Gotta agree with the masses: hands down best value happy hour ever. $3 well drinks, beer, and wine?! All the way until 9 pm??? I'm definitely sold. What a great place to drink for cheap, especially earlier in the night. What's even better is that their drinks don't taste like $3. Sure, maybe they're not using top shelf stuff, but the drinks are still well balanced and tasty. Ambience was not exactly the most exciting. I was here on a Saturday night and there were very few other people. This might just be a dead weekend, but it didn't seem like the place would ever get too crowded. Plenty of seating. Would definitely recommend coming here to start your night! read more

I liked the back room. I couldn't believe that people preferred being packed like matches in a box rather than heading to the more relaxed totally empty (except a couple mingling) space in the back, with soft seats and candles all around. It's a very small place, but it felt friendly. Would go back sometime. read more

$3 wine, wells, and drafts till 9pm every day. They have UFO, Old Speckled Hen, and Young's Double Chocolate Stout on tap too. Quite the deal. I also feel like not enough people know about this place still that there is enough breathing space to talk and enjoy your time there. Bathrooms are pretty gnarly but not as disgusting as Iggy's next door. Favorite seats are either at the bar or in the little booths off to the side with the open windows. You can sit and watch people go by on the street and still order from another tiny window at the bar. They also have a back room for shenanigans and let you order and bring in whatever food you like. It is an utter dive, mind you. But a quality dive. read more

Great bar with good happy hour offers of $3 a beer. Music is often played loud here and conversation can be difficult so maybe not your first date setting. read more

Local 138 - Grab a beer or two! I will... - Bars Near Me - New York, New York

CHEAPPP DRINKS ALERT! I REPEAT CHEAP DRINKS!!! Local 138 used to be on of my favorite pregame spots in LES. The Happy Hour deals are unbeatable. You would expect a bar like this to be loud but the noise level is well balanced. The venue is not huge but great to grab some drinks and figure out your next move with friends. Def worth a visit! read more

$3 draft beer? How can you go wrong? It's not too big of a place, but it's the perfect place to knock back a few beers and start the night (if you want to have that kind of night). If not, it's a great place to catch happy hour and wind down with a few friends. And grabbing the tab is easy, because hey! It's three bucks a beer till 9! Some drafts are $4, but hey, that's still a steal! And if you're looking for something a bit more quiet, try to go early and snag the private room to the right if the front entrance. Bar atmosphere, with a bit more privacy! The bartenders are awesome and all extremely friendly. Very responsive and helpful when you ask for drink recommendations. I will definitely be coming back and I highly recommend. Plus, the area it's located in has a ton to do! Big plus! read more

Local 138 - Selection of drafts! - Bars Near Me - New York, New York

Vibe, people, bouncers, music, style, price... everything is amazing. Beers are four dollars all the drafts for happy hour make sure to come early and enjoy dogs they also have an option to rent the place for parties. Check out my profile for more tips :) read more

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Great spot we came upon while in the LES after our horrible experience at The Sixth Ward (see my review). They have a nice Sunday night happy hour and they were setting up for Karaoke. The bartender was nice and welcomed the reprieve from being harrassed by an inebriated guy at the bar, though apparently a regular. He chatted me up and complimented on my knowledge of literature and on my date. The vibe and scene is a combination of hipster, and loungy dive, but cool. I enjoyed this unpretentious place, the beer and drinks were nice, cold, and strong. There was a TV there where we caught the Sunday Night football game, which was a plus. A night place to sit and relax and I will definitely be back again. read more

Poppin' dive bar in the LES. PBR and house shot for $6. Small private room in the back. The inside is so dark you can barely see who you're talking to. Good place to stop by for a drink as you're going to your destination. It should not be your destination. read more

