This was my usual haunt when I lived in NYC - still love the place so much and go back when I am there. Great bar tenders, owner, and drinks and pool and food! read more

This place is exactly what I wanted it to be: a dive bar, cheap drinks, music playing, and a chill vibe. Staff was awesome, and got everything quickly. This could easily by my go to bar. read more

See all

Really cheap drinks, a pool table and the Pixies on heavy rotation. All that in the ambiance of someone's basement in the 90's. What the hell else do you want? read more

I've been to Cherry Tavern many times and usually have a good time, but my last visit was so bad I ended up calling the cops. My friend and I were getting ready to leave--we had one last drink, used the bathroom, and planned to go. While in the bathroom, someone started banging aggressively on the door. My friend told them to relax and that people were inside. When she opened the door, a drunk girl made a snarky comment trying to push the door open to get in, but we just closed it again and ignored her. Then the banging got worse. My friend cracked the door open to make sure nothing was wrong and it wasn't an emergency, and suddenly a man named Moe--who wasn't even on shift--started screaming at us to "get the f*ck out." He kept yelling even as we left, instigating and even reopening the door to continue the argument. Eventually, he shoved me and called me a "coked-out whore." When I told him not to touch me, he claimed he meant to push someone else. Which made no sense because I was the only one in front of him. he told me to call the cops and leave her yelp review if I felt so strongly about it. So I did just that. I called the cops, and when they arrived, the bar was already shut down. Clearly, Moe knew what he was doing. He knew that if he shut the gate to the bar, then the cops wouldn't be able to do anything. He's completely unhinged and in all honestly it seemed like he was coked out because of how irrational and crazy he was acting. I bartend myself and understand how closing time can be especially frustrating, but we genuinely weren't doing anything wrong except for going to the bathroom before leaving. So if being screamed at and shoved by unhinged staff is your thing, Cherry Tavern's the spot. read more

Of all the bad business decisions a dive bar could make...getting rid of the pool table for tables and chairs is possibly the worst. Place will probably be out of business soon read more

Good vibes, small bar so its better for a smaller group. The drinks are rlly cheap!!! Love that. Theres one pool table and one bathroom. I would come here on a bar hop but not stay the whole night. My friend says my gin and tonic tastes like black pepper, i really enjoyed it. read more

Cherry Tavern - white claw - Dive Bars Near Me - New York, New York

the toddy's didn't burn my fingerprints off aka they're selling cold toddy's as hot todddys

Cherry Tavern is my favorite bar on the planet, and that's saying a lot, cuz in my 42 years on this planet, I've been to a lot of them. I live in San Francisco now but before I had kids I would fly to NY every year for my birthday to have my birthday party in this bar. A younger person gave this bar a 2-star review a couple of years ago. I've reproduced her review verbatim directly below this sentence, because everything she mentioned as a minus is a plus in my experienced eyes: "The place was alright. Drinks not bad but its definitely more of a chill place than I expected. They have a pool table which is pretty cool i guess but it was monopolized by old people. Average age was def over 30... not the vibe if youre trying to slay. Service was ok too... its cash or venmo only and didnt let you open a tab. Tv is v jank. Overall just a very mid experience Music is country and rock¿ dont think i need to say anything else" I will say that she's wrong about one thing; I've been coming to this bar since I was 21 (you know...half my life) and it has ALWAYS been the perfect vibe when when youre trying to slay. Whatever the heck that means. read more

If you want a dive bar that resembles NYC, this is your bar. The staff are as real as they can be. They take cash/venmo, give you your drinks, and leave you alone. Somebody at the bar tried to stir up drama and potentially start a fight, but fortunately it did not escalate and ended up with a "get out of my face" for no reason. That made it feel like a true NYC experience. It's the most OG and NYC dive bar I've been to in the city. If you want the true NYC experience come here. Just be careful not to mess with the locals! read more

See all

The place was alright. Drinks not bad but its definitely more of a chill place than I expected. They have a pool table which is pretty cool i guess but it was monopolized by old people. Average age was def over 30... not the vibe if youre trying to slay. Service was ok too... its cash or venmo only and didnt let you open a tab. Tv is v jank. Overall just a very mid experience Music is country and rock¿ dont think i need to say anything else read more

Chilled place. Got the buffalo wings and fries and it was good! Also LOVED the pickle back shot (whiskey with pickle juice). Will come again! read more

Best dive bar in Manhattan just got better. Now serves food. I recommend the wings. Great!!!!

