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Charles Hanson's 169 Soul Jazz Oyster Bar
Categories: Nightlife Bars Restaurants American (Traditional) Bars, American (Traditional)
169 E Broadway(between Pike St & Rutgers St)
New York, NY 10002
Neighborhood: Lower East Side
(646) 833-7199
- Nearest Transit:
-
East Broadway (F)
Essex St (J, M, Z)
Delancey St (F)
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 1 pm - 4 am
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Price Range:
-
$
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- No
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- Free
- Good For:
- Late Night
- Music:
- Live
- Best Nights:
- Fri, Thu, Sat
- Happy Hour:
- Yes
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Smoking:
- No
- Coat Check:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Good For Dancing:
- No
- Ambience:
- Hipster, Dive-y, Casual
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
- Dogs Allowed:
- No
140 reviews for Charles Hanson's 169 Soul Jazz Oyster Bar
Review Highlights
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"Dinosaur themed game room (complete with leopard pool table." In 28 reviews -
"Perhaps the best dive bar in the city." In 26 reviews -
"The bourbon lemonade is great." In 4 reviews
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140 reviews in English
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Review from Melanie B.
Brooklyn, NY
5/18/2012 1 Check-in Here
Charles Hanson's 169 Soul Jazz Oyster Bar. AKA 169 Bar. What a name. And what a place.
My life was pretty much complete when I walked into 169 bar and there was a middle aged businessman with his hand up some (pretty, 20-something) hooker's skirt. He was so into her!
This place is the epitome of cool without being hip. I love it. It's tacky but in a way that makes me want to wear wayfarers and listen to the Beach Boys (who, btw, were on the jukebox while we were there). It's like a less Pulp Fiction version of Pulp Fiction, if that makes any sense. Every type of New Yorker possible was hanging out here, harmoniously, when we visited. It felt like Guiliani/9-11/Bloomberg never even happened! Oh, the glory!
There's an oyster bar, with fresh, reasonably priced, delicious mollusks available to help you digest your PBRs or other cheap cans of beer which are readily available. There's a go-go dancer cage, although there were no go-go dancers when I was there. I feel like my cousins knew about this place since they moved to NYC, a year before me, and they kept it from me! I wish I'd known about 169 bar a long time ago because it seems like a cool place to take a date. In fact, I'm adding that to my mental date-night rolodex riiiiiiight now.
I would live here if I could.Listed in: LES/East Village sexy drinking…
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Review from R K.
New York, NY
4/25/2012
I have to do it.
This bar might be fun, but the owner Charles Hanson could afford to be a little more professional in his responses to the yelpers that give negative reviews. And I'm pretty sure he'll respond to this with another pleasant response.
Knowing that a person of that caliber owns this bar pretty much prevents me from wanting to go back and give him any more of my money. -
Review from Jen A.
Brooklyn, NY
4/20/2012
The Bloody Marys are amazing. Pickled okra/green beans, olives- you name it! I think they are somewhere around $14, so enjoy it!! If you are a fan of micheladas, I recommend you order on here!
The thought of raw oysters at a bar makes me gag, but I still do it every time- they are just so good!! And who knew that microwaved dumplings could be so amazing. Seriously. And they are only $3- you can't afford NOT to.
The back area is comfortable, the pool table is a plus and the service is always great. Next time I go I will absolutely order the bacon on macaroni and cheese on pork. I am from the south, I am supposed to eat things like that!
Always a good time at 169. -
Review from Elina S.
Valhalla, NY
5/2/2012
My favorite Divebar for sure!! I Always have a good time there!
Cheap drinks, cool interior and I always meet these crazy fun random people. -
Review from Shoichi N.
New York, NY
3/31/2012
My old neighbor took me to this one of the closest dives from my apartment. In the end of Chinatown NYC attracts eclectic(?) crowd from all over the city with its pseudo Wong Kar Wai interior deco and little stage for your entertainment, also its famous leopard pool table and of course, oyster bar and late night dumplings.
Generally the bartenders are friendly and fair. Patrons there consists of old school neighbors and hip trendy crowds and hipsters and bridges and tunnels and... some friendly some not.