So...this is a gentrified dive bar...if you're into that sort of thing. As someone who is apart of the LBTQ community, I've never felt more confused as to why another person sitting at the bar (who was clearly a gay man) felt the need to ask me, "if I've been in New York long" all over a situation he understood nothing about, and had nothing to do with him. This conversation was happening between me and the bartender. So just understand where I'm coming from, depending on your gender and complexion, you can end up being patronized in a very condescending and embarrassing manner. So originally I made a mistake ( admittedly), and asked for a gin & tonic. Now, I'm human and am allowed to make errors. When the bartender came back I mentioned that I wanted to switch the tonic for soda. I had mentioned that I had been at another bar in the city that was out of tonic water, and instead game me selzer. All I was simply trying to convey was that from an experience I had somewhere else in the city didn't have tonic water on this given night, that realized I preferred soda. Now, the only thing that separates tonic water from soda water, is quinine. It's known for giving tonic water it's bitter taste. For me, I prefer the milder bitter taste of gin and soda than gin and tonic. Also if you didn't know, club soba has minerals, and is infused with co2 under lighter pressures than selzer. Which is why most selzer waters have more carbonation than club soda. I know this because I've worked in the hospitality industry in NYC for 3 years, with my Food Handlers, and my TIPs, regarding serving liquor. I have also bartended. What is the big deal if I wanted to make sure your tonic is actually tonic and not soda water, before you pour it in a cup which you expect me to pay for at the end of the experience? Is it that serious that I made a snap decision that I just didn't want an extra bitter drink? Ultimately this isn't totally on this establishment ( ALTHOUGH, again, the bartender seemed content on not caring to understand, but rather chastise me through a raised eyebrow and saying "sounds like they made you the wrong drink" then followed by " I'm sorry, I don't get it, what do you want?"). I'm mostly irritated that the patron who seemed to be a regular felt that the interactions that this one bar in the L.E.S., some how reflects the experiences that can be had in every square inch of this entire city. That is laughable, especially in one of NYC's most gentrified neighborhoods where a black man can be dismissed and patronized by others, while in the same establishment, a black women can be praised because she is seen as a non-threatening and as a sex symbol that represents the entire black culture. Only in a place like this, can she order her drink from the same bartender while said bartender lends an attentive ear, and pays her complements. Discrimination still happens against males of color. Wake up, because I might be a man, but I am also a man of more than 3 different minority groups. So many black men(myself included) still aren't even treated courteously when going out to eat, and this place made every inch of me felt unwelcome there, regardless of the fact that their bouncer is a black man. read more

Really cheap drink prices which is great except for the fact that it attracts a crowd looking only for really cheap drink prices. Also, Im pretty sure they wash this bar with a dirtier bar, the place is FILTHY. Some will say it's part of the charm, Its not read more

If you're looking for a great laugh and cheap drinks this is the place to be! Every Sunday from 6PM-8PM there is a FREE comedy show in the back room. Lots of local comedians and visiting comedians perform. No two shows are ever the same! The music is good, the bartenders are nice, and the happy hour specials can't be beat! There are also two private booths at the front of the bar. Overall a great bar in an great neighborhood with plenty of restaurants and other bars around. read more

Never pass up on a great happy hour deal, ESPECIALLY when it goes until 9pm. $3 drafts, wines, wells every day. Like why do I bother going any where else in NYC? The place is your typical grungy dive bar. Cozy seating, full bar, kinda drafty if you ask me..but at least it gives this place a personality. The bathrooms are insane too. Like graffiti from floor to ceiling. Definitely a go-to spot if you want to save a few $$ before hitting the dance bars or a concert in the area. read more

While searching for a new area to explore happy hours in, the lower east side has always been an obscure location. I was determined to find out what it had to offer. The first place that popped up was Local 138. What caught my attention happened to be the bathroom pics. It's not aesthetically pleasing but it definitely was worth seeing. Plus drinks were only $4 (well-drinks, wine, and crafted beer). Which happens to be f-ing amazing. There's no menu so I basically just ordered whatever mixed drink I could find on google and asked if they were viable options lol. Hey, some places I could get away with a Long Island but in this case that wasn't included in the happy hour. Cry. Anyways, seating is first come, first served. There's these two secluded booths in the front. Once you walk in, to the left and right of you there's an entry to a booth. At first, we'd walked past it and straight to the back for some seating but there was none. Low and behold, I discovered the booths and there was no one in there. We were right by the windows! Also, for some reason all over our phones needed to be charged but there was no outlet. I noticed there were still Christmas lights hanging but they weren't lit. But idk if you guys ever noticed, but at each end of Christmas lights (the old fashioned LED lights with the green wires) has an extension so to speak to connect more lights if necessary. So we plugged in our Apple chargers and we were able to charge our phones lol. After leaving Local, we noticed so many other places with similar happy hours and much more music. It's definitely an area to bar hop. I plan on going back! read more

