Strangelove Bar NYC

I gave 5 stars because this place was made for me. Perfect fit. For the people that love gritty dives with fast, heavy music, and friendly service come here (they even have pro-wrestling playing on the TV ❤️) It's that,in the best way. WILL visit again 🤘

A punk rock bar, serving cheap beer in midtown? I couldn't believe it either. But it's real and it's wonderful. Definitely a dive, and that's just the way I like it. Bartender was very friendly and fun, and the overall vibe is low-key. Draft selection is sub-par, but you're here for cheap cans anyway.

Excellent vibes, very laid back with fair prices. Patrons are friendly and the host is very sociable! The Spotify playlist is pretty sick too.

Hidden gem in midtown East. Don’t come in here expecting 18$ cocktails. That’s not the vibe we’re talking cheap 4$ -6$ beers and we’ll drinks. In Manhattan what more could you ask for because bars like this in nyc are a dying breed

A savagely good bar - if you dislike graffiti, grime and post punk this bar is not for you. If you love this stuff, get yourself here. Frozen margaritas, a good selection of beers and shots, on a grimy-good street near midtown NY.

Favourite dive bar in Manhattan as of now. Cheap booze, great music, amiable staff, trashy setting with an improbable mix of patrons and a single toilet which I'm always afraid will come off the wall if I press too hard on the flush. Also often has space even though a rugby team would probably not fit in there.

A great place for cheap drinks. Shot and a beer only $3 'till 7pm. Great bartenders and good music if you like the era. Only problem I have is this place didn't exist a year ago and was made to look like it's been here since the Ramones were too young to drink.

This is a great throw back to cbgb type atmosphere. Actually a lot of fun and great bartenders

strangelove is one of the best cheap drinks in nyc and their bar tenders are all amazing people all trying to do their job responsibly and correctly.

Good deals and fun if with friends. Chill vibe.

Strangelove is the St. Marks of Midtown, bringing Lower East Side sleaze to the quintessential New York City featured on the tourist trinkets. Pete is quick to provide an acquired humor (totally my taste!) and exceptional, personalized service from behind the bar; my felt sense of belonging was immediate. P.S. Make sure to bring your own marker to claim your spot on the wall of this iconic punk rock oasis!

I want to say, that since 2015, Pete is greates peson you can meet in this cahotic city, the service, a talk a drink. everything there is always a good time. whoever had a bad time wIth Pete, is because the came with no ID, bad intentions. and childesT behaviors.

Lovely environment, great for cheap beer and fun people

Do you want to go to a punk rock bar with cheap beer and shots? Go here.

Strangelove Bar has been my go-to spot since 2018, and it hasn’t changed a bit—and that’s exactly why it’s my favorite bar in the city. If you’re looking for a true dive, this is it. Graffiti-covered walls, cheap beer, and a $6 beer-and-shot combo set the tone, but it’s the people that make this place special. No pretension, no judgment—just a solid crowd that’s as real as the bar itself. Strangelove is proof that a great dive doesn’t need gimmicks, just good vibes and good people.

PUNK PUNK and more PUNK. If PUNK and cheap booze with good service and company is your thang.... And its off the beaten tourist trap

Cold and cheap beer! Good music! Cool bartender!

I love this bar!! ♥️ My go to with friends. Cream Ale and Whiskey combo always the go! Sometimes Budlight Seltzer to bring down the drunk ness 🥲🥲🥲

We went to a fancy meal and my wife surprised me with this treasure after. If you like dive bars, if you like glam rock, and if you like places with no marketing department, then THIS is your place. David and Gayla were the regulars we hung out with. If they aren't there, just sit on the far right, and look up. Their names are on the ceiling. They were awesome. I bartended for 14 years and tried to make everyone's day better through my actions. You MEET Pete for 10 seconds, and he doesn't have to talk. Your day is already better. He knew about the Britney Fox breakup and played the band, he knew about how Whitesnake dissed John Sykes, and now will go listen to Blue Murder albums. He played Warrant. He played Kix. And he played Extreme pre-Van Halen and then had a conversation about all Van Halen singers. And there are specials, some with Bud, and one shot and beer for us IPA drinkers. Magical experience. And pretty sure Ed Norton was there. Pic below. Good luck finding the entrance, but it is worth it once you do. Definitely recommend, and see you there (next time I am out East).

