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17 8

At times, it can appear irreverently

pretentious, intimidating and 42 3 19 14 48 exclusive — but always...always, 13 the East Village is exciting, 9 56 shocking and alive. 25

36 44 ith each passing season, the East Village 15 29 46 2 37 sheds another layer of its nightlife persona, W 20 ever offering something new, though not always 38 improved.

34 50 53 39 7 45 The area first appeared as a distinct 27 24 22 neighborhood in the 60s as struggling artists, fleeing skyrocketing West Village rents, invaded and set up camp. Their radical political and artistic 21 views immediately set this loosely knit colony 52 apart; professing an in-your-face attitude that saturates the neighborhood to this day. Most 30 28 31 23 16 47 recently, the area has absorbed large numbers of Latinos and Ukrainians, as well as gays and 10 49 lesbians. 41 18 4 5 54 43 40 An afternoon stroll through the East 6 1 Village is secondhand shopping at its best, with 55 32 streets lined with cheap outdoor cafes, music

35 11 shops and vintage clothing boutiques. Music 51 33 26 venues like C.B.G.B. showcase local talent, while political playwrights hold captive audiences at KGB 12 and Nuyorican Poet's Cafe. The heart of this area's scene, though, is Alphabet City and its abundance of bars of all shapes, sizes and persuasions. From the drag queen staff at Lucky Cheng's to the pulsating throngs at , 1 288 Bar 20 Casimir 39 Liquids there is something for everyone. Please Mr. Musto, 2 2A 21 Cherry Tavern 40 Lucky Cheng s 3 7B 22 Chez es Saada 41 Marion s tell me downtown is dead no longer. 4 Angel s Share 23 D.B.A. 42 McSorley s Old Ale 5 Astor Restaurant & 24 Decibel 43 House 6 Lounge 25 Detour 44 Musical Box 7 B Bar 26 Drinkland 45 Nevada Smith s 8 Bar XVI 27 Fez 46 Niagara 9 Baraza 28 First 47 One and One 10 Barmacy 29 Flamingo East 48 O p aline 11 Beauty Bar 30 Flea Market 49 Opium Den 12 Belgo Nieuw York 31 Gemini Lounge 50 Pierrot 13 32 Global 33 51 Solas 14 Bouche Bar 33 Great Jones Cafe 52 Standard 15 Boxcar Lounge 34 Indochine 53 Temple Bar 16 Brownies 35 Izzy Bar 54 Tenth Street Lounge 17 36 Joe s Pub 55 T ribe 18 C-Note 37 Korova Milk Bar 56 Von 90 New York @ Night 19 C.B.G.B. 38 The Library W ebster Hall [email protected] EDITION.qxd 8/21/2006 3:18 PM Page 92

Type of 288 Bar Angel’s Share Type of Establishmen 288 Elizabeth Street 8 Stuyvesant Street Establishmen t t Hours No Phone Between 2nd & 3rd Avenues Bar Daily 12pm- 212.777.5415 Hours 4am The origin of this bar’s name remains a Daily 7pm- Drink Prices total mystery (although its alias is Tom & Um, where is this place? We’re not telling, 3am Inexpensive Jerry’s), as does its pull on the people who because finding this little gem is well worth Drink Prices Food come here. Sure, there’s more than a the effort. On the nights we went, a mellow Moderate N/A nominal pickup scene, and more than one jazz duo was cooling the summer heat out- Food Nearest patron loves the jukebox as it slides from side with a blue bossa, but Angel’s Share is Light Asian Subway the Bee Gees to Al Green to Curtis May- perfectly imaginable as a wintertime retreat fare B,D,F,Q to field. But sometimes you and your friends with its large windows looking down to the Nearest Broadway/ just want a bar with no bouncer, no guest snowy street below. At other times the quiet Subway Lafayette list, no VIP section, and no overly self-con- is nothing if not delicate, and since parties 6 to Astor Credit Cards numbering over five are not permitted, this Place Cash Only scious theme...just drinks. And at 288 those drinks come fast and furious. Oh, spot remains an intimate destination for you Credit Cards and we should mention the pickup scene and your tasteful significant other. AmEx,V,MC again.

Astor Restaurant & Lounge 2A 316 @ 25 @ 2nd Street 212.253.8644 212.505.2466 Type of Decorated in a visually stunning Moroccan- Type of Establishmen There’s an interesting sibling rivalry going on inspired motif, with the shades of old New Establishmen t t Bar/Lounge at 2A. The bar downstairs is like the South, York that its name implies, Astor’s street level dining room is spacious and stately in Restaurant/ Hours steeped in tradition and leery of outsiders. Lounge The lounge upstairs is like the North, wel- its decor. The downstairs lounge, though, is Daily 4am- Hours 4pm coming newcomers, trend-setting and mod- where the action is. Hide away in a dark- F-Sa 6pm-4am Drink Prices ern. Neighborhood veterans, some of whom ened corner booth as you nibble on a snack Su-Th 6pm- Cheap have been coming to 2A for over a decade, with your date, or politic with a circle of 2am Food stay downstairs. They set their watches by friends on the couches or at the bar. The Drink Prices N/A their favorite bartender’s shift, grab a bar service here is key. Moderate Nearest stool and order a pint. Upstairs, candles Whether you’re a robber Food Subway abound and the lights, covered with 30s pin- baron, a captain of indus- American/ F to 2nd up girls, are dimmed. Patrons laze on try, or a struggling free- French A venue leather sofas and order drinks from the ser- lance writer for the city’s Nearest Credit Cards best nightlife guide, Subway Cash Only vice bar. 6 to Bleecker Astor’s staff always Credit Cards comes with the respect. AmEx,V,MC 7B 108 @ 7th Street 212.473.8840 B Bar 40 East @ Bowery Looking for loud music and good whiskey? 212.475.2220 Type of Both the bartenders and the neighborhood Establishmen regulars who love them can’t get enough of It used to be the Bowery Bar and now it’s t either at 7B. Considering they’ve been open just the B Bar. Though it’s lost some its Bar since 1933, they must be doing something letters, it certainly hasn’t lost any of its atti- Type of Hours right. Of course you can expect there’s tude. The Frankenstein-like guys at the Establishmen Daily 12pm- been at least a few changes since the days door control the requisite velvet rope and t 4am Bar/Restaurant right after Prohibition: the pig knuckle make sure everyone that enters has a Drink Prices sandwich advertised on an old menu board ‘look.’ The vogueing can get a little ridicu- Hours Inexpensive Sa-Su has given way to the latest in pinball lous and the place can be a bit of a meat machines. But when everyone’s first priority 10:30am- Food market, but once the Boss and Elite model 3am N/A is getting smashed, nobody’s complaining. M-F 11:30am- One bartender suggests that, “Thursdays wannabes relax and stop trying to get dis- Nearest covered, a good time is definitely had by all. 3am Subway are the new Fridays,” where rock rules Drink Prices F to 2nd every night of the week. Moderate Avenue