Its okay good happy hour cheap af a lil dingy and the music is without a doubt terrible lol. But the cheap drinks make it worth it . read more

Local 138 - Cheap beer 4$ til 9 - Bars Near Me - New York, New York

$3 pints of Double Chocolate Stout til 9pm! $3 pints of Double Chocolate Stout til 9pm! $3 pints of Double Chocolate Stout til 9pm! And, hot, burly, manly men, if you hit it right. read more

Woody: Pour you a beer, Mr. Peterson? Norm: Alright, but stop me at one. Make that one-thirty. This is truly, and thoroughly, my Local bar. It is the Cheers in my life, and to give it anything but a five star rating seems somehow blasphemous. They have everything you want besides a tolerable bathroom. But even that graffitied dungeon without a mirror offers up a certain sense of comfort. There's a back room for private parties, the front room features two window nooks perfect for groups of 4-10. But it's along the bar where you get to meet your neighbors, shoot the shit with the bartenders, spill your beer because of an unnecessarily large shelf at the edge and generally wile away hours in the evening. Throw in the perfect price point of $3 shots and/or pints of incredibly tasty on tap beer (Old Speckled Hen!) before 9pm and your in business, Norm. read more

A local to set the bar for all other locals, this divey, worn, dark little bar beckons you in from the street with sense of belonging and welcome for the the casual drinker. Settle yourself on a stool or in a cozy little booth and enjoy cheap beer and an easy environment for low conversation. Skeptics can test drive this dive for little dough: happy hour till 9pm places any tap beer or shot in your hand for a mere $3. Get nice and saucy in preparation for a night out or make this your mainstay for the duration of the evening. read more

Should you for some reason find yourself deciding that one can't go to Verlaine EVERY night, this is a great LES alternative. Right when you walk into the bar, there are tiny doors on your right and left that look like entrances to the shire. Inside are semi-secret private rooms. We took the one on the right, which had a cubby hole directly to the bar. Drinks without moving? Yes please. Prices were good on the drinks ($5-$9 for mixed drinks) and they were quite strong. The bartenders were all business but not unfriendly. It is worth noting that if you do not get a secret room, you will end up in one of three places: 1) the main bar, which is very tightly packed 2) the back room, which is kind of dingy 3) the bathroom, which undoubtedly served as the inspiration for the Mad Max franchise. read more

Old Speckled Hen on tap and they don't charge $8 a pop like at Spotted Pig? I'm a fan. Old Speckled Hen is so thick and creamy, it's like a white Guinness. Smooth and rich, it's a milkshake for people that love alcohol and hate milkshakes. I could sit here and feign interest in sports forever as long as the OSH is flowing (just (half) kidding, boo). Additionally, they have chocolate stout on tap. Nothing says you're a high-functioning alcoholic who's also a chocolate hedonist like pounding a couple of these puppies down. FTW. The crowd is chill, people usually BYOF (Bring your own friends). There's privatesque rooms for bigger parties, an endearing attempt at crowd control. This place gets ridiculously packed during the weekends with locals. You'll probably see that guy in the neighborhood that doesn't clean up after his dog here. Make him buy you a round. read more

BEST HAPPY HOUR IN THE CITY!!!! What the place lacks in ambience it more than makes up for with it's generous drink prices. I dare you to find a longer and better priced happy hour than Local 138's. I'm pretty sure it runs from 4-9 EVERY SINGLE DAY. (If you do know of one, hook a sista up!!!) Three bucks will get you beer, wells drinks AND wine (just the house red or white). My favorite part of the HH is that all the specials are the same low price making it easy to keep track of the tab. Not only that but they offer some quality beers. No Budweiser or PBR here folks. They have Sweet Action, OSH, Arrogant Bastard and other great brews on tap that you'd be paying upwards of 7-8 dollars for at other bars. Now this is the kind of place where you want to start off your night and get slightly weird before you head on to a more poppin joint. (I apologize if my use of "poppin" offended you, feel free to replace it with an adjective that better fits your lifestyle. Watching all those episodes of Vanilla Ice Goes Amish will do a number on you.) I don't get why so many people complain about the bathrooms here. Guys, it a dive bar, what do you expect? Local 138 manages to keep it's bathroom always stocked and relatively clean. Oh and they're totally okay with you bringing food from outside or getting it delivered. read more