It's loud and very divey for sure, and rather dirty. But if you feel like getting few booze with your buddies without dressing up to impress and still want to have fun without sport-bar types of crowds and meatheads... this isn't a bad place. -
Review from Patty I.
Brooklyn, NY
3/13/2012
Went last night with a good friend of mine and we were hungry! Excited cause I heard the food was fantastic..
I can whine about the unfriendly service we received but what I really didn't understand was how they told me they didn't have anything to open the crab legs I ordered, as I ordered it. They told me afterwards, handed me a shot glass and told me I can use that or use my teeth. Now, I didn't feel like banging a glass on the metal table nor did I feel like cutting my gums. Call me crazy.
I also ordered the bacon, pork mac n cheese and dumplings. They were OK. Luckily I could eat them, no tools necessary.
Reading the other reviews I'm thinking it may have been an off night. Maybe just a spot to have a few drinks. I did enjoy the atmosphere hence the two stars.Comment from Charles H. of Charles Hanson's 169 Soul Jazz Oyster Bar 4/14/2012
We just bought 10 oyster crackers and they were stolen in… More » -
Review from chum L.
2/12/2012
Text exchange between me and the Young NYer.
me: Guess who's in town bishes!
YNYer: Shit, I've barely recouped from SF.
me: Well get ready.
YNYer: Where are you?
me: dive bar in Tribeca
YNYer: meet me at 169
me: HERE, just look for the tallest people in the bar, I'm with them.
YNYer: I see them, where are you?
me: Look down.
YNYer: haha
The 6'6" Englishman got robbed at this bar. At the previous bar, Nancy's, we paid $5 for a shot of Johnny Black. Here it was $15. Pretty pricey for a 'dive bar'.
The next day, text exchange between me and the 6'6" Englishman.
me: Did you make it back home ok?
6'6": barely
me: did you have fun?
6'6": I had $280 earlier that day, woke up with $4... Yes, I had fun.
me: You should have ordered the 40 of Colt 45 instead of shots of Johnny.
6'6": Now you tell me.Listed in: Empire State of Mind
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Review from Skip S.
Brooklyn, NY
2/14/2012 2 Check-ins Here
This joint is amazing. From the $5 beer and shot combo, occasional buy backs, funky-chicken vibe, leopard-skin pool table, to the BUST OF A T-REX OVER SAID POOL TABLE (you heard me right), you cannot go wrong coming here.
If you needed another reason to haul ass to Charles' pad, they've got some amazing $3 dumplings (accompanied by soy and saracha) just waiting to get all inside of you.
Get on it, my child. -
Review from Simon S.
Manhattan, NY
4/18/2012
Fun party bar, will return.
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Review from Janice C.
Brooklyn, NY
1/29/2012
My friends introduced me to this place. Normally, I'm not a fan of dive bars esp the smelly kind, but this place is clearly an exception in my book. Unpretentious place, even interesting neon lights, beaded curtains, and some taxidermy line the walls. It looks like a timewarp into a 1940s tiki cabin. The go-go dancer dances like one of those toy girly dancers from Hawaii.
Now the drinks. All the 'good cheap beer' you can get for only $3--Tecate, Genesee Creme Ale, Schlitz. Well, I splurge for the Yuengling usually, which is $4. Friday nights it's great and draws an interesting crowd. Sunday day is another story, which are mostly locals around Chinatown and the LES. It was a freezing Sunday so I asked for a hot drink and they made me a whiskey hot toddy for $5. Tasty. It was more on the honey sweet side, which I like and reminded me of a sweet lemon black tea cocktail. That's my go-to summer drink. I feel like the bartender and I are on the same drift.
Another plus is it's merely a stumble away from the F line. And across the street is one of my favorite hand-pulled noodle shops called Lan Zhou. Oh, I'm giving away too many local New York secrets now. Shh...Give it a try (or not)... -
Review from Rob G.
Manhattan, NY
3/5/2012
This is one of the best bars ive been too. Its so simple and refreshing. Great hang out, all the staff are pleasant. The happy hour is great. This place is what a bar is all about, cheap drinks, pool table in the back and a bowl of peanuts at the bar. When I go i get the 3 beer and shot deal, I mean u cant go wrong!!!