92 New York @ Night East Village 93 [email protected] EDITION.qxd 8/21/2006 3:18 PM Page 94

Type of Bar XVI Beauty Bar Type of Establishmen 16 1st Avenue 231 East Establishmen t t Bar/Restaurant Between 1st & 2nd Streets Between 2nd & 3rd Avenues Bar 212.260.1549 212.539.1389 Hours Hours Daily 8pm- M-F 5pm-4am 4am It’s entirely possible that life exists at Bar Depending on your childhood, Beauty Bar is Sa-Su 6pm- XVI the other six nights out of the week. either really cool or truly frightening. If you spent 4am Drink Prices Moderate But ‘hump day’ takes on an all-new mean- hours in front of the mirror as a kid, come on Drink Prices ing when DJ Franco hosts his Vampyros down. However, if you liked to wear the same Inexpensive Food N/A Lesbos party here on Wednesday. Spend- clothes all weekend (and still do), this con- Food ing $7 at the door never felt so good as N/A Nearest verted hair salon might be a bit much, packed Subway you step into a world of multi-screen soft- as it is with vintage beauty supplies. Face it, Nearest F to 2nd core porn images and vintage Euro pop you or your friend might not be ready to sit Subway A venue rock. Named after a 60s Spanish skin flick, under a hair dryer with a cold one in hand. But L to 3rd Avenue Credit Cards the party is a groovy place to meet up with if that sort of thing appeals to you, you’ll love AmEx the other freaks from your office, and your scouting out all the weird stuff on display. Credit Cards girlfriend might just dig it too. Vampish? AmEx, V, MC Yeah, baby, and a shagadelic way to close out a millennium, century, decade, or Belgo Nieuw York evening. Nude cage dancing? Oh, behave! 415 Lafayette Street Between & East 4th Street 212.253.2828 Type of Baraza Establishmen 133 We know how it is: you're sitting around one t Between 8th & 9th Streets night, minding your own business, when sud- Bar/Restaurant Type of 212.539.0811 denly you're blindsided by a craving for Hours Establishmen steamed mussels and over 100 types of Bel- Daily 12pm- t Baraza has a certain we-don’t-know-what gian libations. Thankfully, now there's Belgo. 2am Bar that we simply love. Maybe it’s the cheap What looks from the outside to be a airplane Drink Prices Expensive Hours and tasty Latin cocktails. It could be the ramp is in reality a eurofuturisitc beer hall as M-Sa 7pm- witch-doctoristic effect of the bar’s plastic imagined by Spanish architect Alejandro Food 4am Su 5pm- Belgium 4am dollhead fetish. Or, maybe it’s the sheer joy Zaera-Polo. Under arched ceilings of millen- of finding the place...who knows? There’s Nearest Drink Prices nial gray and smart mauve, sample Belgian Subway Moderate an old skool reggae night on Wednesday, golden ales; at 9% alcohol they're stronger 6 to Astor Food and a BBQ on summer Sundays, but every than their U.S. cousins and deserve their Place N/A night is Latin night. You can while away an names of delirium tremens, lucifer, and duvel Credit Cards Nearest entire evening here expanding your vocab- (the devil). AmEx,V,MC, Subway ulary: salsa, meringue, batacuda, mojito Diners F to 2nd cubano, caipiroska, caipirinha...After a cou- Avenue ple of the latter, you just might find yourself Bond Street Credit Cards not dancing with the girl that brung ya. 6 Bond Street Cash Only 212.777.2500

Barmacy Chuck Darwin never authored a theory of sur- 536 East 14th Street vival of the slickest, but he would have been hard pressed to even find this anonymous Type of Between Avenue A & Avenue B Establishmen 212.228.2240 NoHo sushi bar. So will you if you’re looking t for the scene, and that’s just the way the A-list Bar/Restaurant After a few drinks, you might start feeling like actors, models, rock stars, designers, and oth- Hours a pill-popping Matt Dillon in Drugstore Cow- ers who come here like it. Bond Street exists M-Sa 5pm- boy as you look around at the immense as a sort of Shambhala for those people who 2am Su 6pm- Type of 1am Establishmen assemblage of ancient pharmaceutical prod- know what they want in life — in this case, the t ucts used to decorate this bar. Everyone is best service, faultless design, Drink Prices Bar having SO MUCH FUN! The Sunday night and a self-contained atmos- Expensive Hours semi-clad go-go girls night might bring out phere. One caveat: After Food Japanese M-F 6pm-4am your soft-core voyeuristic side, but you have such a great start to an Sa-Su 7pm- not truly lived until you see a white Jimmy evening, leaving the rarified Nearest 4am Subway Walker look-alike do a head-high kick before of 6 Bond Street can be a bit Drink Prices 6 to Bleecker Moderate falling into a split as the DJ spins Michael of a comedown if you don’t Street Jackson’s Off the Wall. Don’t stop ‘til you get plan for anything fabulous enough. afterwards. 94 New York @ Night East Village 95 [email protected] EDITION.qxd 8/21/2006 3:18 PM Page 96

