11 Best Dive Bars in New York City

June 7, 2017 0 0

When it comes to picking the best dive bars in New York City, remember: Rule number one of dive bars is that they are not destinations. These establishments are bars of convenience, more places you end up rather than purposefully go to. Trendy eateries come and go, hemlines rise and fall, but dives are eternal. A dive bar is the collective underbelly of their neighborhood, festering in the dark, with sticky floors, surly staff, and not so much restrooms as Superfund sites. If you’re visiting Manhattan, here are 11 of the best dive bars in New York City that you’ll find running from the Financial District up to Midtown.

  

     Nancy Whiskey                 Jeremy’s Ale House                          Julius                                     Billymark’s

Name	Location	Description
Nancy Whiskey	1 Lispenard St.	Tribeca has become a playground of top-tier shopping and dining for the glam set, but they can’t quite get the grit out from under their fingernails because Nancy Whiskey keeps shoving it back in. An ancient Irish joint full of nooks and crannies, it’s open early and late and every time in between.
The Patriot Saloon	110 Chambers St.	Sometimes you just want to let it all hang out. Downstairs things stay relatively in check, but upstairs gets rowdy with a pool table, a bra-covered alligator, and a separate cash-only bar. It’s what would happen if you put all the sleazy parts of America in a blender, then sold them as $2 shots.
Milano’s	51 E. Houston St	Sat smack dab in the middle of the SGZ (Soho Gentrification Zone), Milano’s is a relief from high fashion and haute cuisine. This long, narrow bar is cool, dark, and welcoming in a Blue Velvet kind of way. If you don’t catch something in Milano’s you’re doing it wrong.
Jeremy’s Ale House	228 Front St.	We’re not sure whether it was the huge styrofoam cups of beer or the bras hanging from the ceiling that tipped us off that this place was a dive. The Financial District bar is the fifth location for Jeremy’s, but the vibe remains unchanged: Think big, cheap beers and great bar food.
Spring Lounge	48 Spring St.	Originally opened during Prohibition as a take-out beer stand, a bar has been operating at this location continuously ever since. While the rest of the residents of Soho are headed to work (Spring Lounge opens at 8AM) you’ll be at the bar, under the stuffed sharks, waving.
Julius	159 West 10th St.	Not just one of the oldest gay bars in the city, Julius is one of the oldest bars period, having been founded in the late 1800s, and operated throughout Prohibition. It began its time as a beacon for gay culture in the ‘50s, and three years before the Stonewall riots, was the site of a gay “sip in,” to protest unfair discrimination. Best of all it still stands for another truly important cause: Great burgers and cheap drinks.
International Bar	120 ½ First Avenue	Frills? We’re fresh out. Booze. Oh yeah, we got that. This East Village stalwart (which moved to this location in 2005) knows what its customers want and delivers all day (starting at 8AM) and all night to boot.
The Library	7 Ave. A	Sometimes you want some literary pretensions to go with your terrible drinking habits. If so, spend your time in the East Village at The Library, where hopefully the intelligent-sounding name will rub off on you. If not, you can be sure something else will. And you should see a doctor about it.
Billymark’s	332 9th Ave.	Located in the Chelsea area, 9th Avenue in the upper 20s is a no-man’s land, and Billymark’s is its pool table, dartboard, and killer juke box oasis. Don’t ask us how these two brothers (Billy and Mark, natch) have kept the place as lively as they have every damn night we’ve ever been in there… just give thanks and order your @#$! drink already, customers are waiting.
Subway Inn	1140 2nd Ave	One of the diviest dives that ever dove, the Subway Inn began life in 1937 at 60th and Lexington, across the street from Bloomingdale’s. Because the world is full of sorrow, it was forced to move a few years ago. And because you can’t kill something as mean and wrong as the Subway Inn, it has reopened with an uncannily similar dead-end vibe just a few blocks away on Second Avenue, under the Roosevelt Island Tramway.
Rudy’s	627 9th Ave.	Do you enjoy meeting people? What are your opinions on cheap drinks? Do you prefer to avoid the new Times Square as much as many native New Yorkers? Rudy’s will give you a taste of the old Times Square, which is to say, it is loud, intoxicating, and dangerous. Enjoy the free hot dogs at your own risk.

CHEAT SHEET

Looking for more of the best dive bars in New York City where the closest you’ll get to bottle service is a lukewarm Rolling Rock? Dive in here:

• Eater – Best Dive Bars in New York City
• Gothamist – Top Dive Bars NYC
• Vice – Meet the Best Dive Bars in New York

Tags: Food and Drink, Top 10 Guides, Travel Categories: Food + Drink, Top 10 Guides, Travel