In the summer you can enjoy sitting in the front w/ the windows open and you feel like ur enjoying ur drink right on the sidewalk. They even have a little go go dancer stage. Ive never seen anyone up there dancing but the idea is pretty cool.
And last but not least if your into old movies, you will enjoy whats showing on their T.V's. Old movies like James Bond Gold member, etc. -
Review from Michelle W.
New York, NY
1/8/2012
The bar on most nights : 4 Stars
My Most recent experience: -5 stars
This is my go to bar. I live in the area, always have a great time here, never any problems. I'll still continue to go to this bar, but will always have a hate for this one bar tender whose shirt was too low and jeans a bit too tight and while that might normally be a good thing, everything you never wanted to see was pretty much in plain sight.
Long story short, we got kicked out because a beer spilled on the pool table...a leopard print pool table that is now free and you take the balls through a glass that used to once exist...Granted this was our second offense, but the first time, she came around, snatched the beer like she was saving a baby from a burning building and told us to read the sign. Yes, because I come into bars to read signs. Her comeback, well there are 9 of them. At this point, if I'm coming to a bar, I don't want to be in a state where I can read signs to even if you had them as your wallpaper, I still wouldn't have saw it. Honestly, if you don't want beer on your pool table, don't have a pool table in a bar.
I get it, yeah beer on a pool table, it's a no no, but this bar tender had the biggest stick stuck so far up her other end and thought she was saving the world. I have a great respect for bar tenders as their job is no walk in the park, but the attitude, at a bar filled with cool people, not necessary. And seriously, you called a bouncer to kick us out, because a beer spilled on the table. She clearly had a personal issue with us, maybe we were so cool she hated it but seriously, if you don't want beer on your pool table, don't have a pool table.
Now that I got that out of my system, moral of the story, 169 is awesome, this bar tender, not so much.Listed in: The LES is the place to be!
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Review from Ishmael V.
Brooklyn, NY
1/31/2012 1 Check-in Here
Dirty.
Disgusting.
Delicious.
Dinosaurs!
Deep liver pain now please!
*plus free pool on a leopard skinned pool table for the ladies. I usually wear my leopard thong when playing. Don't hate! -
Review from Jon F.
KNICKERBOCKER, NY
4/7/2012
This place is the deal in the area. Or atleast the drinks are. $3 shot and beer during happy hour can't be beat. Oysters weren't bad, but you can get better deals around the area. Definitely come here for the drinks, 5 stars for the happy hour.
Comment from Charles H. of Charles Hanson's 169 Soul Jazz Oyster Bar 4/16/2012
i might be wrong, but I dont think you can get the selection… More » -
Review from Janie K.
Brooklyn, NY
Updated - 5/16/2012
Charles was not present during the incident so he cannot give an accurate account. He clearly has no idea what happened! We had no choice but to open a tab with a card before placing an order as per the waitress. Therefore we needed to (AND DID!) give the waitress a credit card prior to any food and drinks coming to the table. I resent the accusations and insults of the owner who cannot accept or take responsibility for what happened. My boyfriend and I did not call the waitress any names (I cannot speak for anyone else at the bar). Calling names is the waitress's style, not ours as we are adults and were in the right. All we wanted was a nice night out but what we got was a nightmare. It was the waitress, Pearl as the owner noted, who called us liars, not the other way around. Nor did we scream. I have never been treated so poorly in my life and were treated with sarcasm, rudeness and accusations - it was crazy. My boyfriend and I did not spit or spew or spill beer on the table. He has been in the bar business for a long time and is especially sensitive to servers and being good customers. He would never lie about giving the waitress his credit card. She reacted like he did something wrong when she lost his card and then had the nerve to say nasty things to us!! If she had just apologized and admitted she had lost it instead of saying things like "I know all about people like you" and calling us liars with a smug smile of her face, we wouldn't have had the awful experience we did. Naturally when people are treated so disrespectfully they get upset but there was no disproportionate anger. Charles you need to learn what customer service is and so does your rude staff! We are clearly, as per your many terrible Yelp reviews, not the first and I am sure not the last who will have an awful time at your establishment.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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3/24/2012
Wish I could give no stars! This place is awful. The staff is so disrespectful and stole my… Read more »
Comment from Charles H. of Charles Hanson's 169 Soul Jazz Oyster Bar 5/15/2012
Janie K's "boyfriend" and party came in and sat at table 8,… More » -
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Review from Allie C.