Type of Bouche Bar Burp Castle Type of Establishmen 540 East 5th Street 41 East 7th Street Establishmen t t Bar Between Avenue A & Avenue B Between 2nd & 3rd Avenues Bar 212.475.1673 212.982.4576 Hours Hours Daily 8pm- F-Sa 4pm-4am 4am Bouche Bar is so small...How small is it? Gregorian chants and classical sounds Su-Th 4pm- Sneeze, and you could miss it. That doesn’t soothe you as you order a round of ale from 2am Drink Prices Moderate seem to bother the regulars here who see an innkeep clad in the somber brown robes Drink Prices this place as a quiet retreat from the land of of a Trappist monk. Impressive elaborate Inexpensive Food N/A slick hipsters. One bartender noted that the medieval murals complement a decor of Food crowd here is slightly older (as in thirty- immaculate polished oak. Equally impres- N/A Nearest Subway something). That may explain the absence of sive is the selection of Nearest F to 2nd drunk college girls screaming for attention beers ranging from the Subway A venue and young cats on the make. What is here 11oz. bottle of Arabler at 6 to Astor Place Credit Cards between the exposed brick walls is a friendly, $6.25 to the 3 liter $52.00 Cash Only artsy vibe mostly free from pretension, where bottle of Corsendonk Credit Cards a conversation using the word ‘portfolio’ is Brown. Self-proclaimed, All Major probably about oil painting or fashion design. “The Temple of Beer Wor- ship,” Burp Castle has become a favorite watering Boxcar Lounge hole for tourists and neighborhood regulars 168 Avenue B alike. Note: The sign says “No Loud Talk- Between 10th & 11th Streets ing,” and the monks will ask you to leave. Type of 212.473.2830 Establishmen t Get on this East Village Express, or rather C-Note Bar/Lounge the local steamer, where conductor Johnny 157 Avenue C @ 10th Street Hours Spingola spices up your trip with devilish 212.677.8142 Daily 7pm- delightful jokes and cocktails concocted of Type of 4am wit and charm, champagne and sake. Or “People in the graveyard are feeling you,” Establishmen Drink Prices take your date to the unlit end, through this yelled one enthusiastic patron. “My hands t Inexpensive candle-flickering railroad experience flanked are sore from clapping so hard,” cried Bar/Live Music Food by corrugated iron and exposed red brick another. It’s no Blue Note or Village Van- Hours N/A walls underneath bent screens serving as guard, but the C-Note (and its understated Daily 7pm- 4am Nearest wagon ceiling. East Village professionals splendor) can pack them in. Local jazz afi- Subway love to hang at the illuminated, etched glass Drink Prices L to 14th cionados love the place, especially on the Inexpensive Street bar of this real trove, chat as they down rea- weekends. “It takes me back to the old days Food Credit Cards sonably-priced drinks and get in the mood to when jazz was jumping down here,” said a N/A V,MC,Diners jazz and groovy soul and funk. 36-year veteran. “It’s like Nearest finding a gold mine on Avenue C.” There’s Subway no cover but there is a one drink minimum. L to 1st Brownies A venue 169 Avenue A Credit Cards Between 10th & 11th Streets C.B.G.B. Cash Only 212.420.8392 313 Bowery @ Bleecker 212.254.0983 The music is loud and the crowds rowdy at this small hard rock dive with a definite It’s a grungy club held up by old flyers, Type of downtown feel. Step inside and understand Establishmen posters, and bumper stickers. The wooden t that Brownies is all about the music, and floors are beer soaked and the bar top thor- Bar/Live Music only about the music. Despite the lack of oughly battered. It’s an eyesore, but it’s also Type of Hours attention paid to the decor the sound system one of the best places to hear rock ‘n’ roll in Establishmen Daily 5pm- is surprisingly clear — every beat will bounce the city. C.B.G.B. has been around for 25 t 4am around inside your head on the way home. years and everyone from Joan Jett to Sonic Bar/Live Music Drink Prices Not exactly for the laid back during the week, Youth has rocked this stage. Though it’s not Hours Cheap the crowd’s intensity escalates even further nearly as wild as it used to be (those mosh Daily 7pm- Food on the weekends. While there’s no dress pit-loving punk rockers are now sitting at 4am N/A code here, it’s advisable that you dress tables and drinking beers), the place still has Drink Prices Nearest down. an edge and patrons keep coming. Cover Inexpensive ranges from $3-$9.

96 New York @ Night East Village 97 [email protected] EDITION.qxd 8/21/2006 3:18 PM Page 98

Type of Casimir D.B.A. Type of Establishmen 103-105 Avenue B 41 1st Avenue Establishmen t t Bar/Restaurant Between 6th & 7th Streets Between 2nd & 3rd Streets Bar 212.358.9683 212.475.5097 Hours Hours Daily 5:30pm- Daily 1pm- 12am Can’t make it to Paris for the weekend? Then D.B.A. is a bar. No over-stuffed couches, 4am slide on over to Casimir, a whirlwind of activity on no B-list models putting on airs. It serves a Drink Prices Drink Prices Expensive Avenue B that evokes the bistros and cafes of lot of alcohol — over 25 bourbons, 100 Moderate the City of Lights. The typical bistro fare and a single malts, 30 tequilas and 10 vodkas — Food Food French great wine selection makes this spot a great which is why this spot can get packed and N/A place to grab dinner. The French cultural para- kind of loud in the after-work hours. That’s Nearest Nearest Subway phernalia and music ranging from acid jazz to okay, because D.B.A. is the kind of place Subway F to 2nd Brazilian pop has a magnetic effect on the hot you can meet up with a largish group of F to 2nd A venue euro-types running through the East Village people you haven’t seen in a while. If A venue Credit Cards these days. The trick is to casually sip a glass of they’re cool, so much the better. If they’re Credit Cards AmEx Merlot at the bar or a table, pretending like you annoying, at least you have a really great All Major do it everyday. beer or an exotic tequila in your hand.

