Best zones to open a cafe or bar in New York
We scored 16 neighbourhood-sized cells of New York for a cafe or bar. Manhattan Community Board 5 leads with 75/100 against a city average of 54/100. Every score is built from open data plus live Google Maps evidence — nothing is estimated by hand.
- City average
- 54/100
- #1 · Manhattan Community Board 5
- 75/100
- Data confidence
- 59%
- Updated
- 7 October 2026
Opportunity map
Best zones to open a Cafe & Bar in New York
Compare neighbourhood scores, evidence and confidence before choosing a specific address.
City score 54/100· 16 zones· Updated Oct 7, 2026
- 175Manhattan Community Board 511 competitors · 4.6★
- 267Chelsea District12 competitors · 4.5★
- 359Boerum Hill8 competitors · 4.6★
- 457Manhattan Community Board 77 competitors · 4.6★
- 554Park Slope17 competitors · 4.7★
- 654Manhattan Community Board 119 competitors · 4.6★
- 753Ditmas Park12 competitors · 4.5★
- 852Downtown Brooklyn10 competitors · 4.5★
- 951Cobble Hill Historic District9 competitors · 4.6★
- 1050Bushwick12 competitors · 4.7★
- 1150Manhattan Community Board 39 competitors · 4.7★
- 1249Brooklyn Heights5 competitors · 4.6★
- 1349Greenwood Heights9 competitors · 4.7★
- 1448Ridgewood8 competitors · 4.6★
- 1547Manhattan Community Board 85 competitors · 4.6★
- 1645Fort Greene5 competitors · 4.4★
Full ranking
16 zones scored
| # | Zone | Score | Confidence | Competitors | Residents (10-min walk) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manhattan Community Board 5 | 75 | 60% | 11 · 4.6★ | — | Open in the interactive map → |
| 2 | Chelsea District | 67 | 60% | 12 · 4.5★ | — | Open in the interactive map → |
| 3 | Boerum Hill | 59 | 60% | 8 · 4.6★ | — | Open in the interactive map → |
| 4 | Manhattan Community Board 7 | 57 | 60% | 7 · 4.6★ | — | Open in the interactive map → |
| 5 | Park Slope | 54 | 60% | 17 · 4.7★ | — | Open in the interactive map → |
| 6 | Manhattan Community Board 11 | 54 | 60% | 9 · 4.6★ | — | Open in the interactive map → |
| 7 | Ditmas Park | 53 | 50% | 12 · 4.5★ | — | Open in the interactive map → |
| 8 | Downtown Brooklyn | 52 | 60% | 10 · 4.5★ | — | Open in the interactive map → |
| 9 | Cobble Hill Historic District | 51 | 60% | 9 · 4.6★ | — | Open in the interactive map → |
| 10 | Bushwick | 50 | 60% | 12 · 4.7★ | — | Open in the interactive map → |
| 11 | Manhattan Community Board 3 | 50 | 60% | 9 · 4.7★ | — | Open in the interactive map → |
| 12 | Brooklyn Heights | 49 | 60% | 5 · 4.6★ | — | Open in the interactive map → |
| 13 | Greenwood Heights | 49 | 60% | 9 · 4.7★ | — | Open in the interactive map → |
| 14 | Ridgewood | 48 | 60% | 8 · 4.6★ | — | Open in the interactive map → |
| 15 | Manhattan Community Board 8 | 47 | 60% | 5 · 4.6★ | — | Open in the interactive map → |
| 16 | Fort Greene | 45 | 60% | 5 · 4.4★ | — | Open in the interactive map → |
Top 3 zones in detail
Manhattan Community Board 5
- Demand100
- Room72
- Beatable41
- Vitality70
- Access—
- Cost—
Strengths: Demand (+67)
Main competitors
- Tartinery Café - Bar | Grand Central · 4.8★ (4,916)
- Milk Bar · 4.6★ (3,636)
- Tartinery · 4.7★ (3,026)
Rent sustainability, customer personas, 12-month financials and a 90-day action plan for the exact address.
Chelsea District
- Demand70
- Room72
- Beatable46
- Vitality73
- Access—
- Cost—
Strengths: Demand (+37)
Main competitors
- Cafeteria · 4.3★ (4,021)
- Milk Bar · 4.6★ (3,636)
- Café Chelsea · 4.2★ (724)
Rent sustainability, customer personas, 12-month financials and a 90-day action plan for the exact address.
Boerum Hill
- Demand47
- Room85
- Beatable42
- Vitality61
- Access—
- Cost—
Strengths: Demand (+14)
Main competitors
- Charm Bar & Restaurant · 4.7★ (4,524)
- The Little Sweet Café · 4.5★ (823)
- Someday Bar NYC · 4.7★ (507)
Rent sustainability, customer personas, 12-month financials and a 90-day action plan for the exact address.
How the score works
Six components, weighted for this sector. Missing data is left out and the weights are redistributed — a component is never guessed.
- Demand22%
Residents within a 10-minute walk (WorldPop × Valhalla) blended with proven spend — Google review volume vs. the best cell in the city.
- Room in the market16%
How many comparable businesses already operate within ~1 km. Fewer competitors scores higher.
- Beatable competition12%
Average Google rating of incumbents. Weaker incumbents leave more room for a strong newcomer.
- Street vitality22%
Commercial density, footfall anchors (schools, offices, stations, hotels) and business mix from OpenStreetMap.
- Accessibility20%
Transit stops, main and pedestrian streets, and how much ground a 10-minute walk actually covers.
- Affordability8%
Typical commercial rent where a benchmark exists. Cheaper scores higher; missing rent is left out, never guessed.
Data sources
- WorldPop
residential population per cell
- OpenStreetMap
points of interest, transit stops, streets, footfall anchors
- Valhalla
10-minute walking isochrones
- Google Maps
competitor names, ratings and review volumes (via SerpAPI)
Frequently asked questions
- Which is the best zone to open a cafe or bar in New York?
- Manhattan Community Board 5 scores highest at 75/100, +21 points above the city average. Scores combine demand, room in the market, competitor quality, street vitality, accessibility and cost.
- Where does the data come from?
- Population from WorldPop, walking reach from Valhalla isochrones, points of interest, transit and streets from OpenStreetMap, and competitor names, ratings and review volumes from Google Maps. Each cell shows a confidence level based on how many of these sources were available.
- How fresh is this ranking?
- Zones were last recomputed on 7 October 2026. The interactive map refreshes the data automatically when the cache expires (30 days).