New Orleans, LA
1/2/2012
This is one of the few spots I know in the NYC area. Last year I escaped the Mardi Gras Mess of New Orleans and came to visit my dear friend who was working here at the time. Jack could make the best bloody mary this side of the Mason-Dixon. On that visit, we came a few times when he was opening or closing. For a dive bar, it has a very eclectic selection of liquor, including my new favorite: mezcal. The beer selection is also respectable. I've only had the oysters once, a year ago. I remembered them being on the half shell but I guess they took the raw dozen off the menu.
A few months shy of a year later and I'm back to the area. On NYE I had plans in Chinatown and when I climbed out of the subway, a familiar corner appeared and I swelled with delight, remembering my friend. We stopped in for a few beers before our dinner. Not much has changed, save the bartenders who are still that strange blend of quirky, nice, with a little attitude for good measure. I didn't have any food, but the oyster menu looked intriguing.
While it's not exactly a typical NOLA bar (I think the theme is New Orleans?) it does make a Southern girl feel at home. I like the dive-y feel, where oysters are readily available and your cup runs over w affordable beer. The only thing missing is Abita. -
Review from Ty R.
New York, NY
11/21/2011
I don't know why I don't go to 169 more often. I live nearby, they have cheap drinks and food--plus the crowd isn't too bothersome.
It's an eclectic divey bar with a pseudo Bayou theme. The bartenders are cool and you can get table service if you're feeling lazy. I usually just have PBRs ($3.00) and the veggie dumplings. It gets pretty packed on the weekend of course, but it's nice to have a chill place to go during the week so close to home. I need to go more often!Listed in: Throwdown
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Review from AJ R.
New York, NY
1/5/2012
I came here first one night about 7-8 months ago to take some friends that had just arrived from Ohio out for a drink. It was late; probably around 1 a.m. We stopped here since it was close to my apartment and I had work the next day. I was blown away by the super friendly staff (hey Steve!) and the awesome food. The dumplings and the mac 'n cheese were quite delicious (I sometimes secretly wish I could just call and order from their menu).
They have a really recession-friendly happy hour during the week, but beware that it gets quite popping around 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturdays.
169, I love you. -
Review from Colleen N.
Brooklyn, NY
12/23/2011
My new favorite bar in New York has it all: a cool but not pretentious vibe, good drinks, great music.
I shouldn't be surprised to have fallen in love at first sight -- 169 was purchased by former New Orleans resident and musician Charles Hanson in 2006, and it's got the feel of a place that straddles the Big Easy and Big Apple.
For a place that looks divey, in a good way, I would not have expected the staff to be as super friendly and knowledgeable, nor the food as good. Mac and cheese was delicious and I'm not sure which were better, the raw oysters or the ones grilled to order with margarita sauce.
Though I'm smitten with 169, and happy it's practically on top of the F subway stop, I'm holding back the fifth star for two reasons:
-- the food was delicious but served like you're eating off a cheap hot dog cart -- my mac and cheese came in a paper bowl like you'd get oatmeal in at a bodega and I ate it with a wooden fork-ish thing that reminded me of those little ice cream cups we got as kids. Oysters came on disposable plates. It distracted from how good the meal was.
-- when "soul jazz" is in a bar's name, it's sad to learn they don't do live music any more. I get that it's more work, but based on the superb music they were playing on the stereo, I want to see what a musician from NOLA does with booking bands. I might never leave. -
Review from Jade W.
Manhattan, NY
10/23/2011
Locals welcome.
Everyone else...sorry.
Perhaps that's not the best way to put it.
This place is awesome but not if you just hopped over the bridge or through the tunnel in your hottest club gear.
It's a chill environment so if you want to take it down a notch go here and grab a drink. -
Review from Dan R.
8/24/2011
"What, in God's name, is this place?"
I had to have asked myself this a hundred times in the handful of hours I spent at Charles Hanson's 169 Soul Jazz Oyster Bar, or as it's more informally referred to, 169 Bar. Needless to say, God never got back to me.
