Divey bar. The bar staff is pleasant. There is a pool table. Has a very good neighborhood grungy vibe. The beer is pretty cheap.

Quaint dive on quiet stretch of E 5th. Good Guiness pour, pool table, amd some older clientele to ward off obnoxious youngsters. A great first or third or last stop.

What an awesome little dive bar!! Great atmosphere, great bartenders and very good selection of drinks!!

Awesome bar, everyone here is really cool and friendly. The pool table is always fun and exciting!!

Kyle is great ! He has awesome photography! Love the vibe and the fellows I met there. The drinks are cheap !

Great bar, plus there's a delightful yeti painting if you're into that sort of thing

Such a cool bar!! Was bar hopping and found this gem!! Bartender was absolutely awesome!! Definitely recommend!!

Fantastic east village bar with a great jukebox and pool table.

A perfect bar is a nebulous and illusive concept, but Sophie's embodies it. An inviting atmosphere, a diverse jukebox, a friendly staff: these are touchstones of Sophie's. They also have a pool table (but good luck getting on it) and Big Buck Hunter in the back. There always seems to be just the right amount of seating. Some call this a dive but locals like myself call it home.

Great cozy dive bar with friendly service, pool table, and sick jukebox. Local kids mixing with yuppies, everyone having a good time. Good as either a first stop or last stop for the night. We'll be back.

I was a little intimidate because the bar tender shook everyone's hand but mine and then Everyone looked at me and frowned. I quickly disparaged real estate, the weather, and de blasio, and the mood turned favorable. Beer is fairly price and there's restrooms. Great decor!!

Sophie's is my favorite bar in New York. The bartenders are friendly and although it's fairly narrow, it's usually possible to find a seat (unless you get there at like 2am on a Saturday). The prices are good, the pours are generous and it's one of those places you can either take a group of friends or hang out alone and meet people from all walks of life. Go on a weekday, early evening, to meet some of the genuine characters who have called Sophie's home for decades or close to it.

Great Sunday dive to hang play pool with friends and regulars. A classic east village jukebox. Daytime bartender Kayla is great. If you're friendly you may just get a buyback.

Bartender is an angel (to me at least). Great atmosphere, fun crowd, good prices.

good place to sit back and put your feet up if you know what i mean

One of East Village's best and most classic dive bars. Always enjoy myself here. It's generally relaxed with some buzz in the back with the pool table.

Quintessential East village dive bar, and a hold out spot as everything around gets hip and new. The drinks are cheap, and there's always a good game of pool and a solid conversation to be had here.

I can’t understand some of the negative reviews. We went on a Wednesday around 7-8pm. We had leftover Indian food-we asked if it was ok to put our container on the bar because I know Indian food can be a little strong smelling-the bartender told us we can eat if we like. She was extremely courteous to everyone. It definitely was a mixed crowd-even a table with a baby. It was a chill vibe, everyone having a good time-minding their own yet a few small chats amongst the patrons. This bar is way better than some others in the area. Reasonably priced. If we are down in that area again definitely will go back. It’s a dive bar don’t expect to be catered too!!!

Great, no frills bar, chatty locals, affordable beer, good jukebox

One of the cities best neighborhood dives, TV’s in the corner, weathered wooden bar, classic pool table in the back and cheap drinks with no nonsense bartenders. You could write a move about how aesthetic this place is.

Mark Heffernan

Had a great time here on New Year’s Eve. It’s a proper “no nonsense” boozer and the ladies behind the bar take no shit. Great experience!

Jeffrey G

Al was the absolute sweetest bartender!! 10/10, first time here and we had the best night 🫶🫶

Cinthya Pereira

“best pizza ever”- coming from a five year old. friendly staff, solid pizza, can’t go wrong. coca cola establishment.

Classic dive bar, nothing fancy but comfortable and laid back. Nice spot for a shot and a beer and a game of pool.

One of my favorite East Village bars. Perfect combination of low-key and good for large groups and good conversation

Only other item needed to make it a great go-to bar is a dart board. Great bar staff too.

We came here early afternoon. There was a good crowd for a rainy day. Only complaint is that when there was nothing playing on the jukebox, there was no background music. Nice bartender

I've been coming here for years, great chilled out atmosphere, cool people, you can't get more NY than Sophie's! Plus great prices for the drinks too.

