5 of THE Best Dive Bars in NYC, and 1 REALLY Bad One!
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- Опубликовано: 19 июн 2024
- Alright folks, get ready for a dive - literally! Today, we're ditching the fancy rooftop bars and best bars of the world for a boozy adventure through the heart of New York City's dive bar scene.
These are the places where the locals go, the drinks are strong, the stories are colorful, and the atmosphere is, well... let's just say unique.
In this video, we'll be hitting up five of what I consider to be the best dive bars NYC has to offer. We're talking hidden gems, historical hangouts, and watering holes with more character than a Dostoevsky novel.
In this video I'll show you:
- Legendary Locales: I'll visit dive bars that have been serving up cold brews and good times for decades, some with walls practically dripping with history.
- Unbeatable Vibes: Get ready for that classic dive bar atmosphere - dim lights, friendly bartenders, and a mix of characters you won't find anywhere else.
- A Few Laughs (and Maybe a Story or Two): Dive bars are all about real people and real conversations. We'll meet some awesome locals and hear a few tales that might just make you spit out your beer (in a good way!)
TIMESTAMPS
0:00 Intro
0:11 New York City
0:24 Jimmy's Corner
1:16 7B Horseshoe Bar aka Vazacs
2:03 Kettle of Fish
3:20 Wakamba Bar
5:14 Rudy's Bar and Grill
6:46 Milano's Bar
7:40 Outro / Like and Subscribe to the Channel
INSTAGRAMS OF BARS VISITED
Jimmy's Corner - / jimmys_corner44
7B Horseshoe Bar - / 7bhorseshoebar
Kettle of Fish - / kettleoffishnyc
Wakamba Bar - / wakambabar
Rudy's Bar and Grill - / rudysbar
Milano's Bar - / milanosbar
ABOUT MY CHANNEL
My channel is about all kinds of drinks, from dive bars to beer gardens and the top bars of the world. I want to share with you where to drink in major cities around the globe.
Check out my channel here:
/ drunktopus
Don't forget to subscribe!
FIND MERCH AT
www.drunktopus.live/
#NYC #DiveBars #bestbars
I was a bike messenger in 79' and our office was right next door to Jimmy's. Grace messenger was the company.Nice man he was. Would say hello when he was opening in morning. Across the street was The Savoy where the band Genesis played. Small venue lucky me went to it. One song ended up on the record 3 Sides Live. Good small Polish coffee shop there also owned by Tony. Times Square was wild around that time.
WOW. New York has stories. Honestly, I started to tear up toward then end not knowing where that story would end. THANK YOU so much for sharing!
I met my wife in Rudy’s 27 years ago, I was sitting in a booth smoking a joint and my friend brought over 2 women who both had pitchers of beer. Still going strong!
Congrats on 27 years! These are the stories that only New York can serve up. A moment, a lifetime, and an experience. Thanks for watching and sharing your moment. Cheers mate.
So your relationship is based on booze and pot?
What Beer was in the Pitchers ?
AWESOME !!! ;))@@kendallevans4079
@@rawgab4439 Good question, and now you're going to test my memory here. The friendly dude was drinking a red ale of some sort I believe. He poured some out for me to try, it was also pretty good and a delicious change from the bottled beer I was drinking. Well spotted!
Rudy's is great! Fun fact... It's referenced in Steely Dan's 1977 hit "Black Cow"
I'll have to listen to that now! Everyone is so friendly there. Loved it! 🍻
@@Drunktopus Cheers!
Rudys literally mentioned in the first few lines. Thanks for the trivia tidbit
@@Drunktopus No problemo!
Hope to visit NY from Scotland,UK next year and love dive bars so this video was very informative..cheers!!!
So happy to hear. Now you know where to go and ahem, where NOT to go. Jimmys off Times Square is a winner, also my fave Milano's. I'm currently in Venice looking for some Dives as well. Just not as well advertised as the USA.
ive never drank in my life and dont live in the usa but this is the most underated content ive seen.
Thanks for watching mate. Appreciated. More coming soon!
Jimmy's is my place when I'm in Manhattan. Love it.
You got that right! Such a great place to say nothing or share your life story.
I remember referring to them as "gin mills", good times.
Those were the days my friend. Cheers and thanks for checking out the video.
Excellent video ! I think I will try Jimmys when I’m in New York this week ! I’m a huge boxing fan
Mate, I can almost guarantee you'll never want to leave this place then.🥊 Have fun and have a whiskey for me 🥃
@@Drunktopus I had a whisky for you at Jimmys as well as goof few beers , what a great bar ! I loved it !,
@@garethsmith6998 this is amazing feedback, so so sooooo happy to hear I could be guide for ya! Made my year. More to come. Much love 🥃
loved the video ❤️ i guess i have to check these out 🧐
Just not the Wakamba please. Say Hi to Keith at Milano's!
Jimmy's Corner is the best!!! Need to check out the rest of them as well!
I'd say the cheapest beer in town! Can really recommend Rudy's.
I hated that bar. You walk in and get a dead stare. Then you order a drink and they eye ball you. If you don't order another drink, they give you the cold stare to leave. It literally felt like they were counting the seconds for you to drink and leave.
