Chanticleer is a great old family-run historic bar that's been here forever, since 1946 or so. It has a tavern-like atmosphere. It's real and local, not tourist-style or tourist-price. Dark. For a few beers and a buzz. If you can't relax in a dive, just take your selfie under the neon sign and roll on. No hard feelings. We'll be here. (Jul 2026) read more

Chanticleer - This sign is great at night! - Dive Bars Near Me - Ithaca, New York

What a s*^%%# little bar. I came here at the recommendation of a local, but these folks are running game on drunk kids late at night. I ordered a double tanqueray and tonic and watched the guy pour the drink. Poorly. (Pun intended) He put the tonic gun on full blast and dribbled tonic into the glass. The bottle stopper was closed, so he had to finger it open as he continued to blast tonic into the glass. I could tell the drink was mostly tonic and said, "Hey friend, that's not a double!" He looked offended and swore it was because they don't use anything to measure their tonic, they just rely on the bottle dribbling out the so-called proper amount. I should have walked away before he sat it in front of me. I took one sip and surprise-surprise, it's basically just tonic water with a touch of a tanqueray. This was my first drink of the night, and I know it's wrong, but neither the guy nor the girl behind the bar were interested in making it properly. Pour out two shots. It's not that hard. But if you're purposefully pouring short booze to drunk people knowing you'll get away with it, it IS too hard. Don't come here. I know at least one local likes it, but nobody likes being charged double for a single anything. Or maybe the play here is to just order stuff in bottles. That way they can't cheat you out of liquor I paid $14 for a glass of tonic and MAYBE a shot of tanqueray. MAYBE. I feel like I paid $14 for the privilege of writing a crappy review. I absolutely got my money's worth. read more

Chanticleer - The tab for the most expensive glass of tonic I've ever had. - Dive Bars Near Me - Ithaca, New York

Would have given 5 stars until they closed "temporarily" but fired the staff and didn't tell them; they found out when they saw the sign on the door. That is a d**k move and reveals the character of the owners. Without the local staff this place is awful. The only reason 99% of ppl went there was BECAUSE of the staff. And considering that their customer base was primarily locals they really hurt themselves doing this. I will NEVER EVER go here again AND I will advise everyone (I get asked a lot about good spots to hit, and where to avoid) to stay away, and will explain that the owners are terrible and don't care about their staff. Wow, they really shot themselves in the foot. AVOID AT ALL COSTS!!!! If you're in this area and are looking for a drink at a local place I will recommend going 1/2 a block away to Pete's. Do not spend your money here; they embody everything Ithaca isn't---selfish, unconcerned w the community and pretty much all around horrible business owners!!! If you want a local "hole in the wall" vibe I can recommend at least 3 other businesses that actually care about our community and their staff! I wish I could give zero stars!!!!! read more

Nice little dive bar located at a very convenient area in downtown. I came in with a group of 12 and I was surprised at how fast and efficiently the bartender was able to get out all of our drinks to us sans the attitude that the other reviews say. There's a $10 limit on card so if you want to buy one drink for yourself bring cash. Pool is 4 quarters/game. Because the establishment is so small however, playing pool became somewhat of a challenge when it started to get busier because depending on where you need to shoot, the back of your pool cue will either hit a person, the wall, or a table behind you. There's a pin ball machine and an old school pac man game in the back. Drinks were reasonably priced. Not a bad gig! read more

Good local bar with good standard drinks. Bartender made great drinks while handling a small crowd and bunch of college kids. Drinks were very reasonably priced, much better than other local bars on that block. Have a good pool table, and nice atmosphere. read more

Chanticleer Bar is one of the oldest bars in Ithaca, New York. Everybody goes to this bar. Right in Downtown Ithaca. Right next door to State Street Theatre! GO! And when you are feeling good, go eat some pizza at the Nines in College Town. Enjoy the great neon sign with the Chicken on it. read more

I visited the Chanticleer for the first time after a 25th High School reunion event. Really visiting Ithaca for the first time since I turned 18 the "Rooster" bar was one of the landmarks that I remembered. The visit didn't disappoint. Despite having a single bartender serving the crowd, he was fast and efficient. Drinks were reasonably priced (Honestly they were pretty cheap). Other reviews have said unfriendly, I didn't find it so, by the end of the night I had him laughing a couple of times over the Amaretto Sours two of my friends were ordering. Overall an excellent time - glad we went! read more

