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1st Ave-14th St (L)
Astor Place (6)
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It smells disgusting. The bartenders look like hookers. There's drunks galore. But hey, the drinks are cheap! This is a great place to start a night off right when you wanna do it cheap. And it's in a great location for starting your night and moving on to other spots later.
Stay classy, Cheap Shots! I'll be back!
If you like to drink --- A LOT --- then take a visit here. The drink specials increase as the night goes on.
However, if you DON'T like to drink that much, then this place is absolutely useless.
Smells like your standing in a gigantic toilet.
All you can drink on your birthday?
I guess all terrible places have to have a hook.
Me: "Hi, can I get a shot of whiskey and a pitcher of Patriot ale?"
Bartender: "What kind of whiskey?"
Me: "Well."
Bartender: (pours my drinks and picks up a stack of glasses) "$9.50. How many glasses?"
Me: "Just one."
Bartender: (smile)
This is classy for numerous reasons.
First, always with the well whiskey. I would like to tell you that I have a world class palate, but my drink is getting funneled through my throat with much haste and with a frugal $3 price tab. Elitism is for the sober.
Also, while it is a bit laughable that they "renovated" this damp hole in the wall, they actually did a decent job at making it a reasonable place and not kryptonite for women.
Second, what is Patriot Ale? Does it turn me into French-Indian War hardened Mel Gibson as I chop down bloody redcoats with a tomahawk? All I knew was that this glorious beverage was cheaper than Bud Light and the rest. It actually tasted like the only drink approved by American Apparel, Pabst Blue Ribbon.
Third, one pitcher, one glass. An eye for an eye. Mano y mano. Just a few things we should constantly chant in our heads.. I never abide by "sharing is caring." Drinking is caring. You do also have to keep it classy with a glass. The idea of drinking straight from the ginormous pitcher creeped up in my head, but the attention was not needed. The Darwin Show had already begun.
(to be continued...)
Their drink deals can get pretty ridiculous with numerous shots, shooters, and beer/shot deals. You… Read more »
if you can take the smell, more power to you.
other then that $6.50 pints all day every day, who can go wrong
5 reasons why this bar is popping:
1. BARTENDERS: soooooooooo amazing. so pretty and super informative. modest and sincere. No slutty women there!
2. ambience: fun mix of people, no gropers and no skeeve balls.
3. Drinks: what what? drinks on me! at $2-3.00 a pop you can afford to say that. and they are not watered down, strong and good. Red headed slut was made right, the margarita was fanfriggintastic and the rumcoke was fabulous. the beer was great straight from the tap and got drunk within 4 drinks. They should rename it " Kick your ass shots".
4. Hot girls....
5. Great for groups. Tiny but good before and after the rush hour crowd.
LOVE!
The name says it all. The place is a dive for sure. It's actually pretty kept up for a dive too.
We went on a Sunday. The bartender was pretty cool and friendly. Had a couple of old timers at the bar and then my group. Pitchers for 6 bucks, shots for 3? Can you beat that, really??
DISCLAIMER: I went on a monday night for my birthday.
I heard that they changed the place up once this place got a new owner so I cant comment about what it use to be. From what I've heard in the past, I had my fears of coming here because it was supposedly dirty, smelly, and had graffiti all over the place, but when I went their it wasnt like that at all.
Its a dive, but its not a shitty dive like I thought. The place was clean and didnt stink which is a good thing in my book when it comes to bars. They charged $3 for "well shots" which im assuming is the cheap stuff (though I drank for free the entire night, my friends paid for their shots).
The bartender was very awesome and gave me 0 additude and was one of the best bartenders I ever met (I dont think she was expecting tip from me since it was my birthday and was getting my drinks free, but I tipped her regardless).
Overall, the place had a very warm and welcoming but fun vibe to it. I highly recommend going here, their is no downside except you might accidentally binge drink from all the cheap booze and fast service.