Cherry Tavern Decibel 441 East 6th Street 240 East 9th Street Type of 212.777.1448 Between 2nd & 3rd Avenues Establishmen 212.979.2733 Type of t You left home in upstate New York to get away Bar Establishmen from a place like this, so how did you end up at t Hours the Cherry Tavern? Probably because this mom this is old Japan: Sake Bar Daily 6pm- 4am and pop pub — with its faux wood paneling, pool hard wood, ukiyoe art, Hours table, and indie jukebox — only looks like your troubles far away. M-Sa 8pm- Drink Prices 3am Cheap best friend’s parents’ basement. It’s actually one Su 8pm-1am of the best undercover bars in the city, making it cool in summer, warm Food Drink Prices N/A immensely popular with the artists, musicians, in winter. sake flows like Expensive and NYU students who flock water year round. drink. Nearest Food Subway here. Yes, the weekend bar- Japanese F to 2nd tender is one of the hottest hidden from view. step A venue Nearest you’ll meet; but equally attrac- down and in. old friends, new loves, life Subway Credit Cards tive is the “Tijuana Special” — passes as dreams. 6 to Astor Cash Only a shot of the hard stuff and a Place Tecate beer to wash it down. Credit Cards All Major Detour Chez es Saada 349 East 13th Street 42 East 1st Street Between 1st & 2nd Avenues Between 1st & 2nd Avenues 212.533.6212 212.777.5617 Long live no-cover live jazz! It’s no secret Grab a date, and hail a magic carpet ride to this that Detour is one of the last spots in the city Type of arabesque gem hidden in a brownstone on a where you can come and hear live jazz with- Type of Establishmen Establishmen quiet sidestreet. Downtown suits lose their ties at out someone at the door trying to stick you t t Bar/Restaurant the quiet bar upstairs, while you and your com- for half of your paycheck. Wander in any Jazz Club panion follow a trail of fresh rose petals down a night of the week, order a pint, and saddle Hours Hours F-Sa 4pm-4am winding staircase to the dining cata- up to the bar for an earful music. Come with Su-Th 4pm- Su-Th 4pm- combs below. Candles and low- a fellow jazzhead or a small group of 2am 4am slung chairs make you feel friends, but feel equally free to arrive alone. F-Sa 4pm-4am Drink Prices comfortable and self-indulgent, and It’s not hard to strike up a conversation in Drink Prices Expensive the waitstaff is more than happy to between sets at this super-friendly post- Inexpensive Food help you order from an exotic menu beatnik bar. Food French of Moroccan drinks and dishes. N/A Moroccan Chez es Saada can accommodate Nearest Nearest Subway larger parties as well, but this spot is L to 1st nothing but infallible when you want to be très Avenue romantique. 98 New York @ Night East Village 99 [email protected] EDITION.qxd 8/21/2006 3:18 PM Page 100

Type of Drinkland Flamingo East Type of Establishmen 339 East 10th Street 219 2nd Avenue Establishmen t t Bar 212.228.2435 Between 13th & 14th Streets Bar/Restaurant 212.533.2860 /Lounge Hours You’ll experience a sense of vertigo worthy M-Sa 6pm- Hours 4am of Hitchcock the moment you actually find Tastefully styled in black and white F-Sa 6pm-4am Su 8pm-3am this bar laying low on the north side of checkerboard with silver accents, this Su-Th 6pm- 2am Drink Prices . Depending on how restaurant/ bar, and lounge was retro Inexpensive many drinks you’ve had, the giant spiral before retro was retro. Staying open for ten Drink Prices Expensive Food painted on the ceiling seems to hypnotically years in a quickly-changing neighborhood N/A swirl. And swirl. And swirl. If you’re able to is no small feat, and the clientele who flock Food Pan-Asian Nearest break out of the trance, grab another drink to this place — East Village kids, Jer- Subway and head to the white vinyl or greenhouse seyites, and all-purpose hepcat swingers Nearest L to 1st room (decor self-explanatory) to regain your — insure that it won’t be closing its doors Subway A venue any time soon. The upstairs floor is spa- 4,5,6,N,R to sense of balance. Live DJs five nights a Union Square Credit Cards week maintain the trippy vibe, and the regu- cious enough for dancing, and the down- Cash Only Credit Cards lars here are weirdly funny and friendly. stairs dining/lounge area, with its sculpted AmEx,V,MC Highly recommended. cement columns, evokes the Guggenheim Bilbao. Things get busy after midnight the weekly theme nights, but packs of honeys Fez can be spotted at the bar by 11p.m. 380 Lafayette Street @ Great Jones 212.533.2680 Type of Flea Market Establishmen While not exactly a well-kept secret, Fez is 131 Avenue A t hidden from view inside the Time Cafe. An Between 8th & 9th Streets Type of Lounge/ intimate, magical, Moroccan-flavored world 212.358.9282 Establishmen Live Music awaits as you walk through the arched door- t Hours way and take a seat on the low-slung Oh, the French! Only a Parisian could Bar/Restaurant F-Sa 6pm-4am couches and foot stools in back. Fez has a open a tasteful Left Bank bistro and cafe Hours Su-Th 6pm- de matin across from Tompkins Square F-Sa 10pm- 2am heady romantic air that makes it not only a 1am Su-Th great first date destination, but also a good Park and decorate it with the findings from 10pm-1am Drink Prices countless trips to swap meets and junk Expensive place for a well-worded classy breakup. The Drink Prices sales. More contradictions abound here: Food Mingus Big Band continues to draw crowds Moderate American for the weekly Thursday gig held since the the ‘francais-new yorkais’ menu is lavishly Food prepared yet fairly priced. The staff is cute Nearest lounge’s opening, but the per- French Bistro Subway formance space downstairs and friendly and the cool music mix takes Nearest 6 to Bleecker also draws the best in cutting you far away from the seedier side of Subway S treet edge downtown tunes, from Avenue A. The bar here is painfully small, L to 1st Credit Cards the transplanted Sheryl Crow but take a glass of merlot at a small table Avenue AmEx, V, MC to Brooklyn spoken-word and practice your cool, your Berlitz, or Credit Cards artists. both before heading home. AmEx