Probably the least friendly bartender I've ever experienced. I understand being in a college town and having to deal with a bunch of obnoxious students and fake ids. But that doesn't mean you treat every person under the age of 40 with contempt. We had two hours to kill before meeting my sister and her friends out. We entered the bar, I ordered a drink and my id was demanded. Fine ok... but then the second our drinks were put on the counter she demanded, "$8.50"... We were parked up on the bar stools, coats off, clearly not going anywhere, or in a rush to skip out on our tab. Not a great way to keep someone drinking at your relatively empty establishment. We paid our tab, sat far away from the bartender so I could enjoy my beer and left. We went down the street and spent $50 elsewhere. read more

Least friendly bartender I've ever experienced in my life. She acted as though we were putting her out every time that we wanted to order a drink. While we were there some college student tried to use a fake ID. Now obviously I'm not in favor of under aged drinking, and I know the fines that can come with serving a minor, but the way she handled this situation was so bizarre and over the top that we ultimately left soon after. When the student gave her the fake ID she immediately started screaming, "What the F*** is this", and "Who the F*** do you think you are". The profanities continued until he walked out... and then we walked out. read more

Solid dive bar with friendly staff and a good selection of bottled beers. They have a pool table, which is why we've been here more than once. The table is a bit cramped, but it's usually free and you can get in a game if you're interested. The beers seemed a little more expensive than beers at other comparable bars in the area, but being a few blocks away we didn't mind paying for the convenience. read more

Great bar. Good prices, very friendly bar keep, lots of roosters, pretty clean... What more can you want? We stumbled in after seeing a huge crowd at Ithaca Ale House and were glad we did. Would definitely return next time I'm in the area. read more

Fantastic, unique dive bar. Good staff. Tight space. They do have 1 popular pool table. I love this place. read more

Stopped in before a show at the State Theatre which is right next door. The neon lights were calling us... Upon entering you see a pool table, rooster decor everywhere, pinball (yay!) and a smaller bar with a not too friendly bartender but I suppose that's added to the divey charm. It was okay. I mean, the service was just not good. I feel like if they put a little more energy in they could get something really great going but for now it's just a place to get a beer before a show. read more

The Chanticleer is an Ithaca legend. This bar is one of my favorites with a doubt. The huge neon cock outside is just the beginning. The inside is decorated w chicken decor & even chicken wall paper! It's dive bar gold. Having said that , some of the other reviewers seemed to forget what a dive bar is when they complained about the bartenders. In most dive bars, they're charging you less for your drink for many reasons. Those reasons include often being understaffed. The bartenders are starting at a disadvantage already & then grumpy people come in drunk or otherwise & are rude to them for 8 or more hours while they're on their feet non stop. & no, I don't work there nor have I ever. I have been a bartender & I know that this is sadly the truth in many many establishments. If my drink costs less & people aren't as stuffy .. there's pinball .. to heck with spending an extra minute for my drink & I need to be trying to sympathize w a person that might seem off putting but is no doubt doing their best. Also , you get what you give folks. I see people all of the time being completely rude to servers & the like. You can expect the same level of good manners back that you give. It's easy enough to forget but, always a good tip to remember Either way, I love this place & I always stop here. read more

Best bar in Ithaca! Okay, I haven't been to too many Ithaca bars but it was mellow and friendly on a Friday night and there's pinball and good music. Also they have a NEON ROOSTER outside, how can you go wrong with that? Not sure what other peoples' issue with this place is but I give it a thumbs-up. read more

Spent a rainy afternoon here sipping whiskey, playing pinball, and listening to the jukebox. This is a class A, 5 star dive bar folks. As good as it gets. read more

A favorite bar down the hill from all the college kids. We were looking for pinball without the 21 year old vibe and we found it. Great local bar with awesome decor. I would go back if in the area. Cheap pinball and awesome wallpaper. read more

Is SURLY a requirement to work here? I have been here numerous times, more than I care to admit and each and every time the bar keep is the MOST MISERABLE bartender ever! Dude, if you hate your job that much do yourself a favor and find a new fucking job! read more

Smells more like bleach than piss. Music not too loud. Lots of conversations. A pool table. Lots of cocks. Not too mant tvs. Good lighting. Personable staff. All in all, a good dive bar. read more

If I lived in Ithica, I could see this place becoming "my spot". As mentioned in other reviews, A Typical dive bar. Somewhat leary of strangers, but I can appreciate that. Don't be an ass out of turn and you will be fine. Very reasonable drink prices from what I had seen in the surrounding establishments. read more

