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Fri / Jan 22
20s / 30s / Anything goes / Casual
Party Earth Review Comic book nerds looking to tank up on cheap booze will be hard-pressed to find a better drinking den than Gotham City Lounge, a tiny dive dressed in so much indiscriminate superhero kitsch it’d make the average ten-year-old’s head explode. Walls blanketed in Captain America’s shield, Wolverine’s claw, and an original ... more
1293 Myrtle Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11221
20s / 30s / 40s / After Work / Dive / Pop
Party Earth Review Since opening in 1933, Rudy’s Bar & Grill has embodied the perennial Hell’s Kitchen dive: a place where old men go to turn their livers to paste amid the persistent odor of free hot dogs. The grizzled farts are still there, as are the heaping plates of weenies, but the dominant patrons at this time-honored dump are young ... more
627 9th Avenue
New York, NY 10036
20s / 30s / Bar Food / Cover charge
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
20s / 30s / Artists / Classic Rock
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
30s / 40s / Actors / Anything goes
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
20s / After Work / Arcade Games
Party Earth Review With its wooden DIY sign, ripped and sticker-caked awning, pebbled exterior, and a vibe that attracts drinkers who prefer to swig right out of the can, Welcome To The Johnsons gives new meaning to the term “unpretentious.” This reliable downtown dive owes its hipness to the authenticity of its 70s suburban rumpus room d ... more
123 Rivington Street
New York, NY 10002
Arcade Games / Artsy Dresses
Party Earth Review Far enough away from Williamsburg’s oversaturated bar scene to still claim some indie chic, Don Pedro is a no-frills bar that offers patrons budget-friendly bites and booze, and regular live entertainment that includes everything from bands and DJs to comedy shows. The fluorescent orange façade is difficult to miss amid ... more
90 Manhattan Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11206
Bands / Beer / Budget-friendly
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
20s / Beer / Budget-friendly / Dive
Reviewed by Jaclyn W.
"My Take: I do not understand all the hype behind this bar. If you told me it was for their second level, 2nd Floor on Clinton, then I would unders ..." more
67 Clinton Street
New York, NY 10002
20s / 30s / After Work / Burlesque
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
20s / 30s / Club Music / Couples / DJ
Party Earth Review A high-energy gay hotspot with a devil-may-care attitude, Eastern Bloc is a rollicking neighborhood joint that attracts a wild, fun-loving party crowd. Though exposed pipes, touches of red and black, and a few propaganda posters give a token nod to the bar’s name, the communist theme is undermined by the amusing and inexplicable ... more
505 East 6th Street
New York, NY 10009
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.