First Gemini Lounge 87 1st Avenue 221 2nd Avenue Between 5th & 6th Streets Between 13th & 14th Streets 212.674.3823 212.254.5260 Type of So you want to score, but you don’t want to Not much seems to phase the patrons of Establishmen Type of t put all that much effort into it. Bring your Gemini Lounge, concerned as they are with Establishmen Bar/Restaurant date to First, and let the utilitarian hipness networking, looking good, and dancing to t Hours of this bar/restaurant work its charm on her Top 40 hip-hop tracks spun by a DJ. There’s Lounge F-Sa 6pm-3am 90s sensibilities. The acid jazz soundtrack plenty going on here, including a drum ‘n’ Hours Su 11am-1am and the industrial design present a reason- bass night, a lesbian night, and a samba Daily 5pm- M-Th 6pm- 4am 2am able facsimile of good taste, and the sea- night on Tuesday. The poolroom lounge in sonal menu hits both high and low with the rear is done in black — very cool. In the Drink Prices Drink Prices Moderate Expensive pricier entrees and s’mores for dessert. The spirit of the bar’s name, this seems to be a centerpiece is the bar’s offering of sixteen good place for a double date. Food N/A ‘tiny tinis’ — exotic cosmo cousins served in miniature martini glasses so cute you’ll gag. 100 New York @ Night East Village 101 [email protected] EDITION.qxd 8/21/2006 3:18 PM Page 102

Type of Global 33 Izzy Bar Type of Establishmen 93 2nd Avenue 166 1st Avenue Establishmen t t Bar/Restaurant Between 5th & 6th Streets Between 10th & 11th Streets Bar/Lounge 212.477.8427 212.228.0444 Hours Hours F-Sa 6pm-4am Daily 7pm- Su-Th 5:30pm- Crashing, but certainly not burning, into Izzy Bar is a no-brainer when you’re looking 4am 3am the theme bar explosion downtown is for a good time. Quiet in the beginning of the Drink Prices Drink Prices Global 33 — tapping into the pop-culture week, this spot offers a cool lounge upstairs Expensive Moderate obsession with anything 60s. Constructed and hot live jazz in the basement. But the Food Food as a 60s-style airport lounge, the decor is funky textured decor fades away on week- N/A International ends as the focus turns towards dancing to a symphony of symmetrical shapes and Nearest Tapas patterns prevalent in 60s architecture. The Latin beats, house, and soul music. Neigh- Subway Nearest DJ directs drum ‘n’ bass vibes as you borhood regulars mix it up with downtown L to 1st Subway enjoy a menu of international tapas and girls in little black dresses who get more than Avenue 6 to Astor they bargained for on the dance floor. So will Credit Cards Place classic cocktails served in shakers. The relatively young mixed crowd probably you, whether you come in a pack, a couple, AmEx,V,MC Credit Cards Cover W-Su AmEx,V,MC can’t recall being in a 60s-style airport or are flying solo for the night. lounge, but all agree it should have looked w w w .Izzybar . like this. com Joe’s Pub 425 Lafayette Street Great Jones Cafe Between East 4th Street & Astor Place 212.539.8770 Type of 54 Great Jones Street Type of Establishmen 212.674.9304 Establishmen t For a place with such a short, ordinary t Bar/Restaurant name, this fast-spreading secret is long on Enough good things can’t be said about Bar/Restaurant Hours GJC, once you get past the funny David the extraordinary. We'll narrow it down for / Live Music F-Sa 5pm-1am you. Joe's Pub 1) is host to some of the Lynch vibe inside this tiny hideaway. It’s Hours Su-Th 5pm- probably only weird because everyone here very best in new American music; 2) can Daily 6pm- 12am is so nice. But there is the happily eclectic have up to three or four crowds a night — 4am Drink Prices jukebox playing old R&B, soul, and country from live music listeners to DJ-lovin' lounge Inexpensive lizards - and all of them are worthwhile; and Drink Prices classics, and the deliciously quirky drinks Moderate Food with names like ‘Cajun martini’ (vodka with 3) is a popular destination for gorgeous Cajun/ international waitstaff-types after they get off Food American fermented jalapeños) and ‘Shaggy’ (spicy American ginger ale and dark rum). The menu of work in SoHo around 1:30 a.m. The man- Nearest Nearest Subway N’awlins fare is a hit with patrons. Just don’t agement is understandably afraid of overex- Subway 6 to Bleecker ask any of the regulars at the bar the story posure, but it's a certainty. As such, be sure 6 to Astor S treet of the Peruvian death mask on the wall by to make the scene before it becomes one. Place Credit Cards the door. Psst! A great escape from Friday Credit Cards Cash Only night B&T. All Major Korova Milk Bar 200 Avenue A Indochine Between 12th & 13th Streets 430 Lafayette Street 212.254.8838 Between Astor Place & 4th Street 212.505.5111 Inspired by Stanley Kubrick’s 1971 classic A Clockwork Orange, Korova must be seen to Type of Establishmen Okay, so maybe imperialism wasn’t all bad, be believed. In addition showing “fucked-up Type of t since the French-Vietnamese connection of movies” (owner’s words) like The Deer- Establishmen Bar/Restaurant the 20s and 30s serves as aesthetic inspira- hunter on multiple screens, the bar pulls no t Hours tion for this chic bar and restaurant. The punches with drink specials: a popular one Bar Daily 5:30pm- tropical decor (painted and photosynthetic) is the Inbred Special — a shot of Jack and Hours 12:30am a Rolling Rock for a chaser. Equally sinful Daily 6pm- is tastefully achieved to keep you cool and 4am Drink Prices far away from the hassles of S.E. Asia are the Molokos — ice cream drinks named Expensive for demi-celebs both dead and alive. Drink Prices proper. The focus at Indochine is under- Expensive Food standably on the immaculately prepared and Korova is popular with your standard French Avenue A crowd. They don’t seem at all Food V ietnamese presented cuisine, but the bar and lounge in N/A front is the perfect place to be for a pre/post- freaked out by the mannequins with TVs for Nearest theatre drink. It’s also an ideal rendezvous heads, but perhaps they’re socializing with spot for your date with that model you met eyes wide shut. last week. 102 New York @ Night East Village 103 [email protected] EDITION.qxd 8/21/2006 3:18 PM Page 104