Food was crazy. Had the bbq wings with fries. Definitely hits when the munchies do. I would recommend getting this when you come by.

I've been living in New York for 4 years now and I've never been to a bar with a ruder owner. My friends and I came in for Halloween and some of us don't drink. The owner cursed at us and said if we're not gonna drink we should get out and stop taking up a table. We still bought some alcoholic drinks and some not but he still cursed at us. Overall the bartender that helped us was very kind but the owner and one of the other bartenders were very rude and inconsiderate. Will not be coming back here. read more

It's a cool bar. Drinks are great for the price. They have a pool table, a full bar, and a few booths where you can chill and enjoy your drink. The place is cool for what it is. $5 Heineken. $8 Long Island. Cool vibes read more

Cherry Tavern - Red Long Island. $8! - Dive Bars Near Me - New York, New York

No Frams or frills at Cherry Tavern -- (except maybe the emulator in the back.) This place kind of sucks, but works well enough for what it is. It's a dive bar with an arcade machine in the back, a pool table, blase bartenders and cheap prices. While I often find myself here, I try to avoid it because it feels like you're drinking in your less than cool friend's divorced mom's basement. There is nothing to write home about, and I definitely wouldn't go out of my way to come here. If you have a member in your party that is a cheapskate, this will be fine enough. Which is often why I'm here. read more

This place is great but what is going on with the staff?! I was here with a group of friends and the security guard accosted us, grabbing our drinks out of our hands and saying "get the fuck out of my bar" because he was insisting we were sitting on the pool table. The pool table is located in the center of the bar so the entire crowded bar is pushed up against it. Yes, people are leaning on the pool table but no one was being remotely disrespectful in any way of the property. It's a bar in the LES. It's crowded. But the whole thing was startlingly out of the blue. Everything was fine and then this guy was screaming at us. Really sorry, but as an adult who has paid for a drink, you don't get to yank it out of our hands like an unruly child. We were a small group of chill mid 30-somethings, not a big group of drunk college bros. He also got physical with a woman friend of mine who is of color and asked her "can you even read?" while pointing at the sign saying "No drinks on the pool table." Really not looking to feel physically assaulted when we go out for a drink. After multiple attempts to apologize for the misunderstanding and attempts to reason with the security guard, he literally slammed the door in our face in this really dramatic display. We couldn't believe how personal this guy made the whole thing. Really not a good look, Cherry Lounge. Can you train your security team that this isn't some extension of their masculinity that they need to "protect," and yanking drinks out of your customers hands is treading on rough territory. read more

The bouncer assaulted my friends here. They laughed and brushed it off. I don't understand how places expect to thrive and treat their customers like this? read more

Mid bar (which was ok - wasn't looking for a fancy place). However, the bartender was absolutely unacceptable. I was denied water at the bar because I had left a "low tip" according to the bartender (after having waited needlessly long for one shot and thus leaving an average tip). He was extremely indignant and entitled, which I felt was unwarranted and frankly very upsetting and disrespectful. read more

Juke box, pool table, an actual refrigerator for beers and mixers instead of a commercial grade cooler? Yep, definitely a dive bar. And it's a damn good one. We came here right at opening, and were welcomed with open arms. Bartender was funny and friendly. They have PBR + shot deals (add a dollar and you can make it a pickleback). At happy hour, well drinks were $4!!! They actually also have pretty good beers too. read more

Cherry Tavern - They have a real full size fridge - Dive Bars Near Me - New York, New York

Owner yelled at a woman and cursed, making a scene. He over charged me for drinks which was clearly stated on the menu as he did with another customer. Would not come here again because the owner is weirdly aggressive. read more

the bartender is a lier. Made up a price for a marg that had its price on the menu. then when I questioned what he was charging for he yelled at me in front of the whole bar, cursing at me. He made me cry. So disrespectful and hurtful. read more

