Best NYC Bars on a Backpacker’s Budget
Getting drunk at a bar in New York City will cost you big bucks if you’re not careful. On average, a martini in Manhattan (or a Manhattan Iced Tea if you wish) will run from $10 to $14 bucks. Since we know you won’t have just one, prepare to spend a fatty wad of cash on booze, say $100 per night. Sound good? Hell no. OTP is here to get you out of the over-priced, over-hyped bars and into something a little more comfortable to your budget. Below is our list of Top 7 Backpacker’s Bars in NYC (feel free to send some drinks our way in appreciation):
The Art Bar (West Village)
52 8th Avenue
The West Village is famous for ripping a hole in your drinking budget. This place is different. Amidst the beautiful, tree-lined streets of rip-off central lies a cheap treasure. Upon walking into this seemingly small bar, you get a sense that you’re in a financial death trap but it’s all an illusion. Make your way to the back, through the curtains behind the bar and you will discover the meaning behind it’s literal name. You will be surrounded with an eclectic mix of chairs and couches ranging from guido leathers to renaissance period pieces. The dimly lit walls are tastefully decorated with a wide range of art pieces. OTP was particularly blown away by a large piece depicting the last supper only with Mick Jagger playing Jesus and other iconic figures (like Elvis and James Dean) painted in place of da Vinci’s apostles. If the paintings don’t do it for you the prices will. Their traditional mixed drinks (say a Vodka Soda) are $6 bucks and specialty drinks are $8 each. The bar food is similarly cheap and quite impressive. Get the curly fries ($3.95); oh so good and they come in a huge paper cone.
Rosemary’s Greenpoint Tavern (Williamsburg)
188 Bedford Avenue
OTP loves bars run by old people. At Rosemary’s, grandma shoves 32 ounces of styrofoam-outfitted beer down your throat for about $4 bucks a pop. The deep end of a dive bar, Rosemary’s is decorated with items you may find in your parents basement. We’re talking Christmas lights, art project leftovers from 3rd grade and dingy fake flowers your mom “planted” to spruce up the yard. If you’re lucky enough to catch Rosemary behind the bar, you’re in for a good laugh. While getting her attention is difficult (possibly because she’s somewhere in her 70′s) and her mood fluctuates between pissed-off and annoyed, Rosemary has been doing this for over 53 long years and the woman doesn’t f*ck around. As for the patrons of this fine establishment, they range from drunken ex-convicts to hipsters pretending their trust funds have run out. Overall, Rosemary’s is a great place to get drunk for cheap.
Town Tavern-Greenwich Village
**UPDATE: This bar has recently been renovated and updated. The name has changed to 3 Sheets Salon.
134 West 3th Street
Who doesn’t love a sport where you win by making your opponents consume large amounts of cheap beer? Beer pong is the main event at Town Tavern on Wednesday nights (7-11pm). Located in the middle of a popular bar-hopping strip, the Tavern is comprised of two floors. On the first you’ll find a traditional bar while the second floor houses several, competition-ready, beer pong tables. Should you choose to try your hand at ponging, get there early (no later than 8pm) as the crowd grows quickly. Not much of an athlete? No worries. Pitchers are $1 each (there is a $7 cover but, c’mon a buck for a pitcher, fogetaboutit) and drunken spectators are always welcome.
Trailer Park (Chelsea)
271 W. 23rd Street
Chelsea is an area of New York known for its gay population. Gay New Yorkers are known for their exquisite taste in clothes, food, art and inversely, their utter disgust of anything tacky, greasy or smelly. That said, we have no clue how this place landed smack in the middle of Chelsea. To paint a word picture, some items at Trailer Park include: toilet bowl ashtray filled with raggedy fabric flowers, pregnant mannequin smoking a cigarette over the bar, garage door windows, actual trailer with cracked-out plastic girl inside, Christmas decoration extravaganza all over the ceiling and pink lawn flamingos. It lacks class on purpose and keeps prices low to attract the right crowd. While the menu (displayed on the chest of a hick man cut-out) is fitting to the theme, if you look a little closer, a bit of Chelsea peeks out. Alongside the trailer burgers, chili, nachos and mac & cheese, you’ll find slimmer veggie and turkey burgers (which come with sweet potato fries or tater tots). OTP’s proper way to enjoy the Trailer: Cozy up next to a crackho mannequin, order a burger and a Pork slap and get ‘er done!
McSorley’s (East Village)
15E. 7th St., btwn 2nd and 3rd Aves.
McSorley’s is proud to be the oldest, continuously operating, saloon in New York (with newspaper clippings on the walls that have been there since 1910) Abe Lincoln threw back a few here; Houdini’s handcuffs are on the bar rail. Needless to say, this place comes with a lot of history. But the piece OTP found most interesting was a chandelier covered in wishbones above the bar. Ready? Well, during WWI, McSorley’s gave soldiers one last meal before shipping off. The turkey wishbone from that meal was hung up on the chandelier and upon their return, soldiers would break their hanging wishbone for luck. Putting two and two together, the wishbones that remain today are from those that didn’t return to claim their bone. Throwing back a few, old-fashioned brewskies (only choices are light beer or dark beer) should cure the shivers you get looking at that chandelier in no time. To all the ladies: you were allowed to vote in 1919 but have only been allowed to walk into McSorley’s starting 1970, make the best of it.
Hop Devil Grill (Lower Eastside)
129 St. Marks Place
The Grill has a huge, rotating beer menu and a special for almost every day of the week (Fridays and Saturdays excluded) to make things cheap as f*ck complete with Taco Tuesdays (where one costs just a buck), half off drink specials and brandy infused sangria on Wednesdays ($10 bucks for 64 oz!). It’s a college-esque party scene so expect drunk chicks, pop music and taking shots of the cheapest tequila you can get your hands on at the end of the night.
Pre-partying is a sacred practice in places where drinks are pricey. Grab a few six packs and gather up some hostel buddies then head out to one (or all) of the above bars and have yourself a good ol’ cheap time. Tell Rosemary we said hi (better shout it, her hearing isn’t what it used to be.)
Written By: Anna Starostinetskaya
Head Writer/Editor-in-Chief of Off Track Planet. Pescatarians are not just cheating vegetarians; we're our own breed and the extra protein makes us more feisty! Rawr
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Wow – some great suggestions. NYC is full of awesome bars and I’ve not been to any of these *gulp* Next trip I’ll check ‘em out, promise!
Great list. I’ve been to a few of these and McSorley’s is probably one of my favorites. It has just a great atmosphere and it holds onto the ambiance and charm of old Irish pubs.