East Village: Bars

Endless amounts to choose from - wander round and see what takes your fancy, or head to one of my faves below...

Bua Bar (St Mark's Place btw 1st ave/ave A http://www.buany.com/) Ahh Bua, the place of many a fun night out. A lively bar with more of a pub feel. Always a fun, young crowd and good music. A good place to get the evening going or head to after dinner.

Ten Degrees (St Mark's Place btw 1st ave/ave A http://www.10degreesbar.com/) One of my fave wine/cocktail bars - east ville cool without trying too hard. The decor is somewhere between a funky warehouse and wine cellar. Head here midweek for their happy hour to get the night going - gets pretty crowded on the weekend.

PDT (St Mark's Place btw 1st ave/ave A http://www.pdtnyc.com/) Hmmm, should I really be telling you about this place? PDT does stand for Please Don't Tell after all. All I'll say is that this cosy cocktail bar is literally hidden away behind a phone booth situated in the Crif Dogs restaurant. Confused?...you'll figure it out! Call to make a reservation on the day or just turn up and keep your fingers crossed they'll squeeze you in.

The Bourgeois Pig (E7th btw 1st ave/ave A http://www.bourgeoispigny.com/) An alluring, dimly lit bar with chandeliers, sumptuous sofas with velvet cushions and cosy nooks to hide away in, this is definitely the place for an intimate date. The bar serves wine and champagne cocktails plus chocolate fondue - what more could you need!

Niagara (corner ave A & E7th st http://www.niagarabar.com/) You can't miss this joint with its bright blue neon sign occupying this busy corner spot. Only way to describe this place is the using the old cliche - 'hip and happening'. It's young, fun, lively. You'll have a good time here - look out for the photo booth at the back.

Zum Schneider (Corner of Avenue C & E7th http://www.zumschneider.com/) Only went to this place once, but this indoor beer garden is definitely worth a mention. It's a fun scene and if you dig your German beer and bratwurst you won't be disappointed. Huge selection of beer and three sizes of beer glasses to choose from - the biggest is pretty much the size of your head...you've been warned! Cash only.

Gay Bars: Three great places to try gay or straight, each with a completely different vibe from one another....
Try the Phoenix on a Wednesday night (E13th st btw 1st ave/ave A) if you prefer a loud and lively dive bar scene filled with hot, hipster cool gays and dollar beer. Pool table at the back.
Go to the Eastern Bloc (E6th St btw ave a/ave b http://www.easternblocnyc.com/) for something a bit different! Also a divey feel, smaller and more intense than Phoenix, but definitely fun atmosphere with shirtless muscle men bar tenders (the owners in fact), a tv screen above the bar with some seriously hard core gay porn and a variety of taxidermy on the walls!
Or if you want something a bit more glamorous and 'sceney' head to BBar (E4th st btw Bowery & Lafayette http://www.bbarandgrill.com/) for their longstanding 'Beige' night (Tuesdays only) where this huge restaurant and bar is wall to wall with the beautiful gays, you may even spot a celeb. (FYI also a fun dinner/drinks spot in general).

Restaurant Bars: Cafe Mogador (St Mark's btw 1st ave/ave a), Cafecito (Ave C btw 11/12th st), Esperanto (E9th st btw aves b/c) and Yuca Bar (corner ave A & e 7th st) all have good bars to hang at pre dinner whilst waiting for a table. Check out my restaurant section for more info.