New data on what New Yorkers pay for drinks arrived Monday as 5PM NYC released its Fall 2026 5PM Barometer Report and launched the 5PM Barometer, a subscription pricing tool aimed at independent bar and restaurant owners. The report draws on 109,975 listed prices from 2,254 menus spanning 108 neighborhoods across all five boroughs.
Key price benchmarks and neighborhood gaps
The report sets citywide medians at $16 for a cocktail, $9 for a draft beer and $14 for a glass of wine. It also quantifies typical happy-hour savings: discounts center around 38% for cocktails, 37% for draft beer and 38% for wine by the glass.
5PM’s findings underscore that where a venue sits matters more than its borough. The report notes a $7.50 spread in cocktail prices between neighborhoods — from a median of $19.50 in NoMad to $12 in Bayside — while differences between the five boroughs top out at about $3. The same margarita, the report highlights, carries a median price of $19 in Boerum Hill and $9 in Inwood.
"We built 5PM NYC to help people find a good drink at a fair price, and along the way we ended up with the most complete picture of what New York's bars and restaurants charge," said Sam Zukin, founder of 5PM NYC.
What the Barometer offers operators
The Barometer packages the underlying data into a tool that 5PM says gives independent operators access to market intelligence typically purchased by chains and major beverage brands. For a monthly subscription of $40 — described in the release as a fraction of enterprise platform costs — users can compare every drink on their menu with nearby establishments, monitor selected competitors' prices and track market shifts on a monthly cadence.
- Data scale: 109,975 price points from 2,254 menus.
- Coverage: 108 neighborhoods across all five boroughs; 5PM lists more than 2,600 bars and restaurants on its site.
- Audience reach: 5PM NYC reports about 50,000 visits per month to its happy-hour guide.
Local implications for operators and consumers
For independent owners, the Barometer’s value proposition is straightforward: granular, neighborhood-level pricing data could inform menu pricing, happy-hour strategies and competitive positioning without the cost of enterprise subscriptions. For operators in high-variance neighborhoods, the tool may illuminate opportunities to reposition prices or promotions relative to nearby peers.
Consumers stand to gain clearer expectations when shopping for value across neighborhoods. The report’s neighborhood-level examples — including the twofold margarita gap between Boerum Hill and Inwood — show how walking a few subway stops can materially change what a night out costs.
Data transparency and next steps
5PM NYC published its full report and methodology online, and the Barometer is available at 5pm.nyc/barometer, with the report at 5pm.nyc/Fall-2026-Report. The company positions the product as an equalizing tool by making market data accessible at a lower price point than enterprise platforms.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Listed prices analyzed | 109,975 |
| Menus covered | 2,254 |
| Neighborhoods | 108 |
| Median cocktail | $16 |
| Median draft beer | $9 |
| Median wine (glass) | $14 |
| Typical happy-hour discount | ~38% |
| Subscription cost | $40/month |
By publishing both the dataset summary and a subscription product, 5PM NYC aims to influence how pricing decisions are made at New York bars and restaurants. For a city where dining and nightlife vary block by block, the new Barometer may become a practical tool for operators seeking data-driven pricing — and for patrons looking to compare value across neighborhoods.