I went here on Friday night for my first ever visit to "Boys Night Out". This actually worked out really well as a venue. Up front they have a really dark bar, and in the back they have a huge, well lit sitting room. The difference was almost literally black and white. In the sitting room, there was cushioned benches, and a number of IKEA stools that looked like mushrooms. The room easily held our impromptu group of 15 or so people. Additionally, some non-profit students decided to have a meetup in the very same room, and I can happily report that the room was large enough to accommodate both groups without any issues. Aside from the seating though, there is absolutely nothing going on, so there is really no draw to drink back there unless you are meeting up with a group. Up front, it was $3 pints from 5-9pm -- a ridiculously long happy hour. And I was so surprised to see Old Speckled Hen and Young's Chocolate Stout at this price point -- amazing. If you are laying down a card, it is a $20 minimum. Rum and cokes were $6 each. Overall: cheap, good selection, but not memorable read more

Great Happy Hour Specials. $3 drafts? I mean sure they are select drafts but right in the fun zone of L.E.S. is hard to beat. Yes, this is a dive bar but still a pretty clean one which I really like. the PBR & Shot deal from the happy hour menu is really a good deal. I'd probably skip the house wines. It was a little too funky like that Trader Joe's 3 buck chuck which is probably now 5 buck chuck (inflation). No Frills. Good Times. Fan. read more

This is an Irish pub with pretty decent drink options. During happy hour, they have $4 draft beers and $6 well drinks. If you show up there at the right time, they have a nice alcove toward the front that you and your friends can sit in. It feels like a VIP room without having to pay extra . You're getting what you pay for in terms of a drink. It would be a nice place to start drinking if you need to wait for the other bars around to open for happy hour. Most places in the area start at 5. The last time I was there, water started to fall from the roof. The bartender was super apologetic, called, and got it fixed right away! read more

Ok, I am way too old to be drinking $6 PBR can/whiskey shot combos but when the booze is that cheap, the music makes me feel 10 years younger and I can get a hell of a buzz while reaching my $20 minimum, there is no reason I need to stick to my classy roots. It's reason for the return of 4AM College Damian. Yet another reason why I love the LES. Drink up bitches! read more

I've got to stop staying out till 5 am with drunk people... I don't know why I'm mentioning that first but I just thought I'd throw that out there. Planning a last minute UYE to celebrate my favorite Yelper's day of birth can be hard work sometimes. You pick a place she wants, invite people, and go there early only to find out that it in no way could accommodate a group of 5-10 people without a 3 hour vulture wait. And by vulture wait, well, you know what I mean. So what do you do? After yelling at her for five minutes about how she shouldn't have chosen a place she'd never been to before, you recoup, adapt, and haul ass FAST. The birthday girl and I frantically ran to 2 other bars in the neighborhood in the hopes of finding a habitat suitable for the kind of drinking we had in mind that night. We wanted someplace casual and unpretentious with a non-claustrophobic space and a decent happy hour. We came upon Local 138 (which according to my Yelp app was just around the corner from our original spot plus it had a happy hour till 9... yeah buddy) and we both said "This is it." After 20 minutes of staking out the place with our happy hour glasses of yummy red wine, we were able to snag an enclosed booth room next to the bar in the front. I absolutely fell in love with this room as it had it's own special ordering window directly to the bar. We could order straight from our room and not have to go outside and deal with the rest of the inebriated masses. This proved to be quite dangerous (lethal is more like it) as we basically didn't have to get off our butts once that night and could just order constantly. The bartenders were fast, efficient and chill which made the destroying of our livers even easier! Fast forward 7 hours later for me.... and I'm still at this freaking bar drinking and having a blast. Well, mostly a blast. It gets a little fuzzy towards 2 am after all the $3 well drinks and glasses of wine and shots of BOURBON and vodka. Why the heck did I agree to do shots of bourbon?! I don't even like bourbon!!! Thank goodness for all the food I ate earlier courtesy of my compadres otherwise I think I might have fallen in the street like some other people that night. As they don't have a kitchen of their own, Local 138 let's you bring in any outside food you want so we had people grabbing gyros, Greek fries, Halal street meat, crepes, and paninis from delicious local establishments throughout the evening. In return for food I bought people drinks or gave them money or other things under the table. I'm surprised I was able to walk straight at the end of this epic night of drinking. It just goes to show you that eating and pacing yourself allows you to consume unquantifiable amounts of liquor without dying. Local 138 was the perfect place to have my buddy Ming's celebration. If you're looking for a laid back, busy, non-assuming, and fun drink scene with good music in the Lower East Side then I highly recommend this place. You'll get your money's worth of alcohol and fun and hell, maybe even a hilarious story out of it. I know I did. HA! Haha! Ha ha ha....er.... okay shutting up now. read more