100 % WORD !!
I wish I could remember how many times I got a "standing" 8 count " in that place ...Loooovvveee it
Nothing touristy about 7b. Very much a locals bar. Milano's is great but technically on the south side of Houston it is not east village in the strictest sense. ''New York's ok if you like saxophones''. Cool viddy
Thanks for the feedback! Perhaps I was the tourist then. It came up in all the guides I looked at. 😎
Great video! Seriously any bar that’s offering free hot dogs is a must for me. I really liked the look of the Kettle of Fish, that’s my kind of place.
How did you get a Corona? What did you actually want? New subscriber here!
Thanks for watching! The free dogs were a bonus and I am sure you'd enjoy Kettle of Fish. Great vibe and ticks most of the must haves. I'd love to spend an afternoon in there to see the change in excitement levels! 🍻
These may be the "Best" dive bars in NYC, I 100% agree with that and will not argue, but I was expecting the "most divey" bars in NYC and these are not those by a long stretch! Great video!!!
Hey Jim, thanks for your comment, and what a great idea! I will soon be back in NYC to do a Part II and this could in fact be the direction I head. The 'Diviest' of Dive Bars. If you have some suggestions that would be awesome, otherwise I will do a little research for 1 Star Dive Bars and keep my wits about me. Cheers 🍻
True that! A real dive bar looks like its almost not even in business or looks like it's condemned! Usually there is not enough storage room so booze stock and other stuff migrates to the public area. Stools/chairs are mismatched. Repairs are very noticeable in DIY workmanship and materials. And the biggest thing is you can't tell who works there from the patrons!
Great video. Im from Brooklyn and taking notes
Cheers and thanks for the feedback. Let me know if you find any better places! 🍻
@@Drunktopus Sonny’s In Brooklyn (Redhook)
@@TheJewishTravler adding to my list for next visit! Thanks mate.
Jimmy's and Rudy's are official. They get packed after work and until 4am. Wakamba is a shady dealers type spot. I'd be careful. The rest I don't know.
Thanks for checking them out. Sounds like you're a local so good to know I was on the right track! Check out the others for sure.
Some fairly seedy looking places there mate, pity you didn't hang around 'til after dark when they'd really start to shine 😁😁
They also shine first thing in the morning 🙂
Day drinking is the thing that shines. That's where it's at
Many of good times at Milanos.
Yes indeed. It really is my favourite there. However there have been many many more places mentioned here in the comments that I will have to explore! Cheers and thanks for watching 🍻
The Whakamba was a personal favourite of mine, then Rudys.....I think the ~Whakamba is closed.....1st time I went in there about 1999....I met a guy who basically was Ratzo Rizzo.....he told me 'the girls don't have dates tonight' while chewing a straw out of the side of his mouth.........straight out of a movie ffs
That's a crazy story! But I hear you on that. Bonkers place indeed
The Kettle of Fish has a lot of history.
It was The Lions Head in the 1960s and it was a writers bar. Kerouac, Norman Mailer, Pete Hamill, Jimmy Breslin, the list is endless. The Clancy Brothers and Bob Dylan were regulars.
Pete Hamill wrote about it in his book 'A Drinking Life', and
Frank McCourt drank there when he was a public school teacher. He also wrote about it in his book 'Tis.
And there's a famous photo of Jack Kerouac in front of the neon BAR sign next to the dart board.
I had no idea! Thank you so much for this little gem of history. I need to return and soak in it's splendor. Perhaps with a few beers in had. Cheers!
You have to go to Wakamba at night. Not a daytime place. And get a Presidente not Corona, good beer.
Nice tip. Not sure I would make it there in the evening. The place is really sketchy. Read some of the reviews after visiting, and they were not exactly glowing. Thanks for watching! 🍻
I’ve only been to Rudy,s bar and it was great 👍🏻🇬🇧
Great time and a really friendly crowd. Easy bar conversations here!
@@Drunktopus Totally agree with the friendly atmosphere!
Decades ago Guys used to go up from the subway in the downtown business districts and have a few belts to start their day.
Oh yeah. I hear that. Back in the heyday of the MadMen. Cheers and thanks for watching! 🥃
@@Drunktopus are the discount saloons blarney stone and Killarney rose still serving those shot and short beer deals
@@roadtrip2943 thanks for the tips. Sounds like a second video forming.
I plan of visiting a few of the spots this weekend. It Keith is working what is his shot of choice?
Awesome. Love to hear it! Keith will drink amost any brown spirit so you are safe there. I got him Jack Daniels. Tell him I sent you, and show him this video. He will not have seen it yet. Remember the jazz on Sundays, but also Jimmys Corner for a cheap beer, and then the free dogs at Rudys! Enjoy and Cheers! 🥃
@@Drunktopus I got a list of places to go. My plan is to take the train from Connecticut to Grand Central. Hit up the midtown spots and go south.
@@ChuckOU812 PS. If you're in Grand Central after 3pm go look for The Campbell. Not a Dive Bar, you will not be disappointed 🥃
@@Drunktopus I will put it on my list.