P.S. This place is IDEAL for bringing a group (although I went their on a monday with a large group, so im not sure about large groups on a more busy night like a weekend night)
Not as cheap as promised. Still paid the usual amount for shots and the place is gross and packed and like a big sweaty college party. I think we bought two lemon drops for $8. Really? And I had heard shots were $2-3. There was no beer pong as promised nor darts or air hockey I don't know what people are talking about when they mention that because it is incorrect.
If you want to go back to the days of gross super packed college parties then by all means go there.
A friend of mine took me here this past week. We were already kind of drunk. Even though she was sitting right next to me at the bar she sent me these texts:
"Cheap Shots has changed. It's like when your drinking buddy joins AA"
"It's like when you break up with someone, then you see them again and their life is totally different."
So I'm guessing this place has lost some of it's character. It looked freshly painted.
The two girl bartenders seemed to be having a good time and were friendly. Be a big spender and spend an extra couple of bucks for a pitcher of something halfway decent. The $6.50 Patriot Ale tasted like water, more so than any shitty beer that I have ever tried.
I love this bar. If it's your birthday you drink for free....there is a list behind the bar of things you can consume. The only rule is you have to tip your bartender. I think that is fair. Also the better you tip the bartender the more they will like you and the better prices you will get on your drinks.....after all there is a sign that indicates this...it says something like "prices subject to change based on customer"
i love it.
Cory is the coolest. He works on Tues i know for sure. He's a really nice guy and holds down the place well.
I will definitely go back there when I feel the need to get in some drinks. The best part is that 2 blocks down is my OTHER favorite watering hole in EV--- International Bar where another cool BT named Roger works. Give both these guys a visit. They are super personable and just all around good guys to chat with.
Another plus about cheap shots? Air hockey table.....picnic benches and you can bring outside food in. Cash only.
Enjoy life!
A large group of me and my coworkers (12) all met up at Cheap Shots, to celebrate two birthdays in style.*
-It is a huge dive, like nothing I've seen before. From the spray painted exposed brick walls, to the picnic table as one of the only furnishings. We started out with some of the $2 shots. That night they were offering Kamikazes and Red Headed Sluts. I've never had any of these before, so naturally I tried both, several times.
They both tasted horrible, so why did I keep drinking them? Because they weren't burning a hole in my pocket, and I was suddenly at that point in the evening when everything seems like something worth cheering to.
The Red Headed Slut looked, and unsurprisingly tasted like cough medicine; while the Kamikaze was marginally better.
After that I started drinking whiskey sours ($7),** played some air hockey (OWNED the birthday boy, thats right I don't care its your birthday I'll still kick your butt); and subsequently lost to Liz for the Championship.***
Then there were some blurry bits in the evening, getting on a table dancing to "Dirty Diana" with Liz, getting photos taken of me by strangers.
M: What are these photos for?
Stranger: Oh, nothing
M:'Kay
And meeting a Mexican who swore he was Filipino.
Ordered another Whiskey Sour, waited, waited, waited. FINALLY YES
M: Wait does this have alcohol?****
Opened my bag, and poured some extra from my personal stash of Johnny that came to the party.
The next afternoon a stumbled into work with a large iced coffee, and a 2 liter bottle of water, and just smiled knowingly at my coworkers. At least we all looked like we were hit by a truck.
_______________________________________
*By "style" I mean free alcohol
**My drink of choice in any dive
***I want a rematch
****It's okay that I paid for a drink that didn't really have any alcohol, I got a neat tumbler out of it
My friends and I (group of 6) went to Cheap Shots to start off a birthday night's worth of bar hopping. We came here early (around 7:30pm) to avoid the crowd. The bartender is super nice and yes, you do get to drink free on your birthday, but remember to tip!
I had the Blue Moon Honeymoon. Yums.
