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Photograph: Courtesy CC/Flickr/Samantha Grace Lewis
Photograph: Courtesy CC/Flickr/Samantha Grace Lewis

The best bluegrass music venues in NYC

These are the best bars and venues to hear bluegrass music in NYC, when you want some country in the city

Written by John Marshall
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Even if you’re not a giant bluegrass music fan, there are few things more soothing than the swift fingerpicking of a deft five-string banjo player, and there are few people more in need of soothing than New Yorkers. When we feel blue, perhaps we should turn more often to bluegrass at these folk music venues and dive bars. Read on to find out where you can get down to country songs here in the Big Apple.

RECOMMENDED: Full guide to the best live music venues in NYC

Best bluegrass music venues in NYC

1. Sunny’s

  • Dive bars
  • Red Hook
  • price 1 of 4
Sunny’s
Sunny’s
The remoteness of Red Hook has long been its charm, and the backroom of Sunny’s Bar has long been a refuge for down-home musicians. Every Wednesday, you can treat yourself to the sweet tang of bluegrass music in an unpretentious watering hole—one that’s been serving up cheap booze and good tunes since the 1890s.
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4. Skinny Dennis

  • Dive bars
  • Williamsburg
  • price 1 of 4
Skinny Dennis
Skinny Dennis
Photograph: Courtesy Skinny Dennis
Hit up a honky-tonk hoedown at this Williamsburg staple. Savor the Western vibes while imbibing spiked sweet tea in a brimming Mason jar or sipping an outrageous blend of Guinness and Dr. Pepper called the Dr. G.Relax and kick back on a bench made out of a 1981 Ford F100 pickup truck. You know, like they do in the South (or at least south of Greenpoint Avenue).
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5. The Strand Smokehouse

  • Barbecue
  • Astoria
  • price 2 of 4
The Strand Smokehouse
The Strand Smokehouse
Photo: Caroline Voagen Nelson
If you’ve struggled to find a halfway decent pulled pork sandwich north of the Mason-Dixon line, you aren’t alone. Fortunately, this Astoria beer garden delivers some of the best BBQ—and more. It has generous picnic-style seating out back and a long list of creative moonshine-based cocktails. Oh, and of course, lots of worthwhile bluegrass ensembles. Need we say more?
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6. Mona’s

  • Dive bars
  • East Village
  • price 1 of 4
Mona’s
Mona’s
Photograph: Shutterstock
Every Monday, virtuoso guitarist Rick Snell hosts an open session at Mona’s that features Appalachian fiddle music, bluegrass and old-school country. If you’ve got a bad case of the Mondays, there’s no better cure than the no-cover music at this after-hours joint.
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