In New York City, it's becoming increasingly difficult to find cocktails under $18 (let alone, cheap things to do)— the idea of spending the same amount on a mixed drink as you might on a main course is absolutely ludicrous. But affordable imbibing doesn’t have to just take place at the best dive bars in NYC (love them though we do) or during an afternoon happy hour. Need proof? Consult our guide to the best cheap bars for lovers of beer, cocktails and pretty much anything with an ABV. (And if you want some top-notch cheap eats after those cheap drinks, we've got your back, too.)
RECOMMENDED: Full guide to best bars in NYC
A good review might ruin the antiscene at certain intimate bars. So if anybody asks, Clandestino does not serve meticulously mixed drinks at reasonable prices, the staff is inhospitable, and the tin ceiling and slender chute of a patio lack all charm. It’s our little secret.
Team Dutch Kills, which lured serious drinkers all the way out to Long Island City, Queens, when its cocktail saloon opened in 2009, opted for a far more bustling backdrop—right off Williamsburg’s Bedford Avenue—for its follow-up: But despite such a crushingly hip setting, Richard Boccato and his crew don’t fall prey to the preciousness or pretensions of its Brooklyn-bar brethren. All cocktails are $10 during happy hour from 5pm to 7pm daily.
A well-worn pool table, dingy brown refrigerator, Ms. Pac-Man and plastic-covered couches pay tribute to 1970s rec rooms at this Lower East Side bar. Happily, the wallet-friendly drink prices are just as retro.
Attached to Ukranian East Village, an old-school New York spot for pierogis and blintzes, here you'll get a window into a fading version of the East Village. As long as you're respectful to the patrons who've been coming to the bar for decades, Sly Fox might just be perfect. You can order from the adjacent restaurant's menu while throwing back four-buck shots or $7 well drinks.
These days, 169 Bar is stuffed to the brim with young people looking for a good time. True, the venerable dive has evolved: you see more plaid collar shirts than you might've six years ago. But thankfully, the soul of the space has remained. The drinks are cheap and we love that they have a system where you can text the bar your order, in case you don't feel like braving the line.
The thrift-store decor (mismatched chairs with sagging seats, statues of the Virgin Mary and a faux fireplace) makes for a charmingly shabby backdrop at this downtown dive, a favorite among laid-back creative types and the occasional gaggle of NYU students. Libations range from basic brews to house cocktails. Live DJs provide a sultry soundtrack for the singles lounging in the conversation-friendly back room.
With its old arcade games, Schlitz in a can and stereo pumping out the Knight Rider theme song, The Commodore in Williamsburg offers the city’s best cheap-ass bar eats, served in a seedy venue where folks come to get blotto. The short menu—with descriptions as curt as the service you’ll encounter while ordering your food from the bartender—reads like a classic collection of fryolator junk.
There are many bars that allow patrons to bring a dog, but Do or Dive has got to be one of our favorites. Even if you don't have your own, come by for some heaving petting, made all the more fun when cheap drinks are involved. (Think three-buck PBRs and $9 classic cocktails like margaritas and Moscow mules.)
The Drift is a next-generation “dive” in Greenpoint from the team behind the Commodore and El Cortez. The people who filter through the cabin-themed barroom indeed match the surroundings—your veritable petri dish of beanie wearers, beard growers and drifters. But the taxidermic animal heads a bit too carefully placed, the bathroom floors a touch too clean for it to be a true New York dive. Still, with drinks this easy on the wallet, who gives a fuck about authenticity?
If you can prove you're on a Tinder date (and you most likely will be unless you're seeing your friend's boyfriend's wannabe Strokes concert) here you'll get a free shot. Adding to the cheap fun, the venue's events lineup includes many a free stand-up show or poetry open mic.
At times Doris reeks of Hinge first-dates, but that's because it really is one of the best places in Brooklyn to meet someone new. With vintage LPs spinning, food pop-ups (and permenant grilled cheese menu that includes a pimento version), an outdoor area that has ping pong, we soak up every moment we can here.
Built for those that are a little bit rock'n'roll, this Williamsburg dive has all the fundamental elements: cheap drinks, jukebox tunes, old-school signage, grilled grub and grungy aesthetics. The beer pours are big, but your budget doesn't have to be.
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