Type of The Library Marion’s Type of Establishmen 7 Avenue A 354 Bowery @ 4th Street Establishmen t t Bar 212.375.1352 212.475.7621 Bar/Restaurant Hours The Library is a surreal approximation of a col- As kitsch and fabricated as the decor of this Hours Daily 12pm- Daily 6pm- 4am legiate fantasy: good, reliable beer choices at a 50s wonderland may be, the people running 2am friendly bar with a neighborhood feel. The this lovely place are genuine hosts, and the Drink Prices Drink Prices Moderate books on the shelves are there to be looked at clientele is truly authentic and relaxed. The Moderate — not read — while the jukebox pumps out world of late model and actress Marion is Food Food N/A great indie rock from bands like Pavement, the filled with wonderfully tacky mirror drawings, Continental Nearest Butthole Surfers, and the Buzzcocks. Leave colorful plastic armchairs, flower paintings, Nearest Subway City of Joy where it is and tune out to the kung JFK and Jackie portraits, even an aquarium Subway F to 2nd fu flicks and monster movies projected on the with dream castles and blue dogs. Enjoy a F to 2nd Avenue back wall. And if that’s not sophomoric enough, martini at the bar or have hearty continental Avenue Credit Cards this bar’s name provides a great alibi when food in the old diner-like restaurant, gently lit Credit Cards Cash Only your significant other asks you where you were by candles and retro lamps. East Village All Major last night. artists, hipsters and trendy downtowners can feel equally at home here.

Liquids 266 East 10th Street McSorley’s Old Ale House 212.677.1717 15 East 7th Street Between 2nd & 3rd Avenues Type of Liquids just might feel like your own living Establishmen 212.254.2570 Type of t room. That is if your parents are Middle East- Establishmen Bar/Lounge ern, mix great drinks, and have DJs for Stepping into McSorley’s — said to be the t Bar/Restaurant Hours friends. On a quiet Monday night, comfy oldest ale house in New York — is like going F-Sa 6pm-4am couches can keep it cozy, or accommodate back in time. Sawdust litters the floor, chock- Hours Su-Th 6pm- the crew that shows up to meet you. As is the a-block memorabilia and the original 1854 Daily 11am- 3am case at most other bars in the neighborhood, structure invoke the Old Irish in New York. 1am Drink Prices weekends can be a zoo here, so make it a At 2 for $3, even the prices appear to need Drink Prices Moderate priority to come on Tuesday for the legendary an update (not that anyone’s complaining). Inexpensive Food hookah party. The water pipes might not have McSorley’s Special Ale, the only alcohol Food N/A American any hash in them, but with shadow dancers, a served here, is brewed exclusively for the Nearest tent-like atmosphere, and turntablists spinning pub by the old Stroh breweries. Old-World Nearest Subway Subway 6 to Astor ambient vibes all night, you probably won't charm, great prices and die-hard regulars 6 to Astor Place even mind. make McSorley’s a local pub par excellence. Place Credit Cards Cash only. Credit Cards AmEx Cash Only Lucky Cheng’s 24 1st Avenue Musical Box 212.473.0516 219 Avenue B @ 13th Street 212.254.1731 A colorfully loud taste of something alternative doesn’t even begin to describe this popular Smooth candlelight flickers across the many spot with a calling card that reads, “The Origi- portraits of dead and living musical Type of nal Drag Queen Restaurant.” The dirty, drab grandeurs as Baby Fox’s beseeching voice Establishmen gray Manhattan streets instantly fade far from lures you into this comfortably dark and Type of t Establishmen Bar/Restaurant view as you step inside and are splashed by unpretentious East Village lounge. Woody t the bright kaleidoscope decor. Not only does Guthrie, Jimi Hendrix and Elvis Costello, all Bar Hours F-Sa 5pm-2am the dining room feature a full Pan-Asian menu eternalized in the wooden counter, take a Hours M-Th 5pm- served by a drag waitstaff, peak at you through your beer glass, while Daily 7:30pm- 12am but several nightly drag Jim Morrison scoffs at the yuppie-beige 4am Drink Prices cabaret shows as well. We lounge chairs. A blend of a young, profes- Drink Prices Expensive recommend one of Lucky sional and alternative East Village crowd — Moderate Food Cheng’s Mini Orgies — the which may well be one and the same these Food Pan-Asian frozen, multi-fruit flavored days — enjoys the hip yet mellow N/A Nearest daquiris, margaritas and ambiance. The back room, with its disor- Nearest piña coladas. derly red velvet chairs, couches and pool table reveals good old anarchist East Village spirit. 104 New York @ Night East Village 105 [email protected] EDITION.qxd 8/21/2006 3:18 PM Page 106