I quit a stable job in the beginning of 2009 to in hopes of working at a place that had many cool people that were around my age who I could get to know. My wish came true when I recently started my new job and so I planned a cardigan themed bar night where we could all go out. Cheap Shots got picked to be the go to place thanks to a recommendation of a friend. Here are some facts about our night at Cheap Shots:
-Its a super dive bar that let ALL of my co-workers in
-It was 2 of my co-workers birthday so they got to drink all night for free. We sang "Happy Birthday" to them over a round of red-headed slut shots then the bar rang this bell
-My co-workers looked awesome in a place like this in their preppy cardigans
-The $2 shot specials of the night where red-headed sluts & kamikazes. They have different specials every night
-Air hockey table that costs a $1 per game and in which I kicked all 4 of people I played asses on, despite being intoxicated. I celebrated by taking pictures on top the table
-I found a tampon in my whiskey sour I was drinking and got grossed out so I took it to the bar and they replaced it promptly after having a laugh with me about how the hell it happened
- Picnic table style seating arraignment. The tables are stable enough to dance on....I learned this when they played "Dirty Diana" by Michael Jackson and decided to dance on the table with my buddy Mike. Only problem I had was when the guys at the table next to me told me following my dance that I would make a great stripper...ehh
-The bar is covered in graffiti and they have more games in the back such as darts which is cool
- The bartenders were awesome. I made friends with one of the bartender after he helped me finish my night by giving me a free shot for my "sexiness"...niiiice....never had that happen before
So dear Cheap Shots thank you ever so kindly for helping me give the finger to the uber conservative college girl I was some 3 years ago and for a badass night out with my fabulous new co-workers.
I'm on the fence about this place. It comes very highly recommended from people, but I'm not sure if the pros outweigh the cons.
GOOD
- Cheap. Duh. That's a draw for any place.
- Good drinks, not watered down. Coupled with cheap, that's an even greater draw.
- The overall atmosphere is dive-y, but in a fun way. Bare brick walls, graffiti & spray paint, wooden 'camp' benches, air hockey table. Sticky and gross floor of course, but that comes with the territory.
- Very cool bartenders, and great deals plastered ALL over the back wall.
BAD
- Cramped. For such a busy place, there's not much room to maneuver, especially between the bar and the side wall. It almost feels like the layout of a small pizzeria, with a long 'hallway' leading to the back seating area.
- HOLY MOTHER OF HADES is this place crowded. And LOUD. Seriously. On even a moderate night it's nearly impossible to hear yourself or coordinate a group, let alone squeeze your way through the hordes of people blocking the choke points. I think the best way to accomplish this is by osmosis, or obtaining shapeshifting powers that allow you to slime your way between cracks. If you can't do either of those however, you're stuck tushy-bumping and "excuse-me"ing your way around for however long it takes. At least people are nice about you trying to body-slalom through everyone (most of the time). Oh, and watch out for people holding drinks. It's VERY easy to get your head/clothes dowsed in alcohol while moving through drunken and lively crowds flailing their cups around as they gesticulate wildly, too drunk to notice you trying to pass by.
- Do NOT - I repeat - DO NOT use the bathroom here. Under any circumstances.
Push comes to shove (literally), I think I'd only come here alone, or with a -very- small group. And unless I'm REALLY in need of a drink and seriously strapped for cash, I think I'll stay away and let the college/frat crowd have their cheap jollies in peace.
The only reason I'd be in this joint sober is cuz Ethan C is the boss on his birthday and calls the shots (cheap or otherwise). It's hard to be a saint in the city, but I knew my role and headed to the jukebox with $5.
It's like The Boss says, "Well, I just turn the radio up so I don't have to think at all."
I thought I wanted to be a cougar when I grow up.
I think I'll stick with crazy old dog lady.
A nice grungey bar, where when its your birthday drinks are free, and everything is super cheap.
The walls are full of graffiti, the inside smells a bit strange, they have an air hockey machine which is fun to play and a jukebox that plays any tune you wanna here.
This is a very good dive bar!
Extra star right off the bat for allowing you to bring food in. Always a killer thing to walk there with some Pomme Frites and just chow down. The air hockey table is funny...pretty much you just put in quarters on for the light...literally it seemed like that was the only thing that changed. Good chuckle tho. Place was cool, diverse crowd and just a good fun loose time.
Bottom Line: Non-Pretentious crowd (could you even be pretentious if you are in a bar that smells like a sock? seriously.), good specials and nice music.
