It often feels like neighborhood bars with live music excel at one or the other, but somehow, Harlem Nights nails both. The relaxed atmosphere allows for genuine, intimate connections with live bands that seem to be having as much fun as the patrons. The all-night menu of bar snacks, including the popular smoked wings, hits the spot — no matter the time.

Marcus Samuelsson’s speakeasy, tucked below Red Rooster, frequently has live music on Thursdays through Sundays, including jazz, blues, and funk. Gospel Brunch is offered on weekends, with sounds by Vy Higginsen’s Sing Harlem Choir to accompany the topnotch Southern fare.

Silvana in South Harlem is a testament to the truly unlikely things to be found in New York. It’s a Mediterranean restaurant and gift shop in one, serving superior casual eats like falafel and shawarma, while the downstairs room serves as both speakeasy and charmingly compact venue for world music.

Living up to its boastful name, the relatively new Fine & Rare — from the owners of Flatiron Room — feels like a portal back to a different time when New York City was teeming with small, glamorous jazz bars. Tucked away on the border of Flatiron and Midtown, the intimate setting nods to Old New York with impeccable Art Deco and midcentury design. The extensive booze list is reason enough to go, but the hushed acoustics and bands keep customers lingering.

The Flatiron Room is a haven for those in Flatiron looking for a great cocktail in a sophisticated bar, sans all the attitude. Booze aficionados will love the whiskey-centric bottle list, which includes the option to buy a favorite and keep it behind the bar, while small bites and a rotating schedule of live music make it worth hanging out in all night.

A West Village institution, Fat Cat invites all kinds in its roomy, anything-goes space, from older jazz aficionados to partying NYU students. They come to enjoy the unlikely combination of a respectable roster of bands alongside bar games including pool, ping pong, and shuffleboard.

A staple of the Village jazz scene, Blue Note hosts some of the top contemporary names in the genre, including Grammy winners Keyon Harrold. Room is tight, to the point that things can get uncomfortable, and the food is subpar — but the music is almost always transcendent. There’s a $5 food/drink minimum per person. Tickets recommended.

Speakeasy-style cocktail bars may have already had their heyday in NYC, but Little Branch is still a destination for those in the know. Smart, helpful bartenders in requisite suspenders mix classic drinks in a warm, candlelit basement, while a piano serves as venue space for unexpectedly delightful bands.

This sultry, throwback jazz club is the latest hit nightlife venture from Ariel Arce, the restaurateur behind Air’s Champagne Parlor, Tokyo Record Bar, and Niche Niche. Special Club nods to old-school social clubs like the Stork and hosts two seatings nightly, at 8 and 10 p.m., with a $20 cover and a small plates menu to complement the champagne, sake, and cocktails on offer.

Nublu might be the most well-kept secret in the East Village. The formerly tiny bar in Alphabet City has expanded into a larger space known as Nublu 151, with plans to renovate its original home. The new space still hosts an eclectic mix of particularly Latin Jazz, and the vibe is always inviting and casual, with conga lines breaking out at any possible moment.

Even while Williamsburg rapidly evolves, Skinny Dennis always seems to stay the same, which is how the regulars like it. A holdover from the neighborhood’s punkier days, the unassuming honky tonk bar offers stiff drinks at the right price and is an energetic scene for country acts.

One of the city’s best speakeasies, tucked on Chinatown’s cinematic and winding Doyers Street, is also a great live music option. The roster includes combos like a jazz and burlesque pairing on Wednesdays. The cocktails are well made, too, if heavy on the gimmicks. Each drink is a “prescription,” and waitstaff are dressed in lab coats.

Williamsburg residents looking for a break from the packed crowds at absinthe-and-oyster bar Maison Premiere can do well at St. Mazie, with its speakeasy-style aesthetic, ambitious cocktails, and raw bar. The rest of the food menu is just as worthwhile, and the diverse mix of Americana-leaning local musicians makes the spot a local’s dream.

Beloved Cafe Moto right under the JMZ train in Williamsburg became Bar Velo in 2016, and the transition has been surprisingly seamless. Velo has a similar knack for old-school aesthetics in the quaint, tight space, while the turn toward hearty vegetarian and vegan dishes succeeds in pleasing all palates. The commitment to showcasing local musicians in a range of styles has luckily remained.

A sterling cocktail bar from mixology maven Julie Reiner with great American food that is somehow also a cozy neighborhood hangout, Clover Club already has a lot going for it. But there’s no better time to show up than Wednesday nights, when Michael Arenella and his band put on a regular live jazz performance that makes this Brooklyn space feel temporarily magical.

Nearly every night of the week, there’s live music happening at Bed-Stuy’s LunAtico. The popular, welcoming neighborhood restaurant and bar is owned by a trio of touring musicians and hosts a particularly eclectic range of music genres.