Tom Waits favorite bar? Cheap drinks? Say no more. Divey, fun, very casual vibe that is well suited for the East Village.

Places like Sophie's are a dying breed in the East Village. As gentrification creeps in and rising rents force out the amazing dive bars of years past, it's getting harder and harder to find a spot where you can stroll in, shoot some pool, and knock back a $4 pint while listening to Bowie and Talking Heads on the jukebox

Sophie's is a great brand in NYC. The flavors of the cuban cuisine that they provide are delicious. The portions have come down in size over the years, but otherwise can't complain about the food or quality of it.

Classic dive bar with cheap drinks. The pool like is usually pretty long, and have to put your name on the chalkboard to play

It's a nice bar that's a tad above "no-frills grade". The picklebacks are so damn satisfying, I could drink them all night.

This is a great little bar to unwind after-work, and has a nice laid back, no muss, no fuss atmosphere. The beers are cold and cheap, there's plenty of space between the bar and tables, and there's a pool table in the back area. The bartenders are friendly, and there's some pretty cool art up on the walls.

Uptight bartender or waitress? Treated me like dirt for no reason. Went to get a pitcher for me and my wife while she finnished eating ready. After asking the employee for the pitcher she blankly looked at me and said NO there is only yourself. Haha I'm 240 lbs I'm sure I could handle a pitcher without a second person. She then said she wouldn't serve me until my wife got there and then made me stand there not saying a thing to me. This was also at 430 in the afternoon, place was dead empty and I was stone sober. Very rude and I felt quite embarrassed. Will never return!

Rock the jukebox over decently priced drinks in an almost cafe-like atmosphere. Funky art on the walls, window seats and a pool table make this bar a homey and comfortable spot to catch up with friends.

The bartender was great, very nice pours. The prices are reasonable. I went on a Friday night and it had a groups of Coworkers hang out vibe (I met up with 5 of my coworkers there to start our bar hop lol). Yet and still good place to chill and get your drink on. I didnt inquire about any food.

Cute little local bar with affordable drinks and nice atmosphere. They also have a vintage Jukebox and Paxman in the back behind the billiards table!

Brock Zych

Fun bar with some good prices! Some of their beer options were only $5 but there's a $20 minimum on purchases which is a little annoying. Pool table looked fun but we didn't get a chance to play this visit.

Steve Ginther

Sophie's is always a good place to go and have a drink or three. Not fancy but that's the point, doesn't need to be. Always a friendly bartender.

+2

Jeffrey Geiringer

decent bar, friendly service, cheap drinks. hilarious paintings. they let me bring in food from down the street. what more could you ask for? (you can always ask for a pinball machine in the back....would go with the decor)

Place is just really odd on weekends. Very NYU crowd. Good jukebox though.

Great bar, great name....shame about the awful bar tender. Couldn't have been made to feel more unwelcome. We planned to stay all night but got the message after two drinks and left.

Not very spacious. The people smell like pencil shavings and ramen noodles. Great prices for drinks.

Not a lot of space and the pool table is small. Bartender wasn't too nice. Sucks when people are rude just doesn't make me want to stay.

Fuzzy Poet

Back before the original owners split, this little, grimy dive was hands-down the best place to be. Around 2000, Shane was behind the bar, mixing stiff drinks and making sure the jukebox stayed stocked with solid tunes. He actually cared—about the music, the atmosphere, and the regulars who kept the place alive. The crowd was a mix of broke students, grizzled barflies (some of whom smelled like straight-up vomit, no joke), and lost souls looking for a home away from home. It was a haven for the misfits, the mentally ill, the wickedly talented, and everyone in between. Writers, musicians, and all sorts of characters passed through when Sophie's was still a true neighborhood spot. I haven’t been back in a while, but I hear things have changed. Hopefully, it hasn’t gone the way of so many other beloved dives—watered down and soulless, catering to yuppies who want to play "low-rent" for a night. Back in its prime, though? Sophie's wasn’t just a bar; it was the real deal.

