After work bars

Stone Street Tavern

Photograph: Dave Sanders

I wear a suit and tie
Stone Street Tavern
Though most Wall Streeters gather down the block at Ulysses, SST is a more relaxed bet for post-trading beers. The wooden tables and exposed-brick walls are softly lit by chandeliers, and a selection of staple Irish brews (Guinness, Magners) makes the place welcoming to a mature, moneyed, not-so frat-tastic crowd. Bonus: In the summer, Stone Street itself closes to traffic and is lined with picnic tables for outdoor socializing. 52 Stone St between Coenties Alley and William St (212-785-5658, stonestreettavernnyc.com)

Overwhelm me with alcohol options
The Ginger Man
With 66 beers on tap and more than 100 bottled, no postwork place quite beats the selection at this spacious saloon. The crowd leans toward the finance type (shirts, ties, holier-than-thou attitude), but after a couple of brewskies, it won’t matter how much you make. Pull a stool up to the enormous bar, or go with a group and claim one of the wooden tables that snuggle nicely against the side of the wall. And make sure you order a basket of hard pretzels to go with your Schneider-Brooklyner Hopfen-Weisse. 11 E 36th St between Fifth and Madison Aves (212-532-3740, gingerman-ny.com)

Casellula Cheese & Wine Café

Photograph: David Rosenzweig

Suits are cheesy
Casellula Cheese & Wine Café
The scene at the quaint Casellula gets going around 11:30pm, when Broadway turns off its lights for the evening. Throngs of actors, stage managers, dancers and other theater folks pile in for a bite from the small but sophisticated menu, or a sampling of cheese and an elegant glass of vino. 401 W 52nd Street between Ninth and Tenth Aves (212-247-8137, casellula.com)

I’m an uptown cog
The Stumble Inn
When the owners of Mo’s Caribbean decided to renovate, they changed a lot more than the name. The Stumble Inn is an awesomely spacious sports pub that features a slew of HDTVs, foosball and flip-cup tables. Besides a menu that’s jam-slammed with bar-food staples (including the ever-impressive chili-and-cheese Tater Tots), the joint has daily drink specials that will help drown any memories of the office. 1454 Second Ave at 76th St (212-650-0561, nycbestbar.com/stumble)

I toil in midtown
BXL Belgian Cafe
Tucked next to midtown performance venue the Town Hall, this small café packs in a crowd of young professionals come quittin’ time—including many junior editing staffers from the various Condé Nast rags. The decor is bohemian and the menu Belgian, featuring classics like mussels in white-wine sauce and quaffs like Duvel and Rochefort—all of which are welcome treats if like most of us, you didn’t already have such fancy fare for lunch in your posh office cafeteria. 125 W 43rd St between Sixth Ave and Broadway (212-768-0200)

Blind Pig

Photograph: Jamie Bixby

I work downtown
Blind Pig
If you can’t get out of the office early enough to catch the big game in person, you’re in good company here. The crowd is a mixture of hard-core fans, their significant others and their less-obsessed coworkers. There’s a good chance at least one of the ginormous TV screens has your team on, but if not, just ask. They’ll even show a Red Sox game—if you’re nice enough. 233 E 14th St between First and Second Aves (212-253-2725)

I work in Downtown…Brooklyn
Last Exit Bar & Lounge
You won’t find any trendoids, but you will find artists. Working artists. The rest of the crowd is a cool combo of students from nearby Pratt and Brooklyn Law. Relax on one of the cushy red couches or grab a beer and head to the outdoor garden, which looks like it could be the backyard from your childhood home in the surburbs. 136 Atlantic Ave between Clinton and Henry Sts, Cobble Hill, Brooklyn (718-222-9198,tarlastexitbar.com)

—Katharine Rust