I wanted to give it four stars, but the super icky I walked in and walked right back out toilet definitely took it down a notch. I like this bar. It's one of the few bars in the village where you don't pay out your tusch for a beer. Plus, the last time I was there I got to watch a campy horror film from 1975 starring meatloaf... Definitely a great starting out/meeting up place. Everyone there was really cool and nice and the too school for school hipster vibe wasn't too rampant. read more

Its pretty damn dark in here, the brightest spot is in the bathroom covered in graffiti. The bar, has some stools and some tables and booths in the back where you can drink and chat with your friends. That is if you can talk and hear over the loud music they play. Interesting playlist to say the least, its not your mainstream music. Its a dive bar, please don't be dressed in your designer duds and think this is the beauty bar. booze flows out, people talk loudly, its dark and definitely not romantic. read more

It's a dive for sure. I'd hate to see what the late night crowd brings in. Have hipsters invaded this neck of the woods yet? Williamsburg isn't that far. Anyway, I get it. Too bad it isn't bright enough to actually read in there. But they have a working VCR and 2 restrooms that will scare the bejesus out of you at 1pm. Beer prices are decent but cocktails are a little on the high side. I would advise against bringing any food in there. Also, if you don't intend on stopping in after 2am, wear your hazmat suit. Stay clean y'all... read more

Any time I can pound some Natty Ice with Ethan and Alan, I am happy. When it's buy one get one happy hour and they are $3 a piece, I am even happier! I love the bartendress here, she let me have my card back so I could get food, thank you for trusting me. And kudos on Big Buck Hunter, even though I am not that good at it, it provides for a lot of fun. The juke box is amazing, also. A winner all around! read more

I was thoroughly satisfied when my East Village-born pal took me to "the last good bar". The vhs projecting at the back, the sparsely populated library along the walls and the no-nonesense service made it feel just right. Granted, I'm an easy sucker for a dimly lit post-punk bar with a happy hour, but I get why this spot is a favorite. There's something inevitably special about a place like this that's been able to survive. Long live the library. read more

Meh. Waited a solid 10 mins on a rather empty/slow Saturday afternoon before being offered service. Seems like it could be a cool spot location and venue wise, and the prices weren't bad... but I really was not feeling the vibe. Maybe we came on the wrong day...maybe we were the wrong color. ((Shrugs)) Had our drink and left...way cooler, more welcoming spots within steps. read more

Planned my boyfriend's surprise party here. He literally started freaking out because he couldn't believe that our friend wasn't actually reading a poem. But, really fun place to just get messy and let loose. You can start random conversations with people, my personal favorite, and everybody is nice. The bathrooms are narsty but hey, they don't call it a dive bar for nothing. I also got TMI when this dude outside told me that he takes poopies in the men's bathroom. Just to let you know. There's a lot of seating in the back - we literally took up the entire left side of the back room and they play movies on the projector screen (Continental anyone?). Got to watch The Goonies twice and a little bit of The Shining. There are scattered books all over, and my eagle-eyed friend spotted a Ray Romano biography! Why I'm excited about this, I don't know but it was pretty hilarious. $3 Rolling Rocks and some other beer, but after midnight, they have Tecate and a shot of tequila for $5. Deeeelish. read more

I came in here with a good friend of mine after we saw what is quite possibly one of the worst movies ever made, Richard Kelly's SOUTHLAND TALES. We walked out of the Angelika and just headed East down Houston. We felt like we had been smacked in the face over and over again while watching the movie and were punch drunk wandering down the block. When the dizziness that was induced upon us by that awful, awful film wore off, we found ourselves outside The Library. The sign out front was boasting a happy hour that was still running at the time of our arrival, so we happily went inside. The place is pretty great. Yeah, there is sort of a library theme to the place (mainly books on shelves), but it is a really great dive bar. Their 2 for 1 Happy Hour is pretty awesome and while we were sitting down having a drink, a guy who was leaving dropped a bunch of free drink chips on our table that he didn't use. I nerdily thanked him for 'paying it forward.' The beer selection is average--I was drinking Rolling Rocks and New Castles the whole time--but still pretty good. They appeared to have loads of liquor behind the bar, but I was in a strictly beer mood which happens every now and then. Wink. The great part about the place is that they have a makeshift movie screen and a pretty decent projector hung from the ceiling which they use to play great movies. When I was there, we were privy to a screening of Pet Cemetery which was awesome. Nothing better than watching old Fred Gwynn in that movie. I definitely want to make the rounds back here one of these days. I only had two things wrong with the place. The first thing was that the jukebox was way way way too loud. Now, I enjoy loud music as much as the next person, but by my third drink my ears were bleeding. Oh and when I went to the bathroom the toilet basically exploded when I flushed it. Yeah, a real dive bar indeed. read more

