The 10 Best Dive Bars in New York

230 Sportsbar (Madison Tavern) draws a steady local crowd in Theater District. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the ev. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: Tuesday and Wednesday before 9pm, when the regulars haven't filled the room yet. Best for match days and group bookings. Saturday after 10pm gets crowded — book ahead or arrive early.

230 Fifth Rooftop draws a steady local crowd in Flatiron. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: any weeknight between 7pm and 9pm, when the bar settles into its rhythm and the bartender has time to talk. Best for sunset drinks or a slow first date. Friday from 8pm fills up; reserve a counter seat or a high table.

Amor y Amargo opened in 2011 with an unusual thesis: a cocktail bar that uses only stirred drinks and never citrus. Bitters are the centerpiece. The 12-seat spa. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: Sunday from 6pm, when it's the room's quietest premium night and the kitchen is unhurried. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Avoid post-match nights if the local team is playing — the upstairs gets loud.

Angel's Share draws a steady local crowd in East Village. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: Thursday late or Friday early, when you'll catch the room building toward its weekend tempo. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. First-Friday traffic in the district can mean a 20-minute wait at the door.

Apothèke is hidden on Doyers Street, the curved alley in Chinatown that was the most violent block in late-19th-century New York. The bar is styled as a Victori. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: Tuesday and Wednesday before 9pm, when the regulars haven't filled the room yet. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Saturday after 10pm gets crowded — book ahead or arrive early.

Arthur's Tavern draws a steady local crowd in West Village. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: any weeknight between 7pm and 9pm, when the bar settles into its rhythm and the bartender has time to talk. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Friday from 8pm fills up; reserve a counter seat or a high table.

Attaboy occupies the former Milk and Honey space on Eldridge Street. Sasha Petraske ran Milk and Honey here from 2000 until 2013 and Attaboy continues the tradi. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: Sunday from 6pm, when it's the room's quietest premium night and the kitchen is unhurried. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Avoid post-match nights if the local team is playing — the upstairs gets loud.

Banzarbar draws a steady local crowd in East Village. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: Thursday late or Friday early, when you'll catch the room building toward its weekend tempo. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. First-Friday traffic in the district can mean a 20-minute wait at the door.

Kenta Goto worked at Pegu Club for many years before opening Bar Goto in 2015. The Lower East Side bar is committed to Japanese cocktail discipline: hard ice, s. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: Tuesday and Wednesday before 9pm, when the regulars haven't filled the room yet. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Saturday after 10pm gets crowded — book ahead or arrive early.

Bemelmans Bar at the Carlyle Hotel has the most beautiful interior of any cocktail bar in New York. The walls are covered in original 1947 murals by Ludwig Beme. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: any weeknight between 7pm and 9pm, when the bar settles into its rhythm and the bartender has time to talk. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Friday from 8pm fills up; reserve a counter seat or a high table.