Honestly, this is where I picture The Dude and Walter Sobchak would hang out if The Big Lebowski were set in New York instead of L.A. Or where Joaquin Phoenix would hang out during his fake/crazy rap career. Or maybe this is just where someone like Jim Jarmusch hangs out in real life. Who the hell knows?
All I know is this place is a trip. It's got headboards hanging on walls, strange early twentieth-century black-and-white art cinema on one TV and Sean Connery Bond flicks on another, fake-ass palm trees, a leopard-felt pool table, a miniature stage where you can "dance for money", an aquarium, disco balls, chandeliers, Chinese lanterns, and a friggin' oyster bar. This place is a time-warp to some lost decade in American counter-culture. There's no doubting its novelty, but there's no doubting it's divey-ness, either.
At first, 169 Bar is a chill spot to throw back cheap beer (pick a can, any can) to a background of smooth jazz, swing, and '60s soul. Over some time, however, it turns into a loud, brash, somehow suit-and-slut crowd of heavy drinkers, yes, still to the background of smooth jazz, swing, and '60s soul. Then, you're in a Sharpie-vandalized bathroom, treating the toilet like it's the confessional in a Catholic church. OK, not really, but a night here is not the prettiest of transitions and I prefer the earlier half of the evening. Before long, enough is enough.
But until then, the dumplings at $3 for five are totally worth it (even if they are microwaved right behind the bar), the drinks are priced right (even the relatively pricier Spaten Oktoberfest at $6 a pint is a notable score; otherwise Happy Hour lasts until 7:30p and features a 12 oz. beer and well shot $3 combo, which is then only bumped to $5 after the special ends), and the bar crew really couldn't be friendlier (even if they are occasionally half-dressed and could pass for the staff at Merlotte's Bar & Grill).
169 Bar has been serving up its eclectic brand of debauchery for over 80 years, and in a city as fickle as New York, that absolutely goes a long way. And all the same as living in a city with as many opinions as New York, I don't have to love the place. Or at least I don't have to be the one to recommend it, even though I'm sure I'll be along for the ride again somewhere down the road, given the crew. This dive has got its quirks, it's got its charm, it's got its favorable bar tabs, for sure. It's also got its regulars - and I just don't see myself being one of them. I think I'll leave that to the likes of Lebowski, Sobchak, Phoenix, and Jarmusch.Listed in: Only In New York, Dive Town USA
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Review from John L.
Manhattan, NY
2/27/2012
5 star dive bar. One of my fav spots in the city period.
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Review from Dwight D.
Staten Island, NY
12/1/2011
This bar is absolutely awesome. I was there with friends who still text me craving the veggie dumplings.
Happy Hour prices are amazing, good eclectic music playing in the background, and the wait staff is hot. (Hi Pearl!)
Been there a bunch of times and literally have to talk myself out of going once in a while.
Also, I reserved a table there last minute recently and despite the other review here the owner was a delight to deal with and followed up after I had given up hope on getting a table to let me know they'd have one for us.
Only complaint - I wish the po boy slider was priced for po boys. But its ingredients include oysters and okra; and it's kinda hard to get good oysters on the cheap. -
Review from Paul P.
Manhattan, NY
This place is great. Great bartenders (Carston is the man), fresh oysters, cheap beer ($3 canned beer/shot during happy hour) and good music. No sports on TV keeps "that" crowd away. This place just has a great vibe. Probably my favorite dive in NYC.
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Review from Martin H.
Manhattan, NY
9/13/2011
total pirate hangout. Salty old timers with those long fabric do-rag things, baggy shirts and stuff.
Some guy asked me and my WISP peeps to watch his bag while he went out for a smoke. We said "no". Some gals came and stole their seats.
BEWARE -
Review from Julia D.
TRINITY, NY
11/14/2011
I HEART YOU BAR 169.
I heart your t-rex in the back room and Mr. Lou on the street, and sexy girl Bartender/waitress on Friday night.
I heart your emptiness on Sunday afternoons and your PBR + shot for $3 and your proximity to Chinatown and my house.
I dont know about Frat boys on Saturday night, that place was packed but you bring your own crew and you are fine. Also we met some really cool Kenyan girls. SHOUT OUT NOEL. We can still hang. I got your number.
