutch Kills is open from 5pm to 2am Sunday through Thursday and until 3am on Friday and Saturday. It’s about a ten-minute walk from The Local and has been one of our go-to neighborhood recommendations for more than a decade. Places come and go in New York but Dutch Kills is forever.