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Downtown Bleecker St-Lafayette St (6, B, D, F, V)
Prince St (R, W)
Bowery (J, M)
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Cute little dive. Plenty of space on a Wednesday evening. Reasonably priced, and they have several tasty and inventive ginger-based beverages. Their dark and stormy had a nice kick to it.
No dance floor, but I ended up doing a little bit of salsa with the friend I was there with to the DJed music.
(I also got to witness the cash register catching on fire, which added a bit of surreal entertainment.)
This place gave me a headache. No, that was probably the redheaded slut shots I was talked into having. No signage on the outside, dingy dive bar interior complete with haphazard formica tables and bathroom doors without knobs. The back room is super cozy and perfect for a large group/party. Drinks cheap and music quality was fantastic and the bartenders are actually super attentive and friendly.
Really, what else could you ask for from a dive bar? Oh yeah, aspirin.
We had a small crowd in the backroom, and a lot of us loved the $3 well drinks until 8pm. We got screwdrivers with some top shelf vodka in them. Affordable (meaning $3 or less) and stiff well drinks is what brings me to a place, and keeps me coming back. The bartender, as busy as he was, didn't have a fast running clock either, so he still charged us the special rate with just a couple minutes to go.
A friend treated me to a Dark and Stormy, one of my favorites, and though it was plenty costlier (as in, a normal Manhattan price), I was quite content. The furniture is fine (I didn't notice the tears everyone else is mentioning) and the other clientele seemed cool.
The bathroom doors were great. They looked like elevators. It looked like you were waiting for elevators. And because they were both all black, with nary a sign in sight, they were gender neutral- good for trans and genderqueer patrons.
This place is like the underground "Cheers" of Nolita, where everybody knows your name...then forget it the next day. I went on a Sunday night and the crowd was really cool, everybody singing to some karaoke tunes (some better than others), even the DJ pleased us with his voice....It really feels like being in a living room with strangers. Plus you have those ugly, dirty couches that seem to have seen the behinds of trillions of people. I'm telling ya', If I get bed bugs, it will be from THAT couch, and I'm not going to be amused.
Great low key bar with decent happy hour specials and laid-back bartenders. Sure, sometimes they can be slow on service but the bar is a relaxed place, and it's big. Plenty of couches and other seating options are available, including a back room that offers a nice place to have a drink if you are on a low key date (not that I'd know, I'm just saying, like, you could).
I'm unsure what it's like during peak/weekend hours though, since I've pretty much only been here before/between/after dodgeball games. From my experiences it's not much of a 'scene' but good for an escape and despite just an okay selection it's also a nice spot to just chill and have a beer.
And really, isn't that enough?
Oh Botanica... it's not you, it's me.
I don't have a specific beef with Botanica. But I just don't see what everyone else sees in it. The torn couches, the slow bartenders, the back room with more torn couches, the 70's porn lighting. This place screams punk rock, but not in a good way. And it's always 200 degrees in this place, no matter which season. How is that even possible?
I'll be here many more times I'm sure because my friends all like it. But I still wont get it.
Botanica is a hip little bar. The room in the back is kind of a weird space though - there are a bunch of dirty old couches and chairs placed around the edges of the wall, which doesn't really make for nice, intimate conversation because you have to yell at each other across the room.
There are a bunch of special cocktails on the menu and I was intrigued by the wasabi martini. So I ordered it and the bartender told me that he had to warn me about it. He said that he'd made the drink a ton of times and no one EVER liked it. He said that he would make it for me but I wouldn't be able to return it if I didn't like it. I appreciated his honesty, and I went with a glass of red wine instead. I asked why the wasabi martini was still on the menu, and he said that he kept telling the owner that no one liked it but the guy didn't seem to give a shit.
I do have to say that I had one of the worst glasses of red wine ever here. Not on this same occasion as the wasabi martini night, but a few years back. The wine was so bad that I couldn't finish it. And if I can't finish a glass of wine, it's got to be BAD. Not sure if it had just gone bad or what.
"Hey, are you wearing space pants?"
"What?"
"Are you wearing space pants?"
"Space pants?"
"Yes."
"No."
"Because your ass is out of this world!"
(it is)
Other than guys that experiment with pick up lines on you, Botanica Bar is a completely unassuming dive bar. While the douche bags are obviously concerned with your clothes, Botanica couldn't care any less. It is hot, it is sweaty, it is dirty, the couches are so filthy it's almost as if they were made that way, the walls and bar are not memorable, people get caught having sex in the bathroom, etc., etc. Free rounds of filth for everyone!
