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- Nearest Transit:
-
Essex St (J, M, Z)
Delancey St (F)
2 Av (F)
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$
- Music:
- Live, Juke Box
- Best Nights:
- Mon, Fri, Sat
- Happy Hour:
- Yes
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Smoking:
- No
- Coat Check:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Loud
- Good For Dancing:
- Yes
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
21 reviews for The Local 269
Review Highlights
21 reviews in English
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Review from Roy H.
8/23/2011 1 Check-in Here
I finished up work early on friday in NYC so my friend and I decided to wander the city and bar hop... this was the ONLY bar we could find open in this general area. The bartender working was very cool and gave us some recommendations on what way to walk next to we would find more bars that are actually open.
They have a lot of live music at night..If I am ever back in the area I will definitely come back for some. Couple of the other folks in the bar said its a ton of fun for shows since the place is so small... I love intimate venues like this. -
Review from Kristy R.
1/7/2012 1 Check-in Here
The only reason The Local 269 is getting 2 stars instead of 1 from me is because my Jack & Diet consisted of 90% Jack and 10% Diet.
My friend's band was playing a show here and since it was another friend's birthday, we decided to attend and also incorporate the birthday. Upon entering, we immediately felt like we were being packed like sardines. I understand bands were playing, which bring groups, however, this was way.too.packed. My group and I finally found out own little spot by the window, where we were able to at least breathe.
After some of the crowd shuffled out of there, we made our way over to the bar to get some drinks. Their beer selection was failing me so that's why I went with Jack & Diet, which is my favorite mixed drink. Like I mentioned above, the bartender had a heavy hand but the drink was still $9. And do not tell me "oh, that's city prices" because I've been to several other bars in that area where the same drink is $6. With that said, the drink was nice and strong and made the bar a bit more tolerable.
There were also several creepy people looking in through the window, I guess to see what was going on in there.
I may come back one night when there are no bands playing just to see how it is "normally" but the drink prices alone were enough to make me not want to return. -
Review from Susan s.
9/20/2011
Dark, divey, and dirty. Isn't that what we are all looking for? They have bands playing almost every night. I remember seeing some bands while getting some of their special shot deals. I dont remember paying for anything here though. They have great Whisky and Beer specials. Right around the corner from my old apartment.
Sound is alright here, and if you are looking for a place to get drunk in the LES, this is it. -
Review from V J.
New York, NY
6/7/2011
* Some bars have my awesome sweet memories attached to them. Local 269 happens to be one of those.
* After some drinks, a lady & me start having some saucy conversations and end up kissing. Then she's like "dude you're an aggressive kisser. I'll teach you how to kiss good". And I got one cute lesson on soft romantic kissing. After which I was like "Looks like, you can teach me many more things"... and she says "We'll see ;)"... Thus she opened to me the gateway to heaven. Now the good news is while all this sweetness was going on, thankfully no one in the bar interrupted us. -
Review from james s.
Boston, MA
8/23/2011
Drunk Racist Bartender. When i walked through the door the bartender was taking shots and kept taking shots through the night a lot more drinks than i was having. He was an older guy late 30's bald with some tattoos. The bartender was slurring his words and holding on to the bar for balance and started trying to talk to me and my friends which is always uncomfortable when a drunk person is talking to sober people. He started trying to joke with us by making racial comments which none of thought was funny so he started making even more racist comments which we still did not laugh at, so in his drunken mind somehow because we weren't laughing at him being a complete drunken racist he started getting made at us. We decided after that it was time to leave and never come back.
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Review from JoJo C.
Brooklyn, NY
10/8/2010
I went last time to hear a friends band play. They got pushed back an hour which would have been fine as there was a big group of us so we just chatted, checked out the band on before them and had some drinks. They would have been at 3 - 3.5 stars if that was it.
But then, after about 20 of us made the trek out there on a work night to support and rock out to our friends new band - they got cut after 3 songs! All that and they got to play for less than 15 minutes. They were good! WTF?!?!? Even the band on after them apologized and felt bad about it. The sound guy actually came to the stage and told the lead singer that that was the last song IN THE MIDDLE OF A SONG IN WHILE HE WAS DOING A GUITAR SOLO!! Who does that? They had been promised 30-45 minutes at the managers discretion.
We left (and the bar literally was cleared out as half the people there were there specifically to see my friends!).
My friends band is pretty new and they haven't played a ton of shows together so it really hit them hard. They were really pissed and bummed and so were the rest of us. Bad form Local 269. -
Review from Lisa Q.
9/27/2009 2 Check-ins Here
Been here quite a few times now and it's not bad. The drinks are cheap, the bathrooms are dive-tastic with pink toilet paper, and the bartenders are friendly enough.
What's great about this place though is that sometimes they have really shockingly good live music. It's annoying when they shove a tip bucket ("for the band") in your face but what can you do? -
Review from neeraj r.
Chicago, IL
12/5/2010
I remember going here in the 90s when it was meow mix to see bands. The sound wasn't very good back then and it seems smaller back then.
Went here a few times to see a friend's band play. The sound is really good and will go back. Reminds me of the 90s when NYC had so many good bars and venues to see live bands. -
Review from Lisa G.
This place is cool, and has a fun vibe. Saw a show there last weekend. It was loud, and people were definitely having a great time. I suggest getting some air outside between sets, because it is super-hot. The AC just doesn't get the entire room cool.
Limited seating, so get there early if you want to get a seat for the show. Also, they are cool with cameras.
I will be back! -
Review from Alexa C.
