One of the best dive bars around. $2 PBR cans during Happy Hour, $3 otherwise. Can't be beat. Tiny place (only 3 tables and bar space for about 10) but it's kitschy in the dive bar sort of way. Staff has always been friendly and service is quick. They also had some crazy specialty drinks with Jack and iced tea that looked like it was about 90% alcohol. Insanity. Great selection on the jukebox too. Come here with friends for a low-key time and some good tunes! read more

The beer & tequila shot special is now $6 bucks, Obama's lousy stewardship obviously to blame. The Che's Ice Tea was awful. It was supposed to be a mojito type of thing. It tasted like a Doublemint gum urinal cake (wintergreen) thing. Again, Obama's sucky-ness probably to blame. The Moscow lemonade was actually good, Cherry vodka and Newman's lemonade. One could easily get banged up drinking a few of these lemonade things, so don't lose count. read more

Cheap drinks, friendly staff... Try the Moscow lemonade... Guarantee you won't be able to stop with just one. Most drinks are under 5 bucks... They have cheapie beers and shots combos too (around 6 bucks). The dark and dingy atmosphere, grungey jukebox selections, little lighting make this a nice pregame spot with friends.. Not suitable for dates. read more

Cherry Tavern - Moscow lemonade and a pickleback. $10 total. - Dive Bars Near Me - New York, New York

This place is like a gun, treat it with respect because it can kill you! I have been drinking here since I arrived in NYC 10 years. I was originally a broke college student who was drawn here for the Tijuana Special, a shot of Montezuma Tequila and a Tecate for $4. Now it is $5 for the special and they added the Old Glory as well which is a shot of Whiskey and Beer! Many places have similar specials now! It is filled with discount seeking drunks, who love rock, metal and punk. They do have a pool table if you want to pretend like you are not just there for the cheap drinks and dive atmosphere! read more

The Old Glory special (PBR and shot of whiskey -$4) brought me back to this bar many times. Cherry Tavern is a dark, divey bar with a great jukebox and a nice looking purple pool table. There is nothing particularly extraordinary about this bar other than the cheap drinks, but the location made this a frequent quick stop when out on the town. read more

I'll take a line from Yogi Berra to describe the East Village bar scene: "Nobody goes there anymore; it's too crowded." Fortunately, there's always the Cherry Tavern. At the Cherry, even if it's crowded, you can drink here in relative peace (with friends who have a habit of ordering the divey $5 'special'). And by drink, I mean get drunk. read more

This is a great place to go if you're trying to forget your own name. I can't even tell you how many times I've been there because of how drunk I was. My memory is that they have a pool table, and other yelp reviews would corroborate that story, and I think the equipment was in fine shape. Drinks are spectacular. I recomend this one shot with gina nd creme de menth... I think. One big problem: people get upset when you use the women's bathroom, but the men's room is a double-occupancy toilet & urinal twaysh, and I just don't roll like that. read more

Cherry Tavern, 5 stars. As simple as that! No wait, there's more. One, if you love dive bars, pool, good music, and above all, cheap drinks (especially in Manhattan), then this is the place to go. Decent crowd, don't worry about pretentious hipsters here and $5 PBRs with a shot a whiksey - how can you go wrong? I've been coming here for about 9 years and it's still a favorite. read more

Inexpensive beer, good crowd, good music, from Johnny Cash to Jay Z, very cozy but good room to dance. Not a wild bunch. and to top it off, they have a badass PURPLE felt pool table. How much better can ya get... read more

