After spending the night at Proletariat (which closes at 2), my friend and I were still looking for a place to hang and have a few drinks. So the bartender mentioned Bua to us and said that he would probably join us for a drink since Bua closes at 4. So we hung out for the remainder of the night at Bua which happened to be a pretty cool little bar. It has a great late night atmosphere which is conducive to having a conversation. They also have a pretty solid draft beer line up. In my drunken state I thought the bathroom might be down that staircase thats in the back...I was wrong. After climbing the stairs, one of the guys that worked there guided me in the right direction. Thank you sir, for your clarity and assistance in helping me void my bladder. read more

We came in here on a Friday night, so it was crowded, but I did score a seat at the bar. The bartender was nice, we had a double cheeseburger, which was nothing to write home about and a little overpriced ($13, no sides) and fried artichokes, which were tasty. I had some kind of tequila based cocktail, which was small, but good. All in all it was not my typical scene, but fine for a quick bite and drink. read more

Like the atmosphere and drinks here. Esp. like the margaritas. It's fun to come with a group and sit outside on the patio benches to enjoy the weather on a nice night. read more

I'd only ever been here for drinks and usually on the fly when bar hopping with friends or meeting someone who's already there- I actually didn't even know the name of the bar when I walked in and I'd never given it much thought until I ended up there after watching the Champions League final and was so hungry I could've eaten my own arm. The friendly Irish bartender put in my order for the chicken sandwich... Mind blown! In fact, I might go back there this weekend to eat another chicken sandwich. I'm not really a repeat offender of any establishment because hey it's New York City! and I feel like the grass is always greener...but the race is now on for a better chicken sandwich. If you find one, please message me, no lie. read more

Look no further, folks! A bar in EV with decent food, drinks, great music (old school hip hop)... not packed, good crowd for a Saturday night. My two reservations with this bar are that the entrance is a little oddly placed, and the bartenders this past Saturday night were probably the drunkest people there. Be sure to check out the other room that's semi-hidden to the left - grab a seat in there! read more

I've been here on both busy nights and quieter ones and the atmosphere is always pleasant. I love the brick walls and the candles stuck into little nooks - very cute. They make great cocktails and have a decent number of beers on tap. It's a little pricey for my student budget, but I like it anyway. It's also in my hood so it's convenient as well. read more

Best no-bullshit bar in the city. The bartenders are cool, they play great music, and it's super relaxed. The Habanero Margarita is hands down my fave mixed drink at this bar. It's sweet, spicy, lime-y, and fully LOADED with tequila. read more

I dig the bangin' selection of draft beers. I dig the vibe. I dig the decor. I dig the bartenders. I dig the grilled cheese (I'm five). Ya dig? read more

Came here for drinks and sat out on the patio. We had already had dinner (and our fair share of drinks) but we weren't quite ready to venture to Sing Sing. Bua had the industrial windows open, despite the rain, to allow diners inside the restaurant to enjoy some fresh air which is definitely a nice addition, assuming you're not the poor couple on a first date behind us. In between sips of our "fully loaded" Modelo's (I believe we had a much more inappropriate name at the time courtesy of the waitress) we got the greatest notion to play the ever-popular iPhone game "Heads Up." Somewhere between "Adult Entertainment" and "Act It Out" Bua diners told us they'd had enough by making us all get up as the restaurant closed the industrial windows to drown out our sound. As the window was closing, I heard (the manager?) say, "kick them out at midnight." I was so impressed at the way they handled the situation. We were never "shh'd" or told to keep our voices down. We were never reprimanded or threatened to be kicked out. They let us enjoy our fun, and, lucky enough for them and for us, we were out by 11:30. For a place as cool as this, I'd definitely come back (sober). read more

I have been coming here for years, its my third fav bar in NYC period. I love everything from the range of beer, the layout of the bar to the heavy bathroom doors. I find it very refreshing that there are no mirrors in the bathroom as well. Came last night with a whole bunch of friends for their anniversary party and had a blast. Gaston our bartender was light and quick on his feet, super accommodating and absolutely charming! Always a good time in Bua! Go in and ask for Gaston, u will not be disappointed. read more

