Public Records Upstairs ★ 4.6
$$$$
GowanusWed-Thu 18:00-22:00, Fri-Sat 18:00-00:00, Sun 12:00-21:00. Closed Mon-Tue.
Upstairs at Public Records is the intimate listening lounge and cocktail bar, separate from the downstairs Sound Room. Vegetarian kitchen, natural wine.
TipWalk in or Resy for tables. Weeknights are the calmer listening sessions; weekends share the door with downstairs club bookings.
All Blues ★ 4.5
$$$$
TribecaTue-Thu 18:00-00:00, Fri-Sat 18:00-02:00. Closed Mon/Sun.
All Blues on Walker Street is Yuji Fukushima's Japanese-style listening bar opened 2024. A front cocktail room and a back listening theatre, vinyl only.
TipClosed Sunday and Monday. Tuesday through Saturday from 18:00; reserve via Resy for the back listening theatre.
Welcome to the Johnsons ★ 4.3
$$$$
Lower East SideMon-Fri 15:30-04:00, Sat-Sun 12:00-04:00.
Welcome to the Johnsons on Rivington is the deliberate 1970s rec-room dive opened 1999, with brown couches, a pool table and the cheapest pint in the LES.
TipOpen 15:30 Mon-Fri, noon Saturday and Sunday, closes at 04:00 every night. PBR and a shot for $5 most hours.
Lucy's ★ 4.4
$$$$
East VillageDaily 17:00-03:00.
Lucy's on Avenue A is Polish-born Lucy Anderson's dive, run by the same family for decades. Two billiards tables, a jukebox and the friendliest bartender.
TipLucy reopened in March 2025 after a brief closure. Cash preferred, no kitchen, but she will tell you a story for free.
Sophie's ★ 4.3
$$$$
East VillageDaily 15:00-04:00.
Sophie's on East 5th has poured cheap beer since the 1980s, named for one-time Ukrainian owner Sophie Polny. Anthony Bourdain filmed here; the regulars never.
TipOpens 15:00, runs to 04:00. Cash-friendly, jukebox heavy on Tom Waits, the back has Skee Ball and a pool table.
Doc Holliday's ★ 4.2
$$$$
East VillageDaily 12:00-04:00.
Doc Holliday's on Avenue A and 9th has been the East Village honky-tonk since 1994. Country jukebox, pool table, Lone Star Tall Boys and a saloon-style door.
TipOpens noon, runs to 04:00 every day. Cash preferred before 21:00, $3 PBRs at the Tuesday-night happy hour.