i've been going here for, oh my god, 17 years. yeah, i know, i look young, and you better believe i looked even younger when i was underage, trying to sneak into this joint. somehow though, i always got in, except for the one time the bouncer wouldn't let me in because, get this: i had short hair and the beginnings of a full-sleeve tattoo on my left arm. he claimed i was a skinhead. (in the mid 90's, the C-TAV was a known skinhead hangout) when he said this, i laughed, gestured to my eyes (demonstrably asian) and said, "DO I LOOK LIKE A NAZI TO YOU?" he let us in. anyway, that was like, nearly two decades ago so maybe i should talk about the cheap drinks, the faux wood paneled walls and what is arguably THE BEST jukebox in all of lower manhattan. want to rock out to guns n roses? get morose to the smiths? drink along with paul westerberg & the rest of the replacements? shimmy your hips to the misfits? fondly reminisce CBGB's glory days while listening to quicksand? you get the idea. small pay per game pool table for those of you who need to get your billiards game on. me, you'll find me pumping the juke full of quarters, waiting eagerly for "bastards of young." i could regale you with the 900000 evenings i've spent here getting loaded, dancing like an asshole, making out with various other patrons (or staff), fistfights and after-hours shenanigans that went down here at the cherry tavern but...i'd just sound like grandma muttering in the corner about the good ole days. read more

Owner/bar manager pushed me. Not ok. Don't go there. I tried to stop him from hitting a customer and he grabbed me, a women.

Good prices, even for a dive bar:my bicardi and diet was $5. Still, I noticed that even though I was really trashed before coming in...I was less drunk when I left. Apparently, you get about as much booze as you pay for. Great deals though - the special last night was tecate and tequila for $5. It's laidback, empty (even late night on a Friday) with a great selection of video games and a pool table, so a good spot for meeting up or a shot or two. read more

The good: Price, price price. You're looking at $5 and $6 beer and shot specials. As of last month they get $5 for an "Old Glory Special" which is a can of PBR and a shot of house whiskey. Then you got the almighty $6 "Tijuana Special" which is a can of Tecate and a shot of disgusting "Montezuma's Revenge" brand rack tequila. I can't speak for the mixed drinks' price or quality because in 10+ years of going there I've never ordered anything but Tijuanas. This is a beer and shot place. The bathrooms are grimy. The walls have the classic "dogs playing poker" artwork amongst a few other kooky pieces. The lighting is dim red which is great if you're trying to cover up some blemishes or a few extra pounds. This bar has been around for many years and hopefully will be around for many more. It's owned by an old Ukrainian woman with a big fluffy dog who owns the property which is why I think they aren't going anywhere. They have a purple felt pool table that charges about a buck in quarters for a game. The table is all banged up and the cues are about as straight a Washington politician but it matters little because it's just a conversation piece. Most of the rock and rollers in there are friendly. The bad: As usual, the low price tends to attract some unsavoury clientèle. I've seen crust punks and homeless in there. Back in the early 2000's the crowd was usually all young rock and rollers but in the last 10 years there's been an influx of bridge and tunnel rats, thugs, and NYU trash. Often times the d-bags waiting to get into nightclubs will hang out in here in the meantime. They jacked the prices (probably in response to that) several years ago. It used to be so easy to lay out a 5 and a single but now you need to dig for that extra single unless you want to stiff them. I was in there not long ago and the (maybe) 21 year old kid bartender didn't know what a Tijuana special was. I thought they were joking but as it turns out it wasn't a joke. That's like working in McDoodle's and not knowing what a Big Mac is! As others have mentioned, this bar can get VERY crowded after 10PM. There was a few times we went to walk in and the door didn't budge. Confused, we pushed harder only to reveal a definitely illegal WALL of about 200 people squished into there like sardines. It's hit or miss though because there's been times not that long ago when I stayed in there for hours and the place was dead when by all means it should have been standing room only. Protip: Some underground rap collaborative uses the place as their de facto base once a week. I forget when it is but unless you're into arrogant Slim Shadies with attitudes stay the *&^ out if you look through the windows and see all sideways baseball caps. The ugly: I've found things swimming in my drinks and seen stink flies near the cutting boards but for this price it's not that serious. If you're not with that, then I suggest you and your snooty 6 foot faux Amazonian over privileged white princesses go get on the waiting list for Death and All His Friends or whatever that stupid d-bag bar is called down the block. I'll keep my dirty ass hipster girls with questionable morals who pound tequila and have unprotected sex on the first or second date. In conclusion: Like I said in my Lit Lounge review, going to Cherry Tavern is like watching Robert Plant during the 2007 Led Zeppelin reunion. There's definitely still something in the tank but it's bittersweet. The place is full of memories and there can be no denying it was once legendary. However, much like Robert Plant, you can't overlook the fact that times have changed. The thrill is gone but it can still be a decent bar if you hit it on a good night. The bar has definitely been on a downward slide since Rodney and Jessica stopped working there around 2009-2010. There's always new faces working the bar every time I go nowadays but those 2 were long time legends in their time; they were the AC/DC of bartenders. They didn't bother trying to woo you with anything complex like $20 cocktails that look like the blue stuff the barber cleans combs in. They were the quintessential meat and potatoes dive bartenders who gave you shots, beers, rock, and good convo. Nothing will ever be that good again. read more

