Heathers Dive Bar

East Village, New York –

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 frosted glass doors, the bar sports an eclectic décor that features salvaged subway tiles, a painted tin ceiling, whitewashed brick walls, a black 1930s bar, and a fire-engine-red register.

Round metal stools and 70s grade-school desk chairs provide seating for the mellow NYU students who show up in groups to hang out and sip specialty ginger-infused drinks at mismatched tables, while thirty-somethings listen to the post-punk and 80s music emanating from the elevated DJ platform.

On weekends, local artists gather beneath the abstract tile piece over the lone booth wedged in at the back, as singles and regulars chill out and mingle up front.

An artist herself, the owner has filled the space with an unusual array of conversation pieces, from the exhibits of works by local artists to the K-Mart painting of a horse and the light-box of a bear in a compromising position.

While monthly theme nights do bring in a slightly rowdier crowd, Heathers is really just a laid-back hidden gem that’s a must for anyone looking for a low-key night of conversation and music in a playful bar.