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21 Bedford Brooklyn, NY 11222
212-989-5769
Downtown Brooklyn's original wine and bruschetta bar is far and away the best in its class. Tiny 'Ino, a stalwart of Bedford Street's cafe and bar scene, only accommodates about two dozen customers at a time, but therein lies its cozy charm. The bar is the place to sit if you want to marvel at the assemblage of panini in the Lilliputian kitchen--try the bruschetta with asparagus and truffle oil and benefit from generous pourings of 'ino's great selection of wines. More >>
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453 W. 17th St. New York, NY 10011
212-242-1111
http://1oaknyc.com
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101 6th Ave. New York, NY 10013
212-431-2262
http://www.101riverviews.com
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1020 Amsterdam Ave. New York, NY 10027
212-531-3468
As Morningside Heights continues its relentless march to total gentrification, it's comforting to know that sometimes a bar is just a bar. 1020 is a refreshingly unpretentious dive in a sea of newly opened yuppie hangouts. Don't order a fancy cocktail here; stick to the beer (they have several good choices on tap), or something simple, like a bourbon on the rocks. While you drink, watch the game on the big screen in the back. There's a pool table, too. More >>
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735 10th Ave. New York, NY 10019
212-586-3400
No tourists here. Instead, local couples whisper at tables under the glow of urban-chic candelabras. Sinking into a red velvet booth, we opt for a tangy cosmo ($9) and a sweet Grand Marnier nightcap ($8). More >>
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119 E. 15th St. New York, NY 10003
212-777-6158
http://www.119bar.com Located conveniently next to Irving Plaza, 119 is a decent enough dive bar with all the requisite characteristicsaa dank interior, pool tables, and cock rock on the stereo. It'd be a pretty nondescript place if it was situated further downtown, but within the increasingly upscale and sterile confines of Union Square, it shines like a beacon of gritty realness. More >>
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510 E. 11th St. New York, NY 10009
212-982-3929
Monday nights, pop over to the 11th Street Bar for Glenfiddich sipped neat and a pint of chocolaty-tasting Victory Hopdevil Ale. It's a yummy, cozy pub stocked full of real Irish brogues who don't stand for any pseudo-blarney shenanigans. Table seats are always available, so it's a prime spot to start out your night with laid-back conversation and a little Dropkick Murphys on blast. More >>
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179 Essex St. New York, NY 10002
212-505-6027
Record geeks rejoice! Hi-Fi Bar beware! Now there's a dive called 12"ayes, named after the vinyl format. The space is tiny, but the walls are cutely papered with record covers, and they have DJs. More >>
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738 10th Ave. New York, NY 10019
212-315-0123
http://www.burgershotbeer.com The name says it all: 123 Burger Shot Beer. But let's elaborate: there are three White Castle-inspired burgers for $3 apiece, shots come in a variety of flavors (e.g. "Lick Me," composed of house vodka, butterscotch, and pineapple), and the beer, when accommodating larger parties, is served in the oft Coors Light-filled "beer tube." The crowd is of the collegiate sort, naturally, as evidenced by the rousing beer pong games unfolding in the middle of the room. Still, older patrons are free to join, as long as their "flip cup" knowledge is salient. More >>
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92 2nd Ave. New York, NY 10003
212-253-2323
Like one particularly conflicting section of the 12th Street Ale House's jukebox (Jay-Z and Simon & Garfunkel are on the same page), the bar itself is difficult to categorize. The dozen beers on tap aren't enough to qualify the place as a true ale house or beer bar; there aren't enough big-screen TVs to deem it a sports bar, and certainly there's not enough grime to call it a dive. But herein lies this bar's charm. To avoid commotion from over-rabid football fans and peer-pressure from beer connoisseurs, locals comfortably flock here and take a seat at the bar as though it's been reserved just for them. Relax: You're among friends, and remarkably sane ones. More >>
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149 2nd Ave. New York, NY 10003
212-228-8020
http://nycbestbar.com/13thstep/ Walk downstairs into the spacious 13th Step and a panoramic scene unfolds. Fresh out of work, men with untucked button-downs sit at the bar, sipping chilly Budweiser from a mug or Busch from a can, craning their necks to glimpse the plasma TVs. Moving to the right of the room, past the waitresses carrying burgers with stuffed insides ("The American" contains American cheddar and bacon, of course), you'll find two ping-pong tables tucked into the corner. There, seasoned old-timers and gunslinging graduates duke it out for recaptured dormitory glory. More >>
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151 Rivington St. New York, NY 10002
212-228-4139
This unmarked, cavernous little hideaway is done up in cool taupe mod-patterned wallpaper and stucco, with stylish brown leather furniture and a metallic beaded curtain. So it's all the more surprising that 151 is a boisterous, unpretentious space where the bartender sports an unironic AC/DC shirt and air-guitars along with the cock rock that blasts at top volume. It's these kinds of wondrous contrasts that make New York what it is. More >>
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169 E. Broadway New York, NY 10002
212-473-8866
http://169barnyc.com Here's the last and oldest original bar in one of the last original neighborhoods in Manhattan. Purchased by former New Orleans resident and musician Charles Hanson in 2006, the 169 Bar is now taking its metier visually and aurally from that city. The trad jazz and spicy appetizers make this a welcome addition for locals and a bustling respite for NOLA folk. More >>