Christopher Werner

Strangelove Bar has been my go-to spot since 2018, and it hasn’t changed a bit—and that’s exactly why it’s my favorite bar in the city. If you’re looking for a true dive, this is it. Graffiti-covered walls, cheap beer, and a $6 beer-and-shot combo set the tone, but it’s the people that make this place special. No pretension, no judgment—just a solid crowd that’s as real as the bar itself. Strangelove is proof that a great dive doesn’t need gimmicks, just good vibes and good people.

Andi Cooper

PUNK PUNK and more PUNK. If PUNK and cheap booze with good service and company is your thang.... And its off the beaten tourist trap

ernesto cabrera

Cold and cheap beer! Good music! Cool bartender!

prettie lissie

I love this bar!! ♥️ My go to with friends. Cream Ale and Whiskey combo always the go! Sometimes Budlight Seltzer to bring down the drunk ness 🥲🥲🥲

Mark Filler

We went to a fancy meal and my wife surprised me with this treasure after. If you like dive bars, if you like glam rock, and if you like places with no marketing department, then THIS is your place. David and Gayla were the regulars we hung out with. If they aren't there, just sit on the far right, and look up. Their names are on the ceiling. They were awesome. I bartended for 14 years and tried to make everyone's day better through my actions. You MEET Pete for 10 seconds, and he doesn't have to talk. Your day is already better. He knew about the Britney Fox breakup and played the band, he knew about how Whitesnake dissed John Sykes, and now will go listen to Blue Murder albums. He played Warrant. He played Kix. And he played Extreme pre-Van Halen and then had a conversation about all Van Halen singers. And there are specials, some with Bud, and one shot and beer for us IPA drinkers. Magical experience. And pretty sure Ed Norton was there. Pic below. Good luck finding the entrance, but it is worth it once you do. Definitely recommend, and see you there (next time I am out East).

Great happy hour, cool vibe and a bartender with a lotta rizz. Came here on a Thursday with a few friends after work and met Pete the bartender. Witty and friendly. We had a great time. Will def come back

pete is one of the best people in new york, and if you go to strangelove, you’ll have the privilege to meet him! this spot is a standard dive, but the people (esp pete!) are what make it a place i keep coming back to (& recommending). just don’t take your beers outside, it’s not allowed!

Strangelove is where Midtown goes to forget it’s Midtown. You duck off 53rd between Second and Third, slide past the neon, and the place hits you like a brick of noise and cheap salvation. Whole room is a shotgun. Narrow, red glow, walls cooked over with graffiti like a teenager’s notebook that learned to drink. You sit, you breathe marker fumes and rock sweat, and you remember why bars exist. The deal is simple. Beer and a shot. Six bucks. Bud, Genesee, cream ale if you feel civilized, plus a well kick to follow. You are not here to swirl or sniff. You are here to get honest. Order the special, let the room tune your brain to punk standard, and watch your shoulders drop.  It opens at two every day and runs late enough that you lose track of your better ideas. That is the point. Midtown tells you to be a person who hustles for a living. Strangelove tells you to be a person who sits still for once and lets the jukebox and the bartender do the talking.  The front bar is short, seats are few, so you learn to lean like a pro. Past the first stretch there is a quiet kink to the right, a little rear alcove where the graffiti gets louder and the tables get low enough to make saints slouch. If you get parked back there, time melts. You will leave a better version of your worst self.

Holy cow. I found the one bar, I was looking for in NYC. I saw a sign outside so decided to stop by because of the drink specials. Some guy that look like a Ozzy lookalike Help me get alittle buzz without breaking the bank. Maybe his name is Pete, I can't recall. Anyways, this spot is a spot because it's a vibe , drinks flow without the price tag in the area. Anyways it's a cool spot. I'll be back. 9/10

Good dive bar in an area of the city that is hard to find a dive bar at all. If you like punk music and cheap drinks this is the place for you. It won't be for everybody but I loved it.