Of all the bars we visited, this was the coldest and rudest. Locals only, I guess 👍

asked the bartender to check a bottle to see if it’s kosher and she completely snapped at me… don’t know what her issue was and then proceeded to kick my friends and I out of the bar. usually love coming here though. that was very unpleasant.

Not a bad spot but my experience wasn’t so great. Thursday Bartender was nice and accommodating but seemed very annoyed and I honestly can’t say that I blame her. I don’t think I would come back here. The pool table is very small compared to your average bar and just unnecessary drama. I came here because I heard there was a pool table and I wanted to enjoy myself and unwind after weeks of overworking myself and then I instantly regretted it.

Bouncer was a dick, telling us we couldn’t come if with “that super drunk chick”, referring to our friend who was, in reality, just dancing with her boyfriend outside while we waited to get in. When we talked to him to clarify he got weirdly aggressive, so we left.

Patrick Deery

This would be a 5 star dive bar if it weren’t for that one bartender on a power trip. I go to this bar often and if that bartender is there it changes the whole vibe. She often (every 30 minutes or so) cuts the music to go over the loud speaker to publicly humiliate people. Pretty bizarre. Unless she’s Sophie herself, she needs to get fired.

Says Cuban. Where is the Cuban food. Black beans? Rice? Cuban sandwich.

Bartenders were very rude, we left without even getting a drink because they made us feel so unwelcome.

Bartender was a total jerk (after I tipped him $10 for my 2 friends and I) Yuck.

My friends and I are all 24+ and the manager took one look at one of our IDs, didn't bother to scan it and decided it was fake. Learn how to run a bar.

Worst bartender I’ve ever experienced. Worst bar I’ve ever been to. Avoid at all costs. I would rather eat glass than spend a single cent here.

Rejected my 23 year old friend for having a fake ID - he is literally 23

Management turned my friends away for wearing Christmas sweaters. It’s not like we are tryna have a Santacon over here! REJECT

This is the worst bar experience I’ve ever had in my life. I was here with a few friends after a friend’s engagement party and the bar was about halfway full. I’d gone up to the bar area to grab a water and the bartender yelled at me before I’d even approached the bar to say she was not giving out any more waters because she’d already given out 30 that day and wasn’t making any money from them. My friends and I had just ordered several pitchers of beer from her, so we we’re not only ordering water. It was not only the rudest way I’d ever been spoken to in a public setting but also quite literally illegal. I’d previously enjoyed this bar but will never be back and I’d urge you to do the same.

I asked the bartender for "a light beer and it didn't matter which one". She said I needed to choose from one of the beers on the menu on the wall behind her. I explained that I have bad eyesight and asked if she could please tell me what the options were. Apparently this was a ridiculous request and she wouldn't tell me the options. I told my friend I wanted to leave since the bartender was so rude. She then screamed at me as loud as she could to leave (which we were already doing) and got other customers to gang up on me with no context. The bouncer wasn't even on her side, apparently this particular bartender has severe anger issues. Never stepping foot within a mile radius of this bar again.

Rude bartender, bad vibes. This particular bartender had a mustache but it looks like all of them have a condescending attitude based on other reviews. Not a hi, hello, or how are you - just “IDs!” the second our group of 10 23-30 year olds walked in. I felt like I had done something “wrong” just by walking in, so we decided to take our business elsewhere.

By far the most unprofessional bouncers I’ve come across. Neither was standing anywhere near the door, and the first words out of their mouth when I walked up were insulting what I was wearing. Second sentence was “why you shaking bro, you shaking”. Just a truly bizarre experience. In the entire city of New York, these guys are what Sophie’s decided were the most qualified for the job?

African American bartender got super aggressive and started attacking me when my card got rejected. My card was fine it worked at another bar. It must’ve been a connection issue. I would not be surprised if this bar was revisit.

Believe the bad reviews! The rudest bartender I’ve ever experienced. Made me feel unwelcome, unsafe, and was dressing down other patrons. Left without getting a drink.

