10 Best Dive Bars in New York, 2013 Edition

Voice Places

Goodbye Blue Monday
Packed with bookshelves, thrift-shop lamps, and, every night of the week, the best band you've never heard of, Goodbye Blue Monday is literally falling apart. The tin roof, rusty front gate, and decrepit furniture are cause for the Bushwick bar's new Improvement Initiative. Go before the solicited donations are used to spruce anything up. 1087 Broadway, Brooklyn

Sundermann

Palace Cafe
The jukebox is full of Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, and Ted Nugent, and pitchers of beer cost a measly $8 at this family-owned pub that's been a Greenpoint staple since 1933. Monday nights at the Palace during football season are a sacred ritual for Giants fans, who can be found devouring meat and potatoes from a buffet. Order wine here and you'll get a generous glass of boxed Franzia from behind the bar. 206 Nassau Ave., Brooklyn

Voice Places

Red Hook Bait and Tackle
Even Hurricane Sandy couldn't close ten-year-old Bait and Tackle. The day after the storm, a neighbor dropped by with two generators and owner Barry O'Meara threw on some music as Red Hook locals came through to see one another. A successful Kickstarter campaign helped the bar redo its electrical wirings and make repairs from water damage. Famed taxidermied creatures -- a bear on its hind legs, a mounted ram's head, and assorted small rodents -- are still intact. The bar treats its customers like family, which makes it both a local and a citywide favorite. 320 Van Brunt St., Brooklyn

Voice Places

Coal Yard Bar
One tiny window is not enough to light Coal Yard Bar in the East Village, where the entrance is painted black and the one oddity is a birdcage hanging near the back. The long maple bartop is usually filled with friendly lone drinkers, who strike up conversations with just about anyone who walks through the door. The outdoor patio stays open all year round for smokers and folks who want an escape from busy First Avenue. A few Mars Bar refugees have adopted Coal Yard as their bar. Though the crowd is a little less rowdy, it's just as rough around the edges. 102 First Ave.