Tough to find a bar with a real punk atmosphere in the city these days. Reminds me of some of my favorite spots in Montreal. Cheap beer, cheap liquor, and rock and roll on the radio. This place is sick.

Great dive bar in a generally not fun area of NYC. awesome vibes and bartender when I went in on a Friday night. If you like a dive bar, and are stuck in midtown, go here.

To Frank and the entire team at Strangelove - you are hands down the best. Thank you so much!! I will absolutely be back next time I am in town! - Tracy

One of the best dive bars in NYC. Good music, great vibes, and cheap beer.

Strange love has always been a great bar & Pete the bartender has always been a real stand up guy!! His 10 year track record proves it. I know anyone trying to tarnish his name has an alternative agenda. This guy has always been kind to every person as long as they're following the rules and not jeopardizing his job ,safety or the safety of others. Thank you Pete!!

Mitchel Johnson

Good dive bar in an area of the city that is hard to find a dive bar at all. If you like punk music and cheap drinks this is the place for you. It won't be for everybody but I loved it.

Tracy McArdle

To Frank and the entire team at Strangelove - you are hands down the best. Thank you so much!! I will absolutely be back next time I am in town! - Tracy

Andrew Early

Great dive bar in a generally not fun area of NYC. awesome vibes and bartender when I went in on a Friday night. If you like a dive bar, and are stuck in midtown, go here.

Megan hill

Holy cow. I found the one bar, I was looking for in NYC. I saw a sign outside so decided to stop by because of the drink specials. Some guy that look like a Ozzy lookalike Help me get alittle buzz without breaking the bank. Maybe his name is Pete, I can't recall. Anyways, this spot is a spot because it's a vibe , drinks flow without the price tag in the area. Anyways it's a cool spot. I'll be back. 9/10

Gunnar Tinsman

Tough to find a bar with a real punk atmosphere in the city these days. Reminds me of some of my favorite spots in Montreal. Cheap beer, cheap liquor, and rock and roll on the radio. This place is sick.

Jason Braun

Strangelove is where Midtown goes to forget it’s Midtown. You duck off 53rd between Second and Third, slide past the neon, and the place hits you like a brick of noise and cheap salvation. Whole room is a shotgun. Narrow, red glow, walls cooked over with graffiti like a teenager’s notebook that learned to drink. You sit, you breathe marker fumes and rock sweat, and you remember why bars exist. The deal is simple. Beer and a shot. Six bucks. Bud, Genesee, cream ale if you feel civilized, plus a well kick to follow. You are not here to swirl or sniff. You are here to get honest. Order the special, let the room tune your brain to punk standard, and watch your shoulders drop.  It opens at two every day and runs late enough that you lose track of your better ideas. That is the point. Midtown tells you to be a person who hustles for a living. Strangelove tells you to be a person who sits still for once and lets the jukebox and the bartender do the talking.  The front bar is short, seats are few, so you learn to lean like a pro. Past the first stretch there is a quiet kink to the right, a little rear alcove where the graffiti gets louder and the tables get low enough to make saints slouch. If you get parked back there, time melts. You will leave a better version of your worst self.

Eshanika Chaudhary

pete is one of the best people in new york, and if you go to strangelove, you’ll have the privilege to meet him! this spot is a standard dive, but the people (esp pete!) are what make it a place i keep coming back to (& recommending). just don’t take your beers outside, it’s not allowed!

Celina Brogan

Strange love has always been a great bar & Pete the bartender has always been a real stand up guy!! His 10 year track record proves it. I know anyone trying to tarnish his name has an alternative agenda. This guy has always been kind to every person as long as they're following the rules and not jeopardizing his job ,safety or the safety of others. Thank you Pete!!

Rockosky

I want to say, that since 2015, Pete is greates peson you can meet in this cahotic city, the service, a talk a drink. everything there is always a good time. whoever had a bad time wIth Pete, is because the came with no ID, bad intentions. and childesT behaviors.

Lisa Lush

Great happy hour, cool vibe and a bartender with a lotta rizz. Came here on a Thursday with a few friends after work and met Pete the bartender. Witty and friendly. We had a great time. Will def come back

Great dive bar. Came during a Saturday afternoon and it was mostly a late brunch crowd. Wish the vibes were as lively as the decor. Cheap drinks though!