Unnecessarily rude staff, don’t waste your time or money here.

avoid this place. went here last night, bartender was extremely crass, rude and verbally abusive to the patrons. saw her completely dress down and hurl profanity at this girl at the bar who asked her if she could make this drink she didn’t have ingredients for. not that deep - just tell you can’t make the drink and move on

I’ve never met a bartender who seems to have as much disdain for her customers as the one who works at Sophies. She’s kinda like if a prison warden were a bartender but somehow meaner and fatter. Idk she basically just sucks. Jukebox rocked tho

Love a pool bar, but honestly very bad service and hate rude bartenders

Bartender cannot serve basic drinks without having a mental breakdown. People hogging the one pool table the entire night. We left immediately after 5 minutes. This place does not make any sense

As other people have been saying, the bartenders are literally the rudest I have ever encountered in my whole life, like straight up stopped the music to scream at my friends and also laughed in my face and my friends when we ordered drinks they didn’t make??? Claims “we’re a dive bar sweetie we don’t make that” mockingly and then offers to make something else on the fly, then turns to some other patrons, literally crap talks us to them, and laughs in front of our face?? What kind of dive bar has a $20 card minimum and 20% -35% tip options… it’s embarrassing girl. If you are old and like a place where everyone is rude to make themselves feel better bc they work in the dingiest bar ever this is the place for you❤️

This place is horrible. You’re telling me in the entirety of NYC you can’t find better bartenders? They add more to your tip if they don’t like the amount, probably illegal. Judging by the other reviews can’t imagine that will change anytime soon. Considering majority of the good reviews are “local guides” I wouldn’t believe it for a second. Avoid it, save yourself the time.

Been here many times and enjoyed it as a classic dive bar. Last time, however, our party experienced the rudest bartender I’ve ever met in my life. She was on some sort of power trip and made people in my party cry for asking for a water while ordering drinks. Never seen a bartender get so angry about a few waters mixed in with pitchers of beer. Will not be back and you should avoid as well. Lived in New York for many years and never seen anything like it.

came here with friends last night, and was utterly disappointed by the customer service. A friend and I went to use the bathroom and didn’t see the sign that it was one person at a time, seconds later, we saw the sign in the bathroom, and my friend came out, by the time she stepped outside, the bartender was yelling at the top of her lungs about only one person being allowed in the bathroom per time and asking if we’re stupid and started to curse my friend out to the point where the DJ had to stop the music to see if there was an emergency. then, when I leave the bathroom, I’m told by security that we both have to leave, and as we’re outside discussing where we’re gonna go next, the same disrespectful bartender decides to come out and apologize to us for the misunderstanding, when there was no misunderstanding to begin with that needed that much derogatory vocabulary express towards me and my friend. She is disrespectful and from the looks of the reviews on the site, I’m not the only one that has had an issue with her. She needs to be fired. Check the yelp reviews as well, most of them are people getting into an issue with that same female bartender. She should probably try to stay sober while clocked in too. That might help 🤣

Definitely should have read the reviews before going to this bar. Me and my friends were in the area and decided to go to Sophies but the one bartender was extremely rude for no reason? After waiting for a few minutes they took our order. After like 10-15 mins of waiting for the drinks (which really wasn't an issue, they were packed), they came back with our drinks and told us the price. As I was pulling some cash out of my wallet they basically yelled at us "you should be ready to pay". I had no idea how much the drinks were going to cost + they took a minute to come out so I didn't have the money completely ready to go. I also gave more than the drinks costed and didn't get any change back. I guess they assumed that it was a tip but it wasn't and I don't know if I would have tipped after the experience we had. :(((

Won't be back. Bartender was super rude and screamed at us for "being too loud". Told us we hadn't bought enough drinks to be that loud. Lady, you work at a BAR. Get real. A male patron had also been aggressively harassing me, and usually this is something you can tell another woman bartender. She did not create a safe environment for that at all.

rudest bartenders i’ve ever met, to the point where i thought it was their motto or trend to be rude to their customers. i asked the little dude bartender to get a rum and coke and i asked for another one and made a whole scene then had to make another one bc there was a card limit, literally with the gayest attitude then the girl bartender came in yelling at a customer talking about boundaries

Very rude bartender—didn’t even say anything and she had a major attitude

Never experienced such an entitled bartender in my life. She stopped the music multiple times and told everyone there that “you’re all privileged”. There’s genuinely something wrong with her and I hope she gets the help she needs. Highly recommend a therapist

Gareth Jones

So I'm a big fan of dive bars like this but the girl behind the bar should get another job.

