Whiskey Tavern

This place is so much fun! It’s such a gem in Chinatown with great drink prices, fun music and even funnier bartenders that work super fast. It can get super crowded, but if you’re patient enough, you’ll be able to find a spot to settle in and have a good time. The beer and shot special is my fave at $ 10.

We came here to console our recently heartbroken girlfriend. Looks like just another dark, divey bar.
WE LOVED THIS PLACE. The service is impeccable. The servers/​bartenders are attentive, funny, engaging. Rachel introduced herself to us, and now we’re buds!
My girlfriends and I decided this would be our weekly hangout. Taco specials at 7pm every night I believe.
Did I mention, for the most part, the people hanging out there are young and attractive?! Different from most dive bars in the city!

This place become my go to place when I’m not sure what the vibe is with the company I’m with. The bar is U shaped which is great for service. It’s never too hard to get a drink even when it’s crowded. They have a bunch of entertainment on less crowded nights. They also have nights where a DJ comes in. The music has always been great. The dance floor isn’t huge but big enough to dance.

Cool bar, great environment very young and hip! would go with a bunch of friends rather than a date generally but it’s again it’s a very fun atmosphere would go again for sure!

My favorite bar in NYC. Yes it’s a dive bar, and yes you’re going to have a great time. The bartenders are awesome, especially Cody and Josh!
My friends and I love coming here because of the music, always playing throwbacks from the 80s/​90s like Whitney, backstreet boys and some early 00s like Stacy’s Mom. Gets a little crowded but if you’re there with a solid group it’s pretty easy to establish a space and not feel squashed in the crowd.
Lot of singing, lot of dancing, and of course always a lot of pickle back shots :)

Looking for a bar in Chinatown last night; I was happy to find Whiskey Tavern. Very busy at 6:00 PM. Doorman checking IDs. Rather small bar on the left but with three bartenders — all working fast. A few high tops on the right side; booths further back. Loud rock/​pop music.
I had a G&T — well made and only $ 6.00. Did not try the food. If the food is good, then it might be worth an extra star.

This place is so much fun. It is the perfect stop for time with friends. Hands down the most personable, friendly, fun and attentive staff I have ever experienced. After my first visit, several of the crew said good bye to me as I left USING MY NAME! They make you feel like you are part of the family.
I have had a great times here playing board games, watching sporting events and just enjoying my friends.
Also if your friends have a good sense of humor you must stop by for their birthday.

This was our first visit to Whiskey Tavern and what a great experience we had. The steaks were fantastic and the service we received was top notch. The NYC strip was excellent with the horsradish crust. My husband had the beef medallions with horsradish, parmesan, and mushroom crusts. All we excellent. Appetizer, meals, 4 beers, and the white wine flights (4 sampler glasses of 4 different wines) ran the tab to about $ 60. Would recommend this pub to anyone.