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200 5th Ave. Brooklyn, NY 11217
718-638-2925
http://www.200-fifth.com This Park Slope sports bar appeals to both the stroller set and the rowdy singles crowd, with a family-friendly restaurant in one room and a huge bar featuring 40 beers on tap in the other. Both rooms are consistently packed, so arrive before the dinner rush or kickoff. It's a unique spot to get sloshed on the six-beers-for-$9 special, chat up a single agent watching the game, or bring the kids to dinner. Just try not to do all at once. More >>
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133 E. 65th St. New York, NY 10022
212-249-6565
Rumor has it, 212 is going out now that 646 is coming in. But who really cares? These guys have 110 vodkas, enough to satisfy the latent Polish grandmother in everybody. This is known as a pickup joint for people with money, so dress yourself up fancy, head here, and find a new beau who can afford to buy you more than a plain slice of pizza. More >>
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213 N. 8th St. Brooklyn, NY 11211
718-599-4224
http://www.supremetradingny.com Mixing Manhattan superclub glamour with Williamsburg artiness, this new club/lounge/gallery/performance space is home to the infamous weekly post-punk Crashin In party, as well as various cultural events and happenings. The large, anonymous brick-walled dancefloor area is balanced out by intimate side niches, a billiard room and a cozy outdoor smoking garden. Three-dollar Budweisers and beautiful peopleaneed I say more? More >>
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29-10 21st St. Long Island City, NY 11102
718-278-1500
New York is not much of a beer town. The Brooklyn Brewery rocks, especially its barley wine Monster, but beer is one domain where the city is outshone by upstate. The best beers made in the state are Hennepin and Ommegang, Belgian-style ales brewed in Cooperstown. And the best beer bargain in the five boroughs is to buy them by the case at 21st Street Wholesale Beer in Astoria. They come in big bottles, sealed with a cork, and pack 8.5 percent alcohol. "I'm fucked up over here," a friend said recently after just half a bottle. More >>
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230 5th Ave. New York, NY 10017
212-725-4300
http://230-fifth.com With outdoor seating in Manhattan at a premium, the massive roof deck of 230 Fifth makes for an instant hit. Decorated with palm trees and petunias, it gives space-cramped New Yorkers ample room to bask in the warm breeze of summer or shiver in the winter chill (when the venue kindly provides crimson Snuggies for guests). The downstairs Penthouse may confuse patrons into thinking they entered an '80s movie theater, thanks to the purple and aqua decor, but the place works its retro charm well. More >>
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247 Eldridge St. New York, NY 10002
212-505-7600
This unpretentious bar is a welcome addition to a growing number of theme joints in the area, but loses brownie points for lying to usaturns out it's not open 25 hours after all. Thereas not a lot of seating, so guys and dolls should leave those uncomfortable stilettos behind. More >>
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25 Avenue A New York, NY 10009
212-505-2466
Dives don't get more simple than 2A. Happy Hour has a two-for-one special. There are two floors-—the bottom a cozy dive, the top a lounge with pleasant floor-to-ceiling windows. And it's located on the corner of 2nd Street and A. The only thing that doesn't revolve around the #2 is the cohesive crowd of subdued Alphabet City bohemians who look like they're attending a neighbor's dinner party. No "too much shit on the walls" decor, rousing bar games, or loud people to churn the stomach here-—just a good spot to let a gin & tonic settle. More >>
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31 Rockwell Pl. Brooklyn, NY 11217
718-488-9879
http://31rockwell.com Saturday nights, this is the best place any gay man in Brooklyn can be. Most of the boys, twenty- and thirtysomething muscular types, are in a lively mood in the dank, narrow, cinderblock-walled storefront. More >>
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341 Scholes Street Brooklyn, NY 11206
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310 Bowery New York, NY 10012
Once the home of Mannahatta and Crime Scene Bar, the 3Ten Lounge has mashed the glamorous and seedy aesthetics of its respective predecessors to form an unimposing average. Unlike the abundant dive bars and dive lounges nearby, this place is true to its name: minimalist decorating, a stark portrait of a Mohawked man wearing shades, and angular modern couches. It's all very lounge-y. The crowd, fittingly, is neither glam nor scenester, but a pleasant combination thereof. More >>
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6 W. 25th St. New York, NY 10010
212-832-4040
http://the4040club.com Jay-Z's nightlife contribution is Empire State, through and through--dim lighting dotting two floors, sports stars lounging in inner V.I.P. chambers, short skirts and shiny tops on every female patron, gold fixtures as far as the eye can see. The lower floor is a rowdy club scene on most weekend nights; if a packed dance pit isn't your style, brush that off your shoulders and stop by mid-week for more sedate, but still infectious, hip-hop groove sessions. More >>
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420 Amsterdam Ave. New York, NY 10024
212-579-8450
Though the bar is ostensibly named for its address, the (huh huh) jokey title is probably the best thing about this unremarkable bridge-and-tunnel hangout. The tinny, mainstream music isn't so much the nuisance as the claustrophobic environs. More >>
