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Grassroots Tavern
- Nearest Transit:
-
Astor Pl (4, 6, 6X)
8 St - Nyu (N, R)
3 Av (L)
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- No
- Parking:
- Street
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$
- Music:
- Juke Box
- Best Nights:
- Fri, Thu, Sat
- Happy Hour:
- Yes
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Smoking:
- No
- Coat Check:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Good For Dancing:
- No
- Ambience:
- Dive-y, Casual
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
146 reviews for Grassroots Tavern
Review Highlights
"Cheap beer, cheap strong drinks- what more could you ask..."
(in 15 reviews)
"And most importantly: 3 dart boards."
(in 11 reviews)
"Jukebox is good too, love their jazz selection."
(in 29 reviews)
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146 reviews in English
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Review from Ben R.
1/20/2012 1 Check-in Here
Cheap drinks, dive bar, cash only!
This is a great go-to place at the end of the night. It's nto your most classy joint, but the drinks are cheap and the company is good. If a tavern bar is what you are looking for this place is perfect.
They have dart boards, but won't give out darts on the weekend, what? -1 star for having to bring your own. -
Review from Tom K.
1/6/2012
For whatever reason, this place has been the go-to bar of my brother's for as long as I can remember. And, as such, I seem to find myself here at least once a year, usually around the holiday season.
What's done right?
Its a no nonsense dive with cheap drinks and ample room to sit and hang out, in small groups or big. The drink selection is decent enough to keep me happy. And they let you bring in food from the outside, which is great when you realize Pommes Frites (http://www.yelp.com/bi...) is right around the corner.
What could be better?
The bathrooms are gross, but not so gross that I want to throw up when stepping inside. The whole place feels run down (I almost put this in the section above).
All in all, its a fantastic true to the bone dive. Come here with the right expectations and you'll have a fantastic time. -
Review from Tina C.
Dive bar with cheap drinks at Happy Hour.
After our first of a series of mishaps for New Year's Day 2012, with a friend I came here for one drink prior to a wondrous meal nearby on St. Marks Place. Finally a full service bar with a NYS liquor license that opens as early as 4pm on Sunday especially on a national holiday!! Grassroots Tavern do not carry business cards, but they do have match books that contains their contact details. Ignite to spark to herald new chapters for adventures where it was all a good time at Grassroots Tavern! I'm sure weeknights it's packed with nearby NYU students and staff, yet do inquire for the freshly made popcorn at select times.
The bar tender is very friendly, courteous and attentive to serve our needs. The handwritten sign for champagne glass at $5.00 and bottled beer at $6.00 enticed us for the New Year's special. Sipping Korbel replenishes me to be more Chmpgnrose! -
Review from Stephanie F.
Brooklyn, NY
2/2/2012 1 Check-in Here
Strongbow cider is something I can really get behind and they serve it here! It was my first time at Grassroots despite passing it a million times before. It's nondescript decor outside invites in only local regulars. Really, you could pass it without giving it a second glance. There is a quaint charm to Grassroots. It's a simple dive that hits every note on key.
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Review from Ben F.
New York, NY
12/14/2011 1 Check-in Here
Hey now we hit it up for Happy Hour, forgetta boud it the drinks were cheap.
This place on the other hand won the "Fish and Chips award" for the grossest toilet seat in NYC.....
bathroom is something to be desired, I'm surprised someone was actually able to vomit in there on a monday night. -
Review from anthony r.
1/16/2012
" two pitchers for me and my buddy please" ....
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Review from Palmito G.
Brooklyn, NY
1/15/2012
It's a trap. You''ll be stuck here for hours on end drinking cheap beer, cider, and whiskey. You'll try to escape, but one of your friends will get hungry and grab a Falafel at Mamoun's next door. This will remind you that you're hungry too, so you'll hold seats as more people trickle in, bringing back food to eat at the bar at leisure. More people will show up late, of course, so the group gets bigger and drunker, as another pitcher is ordered-- the "last one" before the next place. The thing is there is no next place after Grassroots. Everyone's enjoying themselves. You'll have to draw upon superhuman powers of persuasion to convince everyone to leave. Good Luck.
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Review from Jaclyn L.
10/19/2011 1 Check-in Here
The king of dive bars.
$1 dollar popcorn, $4 brooklyn lagers, great times.
One of my favorite bars and the bartenders are usually awesome. There's this one older bartender who just seems like a cranky old school bartender and he's great.
