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As Morningside Heights continues its relentless march to total gentrification, it's comforting to know that sometimes a bar is just a bar. 1020 is a refreshingly unpretentious dive in a sea of newly opened yuppie hangouts. Don't order a fancy cocktail here; stick to the beer (they have several good choices on tap), or something simple, like a bourbon on the rocks. While you drink, watch the game on the big screen in the back. There's a pool table, too. Read more about 1020 Bar >>
No tourists here. Instead, local couples whisper at tables under the glow of urban-chic candelabras. Sinking into a red velvet booth, we opt for a tangy cosmo ($9) and a sweet Grand Marnier nightcap ($8). Read more about 1050 Lounge in the Skyline Hotel >>
Bed-Stuy's Dynaco is a family affair. Brothers Adam and Ben Forgash opened the watering hole as a place to provide "comfort and warmth." It's wood-burning stove definitely takes care of that, along with (genuinely) old-timey antique adornments scouted by Adam's wife. The aesthetic is Rust Belt chic, and they definitely hit the nail on the head with industrial-yet-cozy brass and wood fixtures that exude the fetishized charm of a rural Ohio dive. A rotating list of 12 reasonably-priced beers on tap is comprehensive without being overwhelming. It's located right next door to the popular Do Or Dine restaurant and closest to the Bedford-Nostrand Ave. G train. Read more about Dynaco >>
http://www.11thstbar.com Monday nights, pop over to the 11th Street Bar for Glenfiddich sipped neat and a pint of chocolaty-tasting Victory Hopdevil Ale. It's a yummy, cozy pub stocked full of real Irish brogues who don't stand for any pseudo-blarney shenanigans. Table seats are always available, so it's a prime spot to start out your night with laid-back conversation and a little Dropkick Murphys on blast. Read more about 11th Street Bar >>
Record geeks rejoice! Hi-Fi Bar beware! Now there's a dive called 12"ayes, named after the vinyl format. The space is tiny, but the walls are cutely papered with record covers, and they have DJs. Read more about 12" >>
http://www.123burgershotbeer.com The name says it all: 123 Burger Shot Beer. But let's elaborate: there are three White Castle-inspired burgers for $3 apiece, shots come in a variety of flavors (e.g. "Lick Me," composed of house vodka, butterscotch, and pineapple), and the beer, when accommodating larger parties, is served in the oft Coors Light-filled "beer tube." The crowd is of the collegiate sort, naturally, as evidenced by the rousing beer pong games unfolding in the middle of the room. Still, older patrons are free to join, as long as their "flip cup" knowledge is salient. Read more about 123 Burger Shot Beer >>
Like one particularly conflicting section of the 12th Street Ale House's jukebox (Jay-Z and Simon & Garfunkel are on the same page), the bar itself is difficult to categorize. The dozen beers on tap aren't enough to qualify the place as a true ale house or beer bar; there aren't enough big-screen TVs to deem it a sports bar, and certainly there's not enough grime to call it a dive. But herein lies this bar's charm. To avoid commotion from over-rabid football fans and peer-pressure from beer connoisseurs, locals comfortably flock here and take a seat at the bar as though it's been reserved just for them. Relax: You're among friends, and remarkably sane ones. Read more about 12th Street Ale House >>
http://www.nycbestbar.com/13thstep/ Walk downstairs into the spacious 13th Step and a panoramic scene unfolds. Fresh out of work, men with untucked button-downs sit at the bar, sipping chilly Budweiser from a mug or Busch from a can, craning their necks to glimpse the plasma TVs. Moving to the right of the room, past the waitresses carrying burgers with stuffed insides ("The American" contains American cheddar and bacon, of course), you'll find two ping-pong tables tucked into the corner. There, seasoned old-timers and gunslinging graduates duke it out for recaptured dormitory glory. Read more about The 13th Step >>
This unmarked, cavernous little hideaway is done up in cool taupe mod-patterned wallpaper and stucco, with stylish brown leather furniture and a metallic beaded curtain. So it's all the more surprising that 151 is a boisterous, unpretentious space where the bartender sports an unironic AC/DC shirt and air-guitars along with the cock rock that blasts at top volume. It's these kinds of wondrous contrasts that make New York what it is. Read more about 151 >>