New York, NY
8/8/2010
Cheap drinks?
I really liked the vibe of this dive late on a Saturday - local crowd and just empty enough. The stage was retired for the night, and the jukebox had taken over. The sign on the door promised 5 shots for $10, so I'm thinking this is a true dive that will be easy on my wallet. But the asking price for a pint is $7. And these aren't craft brews, people.
I'm sure this would be a great venue to see some live music, but I don't know if I'll return. -
Review from JP B.
1/31/2010
I used to play at this place back when it was Meow Mix. It's still a chill Houston St bar that does live music. Can't help by like it. It's like a little bit of the NYC I remember from my 20's still alive and well.
3.5 Stars. If you're 20-something and looking for some old school fun add a star! -
Review from Dee M.
Brooklyn, NY
8/3/2009
Definitely a landmark (it's changed identities over the decades) -- Natives & long-term transplants have ALL been here or at least knew someone who was a regular of this great local dive.
This kinda spot is an endangered specie in Manhattan for the past 10 years or so. You can expect to find any type of liquor you prefer and great beers on-tap (clean lines as well).
The extra treat you'll find is the great live music -- Everything from Live dub/rocksteady reggae to post-bop jazz to experimental rock. Might wanna call ahead to find out who's playing.
The L.E.S. (lower east side) absolutely needs this place & preferably more like it. Otherwise, this transplant of over 20 years is moving back to S.F.Listed in: The Places I Go Out
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Review from Amanda M.
Washington, DC
6/16/2010
Love this place. Cheap drink specials (5 shots for $10) and great live music. Saw Bad Buka and loved the vibe, and the fact that people actually dance (or wiggle their hips cynically) here.
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Review from Nate G.
Malvern, PA
11/19/2009
Had heard some good things about The Local 269 before booking a show there. I recently performed there and had a great time too.
The bar is a single large room with a good amount of seating. There is a slightly lifted stage on the far side of the room with a drum set and several amps (see website for complete backline). The room feels like a grungy dive bar without actually being grungy at all. (that's a total compliment)
This definitely a music venue. Don't go there expecting to talk to your friends a lot if it's during music hours. The music was too loud to talk over easily, but not so loud that hurt (which is not true of many NYC clubs I've been to).
Overall had a really great time. The sound guy, Bill, was easy to work with and made good sound adjustments throughout the show. Definitely not the "set it and forget it" type. Bar tender was really nice too. I look forward to going back. -
Review from molly c.
4/29/2009
it was a hot day, and i had time to kill.
enter...local 269. open at 2:30 p.m. (i think the actually open at noon)
happy hour specials!
friendly bartender!
i read in the AC, had 2 beers for $5 total and killed the time.
nice and divey, small but with an area for bands.
i am intrigued and will return.Listed in: you think i go uptown?, divey dive dive dive
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Review from Kelly M.
New York, NY
3/25/2009
If you used to come here when this was Vasmay, you probably still should. It's basically the same Vasmay Lounge with updated vintage lights and a new coat of paint. The drinks are cheap and there is a healthy crowd, the usual menagerie of LES drinkers. It's definitely not as hip as some of the bars in the LES but did I mention that the drinks are SO cheap??
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Review from martha m.
12/21/2009
Divey, to say the least, but that wasn't the problem. The problem was the lack of heat (on that Saturday during the blizzard) and the scary, aggressive, haggard women shoving a tip bucket ("it's for the band...we booked the venue...we could have just charged you $5 at the door") in your face every 20 minutes. Now, is the money really for the band? I ask because my friends were "the band," and they never saw a dime, nor did they even drink for free. And charging cover is fine, that's your choice, but don't threaten me with that, and don't think that anyone is going to pay $5 to come out during a blizzard and freeze in your dive bar.
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Review from Monika S.
5/8/2009
Great neighborhood bar. The owners are always there and their lovely personalities and dedication to making this great neighborhood bar are paying off. Sasha makes a fantastic margarita and these are SO rare to find in Manhattan. Their new venture into live music is making this tiny dive a true gem.
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Review from Nick K.
5/24/2009
The bar was almost completely empty on a Saturday night but that didn't stop us from taking advantage of the 5 shots for 10 dollars special that is identical to the deal at Continental. Although they only offer rail liquors with the special, the shots are normal size. The bartenders were extremely friendly and gave us 6 shots instead of 5 - twice. It's not that we needed any more rail rum, but it was still a nice touch. This is an ideal starting point for a cheap and belligerent evening.
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Review from Scott L.
Brooklyn, NY
1/22/2010
I went here recently to see some live music. I'd walked past the place a million times (and maybe even wandered in once or twice) but I couldn't write a review until I'd actually seen music there.
For a live music venue, it was very small, but intimate. It's largely seats and the area directly front of the bar (one room) with no room in front of the stage. I didn't experience the 'tip bucket' being passed around that other reviewer mentioned, which was a relief. It certainly is too loud to talk anywhere except by the door, so if you're with people, don't plan on having conversations.
As for the ambiance, it's a dive bar, nothing more nothing less. The crowd was a good mix of guys/girls, with most people being interested in the band. I'm not sure if it was due to the live music, but a pint of Bud Light was $6. Those are not dive prices, and really hurt the bar's appeal.
Bottom line: stop in to see a band that you like, or for their 2 for 1 happy hour (so says the other reviewers). Looking for a evening spot? Go elsewhere. -
Review from Peter N.
New York, NY
2/20/2009
Great, cheap happy hour in the old Vasmay Lounge space.