One of the few places I'd say is great for groups except it's still a gamble if you go late on a Saturday night.
The whole bar looks like it's made of ancient wood and it always has a distinct, wood+popcorn smell to it. Feels like a true old time New York dive bar. -
Review from Kevin W.
10/7/2011
Dirt cheap dive. I like.
Cheap pitchers - as cheap as it'll get in the city.
Dirty dirty bathrooms.
Free popcorn sometimes.
Love the old school old bartender.
A few dart boards in the back - if you leave your license, you can borrow some darts. -
Review from Whitney J.
Queens, NY
9/30/2011 2 Check-ins Here
I love Grassroots. Of course, I'm biased as the bartender has become a good friend. This place has character, by which I mean it's a dive. Cheap beer, cheap strong drinks- what more could you ask for?
Some nights it gets a bit too loud, but start your night off here at happy hour and then crawl your way through the East Village. -
Review from Mike C.
Manhattan, NY
9/8/2011
This bar is best enjoyed when you are catching up with an old friend whom you haven't seen in ages, only because you'll be so engrossed by the converstation that you'll forget why you chose to meet here - of all places - to drink average beer in an average dive bar. It's always been someone else's idea to meet up here, never mine. Interestingly, I've always enjoyed myself in spite of this place (again, due to the company I keep and not the atmosphere).
The allure is cheap beer, plain and simple. The selection is decent enough. Service has always been satisfactory, so there's no gripe there. It doesn't pretend to be anything other than a dive bar, so for that reason its worthy of some praise. -
Review from Paul M.
Long Beach, CA
7/17/2011
THE most disgusting bathroom I've ever seen and I ain't squemish. All three urinals and the toilet were stopped up with various shades of yellow, green and brown. One of the urinals had what looked like dried diarrhea crusted around the rim and the sink was filled with some rotten mix of toilet paper and shit that had scummy foam floating on the top. It was amazing. Wasn't even drunk but I puked in my mouth.
beer prices are decent, good jukebox. -
Review from Cheryl C.
Manhattan, NY
12/26/2011
Down a few steps from the woefully commercial street that is today's St. Marks, Grassroots is unpretentious, low-key and - best of all - devoid of the usual annoying NYU crowd. Aside from that, the only real reason I came here was because of Keith. He's a classically-trained actor who will readily delight you with everything from his rendition of Stanley in "A Streetcar Named Desire" to acting out an entire episode of Law & Order, theme song included. Finish off the night with some popcorn and be sure to ask for a PB&J before heading out into the cold, cold night.
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Review from Rena J.
New York, NY
9/14/2011
Enjoyable dive bar in the middle of tourist hell. Drinks are dirt cheap, the jukebox is pretty good, and they have $1 popcorn! Nothing spectacular, but it definitely has its charms.
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Review from Evan H.
2/12/2011
Cheap beer, cheap beer and cheap beer. That is what you get at Grassroots. Is this the greatest bar in NYC? Definitely not, but for a fun atmosphere, dart board and $13 pitchers of Redhook, you can't really beat it. Not to mention their jukebox has a ton of great music including a lot of great Jazz, which I wouldn't have expected at a place like this. There is a large bar area and then a number of tables in the back.
If you want to put back a few cold ones without breaking into your savings account, this is the place to go. -
Review from Chu Z.
Bergen County, NJ
3/14/2011
A great place for friends get-together. Not a typycal pretentious spot in St. Marks but down to earth.
Just sit down at the wood table, talk and enjoy the affordable beer: $13 a pitcher Redhook. Woo! Jukebox is good too, love their jazz selection. -
Review from Jenn T.
New York, NY
2/22/2011
This is my favorite bar in all of New York. Maybe in all of the world. The bartenders know us, they know our order (Red hook, vodka soda, popcorn) and the prices are amazing. We travel down here from the UES for happy hour during the week just because we love it so much. Try to avoid it late nights on weekends bc the flannel beard crews descend and well...it's just not the same as having the place to ourselves during the week.
May it live on forever in infamy. -
Review from Tracy M.
9/9/2011
A bare bones divey bar. No frills. You get what you pay for here. Basic selection of beer, a dark ambiance and a jukebox. The ladies room wasn't as bad as the men's from what I've heard. Toilet paper locked to the wall though. Don't know if that's a good or bad thing.
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Review from Freya C.
