UPPER WEST SIDE **”Alcohol Alley” is Amsterdam 75th-85th. Mainly 80-83.
MoBar: Lounge. 80 Columbus Circle @ 60th; Very expensive swanky lounge on 35th floor of Mandarin Oriental. Good place to impress a first date. 30s+ crowd.
PJ Clarke’s: Pub. 44 W 63rd St @ CPW-B-Way; Owned by actor Timothy Hutton; Absolutely outstanding burgers, large seafood raw bar menu; Newly renovated; Classy pub with great after work crowd; Comfortable and cool vibe. Old New York feel; NYC Institution.
Peter’s: Bar & Grill. 182 Columbus @ 68th: Great décor and excellent food. Also, a long bar w/ beer & wine the favored drinks. Baby Boomers music on the Juke. Lincoln Center pre-game.
Shalel Lounge: Lounge. 65 W 70th @ CPW-Columbus; Sexy, exotic lounge; Comfortable seating; Romantic- date friendly; Cavernous- lots of nooks & crannies; Moroccan/ Mediterranean feel;
Bin 71: Wine Bar. 237 Columbus @ 71st; Expansive wine list, great cheeses from Artisanal; Rare beers; Singles scene; 30s crowd; Mostly standing room only as it’s not huge. Kind of a 30s-40s pick up scene.
PD O’Hurley’s: Irish Pub. 174 W 72nd @ Amsterdam; Long bar; 8 TV’s; Great Food- huge menu of excellent bar grub; Regular bar focusing on beer. Great staff. Few tourists – locals only. Outdoor seating in summer; Day/ early evening place.
Wine & Roses: Wine Bar. 286 Columbus @ 73-4th; Late 20s-30s crowd; Sexy singles scene; Check out the great website; Superb wine selection; Excellent food; After work/ early evening scene; Singles scene.
Dive 75: Dive Bar. 101 W. 75th @ Columbus; Beat up couches. Julliard students hang here. Laid back scene – great neighborhood hangout. Back room has dozens of ‘80s and ‘90s board games.
Yogi’s: Dive Bar. 2156 B-Way @ 75th-76th; Hog’s n Heifers on West side. Cheap ass drinks. Dancing on bar. Authentic hole in the wall home of drinking; Bartenders wearing skimpy outfits; Not a huge place; Johnny Cash infused Juke; Dirt Cheap drinks.
Blondies: Sports Bar. 212 W. 79th @ Amsterdam- B-Way; Sports bar w/ tons of TVs; Dining area; Friendly bartenders & cute waitresses. Great wings; Endless TVs; Singles scene; Great for beer parties. Any possible game is on. Happy hour 4-7pm: 2 for 1 drinks. Bourbon Street: Dive Bar. 407 Amsterdam @ 79th; New Orleans theme. Young and crazy. College/ frat bar. Not great but dirt cheap; 50 cent drafts 9-11pm most nights, including Friday; Dirt cheap place to get drunk.
79th Street Boat Basin: Huge Outdoor Bar; 79th @ Riverside Dr.; Outdoor bar/ restaurant overlooking the Hudson. Very popular Summer bar. Massively Big – 1,500 can fit. Multiple food options and music; Singles scene; Happy Hour; After Work; Day drinking hotspot; Happy Hour 4-7pm M-F;
42O Lounge: Lounge. 420 Amsterdam @ 80th; Lounge upstairs, 2 bars downstairs. Big place...lots of action. Young professionals, yuppies, frat scene; Not too pricy; DJs- loud music; Singles scene; Happy Hour 6-8pm daily- $3-4 drinks;
McAleer’s Irish Pub. Pub. 425 Amsterdam @ 80th; Nicer Irish pub, good mixed crowd; Order two pitchers of beer and get a free double order of wings; Decent bar food; Great place for darts and sports in general; Friendly staff- good website.
Brother Jimmy’s: Dive / Sports Bar. 428 Amsterdam @ 80-81; Carolina Bar; Incredible Bar-B-Q food; Dirt Cheap beer specials- Happy Hour 5-8pm; Great for games – especially Tarheels or Yankees; Singles scene at night; Beer lover’s haven; Fish Bowls with Aligators in them; Just a fun place. This location the best of the 6 in the city. Jake’s Dilemma: College Bar. 430 Amsterdam @ 80-81; College-aged crowd. Frat feel, but pretty cool. Packed on the weekends with a meat market type crowd. Early 20s in general. Drink specials. 3-8pm, drinks ½ price. Older crowd during day; Great Juke; Tons of beer. Gin Mill: Dive / College Bar. 442 Amsterdam @ 81st; Young crowd. Next to Jake’s; Beer Pong; Beer specials; Singles getting loaded and flirting; B&T-ish but overall a good time; Very popular. ½ priced drinks noon-8pm. 17 TVs for games. Dead Poet: Beer / Whiskey Bar. 450 Amsterdam @ 82nd. Irish Pub that has mixed 20-30s crowd; Stylish place; Small, w/ awesome atmosphere, pool and good bartenders; College and Professional types; Large Beer list; Happy Hour. Hi-Life: Bar / Restaurant. 477 Amsterdam @ 83rd: Bar & Grill; “Vintage lounge.” Fun place! Low-priced swank. Fun tropical drinks. Cheap brunch. Great Food- Japanese mostly including sushi; Nice ambiance; Almost a West Village feel. George Keeley’s: Irish Pub. 485 Amsterdam @ 83rd; Massive beer selection and the best bartenders; Live bands some nights. Darts, with room to play; Friendly staff; Have a Beer Club (need to drink 100 diff TYPES of pints to join!); Great jukebox; Beer-inspired menu. Free popcorn. This bar works in every way. Fun any time of day or night. Prohibition: Lounge. 503 Columbus @ 84th; Bar/ Lounge/ Live Music venue. Live bands every night. Very trendy lounge that isn’t too hip. Yuppieville- Still, welcoming to all types of people. 20s-30s crowd. Excellent after 10pm. Staff is sexy, friendly and fun. 5-8pm happy hour. Senor Swanky’s: Bar / Restaurant. 513 Columbus @ 84th; Mexican Bar & Grill; Huge drinks, Margarita mill. A little cheesy and sub-par food but a good place to start drinking; 2 levels- more room upstairs; Live Jazz; 25 Tequilas. Happy hour 2 for 1 Margaritas. The Parlour: Irish Pub/ Sports Bar. 250 W 86th @ B-Way- West End; Two Levels; Beer Pong; Some live bands. Downstairs bar & lounge, food, 2 bars; Singles Scene; Neighborhood spot getting more popular; Pool tables; Happy Hour- 12-7pm, $3 draft/ $4 well; Irish Grub is decent. Very cool bar.
The Dive Bar: Dive Bar. 732 Amsterdam @ 95th; Same ownership as Dive 75; Pool; Happy Hour specials; Inexpensive; Excellent bar food; Lots of drinks of all types; Great burgers, wings; Cheap beer; Pub atmosphere.