Cherry Tavern has filled a key position in my social life as my Favorite Dive Bar in NYC. This may not last and it may not even be so accurate considering the state of inebriation I'm usually in while enjoying Cherry. Despite these considerations, this bar has a pool table (a purple one!), a juke box that usually works, and a big bar with lots of cheap alcohol. The crowd is completely tolerable and low stress (no bar star sightings) with a propensity to drink heavily. And finally the location can't be beat, it's in the heart of the EV between 1st and A on 6th so you can easily start or end your night with a cherry on top! read more

Cherry Tavern - Dive Bars Near Me - New York, New York

It's a "dive", but there's not really anything special about this place. The bouncer at this place is out of control. I've noticed this overzealous bouncer trend at Cherry and some other bars like Niagara in recent years. I've only witnessed it. read more

This place is sick! Great bar service, fair prices, amazing June boxe options, pool, ... just great! Will come back for sure! The vibe is chilled and cool!!! If this was a helpful review leave your thumbs up and check my order ones for more tips! read more

See all

This bar is in a convenient location and it is wedged right in between Death & Co and Amor & Amargo. This is a dive bar, so be forewarned. You won't get a sexy interior or mixologists with handle bar moustaches to tell you about all the different bitters. But you will have a good time and this is why. Of course, my hottie date is late, this has been the pattern for awhile, but given the specimen, well worth the wait. I walk into the bar, scanned it out and decided to sit at the bar. The bar had a few people, but it wasn't packed. Two people ordered up 2 bottles of Amstel Light and tried to pay with a credit card. Bar maid declined the card, this is a CASH ONLY establishment. They walked out saying they would come back, but she didn't believed them and offered me their beers for FREE. Now, on the one hand, Amstel light is usually a deal breaker, but on the other hand, it was FREE. So I politely accepted, took a few gulps and checked out the draft list. Everything here is incredibly cheap, no beer over $7, which is great! And of course while you wait for a date, interesting things happen. For one, two girls to my left clearly were on a date and one started talking to me. A striking beautiful blonde she was. We chit chatted a bit, talked about JoanJett and the good jukebox music in the bar, offered up definitions for SNAFU and FUBAR, and before you know, it, she bought me a fireball shot. So for the half hour I waited for my date, I was offered 3 FREE drinks. Not bad at all if you ask me. And guess what? Those two people that ordered up the Amstel light came back! They got another round of beers, made out profusely and quickly left the bar...Ahem. Thirty minutes passed, the hottie walked through the door, mesmerized myself and the hot blonde and the drinking ensued. Not bad for a Tuesday school night. read more

My OG dive bar in NYC. What I love $5 tequila/tecate specials... Decent jukebox. Snarky bartenders. Who aint shy about buybacks if you are belly up to the bar for a night. I've spent a handful of Birthdays and Thursdays at the Tavern. ( what's the difference) I got nostalgic when I seen the Cherry Tavern while binge-streaming NYPD Blue (Season 3) I miss the Cherry Tavern, and it's time to go back . read more

More than just a dive bar... It's a dive bar with charm. All the people I talked to there were pretty nice, normal, and friendly.. definitely a good crowd. The only drawback was it got too crowded after 10pm. Bonus points awarded for the pool table and Arcade Fire in the jukebox. read more

Cherry Tavern - Pool Table - Dive Bars Near Me - New York, New York

Literally a hole in a wall. If my friend didn't stop me I would have walked right pass it. If you are looking for this place, just look up and find the sign that says Cherry Tavern. This is as dive bar as it gets. One pool table, not much else. Cash only, just drinks. Don't expect anything fancy at all...you get exactly what you ask for and nothing more. One person taking over the bar and that's about it. I don't think I'll be coming back here. It wasn't awful, just something about this place didn't sit well with me. I just felt a little creeped out and couldn't wait to get out of this place. The people there are a great crowd who are really there just to have a good time, but I couldn't make this place work. read more

The bartender (man) kicked out some underage kids that tried getting in and we're hanging outside, drinking 40s which is fair cause they shouldn't be doing that. As they left, they were talking back so the bartender snapped and said "how bout I whip my dick out? How bout that?" And a woman who was there said "yo like that's disgusting. Why would you say that to teenagers?" And the bartender said something like "how about you don't get involved and mind you're fucking business" and they go back and forth a little more until he's telling her to get the fuck out and she said "no I'm gonna finish my drink that I paid for then I'll leave" and the bartender grabs the drink from her and throws it in her face then she gets up and he takes another drink and throws it in her face, mind you he is also smashing glasses on the ground, throwing bottles and glasses at her. He put his hand on her neck and someone stepped in but I swear he would've hit her right then and there. It was so messed up, the worst thing I've seen happen at a bar. I would give it a zero just cause of that incident - very unacceptable behavior on the bartenders behAlf. He shouldn't have escalated the situation or put his hands on the woman. Loved coming here, became a regular but now can never go back because I am disappointed by this behavior. It's disgusting and he should not work there. read more