I had the most fun at this bar of any other place I went to in Manhattan over 8 days!
The jukebox is always playing, the bartender was awesome and friendly, and the shots CHEAP! a beer and a shot for $5!
I played so much air hockey I was dripping sweat and still have bruises to show for it!
The whole inside is graffiti'd and awesome. Check it out!
BLEH!
I like my dives dirty and dank, but there are some levels to which even I won't stoop.
True life dialogue between the bartender and me:
Me: Malibu & diet.*
Bartender: What?
Me: (leaning closer) Malibu & diet!
Bartender: What? Come closer!
Me: (practically draped on bar) MALIBU & DI--- Oh. I see what you're doing.
Bartender: (laughing hysterically) YOU FELL FOR IT!
So yes, in an effort to get a better look down my shirt, the sleazy bartender tricked me into leaning over the bar. In a vain attempt to make amends, he knocked a few bucks off my drink price so I got a fairly alcoholic malibu & diet for $5.
And no, as a matter of fact, I DIDN'T TIP HIM. And I'm glad I didn't! F-ing perve.
And then! Later? The same creepy bartender came around and grabbed my shoulders in an effort to get by me.
DO. NOT. TOUCH. ME. YOU. ASSHOLE.
What keeps Cheap Shots (such an apt name, besides the obvious) from getting just one star is the air hockey table. And the fact that my friend had a good time on her birthday.
*Shut up, I don't want to hear it.
I may be a little biased, since I now have a friend who works there. Then again, I can't be too biased, since I'm not shelling out a 5-star review. Other than on the days when my friend is bar-tending, I can't say that I'd be tempted to become a regular. Still, it's a cool place. Like other reviewers have pointed out, it's a dive and doesn't (in ANY way) try to disguise the fact that it is. The walls are splattered with TONS of graffiti. Hey, if you enter a place called CHEAP SHOTS expecting an upscale pub, you deserve to get a drink thrown in your face.
The bar is about the size of a matchbook. That would be one of my mild criticisms. I mean, I know it's a dive, but...come on! It would be nice to have more than 10 seats available. I guess if I were into sports, I might give the place a 4-star review. Luckily, I was able to chat it up with the bartender, since all the guys were gabbing on and on about friggin' football. It appears that they take bets as well (another plus for you sports fans out there).
The bar does live up to its title. When I went, there were $3 Soco w/ lime shots. That was a pretty good deal, so I bought one. They also had $2 shots (Kamikazes and Red-Headed Sluts). I can't tell you what a Red-Headed Slut tastes like (insert your own joke). I probably would've ordered one, but luckily this guy (who's a regular at another bar I frequent) was nice enough to buy me a shot of Jack. Also, the Rolling Rock cans were only $2.
The jukebox is pretty good. Then again, after frequenting Coyote Ugly and having to deal with their limited selection, I guess any jukebox would be great in comparison. I was easily able to find some decent tunes.
There's only one bathroom in the whole joint. I don't mean one bathroom each for men and women. I mean ONE bathroom. Like a subway restroom, it reeks of stale piss--but I guess it goes with the dive bar atmosphere.
So what if they offer ALL YOU CAN DRINK on your Birthday - this place is too dirty for me to stay there that long to take advantage of their promo.
However, I appreciate the fact they offer air hockey to kill the time.
So much graffiti I could barely see the bartender.
The drinks are cheap and plentiful.
A great place to get trashed and watch a game on the tele and get rowdy.
Great juke box, right in the loin of the city.
Go Shorty..
Its your Birthday...
We gonna party like
its your birthday...
we gonna drink bacardi like
its your birthday..
and we dont give a F&^% cause
its your birthday...
THATS RIGHT! ITS YOUR BIRTHDAY AND YOU GET A FREE SHOT! MUST SHOW ID! Amazing! I think this place is worth going to for a bit on your birthday...oh yes I do!
This place is the perfect place to stumble into at the end of a long night.