A cool chill place to kick back with drinks and a few friends. The wine isn't so great so I'd stick to their specialty drinks. The place has a rustic feel and it's hard not to feel comfortable here. I would actually even come here on my own. I like the outdoor deck area where there are several small cozy tables and gives you a wide open view onto St Mark's... great for people watching. I've only been to Bua when the place is pretty empty (weeknights) so I had no idea it could get crowded here! Hm... maybe I should check it out on a wknd after the other yelp reviews i've read... 3 stars + 1 more for potential. read more

A nice place to grab drinks among good looking people. Exposed brick, attentive bartenders and general bustle make the place warm and cool simultaneously. Gets a bit crowded later, but table service continues: which is great if you're at a table, not so good if you're in the narrow section at the bar where the wait staff continually needs to squeeze by. read more

I can see why this is a hot spot: good drinks, open air, flirty/romantic vibe (but not too much)... I had the Red Lemonade, and it was perfect to have as a cool-down cocktail. My main issue was the wait. It took about 20min to get 7 drinks (ordered all at once) because the bartender was not enough to handle all of the customers there. read more

A great bar with a decent selection of beers on tap and cozy interior, complete with exposed brick, wooden booths and big windows. And this place has no attitude. It's not hip, but better, just laid back and cool. read more

went here for a happy hour,and had a lovely time until the waitress put a "reserved" sign down on our table and told us we had to be out by 9. the mystifying thing was that we were a large group crowded around one table, while the next table over, that was the same size, had only two people. what bar would kick out a group of 8 that has ordered many drinks and lots of food and keep a couple that's nursing a couple of beers? oh, and the bouncer was a total dick and told us to clear the sidewalk in front of the bar. (this was st. mark's. on a friday night. there were many people on the sidewalk.) but other than that, it's a lovely place. the pulled pork sliders are a little overpriced but quite tasty. i'd go back, but not with lots of people, because apparently they don't like having lots of people in their bar. read more

Really great happy hour. $5 Eastside Cocktails with a really cool bathroom door and wooden seats. Not a swanky place and just the way I like it =) Also a great place for outdoor seating read more

Nothing good remains undiscovered, which is why Bua is painfully overcrowded on weekends or late at night. And it's no fun in there if you have to stand. So go early and snag one of their cushy seats and hang out all night, listen to their great music choices and enjoy their specialty cocktails - is a good time. read more

My kind of bar: it's a bar-ry type bar. I like the sliding doors to the bathroom and the couches outside (although it was raining last night). I wasn't there too long but my friends that live in alphabet city promise its like our favorite bar from college, the kind of bar where you can get to know the bartender. read more

I went here last saturday night with some friends. This place is a keeper! Exposed bricks, small outdoor area & very dim tables make this a cool hangout. However, it is really small & can get packed. Def a good spot to grab a beer with some hipsters read more

This place was nice and cozy, not too crowded and decent priced drinks. Halfway through our stay, three men dressed in Banana suits walked in and got the attention of many. Anyway, its a great bar to hang out at! read more

outdoor people watching seating 5/5 grilled cheese with spicey pickles 5/5 cocktails 4/5 wait staff 3.5-4/5 prices 4/5 pulled pork deliciousness 5/5 proximity to other bars 5/5 read more

Horrible experience. Our waitress Briana was so rude to our group. She gave us attitude for the whole 20 minutes we were seated. Had to leave because she was so unpleasant. Gave us the check before we even asked for it. Won't be coming back any time soon. read more

This is my favorite bar in the east village. Novi, Ollie, Gema, Dale are all the best the bartenders and waitresses. The chicken sandwich is the absolute jumpoff. Happy hour is good too: $4 beers, $5 drinks. read more

The food was exceptionally bad. The fries were overly salty and dry. They only had a pork hamburger and there was barely anything else in the menu as dinner choices. The ambiance was nice, the place was very packed out with people as per a regular NYC bar. Although the waitress herself was sweet, she only came to our table to take our order. We asked to have our soups first and they brought it out all together anyway. Waitress did not come by to bring utensils or to check up. I had to go find her to ask for the check. Overall, the food was lacking in flavor and tasted old. Although it may be a nice hang out spot for some happy hour drinks, I certainly would not recommend it for dinner. read more

What can I say, this bar happens to be in the best location (in the heart of the Village East) and has the best social scene. Casual, with a fair amount of beers on tap, you'll be sure to find a good crowd even on a random weeknight. Mark and Simon really set the benchmark as the bar to be at above Canal and below 14th Street. Perk: warm weather, there's a small amount of outdoor seating. Perfect for scouting out the talent! read more