Type of Nevada Smith’s Opaline Type of Establishmen 74 3rd Avenue 85 Avenue A Establishmen t t Bar 212.982.2591 Between 5th & 6th Streets Restaurant/ 212.475.5050 Lounge Hours Looking for that East Village flavor, but not M-Sa 10am- Hours 4am the annoying East Village pretentiousness? Opaline gets its name as a synonym of Daily 6pm- Su 12pm-4am Nevada Smith’s is a pleasant collage of the absinthe, the turn-of-the-century liquor said to 4am Drink Prices area’s charms. One of the best venues in induce hallucinations and dark fantasies. Drink Prices Inexpensive the city to catch European football matches, Absinthe may be illegal these days, but the Moderate Food the vibe here is high-energy, but in an all- dreamy quality of the drink’s effects is pre- Food N/A inclusive way. Rather than drawing on just served here in this lounge-cum-French bistro. French Bistro Nearest one segment of the nightlife scene, the Opaline goes all out to make you at home in Nearest Subway crowd is a well-blended mix of neighbor- Wonderland: the dining room is the largest in Subway L to 3rd hood regulars, NYU students, pre-Webster the East Village, but the real treat is watching F to 2nd Avenue Hall party-goers, and a heavy Euro contin- the light change as it filters through the sky- Avenue Credit Cards gent. Tuesday’s Karaoke night crowd is light over the course of an evening. Choose a Credit Cards All Major pure energy. glass of one of seventeen wines and relax in All Major a comfy lounge with a lover, or get your groove on at one of the weekly dance parties Niagara thrown here. 112 Avenue A @ 7th Street 212.420.9517 Opium Den Type of You might find yourself in Niagara with a Establishmen 29 East 3rd Street t tear in your beer because you’re crying for 212.505.7344 Type of Bar/Lounge your dear. Across the street from Tompkins Establishmen t Hours Square Park, this spot seems like your Opium Den looks like it could be in SoHo, Lounge Daily 4pm- basic neighborhood watering hole. That’s judging by the decor — velvet drapes and 4am until you get pulled in by the DJ spinning candles — and the crowd, in head-to-toe Hours M-Sa 8pm- Drink Prices black. A DJ spins every night of the week, good country/blues. Retreat to the lounge in 4am Inexpensive back to recover your momentarily lost cool the bartender is friendly, the crowds Su 8pm-2am Food points, or check the downstairs with its relaxed, and the couches comfy. Try the Drink Prices N/A quixotic, quirky, and kinky tiki bar theme, cosmopolitans, they’re well worth the Moderate Nearest illuminated fish tank, and peculiar music money. If you want a seat, come slightly Food Subway selection — think obscure 60s French before midnight — it gets packed between N/A 6 to Astor Place cinepop. Upstairs again, and you’ll find 12:30 a.m. and 1 a.m. Just get past those Nearest yourself unable to leave, if only because velvet ropes on the outside and you’re all Subway Credit Cards F to 2nd All Major you’re sure the next song the DJ spins is set for the night. Leave your credit cards at the one country tune you know all the home, this is strictly a cash joint. No base- Avenue words to. ball caps. Credit Cards Cash Only

One and One Pierrot 76 East 1st Street @ 1st Avenue 28 Avenue B 212.260.9950 212.673.1999 Which came first, the new bar/restaurant If you build it, they will come...and they do. Pier- on the corner of 1st and 1st, or the fact rot has established itself as a bar of Mondo Type of Type of Establishmen that it serves the one and one (Dublin New York. With designers, film-makers, artists, Establishmen t slang for fish and chips). The good news is actors, makeup artists, models, and head- t Bar/Restaurant that the city now has a place for genuine hunters as patrons, this spot is the perfect place Bar/ Restaurant Hours pub fare served with a side of contempo- for low key networking with people on the pulse M-Sa 12pm- rary continental cool. Celtic symbols and of the New East Village (and the city entire). A Hours 4am Su 5pm- an aerial view of Dublin’s Trinity College great place to begin or end a night, Pierrot’s Daily 6pm- 4am 4am grace the fire-red walls, leaving you won- vibe, like the neighborhood it embodies, Drink Prices Drink Prices changes throughout the evening. The decor dering why you ever associated fish & Moderate Moderate chips with any place else. Don’t feel com- here is modern Mediterranean, which means Food Food pelled to order a Guinness just to show warm and inviting. Try one of their exotic cos- Mediterranean Irish Pub-fare your colors; a cool dude named Ronan mos and search for clues about Pierrot’s former Nearest Nearest suggests a lighter brew like Carlsberg identity among the found objects in the bar’s goes better with your cod and chips. plastic resin top. 106 New York @ Night East Village 107 [email protected] EDITION.qxd 8/21/2006 3:18 PM Page 108

