Theater stars’ favorite bars: West Side Story

Rough-and-tumble bars where the Jets and Sharks might’ve rumbled

The cast of West Side Story at Port 41
This completely un-Disneyfied Port Authority holdout feels straight outta the era of the Jets and Sharks—gritty but also a bit theatrical. Rowdy workmen eye the bikini-clad bartenders; those tired of staring can try their hand at the punching-bag boxing game, the pool table, or just play it cool, boy. 355 W 41st St between Eighth and Ninth Aves (212-947-1188). Average drink: $5. broadwaywestsidestory.com

Navy Yard Cocktail Lounge
Perhaps New York’s diviest dive, the Navy Yard “lounge” is where you can mingle with late-night strippers while getting dirt-cheap beer and well drinks ($3 before 9pm)—and the serious suspicion that you might get knifed. The building is up for sale, so drop by soon before it goes bistro. 200 Flushing Ave between Washington and Waverly Aves, Clinton Hill, Brooklyn (no phone). Average drink: $4.

Mars Bar
A gruff cast slugs strong drinks at this graffiti-covered relic. Using the restroom requires a Valtrex prescription, and the scent of stale piss permeates like a punk-rock Glade PlugIn. Awesome. 25 E 1st St at Second Ave (212-473-9842). Average drink: $3.

Hank’s Saloon
Like an oversize Harley jacket, the exterior of Hank’s is pitch-black and covered in flames. The bar is part gritty honky-tonk, part rock & roll roadhouse, and it draws both unsavory locals and slumming gentrifiers. And we mean all of that in the best possible way. 46 Third Ave at Atlantic Ave, Boerum Hill, Brooklyn (718-625-8003). Average drink: $5.

Club 23
Dive doesn’t begin to describe the grimy sleaze achieved by this Queens bikini bar. Barely dressed barmaids exchange flashes of skin for tips, while hard-drinking locals slam $3 Buds and play pool in the back. 29-23 23rd Ave at 31st St, Astoria, Queens (718-288-2535). Average drink: $4.

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Winter—and everything—gettin’ to you? Party at our favorite bars, just like the casts of this season’s Broadway hits.