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    Local 138

    3.8 (261 reviews)
    InexpensiveBars
    Open 3:00 pm - 3:00 am (Next day)

    Local 138 Photos

    Business Info

    LOCAL 138 ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Divey
    Moderate noise
    Good for groups
    Outdoor seating

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    Recommended Reviews - Local 138

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    Bar hall
    Amit P.

    This is nice dive bar on the lower east side if you don't want to go somewhere loud and can speak to people. I will say, the drinks were pretty expensive for a dive bar but I guess with inflation prices are going up. That being said we didn't go during happy hour as well but overall chill atmosphere. The music was totally on point and you have to check out the bathroom - total dive bar vibes!

    Back view scenario
    Myra C.

    Ok ok lately I have been visiting spots and having a ball. I figure, why not, right!? This place is cozy and they sell picklebacks! Nice! It's lower Manhattan so you know how it goes. Fun fun fun. Music good vibes is what I seek & find to be what I want. Come thru. I think you'll have a good time!

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    Page 2 of 7

    Ask the Community - Local 138

    Review Highlights - Local 138

    One of the only bars in the LES where you'll see exclusively women and non binary folks behind the bar, which I love!

    Mentioned in 26 reviews

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    Grove Street Social

    Grove Street Social

    4.0
    (30 reviews)
    1.1 mi

    Grove Street Social has an excellent happy hour with a million choices of food! When I'm looking…read morefor a happy hour, I'm always looking for one with bar food. We had the sliders, mozz sticks & fried pickles and were happy with all of them and the prices. Drinks were also good. This place is very small, with maybe 3 tables, a small couch seating area, and seats around the bar. To snag a happy hour table, getting there before 5 is preferable. It can get loud in there, but it's a great spot!

    We met up for happy hour at Grove Street Social with friends--one who has lived in the West Village…read morefor over a decade and another visiting from Pennsylvania. It ended up being a nice spot for a casual catch-up, though with a few mixed impressions. The space itself is cute and very much feels like a neighborhood bar. One of the things we liked most was that they have games available--we ended up playing Scrabble while waiting for our friend to arrive, which made the time go by quickly and added to the relaxed vibe. Happy hour prices are solid, and the fried pickles we shared were decent. I also had a watermelon cocktail that was refreshing and perfectly fine, if not particularly memorable. Service was a bit inconsistent. The bartender wasn't very warm or welcoming to us initially, though that changed once our friend--who is a regular--arrived. Overall, it's a comfortable spot to meet friends and hang out for a few hours, especially on a weekday like Thursday. That said, I probably wouldn't go out of my way to return, but I can see why it works well as a local neighborhood hang.

    Photos
    Interior
    Interior
    Lamb chops
    Lamb chops
    Grove Street Social

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    Dear Strangers

    Dear Strangers

    4.3
    (29 reviews)
    0.9 mi

    Dear Strangers is a wonderful hidden gem! We celebrated Valentine's Day there last night and while…read morethe restaurant was incredibly busy, we never felt overlooked or underserved. The owners were milling around making sure everyone was well taken care of and the wait staff were kind and personable. Now the food...AMAZING!!! Every bite we took was wonderful and so surprising with creative combinations and gorgeously presented. The restaurant itself was hip and refined and seemed to be the happening spot of the night. We will certainly be back!

    Met up with friends here for dinner before a show near Washington square. It wasn't super crowded…read morewhen we arrived around 6pm (maybe due to the extreme cold that day) but started filling up gradually. I loved the ambiance and decor, very cozy. As for food, there were some true hits but most of the food was good but basic. The highlights for me were the wild mushrooms & rice cakes as well as the Caesar salad - loved the use of nori in the salad and would definitely come back for the mushrooms. The chicken cutlet and chicken dumplings were fine but I probably wouldn't order them again. The wait staff weren't super attentive nor super warm, but they were efficient when we asked for water refills, etc. There was ample standing room at the bar while we waited for our friends, but the table/booth that we sat at was super narrow, I was knocking knees with my friend all night and generally felt squished.

    Photos
    Dear Strangers
    Dear Strangers
    Smoked chicken croquettes

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    Smoked chicken croquettes
    Sip & Guzzle

    Sip & Guzzle

    4.1
    (288 reviews)
    1.0 mi

    Came for just drinks at the bar. The vibe is dark and cozy. Even though the bar was full we were…read moreable to stand along the wall with a decent amount of space. Super delicious and unique. We got the Miami vice negroni and the wagyu old fashioned. The negroni was a strawberry take on the negroni and definitely less bitter and more sweet. The wagyu old fashioned was RICH. My partner liked it, especially that it came with a piece of meat on top. The mouth feel was creamy. Didn't taste the peanut butter though.

    Five stars if we not counting price. Very good burger, bun didnt get soggy and meat was charred…read morewell which i feel most of these gourmet burgers dont do well. Flavors were great too, most times i feel these burgers just grease bombs with no acidity to cut through besides two pickles However sip n guzzle burger was very well balanced where i did not need to ask for extra pickles, really enjoyed it, maybe the number burger for me in nyc My only complaint is price, 35$ is wild, i know its cuz they use a5 miyazaki wagyu but wagyu burgers is just a gimmick to upsale. Grinding the meat destroys all the hard work of the Japanese cattle farmers. In a burger you can effectively create a wagyu burgers just by adjusting the ratio of fat and meat so using wagyu and regular beef to get to a 60/40 blend is the same. I guess my complaint is mostly just to wagyu burgers lol

    Photos
    Bar Area by the entrance
    Bar Area by the entrance
    Hand rolls $
    Hand rolls $
    Wagyu old fashioned

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    Wagyu old fashioned

    Local 138 - bars - Updated July 2026

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