Type of Establishmen Solas Tenth Street Lounge Type of t 232 East 9th Street 212 East 10th Street Establishmen Bar t Between 2nd & 3rd Avenues Between 1st & 2nd Avenues Lounge Hours 212.375.0297 212.473.5252 Daily 4pm- Hours 4am T-Sa 5pm-3am Although their Guinness Perfect Pint award Tenth Street is a great NYC niche bar. It’s Su-M 4pm- Drink Prices is prominently displayed, Solas isn't an Irish got sleek style, great drinks, and competent 2am Expensive Bar per se. Even so, it's still a great late- DJs on the 1 and 2s — all without the velvet Drink Prices Food night place to go for some good head (we're rope burn you can get from trying to keep Expensive N/A talking stout). One clairvoyant bartender up with the trendoid elite set. Moreover, this Food Nearest here will even tell you what's pouring well place truly earns its distinction as an actual- N/A Subway before you have a chance to sit down, and factual lounge; the front of the low-lit space 6 to Astor Nearest Place he makes a tight margarita, too. You'll find a is packed with more chaise lounges and foot Subway diverse crowd and plenty of room to lounge stools than the Ottoman Empire. Long 6 to Astor Credit Cards Place AmEx, V, MC, upstairs, as well as one of the coolest pool- wooden tables and benches accommodate Diners rooms in the East Vill. Eurostar DJ David the expected crowds on weekend nights, Credit Cards AmEx, V, MC, Holmes spins for his large fan base here but try to make it during the week when the Diners every second Thursday, but beautiful people vibe is more relaxed and you and your w w w .tenthstre in repose can be found any night of the friends can just, well, lounge. etlounge.com week.

Tribe Standard 132 1st Avenue @ St. Mark’s Place 158 1st Avenue 212.979.8965 Type of 212.387.0239 Type of Establishmen Within the cozy confines of this East Vil- Establishmen t When you realize there’s life after cosmopoli- lage newbie, martini glasses clink in synco- t Bar tans, you’re ready for Standard where the pation with the rhythms coming from the Bar/Lounge Hours motto is no frozen drinks, no milk drinks. DJ. Everything is cool and laid back, yet Hours Daily 6pm- That’s a little more edgy than great drinks, without the edge that so much cosmo cul- Daily 5pm- 4am 4am good prices, which is equally true about this ture brings. A watery wave projection on Drink Prices uber-hip bar on the East Village A-list. The vir- the back wall and the shifting light treat- Drink Prices Moderate Expensive tual pillbox makes up for its impossibly small ment behind the bar further add to your Food Food N/A size with great experimental design from two relaxation, and the front windows just do N/A French architects. The Rothko-inspired light this weird...thing. You order a drink and Nearest Nearest Subway display takes a while to figure out, but a Stoli decide that anyplace this hot, cool, and Subway 6 to Astor Raz Martini is a great way to kill an hour or unpretentious all at the same time must be 6 to Astor Place two before heading out or heading home. part of some dream you’re having. A great Place Credit Cards place to bring a friend or colleague for a Credit Cards Cash Only quiet drink. AmEx,V,MC Temple Bar 332 Lafayette Street Between East Houston & Bleecker Von 212.925.4242 3 Bleecker Street @ Bowery 212.473.3039 Slip inside the anonymous front door of Temple Bar and find yourself transported to a world in If cosmos are kid’s stuff, head to Von. Like Type of which the overriding theme is attention to detail. its Bowery neighbors, this converted antique Establish - From the marble and mahogany bar, to the store maintains a low profile, making the Type of ment Establishmen seductive lighting, to the impecca- spot popular with the mature twenty- and t Bar/Lounge bly tasteful jazz piped in, even a thirty-somethings who appreciate a good Lounge Hours few minutes here can leave you Stevie Wonder song, low lights, and a per- Hours F-Sa 5pm-2am feeling like a dilettante. Temple Bar fect glass of red wine. Everything at Von Daily 6pm- Su 7pm-12am 2am M-Th 5pm- is a great place for a date if you’re promotes such relaxation and contemplation 1am out to show off you classic sensibil- of the many vintages available (and there Drink Prices Moderate Drink Prices ities. The margaritas and cos- are around 30 to choose from). The perfect Expensive mopolitans here rank among the city’s best. place to catch up with an old friend. Food N/A Food Also try a mix of belle de brillet, Cointreau and Nearest U p scale Tap as juice in a sugar-rimmed martini glass-called a sidekick, but you’ll want to make it your main squeeze. 108 New York @ Night East Village 109 [email protected] EDITION.qxd 8/21/2006 3:18 PM Page 110

Type of Webster Hall Establishmen 125 East 11th Street t Club Between 3rd & 4th Avenues 212.353.1600 Hours Th-Sa 10pm- 4:30 am Enter on the main floor and plunge head- long into a sea of classic disco and Drink Prices Expensive pop/rock. Descend to the darker lower-level lounge for a taste of hip-hop and R&B. Food N/A Catch your breath and climb to the second floor for cutting-edge dance music. Just Nearest Subway when you feel that last ounce of energy 4,5,6,N,R to ebbing away, grab a drink and retreat to the Union Square upper balcony to watch the writhing ocean Credit Cards of club kids, tourists and regulars. Psyche- All Major delic Thursdays are a little more rock ori- $20 Cover ented, but dance reigns supreme every Friday and Saturday. Expect to wait on line after midnight and dress to impress.

Wonder Bar Type of 505 East 6th Street Establishmen Between Avenue A & Avenue B t 212.777.9105 Bar/Lounge Hours What makes a good gay bar? Well, music is Daily 6pm- key — progressive DJs playing R&B, hip 4am hop, and house. Friendly bartenders a must, Drink Prices Expensive and the guys should be cute, but not so cute as to make the bar a cruise scene; not too Food N/A many muscle-bound Chelsea Rent boys, either. Finally, the clientele should be mixed- Nearest Subway say, 80% gay and 20% other. Put it all 6 to Astor together and you have Wonder Bar, a neigh- Place borhood watering hole leading the way in Credit Cards the rebirth of gay bars in the East Village. Cash Only Don’t believe us?

110 New York @ Night