Went there last Saturday night after dinner. Pretty packed with a medium level of noise. Bartenders are very nice but the place is too old with some shaky bar stools. Feels like it lacks maintenance. read more

I discovered The Library in 2006 and revisited it this summer.. i enjoyed finding the same very nice waitresses and colorful customers. It is a neighborhood place, frequented by regulars. I always take a Stella, and i feel regular too! :D read more

Dark, seedy, loud, dirty, sketchy, artsy, wild and fun! Cool vibe and great people watching. We loved it!

This place is disgusting--the best part about it is that the lighting is so awful that you can't see the eyesore that the interior is. It took the bartender 15 minutes to acknowledge us on an almost-empty weekday evening; we could see them having a presumably very important conversation on matters of global importance while we waited for them to take our order. Decided to ditch the place, so don't know what the quality of the drinks is, but the happy hour offers looked mediocre--there are much better places around the corner. Also, having a dozen dusty books lying around hardly warrants being named "The Library". One of you regular patrons please donate a vacuum cleaner. read more

One time I had taken a friend here who'd never been, and she started a tab on a bank account she happened to share with her parents. Later, she told me that it was strategically brilliant that we chose to go to the scholarly-named institution--absolutely no red flags were raised when the 'rents saw the innocuous "Library" listed on the credit card bill. I'm supposed to talk about the actual bar now, right? The best juke in the city, and truly excellent two-for-ones. There. read more

Walk in the door and you're senses are assaulted with loud rock, mostly punk, and whatever '60's indie movie is being projected on the back wall. If this doesn't scare you off, then you might be the type of person who will enjoy the great jukebox and cheap booze at Library. Tired of talking to the colorful bar patrons? You can always grab one of the many books on the shelves lining the wall. But with a 2-for-1 happy hour until 8, you probably won't be able to see straight enough to read. read more

The Library - Dive Bars Near Me - New York, New York

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Yes, the bathroom is disgusting. Is that going to deter me from going here? Hell no! By far my favorite bar to go to when I'm in NYC, the bartenders are friendly and always look like they're having a blast. Last visit was a tad blurry though...probably not a good idea to down too many ginourmous Taj Mahal's at Panna then go to Library. The bartenders love to get you drunk and they succeeded that night. The bar can get crowded but they have some crusty booths in the back to chill at. PROS: Kung Fu on the projector, great bartenders, cheap drinks, kickass jukebox and Pac Man CONS: Not for the smell-sensitive read more

The happiest happy hour I've ever experienced! Okay, I must say, I came here from San Francisco where such things as "happy hour" are mere pipe dreams, so there may be even better happy hours out there in this vast and fabulous city. But from my point of view, when I sit down at a bar and order a ketel one on the rocks with a lime and the bartender gives me my drink, charges me a mere $7, AND gives me a playing card good for my NEXT ketel one on the rocks with a lime, well, honey, I'm coming back! A lot! Okay, I also enjoyed the atmosphere- nice and divey and covered in skulls, friendly bartender, friendly patrons, and the juke box ain't bad either. I was even able to sit and have a drink and read my book for a while (until I was too loopy to pay attention to the plot line that is). All in all, I'm liking this joint and considering making it my new friendly neighborhood bar. read more

The Library will always have a little place in my heart. It was, if I remember correctly, the first bar I ventured to when I first moved to the city. The initial reason being only that it was literally around the corner. Earlier in the evening, theres usually a good handful of strangers or not so strangers chatting it up at the bar and a small handful of couples at the tables or booths in the back. The bartenders, Holly, Martha, Kristen, etc. are all an absolute blast and were particularly welcoming from day one. They won't hesitate to either do a shot with you or lovingly kick your ass. The bar appears tiny from the door, but there is room in the back accompanied by a movie screen always playing some sort of ancient cartoon, or if you're there at the right time, a completely disturbing version of a really messed up softcore porn. A few candle lit tables and booths, some that can fit a good number of people. I'll perhaps omit the word class in exchange for the word charm. The seats might be falling apart, one of the 2 bathroom doors locks on a good day, but there Mrs. Packman, good tunes on a good jukebox and cool people. Come on, what more could you need? OH and buy one get one happy hour every day 5-8. an ok tap, $5 beers read more