Oh, I do not heart your go-go dancer, but she does provide ready fodder for conversation. -
Review from Aaron S.
Beverly Hills, CA
2/16/2012
Worst bar in town for booking a gig as a musician. Unless you like getting ripped off and disrespected.
Comment from Charles H. of Charles Hanson's 169 Soul Jazz Oyster Bar 2/29/2012
Dearest Ig'nant Beverly Hillbilly, 169 Bar hasn't booked… More » -
Review from Hymen V.
Manhattan, NY
2/5/2012
The staff here is hysterical. Not as in funny, as in suffering from hysteria. The bar is cheap but the people who work here are truly insufferable a$$holes. I get the feeling they think it's how they're supposed to behave, being youngish bartenders in the big bad city...and they think that because they're not really from here. So if you hang out here you have to endure these people acting out their NYC cliche fantasies while making a big deal about opening cans of beer.
There's plenty of other cheap places to drink with better staff. -
Review from Kimberly C.
Brooklyn, NY
12/11/2011
Great dive bar in LES. Love the leopard covered pool table and the funky decor. They serve PBR right out of the can :)
Listed in: Bar Spots
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Review from Kris E.
Brooklyn, NY
9/25/2011
I had a reservation for 8pm on a Saturday for my birthday party for 10-15 people. I had contacted the bar to set up the reservation and emailed directly with Charles Hanson, who was accommodating.
Fast forward to the night of my party, I was running late and ended up arriving at 8:30pm. The place was pretty dead and a bunch of tables were open. I asked about my reservation and was told that my table was given away. Now, by "given away" they meant they took the "reserved" note off of the table... but no one was sitting there. The place had about 10 people total in it. So, they seated me back in my original spot - no big deal. I did think it was odd, however, given that there was no reservation policy in place. There was no mention in my emails with Charles what window of time I had before my table was given up. I took it in stride, because I wanted to have a good time.
My guests ended up ordering food, oysters, and several rounds of $10+ cocktails. Everything was pretty good.
The atmosphere went south around 11pm, when floods of young yuppies dressed in Urban Outfitters ware came in and packed the place wall to wall. We finished up and headed out at midnight.
All in all, it was a fine night... until the next morning when I saw this in my email:
charles hanson to me
8:31 PM
you just lost your table.
Thanks,
Charles
Really? That's it? I had a good time at 169 bar, but I've definitely had better. And this email was truly the cherry on top and guarantees that I will never return. Charles' dismissive attitude is one of the most unprofessional I've come across - it's passive aggressive and it's bad business. This is a big city with a million other bars - acting tactless like this will guarantee that you won't extend your clientele past the trust fund babies you're currently entertaining.Comment from Charles H. of Charles Hanson's 169 Soul Jazz Oyster Bar 11/4/2011
I think its fair to say that "Reservation policy" as it is… More » -
Review from Erin M.
New York, NY
2/21/2011 3 Check-ins Here
Seriously? This bar is awesome. I've been to lots and lots and lots of bars in this city and I've finally found a place with the perfect combination of:
-drinks: there is an actual cocktail list and nice selection of adult beverages. I've never had an *amazing* drink there, but I've never had a true complaint.
-food: there is a raw bar. there are spicy, huge shrimp all covered in bbq rub?sauce? flavors abound. there are oysters. they're fresh and beautiful and effective. I often leave 169 Bar trying to kiss my boyfriend repeatedly on the mouth for the duration of our journey home.
-crowd: it's a really mixed bag. Everybody is chill and friendly. It's never been packed when I was there, but always busy.
-atmosphere: it's festive and fun without being overwhelming and ridiculous. There was a go-go dancer really goin' for it last time we stopped in. The bartenders are generally congenial and helpful. There are good 60's movies playing starring women with heavy charcoal eye makeup and cone shaped breasts. -
Review from Jose A. B.
Manhattan, NY
1/4/2012
I love this place. It is my go to bar, especially this winter when it's too fucking cold to walk five feet. drinks are cheap, $5 dollars for a beer and shot of whiskey, you really can't go wrong with that. Crowd is a mix of locals and transplants with everyone getting along. This place definitively has a divey feel with a New Orleans/ New York twist. If you want something little off the beaten path and are tired of the shit show on Ludlow st, you can't go wrong here.