The clientele is borderline scary and the drinks are not that cheap. There is way better in the east village! They could improve by making the place more cosy... a place where you can actually have a conversation and play games! Also same playlist was on repeat ALL night read more

I went to this bar with a few friends because we couldn't get in next door. I didn't really enjoy my night here : the lighting is terrible and the music is way to loud to have a decent conversation. Good place if you're only there to drink and leave right away tough. read more

sweet drink deals, but have you ever tried to imagine what this place would look like with the lights on?

This dive bar is very loud and the music is not really good. Also a lot of underage NYU kids come here because they don't card. Prices are quite high. Doesn't make for a good night read more

Hands down the best little bar in the east village. I've been coming here for several years and it never disappoints. Dive without being dirty. Drinks are reasonably priced and the bartenders are always cool. Check it out but beware on weekends. It's very crowded. read more

No idea why this place has 4 stars. first off, i felt like i needed to shower immediately after i left. on a thursday night the place was basically empty and the people that were there were pretty odd. it is cheap, but not cheap enough that i'd go back. read more

I'm all for a dive bar, but I will not be visiting this bar again. The bartender was rude, my friend & I the only patrons in the bar, heard her complaining on her cellphone about how she didn't want to be there serving us. I ignored it, had two drinks and went to another bar in the area. The jukebox & cheap drinks were the only draw, but our bartender even turned down the music so she could read. There are better dive bars with cheap drinks, I'd suggest avoiding this one! read more

The Cherry Tavern has had that certain type of old skool NYC charm forever. I usually avoid it on the weekends as it is tiny and can get really crowded. In fact, if I remember correctly I met my third wife at the Cherry Tavern. Total sweetheart, unbelievably charming and completely old skool . The jukebox is top notch and the Mexican drink special of a shot of tequila along with a Tecate reminds me of my first 12 drinks after escaping from that Tijuana Corrections Facility. There is a pool table in the back and always a friendly patron willing to participate in a drunken game of eight-ball. Bring your ID and your American Express card. Cherry Tavern might not accept credit cards but membership still has it's privileges. read more

Here's the thing about Cherry Tavern...I went many times as a 20-something living in NYC and my friends and I would always have hit or miss experiences here, but the positives outweighed the negatives enough to keep us coming back. The bar would always be hoppin, with a diverse mix of folks swinging back cheap-O pickleback shots and beers! Returning last night as a 30-something - I admit that I went into it doubting I could ever re-live some of Cherry's more magical moments, but the thing of it is- this place sustains itself by being a solid dive bar. It's not pretending to be anything more than it is, and that is reflected in the insanely cheap drink prices ($4 for my beer!???), the grungy pool table in the back, the jukebox (which played pure awesomeness last night, by the by) and the rickety old wooden tables and chairs scattered throughout the space. We came early because we are old people, and the place was pretty empty, but it allowed us to commandeer the back. By the time we called it (12:30) the place was packed and seemed to be just as popular as it was 7 years ago! So there you go- they must be doing something right. My major complaint would be that it's waaaay too inconvenient for me to get to, so I wouldn't go out of my way to frequent the place (since it is a standard dive), but if you're a local and you can't get into Death & co, then walk 2 doors down and stop in! PS- it is CASH ONLY, so bring some! read more

Who doesn't love a great dive bar? Anyone? Bueller? Yeah. This place is a total dive. Great juke box. Purple felted pool table Teeny bathroom. Quick bartenders. Super nice bouncer. Oh and the beers are cheap. All around great place to stop in for a few when in the East Village. What's that you say? NEVER been to a dive bar?? Well damnit, get over here and pop that dive bar cherry already! read more

