Choose your location

usa

Europe

Venice

Thu / Jun 20

Los Angeles
Boston
Washington, DC
London
Paris
More Cities
Close

Dive Bars in New York

Marie's Crisis Café

Dive Bar / Gay Bar / Piano Bar

Party Earth Review Located in the historic building where Thomas Paine wrote “The Crisis Papers” during the Revolutionary War, Marie’s Crisis Café is a mellow hetero-friendly gay piano bar that attracts a mix of entertainment and musical types and patrons who just like to get buzzed and sing show tunes. A dark cellar at the bottom of some ... more

59 Grove Street
New York, NY 10014

Liked By:

Sweet Paradise Lounge

Dive Bar / Lounge

Party Earth Review Founded by the same people who created the downtown super-dive Welcome To The Johnsons, Sweet Paradise Lounge is another small and shadowy dive bar with a loyal following of rockers and artsy types. Embracing its former life as a candy store, the venue playfully offers patrons a great selection of movie-theater candy, so ... more

14 Orchard Street
New York, NY 10002

Liked By:

Bourbon St.

Dive Bar / Sports Bar

Party Earth Review New Orleans meets the Upper West Side at Bourbon St., where patrons channel a Mardi Gras mentality every night and aren’t afraid to leave behind their inhibitions…and maybe a brassiere or two. Calling this an authentic Big Easy joint is a stretch – aside from the token masks, beads, and over-the-shoulder boulder holders ... more

407 Amsterdam Avenue
New York, NY 10024

Liked By:

Nancy Whiskey Pub

Dive Bar / Pub

Reviewed by Lauren A.

"Nancy Whiskey in Tribeca is certainly the epitome of a dive bar. If you’re looking for a down to earth spot with truly “real” people and seriously che ..." more

1 Lispenard Street
New York, NY 10013

Liked By:

International Bar

Dive Bar

Party Earth Review Nestled behind an unimposing storefront is the International Bar, a deliciously divey neighborhood hangout that brings a reliable mix of old-school booziness and crunchy art-teacher weirdness to the East Village. Exposed brick walls adorned with paintings by local artists, kitschy Halloween decorations, and Christmas lights ... more

120-1/2 First Avenue
New York, NY 10009

Liked By:

The Charleston

Dive Bar / Historic Bar

Party Earth Review In the heart of Williamsburg’s ongoing transformation (de-evolution?) from grungy to chic, The Charleston remains proudly on the grungy side. Old chandeliers cast a dim glow over this rough-around-the-edges dive, creating soft shadows that hide the nicks in the ratty tables and checkered floor that have probably been there ... more

174 Bedford Avenue
New York, NY 11211

Liked By:

Mercury Lounge

Dive Bar / Live Music Venue

Party Earth Review Not just another Lower East Side dive bar, Mercury Lounge is the place to be to see some of the best up-and-coming and underground talent in indie rock, and has hosted the likes of Arcade Fire, The Strokes, and The Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Music fans who make it past the huge bouncer and the ticket girl will find themselves in ... more

217 East Houston Street
New York, NY 10002

Liked By:

Kings County

Dive Bar

Party Earth Review A DIY joint to its core, Kings County is the perfect after-work watering hole for the everyday hipster, as well as a great spot to enjoy multiple Happy Hours, catch an art show, and even watch a little burlesque. Bearded scene kids and punk rockers pass beneath the iron crown hanging over the otherwise unmarked door, stumbling ... more

286 Siegel Street
Brooklyn, NY 11206

Liked By:

Commonwealth

Dive Bar

Party Earth Review Opened by the owners of Park Slope staple High Dive, Commonwealth is a laid-back bar made for those who want to kick back and drink without any of the BS. A wide and welcoming space, the bar features tongue-in-cheek humor in the form of shelves piled high with tiki masks, old toys, and bathrooms labeled “Some” and “Others ... more

497 Fifth Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11215

Liked By:

Heathers

Dive Bar

Party Earth Review Charmingly dingy and as quirky as the movie it’s named after, Heathers is a welcoming retreat for a diverse clientele who can appreciate the color-changing Christmas light shrine to Stevie Nicks and the collection of Hall & Oates album covers on display by the bar. Not much more than a small, square room beyond unmarked ... more

506 East 13th Street
New York, NY 10009

Liked By:

No Fun

Club / Dive Bar / Tapas Bar

Party Earth Review Despite its dubious name, divey rock bar and tapas joint No Fun really does promise a fun time for folks who like their small plates with a helping of rocker attitude. The name actually comes from an old Stooges song, an inspiration made obvious by the framed photo of Iggy Pop that glares down menacingly from over the ... more

161 Ludlow Street
New York, NY 10002

Liked By:

The Trash Bar

Dive Bar / Live Music Venue

Party Earth Review If motorcycles parked out front and a huddled crowd of tattooed chain smokers are signs of a good rock bar, then The Trash Bar has fulfilled its mission. Once past the wrought-iron flames and black awning, patrons will find a thriving and oddly cozy dive – painted red and slathered head to toe in band stickers, Christmas ... more

256 Grand Street
New York, NY 11211

Liked By:

All dive bars in New York →

NYC Dive Bars Overview

Marie's Crisis Café - Dive Bar | Gay Bar | Piano Bar in NYC

Dive bar-lovers have uncovered a veritable Shangri-la when it comes to the Big Apple, because man-oh-man there is a lifetime of New York dive bars to disappear into. You’d think a town this pricey would be lacking in budget-friendly hole-in-the-walls, but nothing could be further from the truth!

That said, your best bet for the highest concentration of proud hell holes is to head over to Brooklyn – and especially Bushwick – where wonderfully dingy DIY spots always seem to flourish.

A DIY joint to its core, Bushwick’s Kings County is the perfect after-work watering hole for the everyday hipster, as well as a great spot to enjoy multiple Happy Hours, catch an art show, and even watch a little burlesque. The Anchored Inn nearby is a dive that drips with more nautical paraphernalia than the average sea-faring vessel, and also serves up great Mexican-inspired grub like “borracho” beans and bacon-wrapped hot dogs to go with its cheap booze.

Back in New York proper, East Village has no shortage of great NYC dive bars either. Heathers is aa great dive bar in New York, charmingly dingy and as quirky as the movie it’s named after, while Rudy’s Bar & Grill has embodied the perennial Hell’s Kitchen dive since first opening in 1933.

All over this great cosmopolitan city, among all the art and culture and class, dive bars in NYC remind everyone to step back a bit and get a little down and dirty.