BUT. Great reggae and non-top 40 hip hop, diverse clientelle, cheap drinks.
Also, it took me a few times around the block to actually find the bar. FYI it's directly below Nolita House.
This is my go-to happy hour bar. Cheap beer, kinda grungy, relatively attractive bartenders. Sometimes the tables fill up with a little too much douchebag for my liking, but other than that, a good place.
Boyfriend and I wandered by here Friday night. He hates to wander, so he argued that we were actually meandering, but I am pretty sure we aimlessly wandered up here from a boring part of Grand St. I noticed Bontanica first, and when I suggested giving it a shot, Boyfriend remembered he had been here and enjoyed it in the past, so in we went.
Here is what Botanica Bar has going for it:
Dimly lit grungy atmosphere.
Large chalkboard drink menu.
Lots of couches and little tables.
Lots of AVAILABLE seats.
Fairly cheap drinks, with an apparently decent assortment of both beers and cocktails.
Good music selection that is quite audible without threatening to overpower conversation
Here is where Botanica Bar could stand to improve:
Bathrooms are not clearly marked, and they are tiny and slightly gross.
Couches are a little nasty. They are torn and some have those creepy plastic cushion cases.
Also, I wanted to try a drink but they all seemed to have ginger in them, and the last time I had a ginger cocktail it did not go so well for me. Ultimately, Botanica Bar has far more going for it than against it, and fits most of my criteria for a good bar. As a bonus, it's right near the subway, and who doesn't like convenience? This is definitely a good option for groups who enjoy being able to sit down and relax at an utterly unpretentious bar. It could be a little less divey, but then it probably wouldn't be so chill.
Few things that make this place worth while. First is that it's kind of a dive bar. Drinks are standard cheap running at 5 bucks a pop with house liquors. No bells and whistles, its just "me want bar, me want drink" kind of a place. Second benefit here is space. Surprisingly its pretty big. There's even a large back room with ample seating for a birthday party or large group.
The music was good (maybe due to the passing of MJ, RIP), the drinks were decent and the vibe was casual and hip.
***3 stars for an average bar on East Houston. Good on the way to a better bar to be frank. The sizable space really does it for me. Happy drinking :)
This place is good depending on the type of person you are. If you like drinking out of plastic dixie cups, going into dirty bathrooms, looking at graffitti on the wall, sitting on riped chairs and couches and drinking vodka tonics made with Rubinoff then this is the place for you.
I went to this place for a pit stop to gather all my friends together before we hit the town, so this was a good spot merely on location and knowing that there will be seats available for everyone to chill util we all get together. Surprisingly the music is good.
A Quote From My Girlfriend "well...that was an experience"
Just a block from the Broadway-Lafayette subway stop is a basement bar that has some surprisingly serious cocktails with a privateer bent.
The London (read: gin) Lemonade was an excellent way to combat the last gasps of the afternoon sweltering. A terrifically simple way to start the ball rolling.
After sunset the Yum Yum Ginger will remind you why you wanted to go drinking on a Tuesday night in the first place; vodka, ginger ale, and a spoonful of fresh minced ginger all blend together for a buttery glass of awesome.
Finishing off the pre-dinner drinking with a Dark & Stormy couldn't have set the night's tone better. Again with a spoonful of fresh ginger, this glass mug of ice, rum, and ginger beer leaves you properly quenched, with a sharp taste on the tongue to go looking for the night's [second to] last meal.
i especially like this bar because it is difficult and confusing to find, much in the way of a tuberculous child with ADHD. Even after having been here before, I only managed to get to it again by stumbling upon it, arriving in the anteroom in a stumble and a huff.
The barkeep looked at me in a way that at once said "grandpa please don't embarrass me in front of my friends," and "I am a homosexual plz kiss me" - put that in your pipe for a toke! what a place, full of conundrums and broken chairs.
Great to take girls here. They'll feel dumb when they have to txt you saying "where is it i have walked around the block 4 timez am i a mong??2?"
Good beer selection [sixpoints rules] and drinks. happy hour is cheap.
This is a great little hole in the wall place. A friend of mine took me here last night and this is one of my new favorites. First off, they have $3 well drinks until 8pm, and they make them strong. Pretty much, 'nuff said right there!
On top of that, this has a great neighborhoody feeling, the bartenders are friendly and are definitely appreciative of customers...and cute too. The seating is pretty varied with lots of standing room as well as a nice collection of couches and comfy chairs.