Stopped thru here while wandering on a business trip (was waiting for the underwhelming Death & Co. next door). Great hole-in-the-wall bar, one that I would love to take back to Chicago. Tiny, tiny, tiny, but the locals were nice, and played some doubles games of pool with a few people (on their hideous purple pool table). "I'll be back" read more

I'm giving this place four stars based on the reason that they have Bad Brains and the Melvins on the jukebox AND the pool table is purple. :-) read more

Sometimes, I come to the Cherry Tree and revel in Old Glory specials, while jamming out to some Dr. Dre. Other times, I come here and guzzle Tijuana specials and rest my can of Tecate on the purple felt of the pool table, waiting to be reprimanded by the blond bar vixen. read more

I used to come here all the time when I first moved to NYC, enchanted by their $4 taps and empty tables. In the intervening years, I stopped coming to Cherry Tavern, lured as most twenty-somethings are by packed and expensive cocktail bars. But now that I'm nearing 30, I see the old appeal of Cherry Tavern. People are nice, the jukebox queue is never deep, beers are cheap, and there's always a place to sit. You could do a lot worse in the East Village (which almost goes without saying). read more

This is the hallmark for dive bars. Cash only, cheap drinks, dingy Old New York feel. Great place to be over dressed at waiting for your spot at Death and Co, a meer 20 feet away. read more

One of our standby bars-- can't beat the special: a shot of tequila and a can of Tecate beer for five dollars. Gets you drunk quickly and cheaply. (I think there's a four dollar weeknight special of a similar combo, but I can't remember what of.) I read in an old '90s Zagats Nightlife book that this bar was a really "hip dive" where Liv Tyler & models used to hang out, which is funny. It's hard to still be a real "dive" in the shiny new East Village, but this place has absolutely no pretentions. It's never too hipper-than-thou or preppy-come-downtown: just cool people doing the tequila wobble. I guess they could replace the pool table with a few more seats. read more

I have definitely had fun at this place and I keep going back. I am not sure if I like how divey it is out of irony, but I know for a fact that the cheap wells and "cocktail specials" (usually just some weird mixer like homemade iced tea) make for a good time. The crowd does seem a bit weird but that's all part of the experience. Overall, a great dive. read more

Five stars because it is what it claims to be. They don't have food. They don't have nice bartenders. They do have cheap drinks and a pool table. Sat in the booth in the back after ordering some PBR's and didn't leave for six hours. Metal Juke Box!!! Appreciate this spot! read more

I am fond of this place because it's the cheapest. But now there are too many memories, and they're all cheap.

scuzzy, dark, cheap brewskis (they changed the name from beer to brewski*...look it up) this is a good place to drink alcohol to get drunk. *those who oversee and administer english read more

This place is really dirty and quite expensive for a dive bar. The worst is their choice of music, always the three songs on repeat!

$5 beer and a shot, how can you beat a dive bar that rocks this much?

mmmm. cherry. one of my new neighborhood crushes. i give you only 4 stars to keep you under the radar. but you know you have 5 stars in my heart. you have everything i need when i am on the prowl for cheap libations and the opportunity for trouble. straight forward no frill digs with straight forward no frills offerin's. and the bartenders do just that.... tend to your thirst and treat you right.... read more

Went there the other night around 1am and they had run out of lemonade for one of their signature drinks, the Moscow lemonade. I was pretty bummed, but just got the cherry vodka in club soda. Also, this place was really packed...I'm used to it being a little empty, but on Saturday night it picks up. read more

It's a time warp here, even the drinks are the same price as the '80's! Simple good and STRONG drinks in this hole-in-the-wall dive. Nice place to wait while the door man at Death and Co assures you your table 'won't be long..." and that he will give you a 'ring' when it's ready! read more

A great and inviting dive bar to hang out in while you wait for your call back from Death & Company. Bartender was quick and attentive.

I had a lot of fun here the other night...late...like 3am...shooting pool (so badly) and drinking Tecate (cheap!). Generally, it is a small, neighborhood dive that is perpetually crowded on the weekend. Not amazing, but a staple of the EV. read more