The first time I walked into to the grimy gates of this heavenly dive, the bar tender rang a bell, and yelled FEAAAARRR FAAAACTOR!!!! at the top of her lungs. Was she a big fan of the Joe Rogan show? Maybe, but what was about to go down would make eating a scorpion seem like a good idea. She picked up the rubber bar top stopper (you know, that rubber thingy that catches all the excess liquor and beer? I'm sure it has a real name, but does it matter?) Twisted every caught drop of miscellaneous booze into a glass and challenged the gathered masses to down it.
I'm a little hazy on what happened next, but I seem to recall some instant puking. Could have just been my brain though.
My return was equally entertaining when, after being harassed by an unruly patron, the bartender rang her bell and shined her flashlight in the dude's face, coaxing the crowd to curse him out until he left.
Have I mentioned I'm in love with this place?
The name of this bar is not just a clever pun; it is actually an accurate description of what you'll find inside.
The people who run this place are super friendly and the patrons appear to come from all walks of life. Certainly not a "pretty" place, but it's beautiful in the sense that there is officially now more graffiti than wall.
Came in here the other day with an out of town friend; it was 80+ degrees out and humid, we were dying from walking around and stumbled in here for a $10 pitcher of Blue Moon with some orange. It really doesn't get more satisfying than that, let me tell you.
This place is funny as hell; pretty much the quintissential dive bar. First of all, like the name says, the drinks are cheap. Don't expect anything more than pitchers and plastic cups. Cheap Shots is filthy with graffiti all over the place, but thats part of the charm; if you don't like it, don't go there. The bartenders can sometimes get pretty damn drunk, which can be funny as soon as you're pretty damn drunk yourself. This is a must hit for birthdays, as you can drink literally as much as you can as long as you tip well and aren't falling over.
The bottom line with this place: expect it to be packed, loud and rowdy. If thats what you're looking for, then great. If not, take your ass up the block.
One star for "Moose," a great bartender. Unfortunately she was replaced at 8pm by a rude, practically naked skank who threatened to kick me out for my "attitude." She basically drove out our party of 12. We went a couple of blocks away to Kabin - much nicer place with equally cheap beer. Not only will we not return, I will do my best to urge everyone not to waste time or money here. Don't encourage rude service!
Cheap Shits: 3, Rae: 0
I swear this place is the gateway to the Lost Island, because every time I go there I lose time. My… Read more »
For what it is, I am tempted to give it four stars. Maybe upon follow up...
ONE for the obvious cheap shots and tolerable pitchers
TWO for people watching possibilities, hilarious encounters, & the fact that I've always scored a seat at the bar:
Low salary, loud pompous douchebag, mid-20s, located behind us: SO I told him [insert pathetic attempt at a burn]... Nobody knows how to [insert complaint as if he's the only capable person on the face of the earth]... She was wearing that [insert piggish description of a woman he doesn't know followed by gossip-y conjectures]...
Upon getting up to leave, me: Friend, you're stupid and arrogant, your conversations are boring, and nobody cares.
THREE for the door guy I am developing a friendcrush on:
While douchebag is puffed up from previous observations, me: Tell me, do you like your job?
Door dude: Yeah, it's pretty good.
Me: Awesome. Bye.
NO!
.....why didn''t we go pee next door instead? .... :(
I went here this past saturday for my birthday. Who the hell am I to turn down free alcohol if someone wants to give it to me?
The place was crowded and very lively when my group arrived around 10. It was a fun mix of all different sorts of people, all of them drunk. Considering how crowded it was, service was very good and we didnt have to wait very long for our drinks. We didn't stay too long since this was more of a stop over before our main destination for the night, but we all really enjoyed ourselves while we were here.
I'll definitely come back when I am broke and want to get drunk....so pretty much everytime I go out.
This was a second stop of the night for us and a somewhat short one.
The place is very narrow, crowded, and not very clean. Nevertheless, it is somehow cool!
Very importantly, the bar is fully loaded, cheap and the bartenders definitely know what they are doing.
The Kamikaze red headed something-something is a surprisingly good choice for $2!!