Ryan Tannian

Online, this place is described as a holdout against East Village gentrification. I suppose the easiest way to uphold that title is to just make everyone’s life miserable to the point they’d never think about going back. Honestly, respect.

claire mahon

WILL NOT GIVE YOU WATER! My friend tried to get a water at the bar and the bartender told her there weren’t enough clean glasses to give her water. She offered to buy a beer then use the cup and he said no. Then she bought a beer but ended up having to buy three because of the $20 card limit. She still didn’t get a water. We are thirsty!

Matthew Shapiro

I was hoping the 1 star reviews were exaggerations - there's no way these bartenders are that rude. But I’m honestly shocked by how this place treats its customers. I saw four women get kicked out for “not drinking enough” even though they each had a couple drinks and were just sitting at the bar. One bartender even said, “What, are you not gonna tip me?” completely unprovoked. There are many other bars in this neighborhood so best to avoid!

Jason Fondaw

the bartender copped an attitude after forgetting to pour us a shot we had paid for. Shocked she’s still working there after reading the other reviews saying she’s rude as hell (which are very true). Also the bar is full of lames so if that’s ur vibe then go ahead

Ben M

One of the worst experiences I've ever had at a bar, the main bartender is definitely on a power trip here. It took 10 minutes of waiting to get 3 Guinness when the place was practically empty. She continually stopped the music to yell at patrons for standing too close to the bathroom The worst is when I went to pay. I went to close my tab and picked the 20% tip option. She looked, rolled her eyes, and cancelled the transaction. She handed the machine back to me and made me redo it because I "should've picked the 30% option." Never have I had a bartender try to upcharge a tip on a bill and with the service she provided, it was nowhere close to that. The rest of the staff is personable but the main one definitely isn't

Ali S

The bartender was seriously the most rude woman I have ever met in my entire life.. She threw a TANTRUM when we tried to make her life easy and meet the $20 minimum in one fellow swoop. Said “these white girls are making me need a cigarette” and stormed out of the bar and didn’t finish making my drink (ordered a simple whiskey water). I have never written a negative review, but here I am because she ruined the whole experience. I hope you guys can figure this out, but honestly I don’t wish her upon my worst enemy. Told all my local friends how I went to Sophies, and they were asking “if we met the devil that works there” (not a good look.) She needs an attitude adjustment. I have worked in the service industry for years, I understand the stress and the ungrateful customers, but that was truly unbelievable.

Dejesus Brandt

The owner kicked us out for not buying drinks, despite us having purchased 4. When I was counting our drinks, she took 3 of them and reiterated that we were being kicked out, even though it was an hour before closing. They then allowed another group to take our table.

anya s

Owner kicked us out for not buying drinks when we had bought 4 drinks. When I was counting the drinks we ordered, owner came over and picked up 3 out of 4 drinks i pointed to and reinforced that we were kicked out (while holding 3/4 of the half full drinks we ordered in her hands). Was 1 full hour before closing and they allowed another group to sit in our table

Zackery Diehl

Similar to other reviews here. Minimum fee, didn't tip by accident, then tried to tip but the bartender already left and snatched the drinks from my friends hand. I was holding cash up to try to tip, but the bartender instead looked furious and she poured the beers into the sink. Why was she having such a miserable Saturday night at the ripe time of 11pm?

Alonso Andreu

I had a bad experience today because the bartender was so rude. I visit Sophie’s today around 11 pm and the bartender told me I was so drunk when I only get 3 drinks before and I am a regular customer there. (First time I see this bartender) She said the next “Look like you already visit more than 6 places this night and you can’t even walk around” I’m the last person to be problematic in any place. Our plan was to play a couple of games of pool. Get a beer and have a good time. Hope you can change this kind of personal in the future.

Leandros Watson

I ordered an $8 drink. Except they conveniently waited until after to mention a $20 minimum. Then the bartender cancels my transaction because I didn’t tip. And just to make sure I really got the message, she goes ahead and tips herself $6 without my consent. Bottom line, I wanted one drink, ended up paying $26 for a vodka soda and horrible service.