3/15/2011
1. $7 pitcher of (dirty cheap) beer ...happy hour deals are not to be reckoned with
2. $4 pint, snap
3. Free popcorn, hot damn
4. Pool tables, pocket that
5. Dart boards, hot shot
6. Jukebox, jammy
7. Dingy interior, he might be attractive...
8. Filthy bathrooms, eurgh -
Review from Kiki R.
11/11/2010
This place is great for one thing only: the large pitcher of beers.
The women's bathroom was overflowing and it was not a pretty sight. However, I still managed to enjoy a few beers or two when I'm in the Saint Marks area. This dive bar looks like crap, but it has a real charm to it. If you come early, there is plenty of seating in the back.
The bar is a bit diverse because I saw a lot of young professionals, but also I saw a lot of old-timers sitting in the back. There is a dart board in the back for dart professionals like myself.
I met a few cool people here and it was relaxing to have a interesting conversation with someone that isn't the sterotypical st. marks douchebag, because there are a lot of those in the area.
The jukebox has a lot of old-tunes and it's a pretty random play.
Other than that, it's a great place to sit knock down a few beers if it isn't too crowded. I remember a lot of good times here. -
Review from Clint H.
8/30/2010
I am SOOO upset I've never been inside of this excellent bar before the Thursday I came in here, by absolute accident. I'm roaming the streets with a couple friends, after my final night performing critically aclaimed play "The Internet", and my boy decides we should go out for a few beers. We come in here because he says, "this place looks like a cool spot."
You kidding me?! I've walked up and down St. Marks more than anyone else on planet earth and I've never gone in this place, there must be a reason. We went in, and I realized, that I was missing out the entire time. We got 3 shots and a beer and it cost $16. That seems pretty damn cheap to me. It was such a cool vibe in here (people chilling, talking, dancing) that we left to get food from Cheep's (falafel of course) and decided to go back to Grassroots! This place is pretty damn awesome. They will be getting my business again, bet on that. -
Review from Adrian C.
Manhattan, NY
11/19/2010
Dive-tacular, and I like that. I wish we'd been here on a night where I wasn't doped to the gills with Sudafed and could actually have had a few more (cheap! cheap!) beers with the boys.
The ratio of attractive:not women was absolutely astounding - I have never seen so many gorgeous girls in such a dank, dusty bar. Go there. GO THERE NOW!
Oh, but fair warning - the bathrooms are pretty damn funky. -
Review from Ashwin T.
New York, NY
11/20/2011
maybe its just the name, but walking in, you can definitely imagine an uprising in the making. this place is unassuming and divey. no music, so great for catching up with friends. snag a table and a pitcher and you should be all set.
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Review from Mary F.
Bronx, NY
9/5/2011
i enjoy this bar when its not full. its relaxed and has nice a/c.
drinks are amazing low price when its happy hour.
they have darts, which is fun when your drunk.
they there $1 popcorn hints the spot after the third shot of tequeila -
Review from Athena C.
7/18/2011 2 Check-ins Here
This is not my cup of tea although I know many guys won't mind it. It is dirty looking, loud and there isn't much to the vibe or decor. What they have is really cheap drinks and low key atmosphere. If you want a low key night out to just get drunk cheaply, this place will do justice.
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Review from Erica L.
8/2/2010
Grassroots used to be one of my favorite pubs in the East Village until one fine day I had a very unfortunate encounter with the bouncer.
I was with a group of three other girls and it was pouring rain. Based on my suggestion, we trekked over to Grassroots and were looking forward to sharing a nice, cheap pitcher and drying off. When we got there, the bouncer was standing outside (again, POURING rain) and asked to check our IDs. I was first in line and I very innocently asked if we could step inside to check IDs (due to the POURING rain) especially since taking our IDs out of our wallets would require closing our umbrellas. He told me to shut up, which I didn't respond to, and let me in.
Once inside, a friend of mine told me that as soon as I walked through the door the bouncer had called me a word that rhymes with witch. I didn't even get upset at this, but I turned and pointed out the stool inside the entrance where every other time I'd been to the bar the bouncer sits and checks IDs on and wondered why we had to stand in the rain, and even wondered why the bouncer would want to stand in the rain if he didn't have to.