Dax is the best bartender in New York! All of my friends loved him, he was super sociable and polite and charitable. The vibes of this bar were 10/10 and I recommend everyone here! read more

Best bar ever. Bar none. So cheap and strong. Do not hesitate! Good specials and drinks!!!!! Woooooo read more

Cherry Tavern has everything you look for in a go to bar: great drink specials, some activities, great music, and a relax atmosphere. They have cheap drafts and a pbr and whiskey combo for $5 or $6 depending on the night. They have a small billiards table and a video game console. read more

The bouncer violently grabbed me as I walked in!! So hard that I have a bruise!!! He was incredibly aggressive and disrespectful and violent. They were "at capacity", but I wasn't aware of that and instead of simply telling me he grabbed me and violently shoved me away from my friend and started yelling at me in front of everyone. Completely insane! Would not recommend going to this bar if they allow this kind of behavior. read more

This bar is not hiding anything. It knows what it is: a dive bar. And it does it really well. You'll see young, alternative college students hanging out with their friends, and slightly older neighborhood residents on the barstools. Don't go here to pick up chicks or dudes. You come here to meet the characters that make NYC so great. Stop by if you're not a jerk. read more

One of my favorite bars I have yet to revisit. It's one of those places that I check in on until I can get back to because they're totally endangered in NYC. read more

I visited this dive bar over the weekend! Cheap prices, but it's cash only. This is your local tavern-- pretty dated but still cozy. I would stick with beer here - cocktails weren't great. There's a few booths and pool table in the back - great for a chill night! read more

Happened to stumble upon this place the other night after my group left a super crowded bar down the street. It's definitely not like the other bars on the street but if you want a cool place with a homey feel, good drinks, maybe a quick round of pool, and some good conversation I would go here. The drinks are fair priced. I got a couple rounds of Mojitos and they were great. The place is small but once again if you just want to find a nice place to chill with your friends, go here. Also, they have available outlets (god bless!) my phone was practically dead. Loved this place and I'll be back again. read more

So this one time, at Cherry Tavern, I participated in a drinking contest. (Did I mention this was also a first date?) Cherry Tavern was the second stop, and I already had three drinks in me. (Did I mention that since I was nervous about the date, I skipped dinner?) Cherry Tavern had this great special for $5, a shot of tequila and can of beer. They also had a great jukebox, and my date gave me money to play about a dozen songs. (Did I mention the date worked in a restaurant and regularly drank with iron-livered bartenders?) About two tequila/beers in and I was at that happy place. I couldn't believe the great music that was being played and exclaimed, "Wow, I wonder who put in the Sisters of Mercy song!" "That was you," the date answered. "Wow, I wonder who put in the Crowded House song!" "That was you, too. These are all songs you chose." "They are?" I tried to remember, but the tequila, beer, and rum from earlier had done its worst. "I'll be right back." I stumbled into the bathroom. You can guess what happened next. Ever since that night, I look back on Cherry Tavern with a mixture of fondness and horror. (Did I mention there was no second date?) read more

The Diet Coke @ Cherry Tavern was pretty damn good. It got the job done and was followed by a Sprite of equal quality. Cherry Tavern reminds me of my ex girlfriend who could tie a cherry stem into a knot with her tongue. I thought this was pretty cool till I realized she was treating the penis of one of my co workers like a cherry stem too. So I am single and Cherry Tavern was the destination for a date I made on Ok Cupid. The date was pretty much a dud. It started out with us both agreeing that it was really cold out and after that not much else. Well I guess the search continues and I shall move on to the next. I have been going on a lot of dates lately and people keep telling me that I am a serial dater and I should slow down.... But I disagree. I am not a serial dater. I just really like uncomfortable situations in a dive bar atmosphere. read more