Previous reviewers have forgot to mention that you have to order specific drinks to get them cheaply: 1 Stella draft beer + 2 shots of fireball + one 6$ cider equals 32! Dollars, but if you order the cheap beer and 2x tequila combo + the same 6$ cider, it's 15 dollars. No menu to be seen, but the math tells that the draft beer or fireball shot were 8 - 9 dollars each. Otherwise nice place if you're into such bars.

Punked out but friendly service. Cold beer and liquor. No fuss. If this was 5 stars it wouldn't be punk

Was here w my boyz here months ago last summer around 11pm talking about chicks,life and overall having a good time last bar we hung out. Wasn't much but hanging for a couple hours for a over due hangout was needed. Chill spot for a group.

Great to keep the ethanol flowing when you’re on student budget 😭😭 Gets kind of packed later in the night

Small punk/rock themed bar covered in graffiti which adds to the general ambience. No food served, only a few draft beers but a good selection of spirits. Staff are friendly and attentive which contradicts the punk theme. Music is perfect for the setting butvthe punters are ever so slightly cliquey. Terrific alternative bar in a "trendy" city. Ok on your own but better if there's 2 or more of you.

Arisa Chuklin

Great to keep the ethanol flowing when you’re on student budget 😭😭 Gets kind of packed later in the night

Alan Norris

Small punk/rock themed bar covered in graffiti which adds to the general ambience. No food served, only a few draft beers but a good selection of spirits. Staff are friendly and attentive which contradicts the punk theme. Music is perfect for the setting butvthe punters are ever so slightly cliquey. Terrific alternative bar in a "trendy" city. Ok on your own but better if there's 2 or more of you.

Cheap drinks very interesting and different decor definitely worth a pop in if you’re in the area .

Jesus Reyes

Cheap drinks very interesting and different decor definitely worth a pop in if you’re in the area .

Nice relax bar, rock vibe with local people! So why 3 stars ? The bartender added the 20% tip and gave me a non-itemized bill, so I added an additional 20% thinking the tip wasn’t included. Don’t do that if you want people to come again. I don’t mind giving an extra tip if is a good service, but I Do Not appreciate when bartenders play that game with me. Will I come back? Probably yes, but will pay more attention.

Omar Echeverri

Nice relax bar, rock vibe with local people! So why 3 stars ? The bartender added the 20% tip and gave me a non-itemized bill, so I added an additional 20% thinking the tip wasn’t included. Don’t do that if you want people to come again. I don’t mind giving an extra tip if is a good service, but I Do Not appreciate when bartenders play that game with me. Will I come back? Probably yes, but will pay more attention.

The place is nice, the drinks are cheap. However, when we paid the bartender charged us for a drink we didn’t have. We tried to explain the situation but, after changing his version many times, he just decided he wouldn’t want to listen to us anymore. It’s a shame because the vibe in the bar was nice and the people too. But if this is how you make up for the cheap drinks, then it’s better to simply charge more from the beginning.

Very racist encounter with Pete . He threw a drink at my friend then refused to service us or give a refund. Cops had to get involved. He was too scared to admit to his wrongdoing so he chose to hide in the back away from consequences. Overall Disgusting.

I was horrified with the treatment I received. Pete was very rude! Cursing and sticking the middle finger at us. Denying service after taking payment. Snatching drinks and throwing them out. I was shocked in the moment and now after reading other reviews I see that I am not the only one who witnessed and received being discriminated against. It’s really especially in my own city that I was born and raised!! Coming from someone who isn’t from New York. It’s sad and frustrating and I wouldn’t recommend this place at all. There are so many other better rock/punk bars to go to.

kayla rivera

I was horrified with the treatment I received. Pete was very rude! Cursing and sticking the middle finger at us. Denying service after taking payment. Snatching drinks and throwing them out. I was shocked in the moment and now after reading other reviews I see that I am not the only one who witnessed and received being discriminated against. It’s really especially in my own city that I was born and raised!! Coming from someone who isn’t from New York. It’s sad and frustrating and I wouldn’t recommend this place at all. There are so many other better rock/punk bars to go to.