We were going to forget it and just get our drinks, but the bouncer came back in and started screaming at me and my friends for being "disrespectful." I am really anti-confrontational, so I tried to apologize and just get on with my night, but one of my friends started arguing with him and he kicked us out. The only time I've ever been kicked out of a bar in my entire life. And it's not even that great of a story. I mean, no punches were thrown. Lame
In the three minutes we were in the bar, we did have a chance to notice that of three dozen people there, we were the only girls. Poor form, Grassroots.Listed in: East Village Dive Bars
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Review from Trey R.
Jersey City, NJ
6/28/2011
The only bar on this block where you can have a good time. Most of that annoying western st marks crowd stays out. Also, surprisingly cheap. It's not somewhere I usually go, but if I'm in the area or with a friend who's short on cash, it's a good choice.
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Review from Kimiko D.
Astoria, NY
8/11/2010
I would love to give Grassroots a horrible review just so no one comes here and I get to keep this place to myself. But honestly, this place is THE bar. You know THE bar, that bar you've been looking for where the beer is good, the prices cheap, and the bartenders are like family (especially the grumpy uncle/grandpa character that you're totally scared of because he likes to tell you to go play in traffic, but know is just saying that because he likes to do that tough love s**t.....)
This place has seriously good karma. It's the best dive bar in the city..
The happy hour is amazing, and they usually have three different types of Brooklyn Beers on tap (Lager, Pennant, and Brown). Their Guinness however, is not the best, but it's not bad for the price- especially during happy hour. The crowd is usually varied from regulars who've seen it all, tourists, hip east villagers, students, and drunks (like me!). But it can get a little annoying late nights and on weekends so I usually go early and avoid weekend nights.
Best thing and cheapest thing to do is go for a dollar pizza slice a few doors down then share a pitcher of Brooklyn beer at grassroots. Chill out with your friends and share a basket of freshly popped popcorn (they sell it for $1) then play a few classic rock songs on the jukebox.
Update 10/2010: This pains me to say, but I had to take away a star because their quality of their taps have lately been unpredictable. The past 4 or 5 times I've gone here, the beers have either been flat or slightly sour. I've mentioned this to the bartender a few times but it's still been the same. I hate to take a gamble on my beers, so I've been sticking to hard liquor when I come here. Still, this place is amazing, and I'm willing to sacrifice my beer drinking ways to keep going to this place. You can get a nice mixed drink (I usually get a gin and tonic) for $5 which is a steal since they make them pretty strong. -
Review from Nicole F.
9/18/2010
Dragged here by my coworkers, who said we were going to just stop by. Apparently they love the place for its cheap prices, and they were also meeting friends there, but the place was very musty. The bartenders were, at least 60 years old and a female one said she'd hook up her iPod since the jukebox was broken (she never did), to which my friend responded, "Thanks man!"
They managed to squeeze two bathrooms in the women's room, which was a shock, but the sink was clogged and someone had vomited in it. Gross. -
Review from Jose H.
New York, NY
12/20/2006
This is a great bar if you like to go to bars and drink. No one looks up when you walk in, aside from the bartender who is checking to see if you will be a problem. Sometimes a big dog walks around wearing a glow in the dark necklace. Or a cat will brush by your leg as you take a sip from a mug of your favorite beer.
Please take a seat and let the music wash over you. Dylan, the Pogues, Steve Miller Band and the Kinks take you to that space in your head where you KNOW you were meant to have starred in films alongside Dustin Hoffman and Robert Redford and Paul Newman. Then get up and make some selections from one of the best jukeboxes I have seen at a bar. And you WILL hear your selections within 20 minutes.
Now get back to the drinking. Tell your friends about the one who got away and the time you overstayed your welcome. About the fight that cost you your job, about the cronies running the city, about the time you almost died driving home drunk after finding out about that kid you grew up with who they found OD'd. Or just pretend you did, this place has a great atmosphere. -
Review from Danielle S.
New Orleans, LA
2/18/2008
I don't know how it is that I've never been to this bar until last night. This place is a delightful dive. We walk in and a jazz band is set-up in the corner playing, hop up to the bar, order drinks and are able to just sit back, relax and chat.
The bouncer/barback kept telling us drummer jokes (hey, wait...not funny) but he was cool, and the bartender, an older guy, very pleasant.
The crowd was a good mix of young and old, and the place, while busy was not packed. Of course we were not so stupid to attempt to come to a bar on St. Marks on a Fri/Sat but this was a Sunday before a holiday so there were quite a few folks out.