This is decent little bar if you're constantly getting snubbed by all the Speakeasy's in the area. The bartender was friendly, the environment was sociable, and they have an okay selection of drinks on the menu/draft. This place could get packed so if your trying to get to the restroom, you'll be bumping asses with a bunch of dudes (yeah, this place was a sausage-fest when I went). Nevertheless, this is not a bad place to grab a drink on your bar-hopping adventure. read more

Great happy hour with a nice beer selection and really nice cocktails (not crap mixed drinks). It's also really nice inside and on the patio. read more

Bua is a casual place for good beers in the hood, especially after work and when the weather is nice. The crowd is interesting [literally from everywhere-anywhere!] This is a good place to meet friends to kick off your night. read more

good, strong drinks and service was pretty good... seemed very laid back but what else do i expect from an east village bar... i would definitely go back... read more

My favorite chicken sandwich in NY! So delicious! You have to try it! Love the outside seating, but often crowded.

I love this spot. I stuck to the red lemonade all evening (crisp/not too sweet/perfect for the warm night I was there), but the pickle martini is what I want to try next. The bar has a good amount of seating and there are larger tables in the adjacent room for bigger groups. It's softly lit with a low-key but simultaneously energetic vibe? Not sure how they pulled that off, but I'm into it. It's a good mix. They have a nice patio, but it shuts down way too early. I'd like to check it out during the day though. There are two bathrooms, which is great when there's a line, but the barn door styled doors are SUPER heavy, so be careful when opening them. Bartender was attentive (and cute), nice remixy music was playin all evening, and I just generally had a nice time here. Will def be returning. read more

Outdoor seating, St. Marks, and a great crowd make Bua one of my favorite neighborhood bars. While it tends to get overly crowded on the weekends, (and weeknights) this place is a staple in the E. Village scene. Music here ranges from The Spoons to the Human League which is a great plus, and there's ample room for mingling inside. My only complaint is that there is a lack of seating and some really peculiar bathroom doors (sliding? really?) but, all in all I love this place. read more

Got rid of the cheese curds???? BUT WHY? You still have the pickle martini though...ok

This has been my favorite bar for about a year now. Their happy hour boasts amazing cocktails for around $5. The downside is that too many people know this and Bua tends to fill up pretty quickly early on in the evening. Sometimes I feel like they could do with an extra bartender, but they drinks are made to such perfection that I rarely mind waiting a few more minutes for my drink. read more

Bua is a solid, solid spot. Great vibe, good crowd and AMAZING happy hour specials seven days a week (until 8 pm). It's tough to comb through the bars on St. Mark's and there are quite a few on this block alone, but make a stop here. The atmosphere is rustic and super chill. I love the eclectic music they play too - everything from Adele to Alicia Keys. If you can, get here early on a nice day and try to snag one of the outdoor tables. There are essentially only two but if you strike out there, they have all of the windows in the front open so you don't really miss out on the open air. Oh, and the crowd - definitely more mature than some other spots in the East Village. All around winner. read more

This is going to be a very quick review. Snobby people, good food, drinks ehh... small, expensive and the bartender won't make a cocktail not on this "specified" drink menu, service terrible. Thank God the food was good!! You're better off going to ten degrees across the street... no offense. Just a little uptight for my style. Most likely will not return unless no other choices are available and guess what it's the East Village.... so that would be hard to believe. read more

Got there past 10pm on a Friday night. It's not the best place to be if you don't have a table. While waiting around the bar, a waitress accidentally spilled drinks over me--I don't blame her since the area was so crowded. I can't comment on the quality of the drinks but the one bartender we ordered drinks from seemed friendly enough. It's alright if you prefer a louder, more casual atmosphere. read more

Tasty and inexpensive happy hour drinks, but the food is underwhelming. The overpriced burgers are tiny and not very tasty.

Waitress was horrible. I was told that I couldn't put my name down for a table and had to wait around for an open table. Fine. As soon as I grab an open table, the waitress comes over and tells me that the table is reserved. This place is a joke and I definitely won't be returning. read more

Poor drink, and they wouldn't get me a new one. We left. Will not return. Plenty of bars in the hood. read more

Bua - Bad bad bad - Bars Near Me - New York, New York