Aaron the bartender is your friend and he'll introduce you to his friends, Old Speckled Hen and Young's Double Chocolate Stout or Guinness on tap for $3 - THREE DOLLARS - between 4 and 9pm. Happy hour?? More like, happy day!!! Bathrooms? Um, yeah, they have them. I mentioned $3 *real* beer right?? read more

Local 138 - Scott Brown doll - Bars Near Me - New York, New York

I came with my friend from Maryland and the bartender rudely denied her valid ID, probably because she's not from NY but it was really embarrassing for no reason because she's fully of age and got kicked out. We will never be coming here again. We're embarrassed for no reason. Not worth it. The vibe was lame anyway. read more

"I'll take a vodka soda, please." - Dana F. "That'll be $3." - Bartender (Dana F. hands Bartender a $20 and gets $17 back.) "Um, you just gave me $17 back." - Dana F. "Uh, yeah, that's because the drinks are $3 during happy hour*." - Bartender What a cool, chill bar. When I arrived, Premier League games were airing on TV (awesome!), the bartenders were extremely nice (awesome!), and the music was all indie - Wolf Parade, TV on the Radio, Fleet Foxes (awesome!). The ambiance is a great place to meet up with friends and chat. Plenty of stools and tables, dim lighting, primarily wooden interior. There's also a bookshelf near the bar area, in case you want to read Hemingway while you drink one of the decently-priced craft beers on tap (the selection is pretty good). The bathrooms are pretty gross though, so be prepared to squat. * Happy hour is until 9pm. read more

Amazing bar and even better bartender. I think her name was Sabina but omg i have been looking for another lovely homey bar where i feel like a regular at and this is it!!! Please make your way here when you can and live like a true new yorker with class and respect unlike other bars. read more

Need a no-nonsense glass of moonshine that won't put a huge dent in your pocketbook while skipping around LES? Look no farther than Local 138. Dark ambiance, super friendly bartenders, and cheap drinks are three basal elements that usually lead to my becoming a barfly, and I can already see the makings of a shiny new relationship between myself and this long, narrow enclave. They have a happy hour that extends well into the night, so if you're trying to save even more than you normally would after hours, make your financial planner happy by strutting in before 21 hundred hours. read more

-1 Star for not being local to where I actually live. Love this place. Randomly came in here because my 29 year old friend forgot his ID and the place next door was checking. Local 138 was friendly and fun. The nice bartender was chatty in the good way (including me in the conversation she was having with someone else while she served me) and if I wasn't headed out to meet someone else, I would have stayed just to hang out. And it wasn't crowded on a Friday night after work. That alone is worth many stars. But as a bonus, the beer was CHEAP ($3). read more