The only detractor from the evening was the bathroom. There was some poop on the wall. I didn't get near it but it was definitely doodie. Oh, well. Shit happens.Listed in: Dive Bar Hall of Fame
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Review from Tony N.
7/31/2009
Dark, dank and filled with a lot of kids in plaid shirts.
Things that impressed me:
- the place was cavernous. I mean it was huge, deep and low ceilinged.
- the bartender didn't ask twice when I asked for Powers.
- the juke box was EXCELLENT. Off the top of my head - Dylan, The Sex Pistols, Gaye, Redding, Green, Stones, Muddy Waters.
Things that made me sad:
- Guinness in a pitcher.
- kids who played The Bee Gees - Stayin' Alive while I was trying to get drunk. Total buzz killer.
- the smell of death and doom.
I'd come again, and I'd take over the juke box again to teach those punk kids a thing or two about drinking music.Listed in: Preservation Stations, New York, I Love You
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Review from Scott R.
3/8/2007
East Village dive bar named after the grassroots political movement of drinking cheap beer in an ambivalently rundown setting (Iake that bourgeois, upscale tavern drinking proletariat pigs!)
This is the kind of place that is rarely the destination for a night but is a good place to start or finish it. Perfect for a St. Marks location. It's huge inside so it can handle the occasional gluts of people. Has three dart boards in the back but no pool table. Good music. No pretension. -
Review from Charles B.
Sunrise, FL
8/31/2010
Just a great no frills dive bar that i wish there was more of in Florida, Live music while we were there and drinks were pretty cheap, Cool old bartender let us charge up our phones , I really want to give this place more stars, why only 3 you ask. It was so musky smelling (and I dont have allergies) that i was getting physically sick and had to leave after only 2 drinks, I hope it was a one time thing as I would like to try again.
(i did ask a few other patrons and they did say the odor was strong. -
Review from Erica S.
New York, NY
2/4/2010
I'm down with this shit. I don't think that a bar should be allowed to call itself a 'tavern' unless it has shortened, saloon-style doors on its bathroom stalls, you know? Because who doesn't want to see what's going on in the rest of the world while taking care of business? Call me sentimental.
Anyway, Grassroots comes through on this count. The parts of this bar outside of the bathroom are also fun. They have some decently-priced drink. Grassroots also serves as a good sanctuary to take refuge in when one must escape the turmoil of St. Marks. -
Review from Jorge M.
Seattle, WA
4/20/2010 2 photos
I came here on a layover with my girl Karen and got lushed out before my brutal 9 and half hour flight to Italia.Which was a pretty good dive bar slash tavern feel with all the wood and oak feeling.Kind of like a dark gloomy version of "CHEERS" with cheap drinks and comfort feeling of just getting punch drunk.
Keith the bartender made some pretty stiff drinks as well but I had to catch my flight, but will definitely come back again!! -
Review from Heath R.
Los Angeles, CA
9/16/2006
I'm not the biggest fan of St. Mark's Place -- until you get toward the Alphabet City side -- but I'm a fan of Grassroots.
It's downstairs, it can be relatively quiet and uncrowded, and it's relatively unpretentious and not at all a scene bar. Reminds me of college campus bars in the midwest, a little.
A great place to begin. Or end up. -
Review from Brock T.
New York, NY
9/7/2006
It's a place we go to in order to get loaded in a cheap and efficient fashion. However, don't ask them for a drink with more than one ingredient, because they might just fuck it up. That's fine, stick with pitchers and shots.
Just don't get too loaded or you'll wake up the next day with a pierced nipple and 45 pairs of Sock Man socks. -
Review from Martina Z.
New York, NY
3/17/2009
When I heard that the engaging writer Arthur Nersesian had praised Grassroots, labeling it as one of his favorite drinking spots in the city, I quickly hopped over to Saint Marks to check it out ... but couldn't share his enthusiasm.
I think cheap old dives are an indispensable invention, but this place is just dingy. -
Review from Janelle M.
Long Island City, NY
4/28/2008
My friend calls this bar "Assroots" and with good reason...
If you're looking to simply pre-game and then get out this is your spot.
If you're broke and need to drink for cheap, this is your spot.
If you want to hang out and are over the age of 22, this is NOT your spot.
I love dive bars but this is too much, even for me. I drink and get out QUICKLY and I will cop a squat outside before I EVER dare to use the restroom.
