Our Favorite Dives
Pete’s Candy Store
I moved around the corner from Pete’s in 2008, and have found myself wedged into the bar’s tiny back music venue on countless nights since. The crowds may have changed, but Pete’s still maintains a bygone Williamsburg combo of grit, disaffection and surprise and delight. —Talia Baiocchi, editor-in-chief
Happyfun Hideaway
If you’re looking to make out on a dance floor, this no-frills, tropical-themed queer bar is the spot for you. —Irina Groushevaia, senior social media manager
7B Horseshoe Bar
7B stands out from the hordes of East Village icons not only because it opens at noon (ideal for killing time before, well, anything) but because it has one of the friendliest staffs of any bar, let alone dive, in the city. —Chloe Frechette, deputy editor
Sunny’s
This outer fringe of Brooklyn’s Red Hook neighborhood is not easily accessible, but it’s worth a trip to experience a bar that’s been resurrected from the brink of closure several times. Live music starts most nights at 8 p.m., and there’s plenty of outdoor space for loitering. Don’t forget to bring cash. —Allison Hamlin, director of network development
Sharlene’s
In the decade-plus that I’ve been going to Sharlene’s, it’s lost some of its notorious surliness, but not its character; this is still a true neighborhood bar. Head here for a High Life and a bag of Zapp’s, and take in the glow of the multicolored Christmas lights—installed to be purely functional, never festive. —Lizzie Munro, art director
An essential guide to the bars and retailers that have turned Oakland into an epicenter of progressive wine culture.
New York's Essential Martinis
READ MORE
A highly subjective list from the Punch staff.