Best bar scene: East Village

Ace bar

Photograph: Sophia Wallace

“I don’t want to sound biased, but even if I didn’t work here, I would still say the East Village is the best,” says Phil Ward, head bar manager at Death & Company (433 E 6th St between First Ave and Ave A, 212-388-0882). Biased or no, it’s difficult to convincingly argue otherwise, even with the area’s complete transformation in recent years from artist haven to NYU-saturated upscale shantytown. Ward notes the wide variety of watering holes, citing everything from the wine bar Bourgeois Pig (111 E 7th St between First Ave and Ave A, 212-475-2246)—which caters to a fondue-eating, chianti-sipping crowd—to the nouveau-divey Skee-Ball haven Ace Bar (531 E 5th St between Aves A and B, 212-979-8476). There’s even the appealingly down-and-out landmark gin joint Holiday Cocktail Lounge (75 St. Marks Pl at First Ave, 212-777-9637). These low-key locales are still thriving, despite the well-heeled incursion, offering a nice alternative for those who just want a goddamned beer already. In Ward’s opinion, it’s the prevalence of such down-to-earth places that gives the East Village the edge over its snootier western counterpart. What’s more, the neighborhood is subway accessible, and each bar has its own identity and selling points; EV sauceries such as Zum Schneider (giant steins of German brew), Hi-Fi (near-limitless jukebox selection), Common Ground (trivia night and Connect Four) and d.b.a. (a preposterously good selection of whiskeys) pretty much guarantee a fun night for anyone with a semifunctional liver and a MetroCard.

Bourgeois Pig

Photograph: Sophia Wallace

Matt Roff, owner of the social meccas Franklin Park and Southpaw in Brooklyn, grudgingly agrees. “Lots of other up-and-coming neighborhoods have spun off the East Village model,” he says. “I wouldn’t necessarily call it the epicenter, but things will be good there for a long, long time.” As far as Roff is concerned, the only real downside is the EV’s pricey rents—mostly because he’d like to move back there someday. The bar tabs, he maintains, remain within the grasp of common folk: “Most places in the area are totally affordable, at least in terms of spending a night out.”

Number of beers Drew Toal can drink before throwing up: 9

RUNNERS-UP

Prospect Heights
“Prospect Heights seems to have something for everyone’s taste nowadays: dive bars, a sports bar, a master mixology bar, a burlesque bar and even a beer garden in a nearby neighborhood.”—Matt Roff, owner of Franklin Park and Southpaw

Carroll Gardens
“Reason? Nonpretentiousness.”—Ivan Kohut, owner of Radegast Biergarten

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