My friends and I were told to stop in there for the 'experience' and maybe not even have a drink, but we had a drink anyways. Loved the Rooster stuff everywhere. It was a typical dive bar and like everyone else is saying the service wasn't the friendliest, but it wasn't a bad time either. I kinda liked being left alone to sit at the bar with my friends and the beer selection was good. If you want a relaxed bar setting then Chanticleer might be your place. read more

The neon outside of this establishment is attractive. The service is not. Yes I know that this is a dive bar. I love dive bars. After reading several reviews about the Chanticleer, I am happy to hear that I'm not the only patron who was disappointed with the service. It was my first time going out in Ithaca and I had high expectations about the nightlife. Perhaps it's cool and tolerable in the owners' mind to be passive-aggressive and unfriendly towards customers? I don't know, maybe that is in the staff training manual. Perhaps they don't want good tips. My boyfriend and I sat down at the sticky bar top and were greeted by a surly bartender who did not know how to give us advice about the local beer selection when we asked him which one he would recommend. A few things were decent about the bar besides the crappy service. The crowd was pretty cool - an older, grad school and academic crowd playing pool. The music was good. The decor is nice. All was going ok two beers in until two immature, wasted early twenty-somethings (if that) walked in. They were very rambunctious and rowdy and clearly were disturbing the peace. One of them (a heavy set girl) bumped into my boyfriend and was practically sitting on him instead of having her friend move the chair down towards her. She was too intoxicated to stand up straight. Then she freaked out in her drunken outrage accusing us of calling her fat because my boyfriend was startled by being practically sat on by a stranger, and moved his chair closer to me and more away from her. She briefly stepped outside returned minutes later with her posse and came up directly to me and my boyfriend and started hassling us, accusing us that she was being made fun of. The management should have noticed the first time that there was a disturbance occurring in their establishment. Did they? No, they ignored it. And then by the second time they finally stepped out of their "office" (just behind the bar) and barely made a demand for these young wasted individuals to leave the establishment. My boyfriend and I were extremely disturbed by this incident and we would have perhaps considered staying ordering a third drink but after these rowdy college-aged children ruined the environment, we decided to leave. We think that we deserve to pay for better service and a friendlier, less hostile environment when we go out to treat ourselves on a vacation. I loved all that Ithaca has to offer in terms of its natural beauty, but we were appalled by the gross company that we encountered at this bar and even more so the way in which the management decided to handle it (not very well). Also --- be careful when trying to pay with a credit or debit card. Just a tip - there is a $10 minimum for cards. read more

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The other reviews are on target about the service: teddy bears do not work behind the bar. But an amazing neon sign out front, a memorable name and a bare-bones interior sort of make up for the passive-aggressive attitude. Laugh it off and you'll be fine. read more

Great dive bar where you don't have to impress anyone. Good location and pool table.

This place rocks! As others have said, it helps if you know people when you go here. Otherwise you can feel a bit like a "stranger." But if you know people, this place can feel just as comfortable as your living room. The drinks are cheap and there's pool and pinball. To Sarah B. who said the bartender wasn't friendly because she asked for ID and to get paid for drinks... are you delusional? That's the bartender's job! You look young - I'm a bartender and I would definitely ID you (as would any bartender who knows what they're doing). And as far as asking you to pay for your drinks, which you seemed to think was rude because you were "clearly not going anywhere," that doesn't matter. If you want to start a tab, give the bartender your card. Don't expect to walk into a bar where you're not a regular and have the bartender just start a tab for you without a card and trust that you'll pay before you leave. It doesn't matter if the bar is empty or if the bartender doesn't seem busy - a bar can fill up quickly and customers can easily walk out without remembering to close their tab; it happens all the time. That's why bartenders ask you to pay or start a tab when they give you your first drink. Based on your review I can't help but assume that you're a spoiled college student and that you expect to be treated like royalty wherever you go, and if I may speak for the Chanti, I'm sure they don't care if they've lost your business. They do just fine with their regulars. read more

Where's the beef? So the bartender asked for ID's and asked them to pay for their drinks. Big deal. As for "obviously not going anywhere" I suppose she was expected to read their minds?? If you can't deal with a grumpy peri-menopausal bartender, don't ever get married. I like this place. Classic dive bar. Reasonable prices, well-managed, great location. read more