I appreciate a laid back bar with a down to earth, attentive, friendly bartender and wait for it....Strongbow on tap (yes, the cider). A bit of graffiti covering in the bathroom can't hurt either. Ok, by the last part you should be clear that this is no high end bar, but a good time can still be had by all. After having dinner with a friend in LES, we decided to grab a drink or two somewhere. While there are a million places to do this in the LES, we kept declining places because they were too grungy, too empty, too crowded, too young, too old, too many bouncers at the door, too much of a velvet rope feel etc. You get the picture. Here comes Local 138 with seats still available at the bar, music loud enough that you don't say I should have stayed home, and not too low that you wish that you were just in bed- great balance. The true winning moment was to see that Strongbow was on tap. If you love cider like I do, you know that for a bar to have cider on their shelves is becoming more common, but still not standard. Strongbow is a quality cider that I barely ever see in the US, so it's really a hidden gem to have it on tap. Great find! There's always a hidden treasure in LES. Come here for a laid back drink, no pretension and to have a good time. read more

This dive bar was poppin'! Ordered lots of drinks because of the happy hour cap being at 10! We requested classics and a few girly songs but it didn't matter 'cause the guys loved them too. Everyone was drunk, singing, and being merry. Tell me whyyyy, ain't nothin' but a heartache... tellll me whyyyy... The place was pretty dark. When you enter it already looked crowded because of the already occupied tables and scattered chairs. The staff needs to get it together and clean up spills and empty bottles, cans and drinks. Watch your step in going to the bathrooms (again, it's dark) because there's a dance floor in the back. One note: the bathrooms were disgusting. read more

The only reason why I came to this bar was because it was local to where I was staying in LES. Their happy hour is what drew me in, but their drinks did not. Well drinks were about $4 during happy hour but they were made horrible (I ordered Moscow Mules which consists of Ginger Beer, and Stoli vodka), they were overwhelmed by the ginger beer. Not a good balance. I didn't try anything else because at that point I was over it. I should've stuck with a beer. I came at a different time (not happy hour) and the drink was $7 and again, watered down, and that did not make me happy, so we left after that one drink. The music is ok, the crowd, ok. I wouldn't come here unless you're getting your beer on. read more

We ordered 3 shots, (2 jameson, 1 jager) and 3 PBRs which came out to a grand total of $19. Not too shabby and definitely a great place to stop into and pound some shots. It's a small divey place and slightly more appealing than it's neighbors Iggy's and Libation for comfort level. It didn't do too much for me but it did get me buzzed and gave me a break from the chaos that was across the street. I'll be back no doubt about it, back for more of those shots and maybe a PBR or two. read more

I like to bust unions as much as the next guy but when my dues are only $3 per Brooklyn Lager until _9PM_ every night of the week, I am ready to go full on Gompers up in here. read more

Local 138 - Bars Near Me - New York, New York

Many years ago, we had a pretty epic private party here - hired a very upscale catering company for white glove service which was a cool contrast to the laid back feel of the bar. The staff was so amazing and easy to deal with and our typically stiff clients loved feeling like the cool kids in this LES bar. Of course, come here for happy hour or late night drink but don't rule it out for a cool event. read more

If you live in the neighborhood Local 138 gets four stars. I went back this weekend on an LES pubcrawl and stopped by 138 for old times sake. See, I used to live around the corner, and Local 138 quickly became my after work therapy. Its a dingy, humorless little place. There's nothing on the walls, the layout is cramped and the tables for some inexplicable reason are industrial grade metal. Comfort is not the watch word here. But there are two semi-intimate booths flanking the front door that can, in a pinch, provide space for doing dirty deeds. If you don't live in the neighborhood, it doesn't do so well I'm afraid. Cramped, piss poorly layed out (I must have bumped into four people on my way to the bathroom) and murky I have to give it three stars. But those are three stars on a block with some pretty stiff competition. It beats Libation with a baseball bat (unless you're a club going sycophant who feels honored to stand in line in the freezing cold to buy overpriced drinks from shitty people. Just saying.) And the few others further north (Piano and that other place I can never remember) are no slouches either. I dig Local 138. I would just never throw a party there. read more

Bumpin' crowd at Local 138! My favorite part are the enclosed nooks on either side of the door inside. The side on the bar even has a window to the bartender. You can fit at least 8 friends in there. It's pretty no frills, but it's solid option if you're bouncing around the LES and want to show off a few different types of places. read more