Spanky & Darla’s

Walked past this place last nite. Now known as «Big Lee’s» with a «Cheap Beer & Booze» neon sign shining bright. Definitely was people drinking there. Haven’t given the new place a try but will give a try because of the «Cheap Beer & Booze» sign… LOL. Giving 3 stars for benefit of the doubt…

Other than Mia/​Mya spraying club soda all over me, it was fun. She’s lucky she’s cute. Lol

Spanky’s is closed. However, it has reopened under new management and called Big Lee’s Hard. Now it is just a shithole dive. New owners are not friendly people. The jukebox is almost always broken and you most likely won’t hear your songs. No sports shown on the televisions here, just old black and white movies. Canned beers go for $ 3, however everything else seems a little pricey. My friend was charged $ 10 for a small shot, which was ridiculous. Bartenders are ok, however some of them don’t really look too happy to be working there. There are so many better dives in the area with a friendlier vibe.

IT’S OPEN, folks. Bartender says they’re under new management and might be rechristened with a new name soon. Drink specials are slightly different (looks like they got rid of that frozen drink machine… whatever) but otherwise everything seems to be totally the same. Come!

This place was an absolute shitshow, and I loved it. Kind of expensive for a dive bar, but whatever. Bartenders are good about buybacks. The kind of place where wasted girls dance on the bar (bartenders are all about it, bouncers are not). Good jukebox. RIP.

I really really dig this place. There is literally no pretension to it. And this is New York. So, seriously this is a lovely find. In the diviest way possible.

Yep, it’s a dive. Lot’s of country music, sports on the TV, kinda dirty. Lock doesn’t work on the ladies bathroom. Dishsoap and cocktail napkins by the sink too! Drinks were small but strong. I didn’t love it, I didn’t hate it. It’s just a dive bar, and sometimes that’s just what you want. Certainly unpretentious!

Um. I’ve never been to a bar where they had none of my drinks. I like Jameson, IPAs, pale ales, and a couple kinds of gin. They had NONE of these options. Clearly, this is not a fully functional NYC bar.

They need to stamp Spanky’s into Websters under definition of Dive Bar. The bathroom is filthy, the drinks are cheap and the bartenders rocked. We stopped in for just one beer last night, and for $ 3 a pint Landshark never tasted so good. Their beer prices are at New York State, not New York City rates (you know what I mean).
If I’m within a few blocks of this joint in the near future I will definitely pop in.

Despite my three stars its not a bad bar.
Pretty small cash only place that was pretty cheap.
Jukebox is full of crap I don’t want to listen to and one of the 5 patrons had no problem throwing on the «greatest hits» of artists I never want to hear. A few laughs by some of the picks though.
Clientele on a sunday night consisted of dudes just trying to relax which was cool for me.
Eventually a larger crowd rolled in towards the end of the football game with a more diverse crowd but before that happened a new doorman appeared and really wanted to make sure that me and my guest were I. D’d even though we were like two drinks in already. Was pretty strange but I guess they got nabbed for serving underage people or something but it is so close to st.marks. Ive never had the issue of showing a ID to get in and then rechecked it was just like a «do you want me to leave there are a million other places to drink?» kind of moment.

Most disgusting shittiest place I have EVER been. And i like dive bars… Enough said

Hosted an event here for the hash house harriers and would definitely recommend it. The bartendress was able to accommodate a group of 50± rowdy runners and still treat us great.
This place is ridiculously cheap.

I love dive bars. I love walking down the street and finding a dive bar. This is one of those places that I love.
The bartenders are friendly and extremely chatty. I suppose it’s a good place for creepy old men to drown their sorrows. But hell, it’s a great place to be crazy, loud, and obnoxious. This is especially true since their drinks are cheap.
$ 4 wells? Yes please!

Ewwww. Yuck. No no no.
From the second you walk in it is strange-​smelling and gross. The diviest bar around. Yes the drinks are cheap but the bartenders were neither friendly, attractive nor scantily clad as per other reviews, and the atmosphere was dead, cold and kinda creepy. The bathrooms were an abomination. The clientele was older, male and wearing black leather jackets. Maybe I showed up on biker night???
Anyway we left before finishing our drinks, couldn’t wait to get outta there. I won’t go back. Would not recommend this place to anyone, ever.