My hubby ‘s 40^th birthday. His BIG celebration was a few weeks ago, so this was going to be a more toned-​down evening. Couple of friends, couple of drinks… But low-​key (I didn’t plan much).
My original plan was to stop into Baby Grand and sing some karaōke. Never been before, didn’t call ahead, I thought «it’s Sunday night, we’re totally fine.» Nope. As we stood outside in the cold, staring in through the doors of Baby Grand, we watched strangers enjoy what seemed to be an awesome PRIVATE PARTY. #wifeoftheyear right? Great. I blew it.
Back up, as we love whiskey, was Whiskey Tavern??? Never been before, it was close by, and my gracious friends let me lead them in the cold over to this mystery joint. I crossed my mental fingers, and we went in.
Packed. And loud. We’re not a group of spring chickens (age range 34 – 45), we wanted to talk. We found ourselves on the quiet back porch, perfectly contented in our coats. Inner monologue: «well, this was never meant to be a super-​crazy night, at least we’re surrounded by friends.»
Our server, Sara (h), came out in a tank, greeted us like a champion, was patient with our first-​time ordering of pickle-​backs — -the spicy ones were amazing, I may or may not have had 4 — -and the kitchen was still serving breakfast burritos and chili and wings and baked potatoes until midnight, so the crew was happy.
I casually mention that it was my husband’s birthday, Sara (h) casually and kindly responded «oh, cool!» And I thought that was that.
WRONG. Over the course of the night, we were strewn with birthday SURPRISES!!! It. Was. Amazing.
First a computer printed sign that read HAPPY SUPER AWESOME BIRTHDAY JOHN was taped to the wall as if I had planned this all along (again, as you know, our hero totes dropped the ball).
Then, a rolled up tin foil «burrito looking thing» with a gorgeous picture of our favorite server, Sara (h) attached to the six-​packed bod of some male model (so fun) was given to the birthday boy. He opened it. Free T-​shirt!!! Again «did you plan this?» Nope. (Whiskey Tavern is making me look SO good right now!)
As people filtered out of the bar, a table opens up, we head inside. (We were given multiple and very kind, timely warnings that the back porch closed at 11. We tried to-​increasingly drunkenly-​oblige.)
Stop. PHOTO BOOTH. If your drunk ass can figure out how to shove a fiver in that, you’ll make some great memories. Love me a photo booth.
Inside, now at a table, about one-​drink away from calling it a night, a huge sparkler attached to (don’t want to spoil all the fun, in case you go, just know it was incredible and hilarious and wonderfully indecent!!!) surrounded by what? Oh, just pickle backs for our now group of 6!
They brought the sign inside, we took a lot of pictures, had some unforgettable conversations, and the bill was about ¹⁄₃ what I had anticipated.
Drink menu ranged from the chill partiers go-to’s to IPAs to the whiskey-​flight connoisseur. Sunday Funday specials had $ 12 pitchers of Miller Lite, $ 5 pickle backs, up through (reg menu) $ 18 flight of Whistle Pig, Bulleit Rye, and Templeton rye — good pours, too.
We will seek out Whiskey Tavern again. And soon. We don’t go out and party like that a lot, but man, the staff must LOVE their jobs. They we’re so generous and so funny and so so so on top of it. We never waited for a drink.
This is already the longest review of all time, just go. It’s awesome.

I love EVERYTHING about this place! Great atmosphere, drinks, games, pickleback shots, the BARTENDERS!
Go on your birthday! You get special surprises ;)

Always great service and I love the energy. They are a fun bunch at the Whiskey Tavern! The bartenders are generous with their pours, and I love it!!!

Amazing and fun place. I called a couple of hours before coming in to ask if they could save us a table for what would be a busy football Sunday and they saved it, with our game on the TV AND A PERSONALIZED SIGN TAOED TO THE TABLE. A couple bartenders/​waitstaff introduced themselves with handshakes too! Everyone was incredibly attentive and friendly. Free shots towards the end of our stay too! I’m pregnant and got a special «mama shot» with a handmade flag to distinguish it! Food was yummy, came out quick and the place was spic and span. If we are in the area again we would totally return!

One of the best dive bars in Manhattan.
Head down to Chinatown, where Baxter Street meets White Street, and in between two bail bonds you will find this gem of a pub. My friends and I have been coming here for years, even though it is not an easy commute from the UES, because each night comes with some memorable yet hazy stories. Whether it’s been playing jenga, catching a sporting event, celebrating a birthday, surprising your friends with a tray of shots and a sparkler attached to a massive… something, drinking too many drinks, ending up in the photo booth, and/​or dancing aggressively — this place is all about having a good time.
The drinks are cheap and the bar food does the trick (i.e. buffalo tater tots). The atmosphere is casual and lively — attracting sizeable crowds of friendly people. There is a large bar and several booths, tables, and countertops in the front, while the back provides for an additional seating area. You can call ahead if you need to reserve a booth or table for a larger group — we did this recently for a friend’s going away party. I cannot say enough about the managers and bartenders. It is their attitude and service that sets the bar’s great tone and makes people wanting to come back.
I am looking forward to my next visit — check it out sometime!

If I could just lift this place up and bring it home with me, I would. Or at least bring it closer to me.
One of my favorite bars! The only downside to this place is that it’s so great, it’s almost always packed at night.
If you can manage to grab a table, they have Jenga and Connect 4, few other games hiding in the back. But you really won’t need that when they’re playing the best hits of 90s till now. Once everyone’s had a few drinks, everyone in the place is singing the words to Journey, Bön Jovi, or Backstreet Boys.
Their drink menu is awesome and plenty of must-​tries mixed drinks. If you haven’t tried a pickleback shot, do it here. Better yet, make it spicy!
All their bartenders are super nice, fun, and attentive. Even during a pretty busy hour, John never had me waiting for more than two minutes for another drink.
Rob, Meg, Sean, John — you guys are the bomb dot com

Nice bar with great drink specials every day. There is a wide variety of different people hanging out at the bar & it’s great to mingle. The budget friendly drinks are great but the food is suboptimal. Great service and probably one of the better bars to check out in the area.

