Here are some trustworthy haunts that you can jump into straight from your flights to New York. At these dive bars, you can grab a quick pint or plan a group outing, even on a Saturday night!
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Mona’s Bar, East Village
In a neighborhood rife with $15 craft cocktails, Mona’s slings mugs of Guinness and Brooklyn Lager. Despite the vaguely Irish theme, the bar has become famous for weekly residencies of jazz and bluegrass bands. When there’s no live music, you might find yourself watching an old kung-fu movie with no sound. Best of all, Mona’s Bar is a place where elderly neighborhood residents and youthful bon vivant’s can gather for a pint and a laugh.
Four-Faced Liar, West Village
This gem lies stashed away among rows of cobbled streets that are otherwise filled with high-priced French restaurants. While the fresh-faced NYU drinkers are filling up the larger pubs in Greenwich Village, the Four-Faced Liar feels more like a home for postgrads looking to relax over beers with their closest friends. As the night goes on, this bar gets more and more divey, morphing into a raucous party.
Bob’s Your Uncle, Upper West Side
New Yorkers sometimes complain that the UWS lacks character, and that may hold true for a lot of the area’s pubs. Bob’s Your Uncle, however, serves up decent beers and a variety of mules (tequila and mole bitters, Pimm’s and cucumber) with an excellent atmosphere. Fit for locals as well as thirsty folks who have just exited Central Park and need a cold one immediately, the Columbus Avenue bar lives by the motto, “We treat you like family when you don’t want to be around yours).
Metropolitan Bar, Williamsburg
This trendy area has plenty of theme bars, but the Metropolitan Bar has no real theme besides awesomeness. It’s an LGTBQ dive bar where truly anyone can and does have a great time. Indoors and outdoors, or out under the canopied backyard, the Metropolitan has plenty of je ne sais quoi that simply cannot be imitated.
The Local, Queens
If your flights to New York land at JFK airport in Queens or you’re staying in the area during your trip, you should know there are a number of dive bars in the area. At The Local, you can be sure that you are in a cool dive bar, not a home for sad football watching. The Local features tons of craft beers on tap but will not be confused for a pretentious brewpub. Think affordable screwdrivers on the weekend, cheap beer specials on weeknights, and karaoke on Fridays. For those visiting or considering moving to Queens, keep your eye on quality neighborhood joints like this.