One of my favorite places to go in the East Village. Cheap beer and shots. Scantily clad and friendly female bartenders… most of the time. I have an awesome fucking time at this place 9 times out of 10.
However, sometimes shit gets weird. The bar is full of mostly dudes — many of which are there to drink $ 2.50 PBRs and ogle the bartenders. When there are girls there (I often come with a few girlfriends), the bartenders often give us free shots in exchange for getting us to dance on the bar. Most of the time, I don’t mind and actually find myself having a great time, but sometimes it can feel exploitative.
Additionally, one time I was there with my bf on his birthday and the bartender — without warning — removed her top and proceeded to swing her breasts around with nothing but nipple tassels on. Normally, I’d be a fan; I love women and breasts, but I was pretty pissed off. Doesn’t stop me from coming back, but I wouldn’t go if you’re a girl who is easily offended.
Also, the bathroom door often doesn’t lock soooo I hope you don’t mind getting walked-​in on. Honestly, the drinks are cheap enough that I’m usually too drunk to care.

It really depends on what you like — but if you like dive bars filled with bros, this place is for you. I loved it, being new to the city and from Buffalo, I was looking for a place where I could do some serious drinking with no judgment and at a low cost. Spanky’s is it.
$ 2 PBRs and $ 2 shots allowed me to buy everyone a round after they made me feel at home by doing a «B-​I-​L-​L-​S BILLS BILLS BILLS» chant after I told them I was from Buffalo.
To sum up: frat party environment with frat party prices and some hot bartenders. It’s my favorite bar in the city when I’m looking to just let loose and have a good time.

I have reached a point in my life where, «if they ask for ID; I am in the wrong place», but even after I was ID’ed; Spanky & Darla’s is a great hole in the wall to enjoy an evening of fun and drink. It is small, it is cheap, it is the kind of place where you drink booze and more booze.
I don’t know how long Spanky & Darla’s has been in this location, but I think I was here years ago when called something else. Those were the days of the East Village being that drug infested area where the cops would not go near or into, but like all things we have change. Change for the good.
Spanky & Darla’s is that old style neighborhood Bar that use to be part of the culture of NYC. This style Bar is now vanishing away to Gaps, Banks, CVS, etc. There are fewer and fewer places to enjoy a drink, have some conversation and not break the bank while doing so.
Spanky & Darla’s has this charm. Friendly Monday night Bartender will entertain you with some chit chat. Great jukebox where $ 5 buys you 20 or 25 songs. Cheap shots and beer like $ 5 Jameson’s, $ 1 PBR, $ 2.50 Millers, etc., etc. This is not craft beer central with tons of options. This is a beer and shot gin mill. Boom…
Overall, Spanky & Darla’s may not be the place for all. It is not a lounge. It is not a club. It is not a place where you find infuse mango drinks. It is a place where you can chill, have some fun, enjoy your drink and maybe meet new friends. I am sure Spanky & Darla’s has it’s crazy moments on weekends or late at night, but if your looking for cheap beer and booze, you found home. Enjoy…

No-​frills dive bar. I think that as everywhere in NY the drinks are a little expensive (for my current Midwestern sensibilities). Quite small, but seems to have a nice vibe. The bartender was also very friendly and bought us the fourth round :) which apparently is not a rarity (it had happened to my friend last time he’d been there).
It’s basically the bar and then a small back area with two tables. Not sure how crowded it gets, but when I was there on a Sunday afternoon it was not bad at all.

Reason for 4 stars is because of the bathroom and because it is a CASH ONLY bar, more on that later. This place used to be the old cheap shots. Funny thing is that the atm still says the old name. $ 7.50 for a pitcher of bud-​light all the time? I can only imagine what their happy hour is like. The bartender was happily drunk and giving us shots. Someone paid for a pitcher and never came back so the bartender made an announcement that its up for grabs.
This place is hole in the wall literally. You have to walk single-​file to get to the bathrooms in the back.
:BATHROOM ALERT:
Above everything make sure the bathroom door locks, you never want someone to walk in on you when you’re doing the hover over bowl stance. The first door for the two sets of bathrooms don’t lock. The bathrooms are unisex so expect them to be twice as bad. I recommend using the second one because you have a lock and because this one for some reason had more toilet paper in it. The first bathroom ran out of soap. Eeewww which means many people didn’t have clean hands.
Aside from the bathroom this place is great and I can see it as a regular spot. It might not be your cup of tea but cheap shots and drinks are perfect for anyone on a budget. I recommend coming early so you can sit at the bar because if you don’t then your one of the people moving every second because you literally have to lean up against the wall like a spy to let people pass. I wish I was able to give this place a half $ sign because it is just that cheap.

Oh stop being babys you picky Unilocalers. Spanky’s (as I like to call it) is an awesome bar.
I saw a sign that read, «Don’t Hassle the Ladies» when I walked in here and immediately fell in love.
I come to NY a lot for work and love this city like no other. Spanky’s is now one of my new favorite spot in this magnificent city.
It’s a great bar to come to any night of the week for some cheap fun with cheap people.
Bartenders are funny, fun friendly, and as Ryan G. says, partially retarded. I think they give spanky’s more character.
Stop being pansies Unilocalers! Have some good cheap fun.