If you are a dirty martini fan, you should try to Wasartini, which is a dirty vodka martini made with with a spicy pickled bean from Chicago instead of olives. It's a great alternative to the usual, and you do get some questions about the "salad" that you are drinking! Think bloody mary, sans the blood - ewe!
The only thing negative that I can say about this place is that it is damn near impossible to find. When I was there, there wasn't even a sign outside with the bar's name. I guess that's a little part of the charm so no stars off for that. Another drawback is that there is no view since it is underneath the Nolita House, which I think is a Mexican place. There is only one window, as with most bars, but since it's underground, it can get stuffy. If you sit up front, you basically are staring at other people asses as they walk by. Not bad, if that's your thing!
Overall, great local drinking hole if you're in the Nolita area.
There's a neat back room. NOTE: back room is really hot, so don't wear pants back there or long sleeve sweaters. It's entertaining, and the second hand crappy furniture adds a weird touch to it all. I think this bar is good to find douche bags and misc. jerks. The happy hour wasn't that great.
Awesome bartenders, super cheap Drinks and not the water down BS that some bars serve...Bartenders are super friendly and cute.
if your looking for a friendly scene with young fresh crowd this dive bar is for you.
Only draw back there is no sign that says botanica, it actually says brooklyn bar, It took me EONS to find this place.....and its uber uber stuffy and hot in there on a Sat night, cuz it seems that all of the city likes to congregate there.
Dive bar perfection. Cheap happy hour specials til 8, even on Saturdays. No sign. Filthy bathrooms. Often good music and an eclectic, surprisingly diverse crowd. Small stage houses poetry readings. Worth checking out for sure.
a dark bar where spunky girls get strong drinks.
$3 gin & tonics. aww, yeah.
Botanica gets my vote for best dive bar in NYC. OK, so I don't live there anymore and my logic is flawed; it's a sentimental choice. My "local" from 1997-2000, I was thrilled to find it was still there, and looked exactly the same! Same grungy front window sans sign (although sometimes there is a blackboard out front) and same dark, but not too dark, interior with battered chairs and low sofas, and great music playing.
When I lived in NY we went there almost every night (one of the side effects of living with an alcoholic ). I loved the mellow vibe, the cheap, strong drinks, and the cute bartenders. And fancy that, the cute bartenders are still there, albeit version 2.0. Fun fact, I learned that one of the bar-backs (some Scottish dude) from way back then is now the owner. Great American Success Story.
I was in NY just for the day and dragged two friends over to Houston hoping to find it. We did, and so I chatted up the bartender, paid $9 for 3 drinks, and we sat in the back "lounge" while I soaked in my warm bath of nostalgia. I almost hate to write about it, but I love the Botanica so, I just had to.
Great little dark bar to meet with friends. Bartenders are great and the drinks are super cheap during happy hour.
During Saturday nights it gets a little overrun by the hipster scene but overall a pretty friendly dive-ish bar to hang out.
Went here last night, via a partna-in-alcohol's recommendation (had frequented this place a while back...why it had slipped my mind- me don't know), to pre-celebrate the b-day with my East Coasters.
It was a cool lil spot- sippin' on some well-served drinks (they didn't have my scotch of choice, but at least they had some J-Dubs), some sweet DJ-spins of James Brown infused with some jungle bass (that was the vibe of the music...no Top 40...beeeee-au-ti-ful), sufficient space to chill at (I was rollin' with about 30 deep...everyone had somewhere to sit)...even a back room to get away from the louder version of the music that's playing in the front.
The biggest telltale sign it was a good night: after a certain hour in the night, everything turned into a sweet lil' blurrrrrrrr...AND you're still drunk when you wake up the next day...ha!
Cozy bar with a mix of creepy, divey crowd with some totally normal people. I can't love it more because a beer is $3.50 during happy hours. Big comfy couches and brick wall gives a homey sort of atmosphere to it. A rather cheesy selection of music, but I'm only there to have conversation so I dont mind. Great vibe, though.
There is no sign indicating that this is the bar, and most people walk by numerous times before they figure it out, and honestly I think you'd be better off just continuing to walk on by...
But..if you go there, realize it will be incredibly stuffy and hot, and it will be way too crowded. The bartenders are friendly but extremely inattentive. I waited for drinks for probably 10 minutes each time (and this is when I was literally hanging over the bar in their face). Every friend I was with experienced the same thing too (girls, guys, gay, straight, nice, mean...everyone got ignored).
Last Saturday when I was there the music was atrocious and some odd mix of Bollywood-inspired Indian dance music combined with electro. Ugh, it sucked.