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Review from Peter C.
5/25/2011 3 Check-ins Here
$3 for a beer and a shot? Sold. Times 3 (ok, 4). Perfect after-work, weekday evening kind of thing.
I've only ever been during or right after happy hour (the beer-and-a-shot thing jumps to...GASP...$5 after happy hour), and it's perfect for that. Never too crowded, usually good music, cool 60's movies on in the background. The bartenders are chill, and usually up for a conversation since the place isn't busy. I've never tried the food, but have been intrigued by the oysters...while normally I wouldn't bother with raw anything from a total dive bar, they're literally 2 blocks from a half-dozen chinatown fishmongers, so I'm sure the oysters are good.
I need to make a trip on a weekend night and check out the scene, but for weeknight drinking binges, it's tops. -
Review from Talia R.
2/19/2011
Sensory overload & I love it. A million drinks, a million lights, a million opportunities for bad decisions. Always have fun when I come here, though really try to stick to Sun - Wed nights. Can't be bothered with who/why packs the join Thurs - Sat.
Get black-out drunk for under $30 amid the tackiest decor on the LES? Yes, please. -
Review from Heather M.
New York, NY
5/13/2011
Came here on a Friday night for a first date. Really enjoyed my time here although it probably helped that I liked my date.
We sat up at the bar. They had some old James Bond movie playing without the sound which was fun. Funky decor. Glaringly bad go-go dancer up front. But it made for a funny and enjoyable ambience.
Bar service was good. Friendly but laidback. We got what we needed without much trouble. Margaritas were great, blended out of a machine but it was tasty.
Random neighborhood which was somewhat close to my old digs, but since I've moved probably wouldn't come here again.
Fish tanks with large fish swimming around too. -
Review from Jackie K.
Manhattan, NY
5/15/2011
A dive bar. With really tacky decor. On purpose.
It's like a tiki bar that got stuck in a strip club with a Chinese kitchen in the back. Imagine palm tree looking plants lining the walls in the back, with paper lanterns strung across the ceilings, a disco ball hanging from that ceiling, with a cage for a go-go dancer, and a leopard print pool table near the back.
$3 dumplings may not be anything special, but they totally hit the spot at 2am. Dip in some soy sauce and sriracha, and your drunken midnight munchies are satisfied, and you can get back to your drinks without ever leaving your spot at the bar.
Great little neighborhood bar to go to any night of the week. I'd go back because it's close to home and has friendly bartenders, but I'm still bitter that I walked out without my umbrella, and it wasn't there when I went back 10 minutes later. Someone's got some sticky fingers :/ -
Review from Patricia K.
Flushing, NY
1/23/2011
Great awful decor. It's really tacky and sort of over the top but I think that's what they were trying to go for and it totally works. Try the Spaten on tap.
Unfortunately on the weekends it tends to get really insane. Full of a bunch of yuppies and Wall St. types in their suits drinking Bud Light. To avoid that sort of crowd, come on a weekday when it's relatively slow. The first time I was here it was some sort of 50s/60s era theme and there were cabaret style dancers on the small stage. Their oyster bar is so great! I love the oysters Rockefeller. -
Review from Amanda H.
4/7/2011
I had the bourbon lemonade, it was alright
I saw Jeff the fish in the back
I grazed my hand on the sweet leopard print pool table
I used the loo
I read the go-go dancer spot sign
I got a free shot from a US Marshall
I noticed the raw menu
I wished it were happy hour so our drinks would be cheaper
I ate free peanuts
I admired the NOLA flavor and funky lights
I fell in love with the taxidermy dinosaur bust
Cool, but not blowing my mind, yet. Prove it to me 169. -
Review from Miranda R.
KNICKERBOCKER, NY
11/9/2011
Weird, awesome tripped-out dive that serves PICKLE martinis and is vaguely tropicalia-themed. Ultra crowded on a saturday night after 10 or so, but that's ok. They have my number so hard.
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Review from Lorelei D.
Queens, NY
11/20/2011 1 Check-in Here
Kitschy place. The bourbon lemonade is great.