I wouldn't call 7b(Horseshoe Bar) a tourist bar. Of all the bars you went to Rudy's is the most touristy because of it's Times Square location. It's still a great bar though.
Thanks for the feedback and I think you are right. I figured with all the shoots that have happened there, people would come for the history. A little like Toms Diner. Cheers for watching!
Good job. just a suggestion, add menu photos too. Thanks
Great suggestion man. I'm new at this so all feedback is welcomed.
@@Drunktopus No problem, i also write reviews on Google. Do let me know if you need any help or suggestions!! I am in New york for 2 months.
Menu ? Rookie
Good picks here. I have a few more to add next time you visit, including one I would pass on my way to work in the morning seeing business men drinking their scotch before work then stumbling out and barfing on the sidewalk. Lol. Whatever gets you through the work day? 😂
Thanks for watching. This was a side quest on a very very ambitious agenda I had planned. The problem/best part of a good dive bar is you never want to leave. I still have many more in the plan, so maybe a Part 2?
**band
Do you have to tip in these bars?
You don't have to, however it's customary to leave a couple of dollars. It also ensures you get faster service for your next round. It all ends up coming back to you in one way or another. You'll end up with a free beer or a shot of something at some point. 🍻
No Veronica’s’s or big lees aka the big swallow?
Hey thanks for watching and these tips! I'm pretty sure I'll be back to pick up a few more. Some have even suggested I visit some more grittier establishments. Time will tell. Cheers 🍻
Is the Patriot at Church and Chambers still going? That was my favorite dive bar with a stuffed alligator on the ceiling and womens lingerie hanging from it and Hank Williams Sr. on the juke box.
This place sounds like a jam! I just checked out the location and sadly there does not seem to be anything called Patriot there. So many one of kind places there. Thanks for watching! 🍻
A cold beer and a sexy bartender to have some conversation with? I don't see the problem..
There were some upsides. Read the reviews after and the place had some choice comments. It was a dive bar, so....
Thanks for watching!
@@Drunktopus I am just a sucker for cold beer and a pretty girl to talk too even when I can't understand a word they say!! LOL Great video. You are a good sport!
@@outlawjoseywales6159 Trust me there was zero comprehension going on. This was said to be Anthony Bourdain's favourite place to meet journalists too.
Is it Safe for A tall black guy visiting these bars?
I don't see why not? Places mentioned here are for any, and everyone. Just avoid the one I mentioned. Really. Cheers 🍻
Mars Bar in the East Village.
Thanks for the tip. Will have to add this to the next adventure. I'll buy you a beer! cheers and thanks for watching 🍻
Too bad you missed the original Milady’s in SoHo..
Thanks for the tip. I think round two of this list is growing now. Might have to travel back again very soon. 🍻
Or Subway Inn....;(( back in the day
Anybody remember Subway Inn ??
I just looked this up. WOW, it looks like an institution. Is it still running? It appears to still be there on maps.
Well ..the original one I refer to was in a different location ..back in the day @@Drunktopus
Sorry mate, the best NYC dive bars are the hidden Irish bars out in the boroughs of Queens and parts of the Bronx. I'm 50 years old life long NYer of Irish descent and NEVER went to any of these bars except for Rudys, which is a tourist bar at this point. Sadly, Manhattan sucks for bar drinking in 2022. There aren't enough middle class ethnic whites like the Irish and Italians left in the city to keep those types of bars open anymore. Old NYC is gone.
This is great feedback and thanks for letting me know what I missed. I will have to let you know when I drop back over and go real dive bar hunting with a local! I would love that 😎
Where do the Irish and Italians all go? Long island or Jersey? Respect from Ireland. I know irish people in Woodlawn.
@@roymunson1 Maga maga is the person to answer this question for us. I will add them to the list for my next visit!
THE PATRIOT CLOSED IN JUNE 2022 & YOGIS is long gone.
@@roymunson1 the suburbs of long Island, Westchester, New Jersey, Connecticut, and completely out of the New York tri-state area.
this guy didnt finish a single shot!
Haha. Thanks for watching and for sure I did!
Most dive bars are sketchy. A lot of them are fronts for the black market.
Something always to consider. I'm there for the cheap beer and chill vibes.
I hate the shaky camera work.
Thanks for the feedback. I'm investing in some better gear for this very reason planning my shots a lot better.
Miller Lite? really?
You ask for a beer, you get a beer. Best not to be fussy in these places.
totally but Miller Lite isn't beer 😂@@Drunktopus
wow spanish speaking bar. why so shocked?
Not what I expected in the middle of New York and a place that the legendary Anthony Bourdain was said to visit very often.
I’ll never understand why the bartender is entitled to get drunk while being responsible for being a good judgement for customers that could be too drunk.
Good point and well understood. Also kind of an unwritten law of the dive bar culture. It should never be your intention to get them drunk but more a gift of gratitude and thanks.
Rudy's is running it....fab place,great music,nice ladies and cheap bud and a dog?
What you waiting for?
Met a girl and she was so hot!!!
Yup Rudy's was great. And a super friendly crowd as you can see. 🍻