Sometimes, when I'm exhausted from spending long nights studying in the library, I like to unwind with a drink, or seven, at The Library. After midnight, order the Pube: a $5 whiskey shot/ Busch beer combo. The crowd is both old and young and everyone gets a little crazy in a small bar with shot specials. The books add a scholarly ambience to a debaucherous establishment and the Buzzcocks playing in the background ensures that no reading gets done. Go here and have a cheap good time. read more

Very chall. Buddy and myself stopped in to holler at Hendy. Bud is always a great dog at the bar. He's a real ladies man. One time I was here and saw a pregnant woman taking a shot of something. Not sure if it was whiskey or what but Jesus Jason that's gnarly. Askeddit. read more

The Library - Dive Bars Near Me - New York, New York

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The dive-iest of dive bars! Very dark. A bunch of small tables in the back. A large screen on the far wall playing old school speed racer cartoons with no sound. A juke box which I'm not entirely sure was working, although I did see one person try to use it. And the filthiest bathrooms (but the graffiti on the walls was interesting reading material). The place was packed on a Saturday night, and everyone seemed to be having a good time. Not my idea of super fun, but if you're looking for a dive, you'll surely find it here. And for those lookin for a good time...if you know what I'm saying...there's a condom dispenser on the wall. read more

I like the library a lot. It is great, and grimy. The atmosphere is usually really cool and the staff are AWESOME!!! I love every single bar tender there. So friendly (but not too friendly) helpful, funny, energetic. It feels like a house party. read more

Neat bar! Friendly, talkative regulars, attentive bartenders, good music....I remember Bad Religion. You also get a little animal figurine with your first drink that's good for another free drink, maybe during happy hour, I honestly can't remember. read more

Jesus, this place sucks. So many mediocre-looking thirtysomethings threw themselves at me and my bros the second we walked into this place. Not a good thing. Drinks are pretty cheap but I'm sorry, the crowd is just totally beat. Hella beat crowd. Great jukebox though, I'm not going to argue with that. I don't know why I went in here the other night. I knew it sucked years ago. ANYway just go to all the fun bars on Ludlow like thirty feet away. read more

Great service. Bloody Mary is excellent. Pickle Juice which backed up my Jameson was No Ka Oi! read more

Great dive bar. Eclectic place. Been here a few times on trips to NYC and always great bartender. Love the jukebox. I would like a few more craft beer options but cool place overall read more

My absolute favorite dive bar in all of Manhattan! I first went here a little over a year ago with some friends and completely fell in love with the place. I'm not sure if it was the 80's new-wave music that was playing, the movies they had projected on that giant screen in the back, or the Halloween decorations around the bar that they never take down. Or maybe it was all of the above. All-in-all: completely low-key atmosphere, awesome happy hours, and great music and movies for your enjoyment. Hell, this may just be my favorite bar, period! read more

Had a blast at this bar. People were nice, beers were spot on. When I return to NYC I will definitely be hitting this place up again. read more

This place is cool. I stop in here once in a while. I's a bar....what else can you really say. If you're not happy, there are enough places within steps to change up gears. 2 things though. 1. Start your happy hour earlier, especially when there are tons of bars in the vicinity 2. Either get the WiFi fixed, or take the sign down. That was why I came in here in the first place. The bartender was helpful, and friendly, and "rebooted" the router, just like we all do at home, but it still didn't work. You kinda gotta get it stable, or take the sign down. read more

They have the best punk juke box in the city, a real juke box with actual CD's inside. I kept flipping back and forth in total awe. And they were running Sid & Nancy on a projector too. Yet somehow it wasn't pretentious or trying too hard to be cool. And the drinks were crazy cheap, which is the deciding factor in the five stars. read more

A great dive bar. Felt like our fav dive at home. Bartender was friendly and we got lots of recommendations for where to go next. Affordable prices. read more

So by the time my group made it here, I was (somehow) smart enough not to order another drink, but I did enjoy the divey atmosphere, American Psycho playing in the background, and the 2 hipsters cramming their tongues down each others throat who sat in the booth behind us. Maybe next time I'll actually order something. read more

one word: JUKEBOX!!! This past New Year's I took an amazing trip to NY for the first time with Sara A. and Tony A. .... Tony looked this place up for us (being the NY veteran that he is) and so we hit it up on a night of drinking and bar hopping. We arrived fairly buzzed already... I remember I couldn't get the door open... either that or I was trying to open a different door! Whatever it was, the bartender had a nice little laugh about it with me (and by that I mean she totally made fun of me! ... but in that nice kinda way that makes one feel welcomed and like a real local). Right away I felt at home... finally a bar with music that doesn't make me want to puke!!! We parked ourselves on a table directly next to the jukebox and proceeded to play our hearts' delight for the next few hours we were there. We met some locals who joined our party and who were very friendly! Had some good conversation and laughs and even free Jameson shots from the bartender!!! What more could we ask for??!??!! The bathrooms are a bit tricky. I personally love that trashy tagged up bathroom look (which this place was totally rocking)... however, I would warn about the door that doesn't lock. The toilet seat is soooo far back that one can't even hold the door while one pees (so plan accordingly and get a friend or sit yourself strategically to hide any "shy" parts). I had an amazing time here and will visit again next time I'm in NY! This place had affordable drinks. read more