Last Irish bar in Chinatown! Surrounded by Chinese and Vietnamese restaurants and mani pedi, this bar is really cool. Irish/​American atmosphere with pop music, nice crowd, and a great selection of beers, whiskers, and bites. Fairly cheap, there are specials almost every week and weekend, like taco Tuesdays, Wednesday sliders, etc.
I came here with four friends few evenings ago, and we had a blast. It’s 5 minutes walk from city hall and 5 minutes from Canal Street. Perfect spot for afterwork drinks.

I freaking LOVE this place.
Long day at work? Whiskey Tavern.
Need a good place to day drink? Whiskey Tavern.
Where to bring a good friend/​casual date (on weekday)? Whiskey Tavern.
Want to pregame in a cram packed bar (on weekend)? Whiskey Tavern.
Want to sing to early 2000s-​2010s songs? Whiskey Tavern.
I discovered this place with my friend back in October and ever since had to get one of their UFO pumpkin beers every week (pumpkin beer with a cinnamon rim). There is a special going on every night, but my favorite has to be Taco Tuesday where it’s $ 7 for 3 tacos. Did I mention they have flaming BBCs when you order a pickle-​back? Yeah, that might shock you the first time you go, but you’ll get use to it real soon, haha. That’s how I know I’ve become desensitized to the tavern… when you bring your friends for the first time and they start freaking out over a flaming big black cock and you think it’s normal!
This place get PACKED on the weekends starting around 10pm, so I suggest going on a weekday when it’s more relaxed and just enjoy the atmosphere that is the Whiskey Tavern.

I stumbled upon this place during a photography outing. The bar had no problems accommodating my group of 16, even though one of their tables had already been reserved. It was still early on a Saturday, but by the time I left it was starting to get busier.
A surprise find in Chinatown, the atmosphere is very sports-​pub, relaxed, and I could see myself frequenting this place after work, if I worked in the neighborhood. The crowd was low key and not as obnoxious as I would have expected from sports pub/​whiskey spot. They had a game up on the big screen, and loud music for anyone not interested in the game. The music was a mixture of 90’s hip hop and alternative to current pop. Add in a board games shelf (Jenga!) and photo booth, and you have a recipe for a fun drunken night out with friends.
The drinks and food were reasonably priced and the quality was decent. I really liked the tots, or I was really hungry. The waitress was very friendly and brought everything out fairly quickly.
They have a back yard that I’d love to check out when it gets warmer. Now that I see they are known for their spicy pickle backs, I’ll have to go back and try one.

Finally made it here after much urging by friends! On this particular Friday night, there were 3 different birthday parties going on. While this made for a popping party, it also created a lot of noise and made the place feel like it was best for large groups. Indeed, when we looked around, it seemed like most people were with at least 3 – 4 friends if not larger. I ordered the Baxter St. Lemonade-​it was delicious and STRONG. I was really surprised at how far just that one drink got me.
It was definitely crowded, but we had no problem getting in and there was definitely space to stand around. I was a fan of the music they played-​slightly older pop songs but great choices that really got the beat going.
When I come back, I will definitely bring a bigger group of friends (was just with one other person tonight). Seems like this place is great for celebrations and late night drinking. Come here to low-​key party and drink, but don’t expect to be able to hold intimate conversations as it is quite loud! Probably most fun after you are already slightly tipsy. :)

Really liked their hospitality and the cocktails! Welcome relief from the way «Tiny’s & the bar upstairs» treated us!
Despite being packed, they seated us at a reserved table with the sole request that we let the table go 10 mins before the folks who reserved it got there. And we stuck to our word!
The jalapeño poppers were nice, and the fried pickles were unique, though I can’t say I took a fancy to them. They play loud music, and we were very close to the speakers, so I attribute my sore throat this morning to this place (in the nicest way possible)! :) You see, we were all meeting after a long time, and had catching up to do!
Small place, young vibe, and welcoming! Thanks guys, we’ll see you again soon!