Another good place to start the night in this hood
My friends brought me here for my birthday last month. They told me to tell the bartender that it was my birthday. She asked for my ID to verify then she draw something on the back of my hand. After that, she told me that I could drink anything (except for Patron) for free for the rest of the night.
I was like a kid in a candy store. I was chugging down shots of everything every 5 minutes. I've never been more drunk in my whole life.
When it was time to go home, my friends took a cab and said goodbye. I asked the bartender where the nearest subway is and she told me that she would drop me off because she was on her way home anyway. Talk about great service!
NYU students, Europeans, homeless guys, a Mexican playing Irish gigs on an acoustic guitar, old football gambling addicts, dogs, jersey frat guys, good friends and cheap drinks. Now that's a good time.
I hate not knowing what to expect going into places, hence why I joined Yelp in the first place. So, I fully appreciate Cheap Shots because you know exactly what you're getting yourself into, and it didn't disappoint.
There is a punching bag game in the back room, where you punch the bag and it'll record how hard you hit it. There were some Armani-wearing, fake tanned, jager bomb drinkin, Italian, jersey guys who were taking out there roid rage on these bags with running punches. In honor of them, my roommate and I did a "jagerbomb" while pointing to the walls and called everyone "fuckin skanks". It went over pretty well with the 60 year old biker guy next to me who had $500 on the Monday Night Football game that was on.
They have a great digital jukebox that has any song you're looking for, and a huge air hockey table that'll give you a headache by the end of the night. They had a $10 beer-only open bar going from 9-11, which was an amazing deal considering you could choose from basically any beer in the bar, including McSorely's.
Cheap Shots fits the bill perfectly if you're in the mood. And that one particular mood I'm talking about is drunk.
Zach gets off work
Zach meets up with friends at Cheap Shots
Zach wakes up the next morning on his couch in his work clothes and late for work.
Zach brushes his teeth
Zach goes to work.
irish truck bomb and 6.50 pitchers for the win.
I'd better call my girlfriend and apologize in advance: the boys and I are going to Cheapies tonight.
I'm writing this review now -- four hours before we even arrive at Cheap Shots tonight -- because I know I'll be in no condition to write it tomorrow. Frankly, it'll take me a full two or three days to shake off the hangover I'll earn at Cheapies, so I might as well get this out of the way.
Ah, Cheapies. It's like that train-wreck friend from high school you see every few years, and you know damned-well he's trouble, but you welcome his semi-annual calls just the same. Because in spite of the trouble he brings, you know you're guaranteed a fun -- if debased and borderline illegal -- night out. Cheapies may some day be -- or at the very least contribute to -- the death of me (I have been known to suddenly ask strangers if they "wanna roll, motherfu****?!" while drinking there), but this brief life on Earth wouldn't be worth it without infrequent nights at Cheapies.
Additional amenities at Le Shots d'Cheap: an air-hockey table that's usually hogged up, a digital jukebox, a few picnic-type tables in which to carve your name, and a crappy set of darts in the back (literally: the board's next to the crapper, so it stinks to high heaven). Leave your credit cards at home, and not just because they'd get stolen -- Cheapies is CASH ONLY, but it won't cost you much to get what you need here.
So stuff $15 in an envelope, write your address on the front next to "Dear Cab Driver" and pin it to your collar -- we're going to Cheapies.
don't judge me. feel free to judge my friends, but don't judge me.
apparently you get to drink for free on your birthday. though unfortunately for your friends, they have to stay and drink at cheap shots.
after getting groped by a gross drunk, we hunkered down for some pbr tall boys. wished the birthday boy cheers. we left just as it was starting to get packed.
the toilets are like something out of a bad camping trip.
Happy Hour
Neighborhood: Midtown East
Valentines Day Menu
Neighborhood: Boerum Hill
Neighborhood: Financial District
Category: Women's Clothing
Neighborhood: Flatiron
Neighborhood: Financial District
Category: Women's Clothing
Neighborhood: East Village
Category: Bars
Neighborhood: East Village
Category: Dive Bars
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