The Library is the same as it was the first time I walked in with my fake id from Michigan ten years ago. The Library maintains some of that provocative, turn-of-the-millennium New York sexy that has since been supplanted by a strange tech-androgyny export from Williamsburg. Also, I believe the beer tastes better there. read more

This is the kind of bar that makes perfect sense for Avenue A and 1st st. Crusty punk decor, aging anarchists in decline, and the best jukebox I've run into so far give this place a 3. Nothing too special after that though. I went there last night with a couple new co-workers for some bonding time. We sort of commandeered the music and had a subdued sing-along while speaking about our dim pasts ("so...what lead you to working ceaselessly for a thankless non-profit?"). The beer on tap is nothing special and a little expensive (6$ Brooklyn). Final thoughts: what was probably a great place to hang out in 1991 is now a living relic of the rotten cultural pan-flash. But I guess even punks need to pay the rent. read more

The library has a great atmosphere and is a great switch from the loud over crowded bars and clubs in this area. The door man was very kind and social, there was no line and inside was not overly crowded. Books line the wall and red Asian inspired lanterns give the space a warm feel. There is ample bar seating as well as good table and booth space in he back. A great space for a nice easy nice with friends read more

When the first thing I hear on the jukebox is Danzig, I know that I have stepped into what is destined to be "Liz's Bar." I came for the 2 for 1 Happy Hour Ciders, I left with a new love. The Library is a rad dive bar (but really, not like, THAT divey) with old videos playing on the back wall, animal toys for your drink specials, friendly crowd, and ample seating. The only downside? The bartenders are so incredibly hit and miss. One night, a total sweetie. The next, some girl who thinks, "A'int nobody got time for that." Hmm. Oh, and also, if you do try the cider, do not expect a glass that does not scald your fingers! Ouch. If you can grab a drink, this place is worth it! read more

On my list of dive bars, this spot is near the top. Bartenders: almost always fun fun fun. I know I was taken care of on my birthday. And the time after that. And again after that. No, it's not a regular spot for me and I'm not some friend of theirs. It's just how they do it. It's fun to watch them show off their skills. Maybe it's just because I'd be too terrified to ever light liquor on fire. The booze comes quick and strong. Decor: It's a dive. It's called library. It has books and a movie playing and a jukebox stacked with the faves of the bar staff and Edgar Allen Poe-ish tchotchkes tucked in all behind the bar. There are kinda grungy diner booths. It's simply charming as far as dive bars go. The Bathrooms: Look like the classier, glasses-wearing cousin of the CBGB or Mars Bar bathrooms. They're dark and kinda dungeony. It's not for everyone, but it's always for me. read more

The first time I was there was for a friend's birthday. I discovered the group of girls at the table behind us were actually librarians from Brooklyn. I shamelessly hit on them and, while unsuccessful, it was a hell of a way to get introduced to the place. Librarians should come to this place more often; these girls immediately moved from 6 territory up to an 8, 9 for the one with sexy glasses. But yeah, relatively cheap drinks, good if not wide beer selection, and you have to appriciate them having natty light instead of pabst as the cheap-shit-beer-in-a-can option. The bartenders are friendly, cute, and usually not too busy to talk to you. The booths in the back are the perfect level of dark and dank. It's fun to pull out some of the books and have a little impromptu reading. Four stars because of the decor. Sometimes I go there and it seems really cool, sometimes it seems formulaic, like the NYC dive bar version of the crap they put on the walls of a Bennigans. It's the same decor, so it must just depend on how cynical I'm feeling. read more

Good bar, cheap, pool table. A very solid start or end to a night of bar crawling. For reasons... I can't remember the specifics.

Low key dive with a decent sized crowd but not uncomfortably packed. They project cult movies on the back wall, and we were regaled with a showing of the final 20 or so minutes of Frankenhooker (or as my date preferred to call it, Frankentits), which has got to be one of the strangest movies to ever watch with no sound. We parked by the window, which offers a nice view of the people walking by. It also has a stuffed unicorn covered in feathers and colorfil xmas lights. Can't beat that. read more