We used to frequent this place every. single. week. It's divey without being dirty and crowded. If you want to get away from the music, you can go in the little batcave in the back. It's close to all major subway lines (well, the ones that count). They usually have great DJs.
I miss my Botanica!
Not good for ages over 25.
It's a relaxed place with a good design that makes it easy to find a seat and have human-like conversations. $4 yuengling, which helps to be human.
But it's 90% snooty college kids (don't get me wrong, most college kids are well-intentioned). There are a few others who aren't in college and we keep to ourselves.
Botanica has that dive bar smell. You walk in and boom...there are drinks to be had. And right away, you see the diversity in folks, hipsters, folks who just got out of work, students, but the best part is their specials!!! $3 wells, and $5 shots! This is where I had my first dark and stormy :)
My favorite post-work spot. I like that it's divey and smells funky (read: like stale beer). That's what reminds me that I'm in a bar and not at work!
The bartenders are always really nice and it's usually pretty easy to find a seat. I have no complaints. Botanica, thank you for being my favorite co-worker.
Why is it that I finally discover the best places in cities right before I move away? I swear, it happens every time. !@#$
I went to surprise-visit a high school era friend of mine who was DJing (he's a regular DJ there - Alex F. aka Barney Iller) and ended up loving the place. Great drink prices. And depending on what time you go, you'll get a different atmosphere on a Saturday night. Early = cool lounge scene. Midnight to 1 = busy bar. After that = almost-club with the spontaneous dancing. Regardless, it's always laid back and damn cool. Guys with rolled-up-sleeve dress shirts stick out like sore thumbs.
It's also a place where strangers talk to each other, rather than a place where you just go with your friends and keep to yourself. This is the only place I've been to in a long time that made me almost wish I were single. I said *almost*. :)
[Okay, so technically, my bf is moving away from NY, but keeping ownership of his place. I've been a frequent visitor (and worker) in NYC for the past 8 years, and spend much of every September there.]
Oh, I suppose I should talk about their effing awesome ginger drinks and $3 mixed drink happy hour and ... yada yada yada. Snore.....zzzz....zzzzz.
But seriously? I had a birthday gathering here that was simply fantastic. It was not designed to be a big production- just my fav peeps, all together and all getting drunk. And you know what? You know effing what? That mission was accomplished full force, and on a Tuesday night no less! Yeah mother effers yeah! I also managed to set new personal records! Number of martinis downed! So many they ran out of olives! Fuck
yeah! Beat that shit! Number of people I kissed that I regretted the next day! And I praise the Lord Jesus Christ that alcohol and memory loss go hand and hand because god only knows what other excuses I could come up for that!
And that, my fellow yelpers, is what you should take from this review. One birthday here and you'll be praising Jesus.
This bar is fantastic. It'd be perfect if it wasn't so crowded everytime I went. But when it dies down, it's a great place to be. Only other complaint would be the crowded bathrooms, which I think were previously... elevators?
Otherwise, service is quick and efficient, and friendly when necessary. I hate it when bartenders get too friendly and often forget that there are other people down the bar that are waiting on a drink. The guys here know what they're doing, so plenty of props to them.
There's a room in the back if you're planning a gathering, and I'm thinking of doing a birthday here because it's quite cozy. Again, hopefully it'll be a little more quiet when I do plan it, but it's quite worth it since the prices are pretty good too.
This story will be told backwards. Ahem. I present my first discussion of Botanica with My Somewhat Forgetful Friend(tm) approximately three months ago:
Him: What are you doing tonight?
Me: Well, meeting up at Botanica at some point, you should come...
Him: Hmm. Where's Botanica?
Me: You went there with us, like, two weeks ago. Botanica. Houston between Mott and Mulberry. You liked it. You got excited about the beer, drank a lot of it, and then personally told the DJ that you'd be coming back.
Him: Oh! I liked it.
Me: I know you did.
Two months ago. Different discussion, same topic:
Me: I'll be at Botanica around 8... feel free to come.
Him: What's Botanica?
Me: (rubs temples) You've BEEN there! You LIKED it! Houston between Mott and Mulberry!
Him: Oh yeah. I liked that place.
Me: I know you did.
A month ago:
Him: Are you going to be out tonight?
Me: I'm going to Botanica...
Him: I've been there, right? And I liked it?
Me (in shock and delight): Yes! You liked it! Yes!
Him: I think I always must think you're talking about a florist.
Being one of my favourite places for a Dark and Stormy, coincidentally I also end up at Botanica on dark and stormy nights. As such, it's not as packed as it usually is, although there's always a steady crowd here no matter what the weather, hour, or day.
