Meatpacking District

Highline and 15^th St.

The only bar on the High Line (not that there’s really room for others), and while it’s a small space, I actually found it enjoyable.  A handful of long tables for sharing space, but they are usually always filled up.  And since you can’t take the beer beyond the roped off area, just hope for the best…I think I just liked it for the people watching  Crowd is a mix of tourists and local 20’s and 30’s that work nearby, beer is above average and slightly above average prices, taste fine.

Little West 12^th St. btw Washington and 9^th Ave.

I thought it was called Buddha Bar.  Oh well, it’s not.  But it is a restaurant (pricey, but not by MPD standards) by day, event space/club by night.  Now, the booze is also pricey, you’re going to either make a reservation and buy bottle service, or get lucky enough to get in and buy pricey drinks.  It’s a pretty cool looking place filled with good looking people, just come ready to spend.  Drinks are expensive (have I mentioned that?), taste fine.

www.ajnabarnyc.com

9^th Ave. btw 13^th and 14^th St.

Your typical Meatpacking District bar, though much smaller.  Crammed in between another bar and a restaurant, this place is quiet, and a decent place to go to escape the big crowds that you’ll get basically anywhere else in this area.  Really not much to it, but average beers at average prices.

9^th Ave. and 13^th St.

Used to be the Hog Pit, definitely have scoured the floors since moving in, but that’s about it.  Front room for sitting, back room for standing, it’s basically just the exact same bar, but trying to be a little bit fancier so as not to draw too much attention to itself in this neighborhood.  Average beers at average prices.

www.billsbarandburger.com

9^th Ave. and 13^th St.

Lot’s of room at this bar that’s right in the center of the Meat Packing district.  There’s a seating area in the front and a smaller room in the back, the smaller room the one you actually want to be in.  The pitchers are cheap here, beers taste fine, and there’s a pretty decent crowd that comes here to avoid the high costs of the “scene” that surround.

www.hogpit.com

Washington St. and Little W. 12^th St.

An attempt at a beer garden in Manhattan?  This can’t be good…I was pretty much right.  Okay, they have three German beers, this is the usual even at the Queens beer gardens, but you have to buy drink tickets for them at the front desk/kiosk/booth.  But there’s a ton of liquor here, so I’m hesitant to call it a beer garden.  You have the crowd of people who think drinking and beer gardens are a “cool new fad” and so they wander over from Pastis and think they’re really down to earth.  Toss in the fact that there’s two ping pong tables taking up a huge chunk of room, usually occupied by really intense people/people who couldn’t play to save their souls but giggle the whole time…both groups causing the balls to go flying all over the place and having the loser chase under your table for it.  The whole place is covered by the High Line, so it’s open almost all year with space heaters.  That being said, $8 for a large beer isn’t unexpected, they taste pretty good, and I will give points for a very attractive wait staff.

www.standardhotels.com

Little West 12^th St. btw 9^th Ave and Washington St.

A nice bar in the meatpacking district that is surprisingly neither pretentious nor a dive…a nice place if you will.  There are two big rooms for plenty of seating and the service is pretty good.  The drinks are surprisingly average prices (twice using “surprisingly” in a bar description…I need a thesaurus) and the beers taste good too.

www.revelnyc.com

Washington St. and 13^th St.

The real inspiration for Coyote Ugly, it’s a small bar that does all it can to pack ‘em in.  The bartenders and bouncers aren’t the friendliest, but that probably has to do with the people in the crowd who can become a bit obnoxious at times.  The beers are average prices and taste fine, but I think once was enough for me to say I’ve at least gone here.

www.hogsandheifers.com

14^th St. and 9^th Ave.

Not exactly a bar and not exactly a club…who knows.  This place is for all of the Meatpackers that still want to feel like they’re someplace really exclusive but don’t want to wait on line.  The clientele is hit or miss with some nights having a light crowd and some nights getting meatheads.  The service is pretty good and the drinks are average prices to slightly above average for beers that taste average.

www.gaslightnyc.com

Little W. 12^th St. btw Washington St. and 10^th Ave.

Where do you begin with this bar?  I always find there to be plenty of girls to meet (guys for the ladies to meet as well) but it is so crowded in here.  Perhaps because it’s a step above the dive bars and one below the annoying clubs in the neighborhood.  The beers can be just above average prices, but taste fine, and the service can be slow at times, but I still find myself coming back again and again, regardless of the crowd.

www.brassmonkeybar.com