It's a basement bar that has excellent happy hour specials ($3.50 for Hefeweissen is an automatic 4 stars), very very delish Dark and Stormy's mixed with real grated ginger (I swear it keeps colds away), and with great company, it's a perfect evening of drinks before calling it a night.
The crowd is usually hip without the ster, downtown, and pretty chill. The seating is a mish-mash of worn comfy couches and chairs and tables. For years, it's been a favourite spot to chill over good drinks and beers, but like so many places, forget coming on the weekends. It gets unpleasantly packed.
i want to give this a 5....but i cant. but its close!!
so anyways. good drink deals and im a sucker for ginger drinks. dark and stormies are the way to go (probably the best dark and stormy ive had at these prices) but it doesnt hurt to get a ginger yum yum. nice crowd, nice scene, was there on a friday night and wasnt too packed so thats a plus. may be kind of hard to find..just remember its right under nolita house
Went here for the first time last night and really liked the music, the cheap drinks and the crowd. The DJ was mixing a lot of fun non top 40 danceable music-- we even got a remix with a little Price is Right theme song.
The vibe was upbeat dive bar, not pretentious and completely acceptable to dance or chill, whatever strikes your fancy.
I don't really know how to grade Botanica. I remember the place when it was so smoky and so seedy, just walking in the door gave you lung cancer and the clap. Sitting on the couches resulted in intubation. But now, Botanica actually smells kind of nice. Its fragrant even. Walking in the back room is like walking into forest of eucalyptous and beer. If that sounds like the most peaceful room in Manhattan that's because it is.
How did this place get respectable and mellow. Its a lounge now but years ago, when your man was a hard core drinker, partier and smoker I spent many an night in Botanica's back room coughing up a lung. We'd put down pints and try to see each other through the tropical haze of cigarette smoke. We'd make out with women of Spitzer-esque morals ignoring the taste of vodka and Camel lights. We squirm on couches that made noises under the weight.
Now, when I step into Botanica, it feels like the health department sent their most ruthless cleaning team, who in turn, performed their best work. Botanica exists on a strange fault line between dive bar and lounge. Its murky walls and turd colored floor evoke a place where you might get cut if you stare at someone too long. But the couches, fragrance and new clientele are reminiscent of the bars more upscale cousins across town. While Botanica has a checkered past, its reinvented itself. Maybe it found Jesus. Whatever it did I like it.
Their Dark and Stormy reminds me of a similar drink at Pegu.
This place was awesome. You walk downstairs, already greeted by a friendly bouncer, where you find a couple couples dishing on whatever and you notice a few things as you sit down to your beer. One, swivel chairs. That's always a plus. Two, it's on an incline, so I dip as I face away from the bar. Awesome. 3, it's got such a great low key quality to it on a Tuesday, with couches and tables from different styles meshed together. Four, they have lambic for 8. That's cheaper than 11, which is what I've seen lambics at many places. Five, the bartender was cool. Six, they have a huge back hall with more tables that wasn't even being used that night. This can fit a lot of folks but on the outside you wouldn't guess. The red walls give off a slightly sleazy feel. And the lighting at the bar, with the dusty mirrors, I feel like I'm in a dressing room in Vegas for a has-been entertainer.
i like being here; it's got that in-your-face ambiance (run down fixtures; i even saw a metal part of a bar chair fell on the floor which caught the customer by surprise)....that makes you wonder if you're in a safe place...but then you realized, you got great looking people coming here, so i thought, i can have fun here. i, indeed had a great evening with my friend here.....i like the huge window that allows you view (even at the corner of your eyes) of those people passing by, plus those wishing to have a smoke....
Great mellow subterranean bar with couches and a so-so beer selection!
The place to have that deep drunken conversation about something you've been waiting to have with someone.
This is a great dive bar. I don't know why, but interesting things always seem to happen here.
At Botanica, there will always be:
- at least one dancing slut who is most likely on many drugs.
- confusion about which restroom people should use.
- a clog in the sink in the men's room.
- some ridiculously gorgeous women ignoring you.
- some ridiculously whitetrash folk looking confused.
- someone standing around who looks like they should be operating a farm tractor.
- someone walking around who may have recently injected themselves with steroids.
- a DJ who has just as many terrible song choices as great ones, and is having a difficult time mixing one song into the next.
Last Saturday, I stayed there until close. Last night, I was inspired to walk over the Williamsburg bridge at 2am after I left. This place rules.
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