Double Down Saloon

The crowd feels effortlessly cool, great bartenders. It’s one of those rare spots that still feels authentic and a little gritty in the best possible way. NYC snow day special.

If you're looking for divey bars that not only provide very pocket friendly drinks for pregaming but a dive bar to enjoy the people, ambiance, energy for hours on end, look no further. Ambiance: Divey metal bar. You don't find many places like this much in any city. Yes, you're going to find the rockers and metal heads here but anyone and everyone is welcomed and won't be out of place in the least. I've personally seen people of all walks of life in this establishment. Very easy place to approach other people, strike up a conversation, make new friends, maybe "get lucky" etc. Once the weather gets warm and comfortable enough, the bar extends with a backyard, with even more room. There's also a punching machine and a pool table, for those of you who may be interested. Prices: The cheapest drinks (Genese beer) are 2 dollars for happy hour and all day on weekends (Saturday and Sunday). Just can't beat that. Everything else is very reasonably priced. If you're looking to have a good time and not punch your finances in the gut, you're hard-pressed to find anything better. Location: Right in the LES (Lower East Side). Every bus and train is right around the corner, and every food spot is within walking distance, and any other bar is easy to crawl to. Final Verdict: I won't repeat myself too much. Want to meet fun interesting people? Come here Want a bar with more than adequate space? Come here Want to drink without worrying about your pockets starving? Come here. Want a space in a great location to other places of interest? Come here. You're welcome.

My friends and I went out for my friends 24th birthday and the bouncer wouldn’t let my friend in and claimed it was “fake.” If your bouncers don’t know ID’s, don’t hire them. It was a valid NJ ID and she is 24 years old. Do better.

A gorgeous old-school dive bar in LES with great happy-hour discounts, nice drinks, friendly service, and excellent vibes. There's graffiti on all the walls and a classy selection of visuals for sipping while you down your juice.

$3 pint of PBR during happy hour is hard to beat in the city. The playlist was just the way I like it and the staff was nice. Plenty of seating and an outdoor area as well. Would definitely be a go to for me in this neighborhood.

Proper dive bar, probably the only one left in the neighborhood. Skuzzy, great music, friendly regulars, cheap drinks. I've been in the neighborhood 30 years, and I can remember when it opened as an alt to all the gentrified bars.

I just went to this bar as a 26 year old adult with an out of state ID (who has been coming to double down saloon forever) and was denied because the idiot bouncer claimed I was under age? Really rude and unprofessional, have never experienced this at any bar before, I have a valid US id. Really weird

This is the bar you end up at after a long night of bar hopping, everyone is already all sorts of twisted and they play graphic 90s porn every ten minutes on the tv…so that’s fun lol 😂 definitely on the top ten diviest dive bars in nyc

$2 Genesee beers all day until 8pm? INFLATION GETTING DOG WALKED!! But fr $2 beers in 2024 in Lower Manhattan is like finding a unicorn, and I don't even like beer like that. I've walked by Double Down Saloon thousands of times at this point, but it just looked a little too grungy for my taste. However, when a group of writer friends were meeting here to take advantage of the $2 beers hack, it was time. I walked in at 6pm on a Friday, dapped 2 of the homies up, and scoped the scenery out: Graffiti all over the dark walls, "Ass Juice" being sold for $5, a couple of sharks running the worn in pool table, displays of coitus on the small TVs, a jukebox from the 50s, and a back patio where patrons are free to smoke cigarettes and other extracurriculars. This is the final boss of dive bars. Bartenders on their "what can I get ya, hun?" It's a time capsule of what the East Village was 30 years ago. Now EV is just androgynous guys in light wash jeans and wife beaters and girls with a couple fine line tattoos placed randomly on the arms in some black loafers and white socks, who will both happily pay $20 a cocktail. Our group of 8 sat on the back patio crushing Genesees and nicotine. One of my big homies even tried to see how many he could stack on one another before the tower fell. He got to 7 which was honestly pretty impressive cuz the Genesees had him in a chokehold. Vibes were up in here. Thank you Double Down for absolutely MOGGING inflation. Ig @jnov_ Tiktok @jnov_reviews

Dive bar with a cool vibe. We sat in the window area and crept on the people walking by. Their internet wasn't working when we were there, so it was cash only that night. The bartender was friendly. They also allow you to bring food in if you want.

We always stop by the Double Down Saloon whenever we're in town. The bartenders are always friendly and the prices are good. Try to ass juice

Personality is the first word that comes to mind when thinking about this dive bar. Graffiti, cavernous ambiance, pool table in the back, in-your-face attitude. They even have "ass juice" (some sort of fruit punch) for just $4, if you're into it. You certainly don't come here for their beer selection, but more looking for a place to mind your own freaking business and be left alone. So indulge yourself here enjoying a peaceful drink while listening to cool tunes. True, you may get distracted by their small tv showing x-rated scenes you most surely won't find (almost) anywhere else, but this is part of the experience at Double Down Saloon. Feeling like you need a different night? This is the place you wanna be. Oh... forgot to mention: it's a CYOP bar (clean your own puke).

Felt like I was missing my studded leather jacket. P*rn playing on tvs, some of the crowd was much older. The a** juice was not bad, very very grungy in here. Cool bar with a lot of personality!

Super divey and cheap $2 beers. Good spot to pregame and start your night. Lots of space so you can have a big group

A super divey dive bar that I was told was a rite of passage for visitors to the Lower East Side. Came here on the way to another bar and we all took a shot of their special Assjuice (this tasted like pineapple and you couldn't really tell what liquors were used). Plenty of indoor seating and the crowd was quite eclectic. They have games as well as TVs.

Brittany was the BEST! Visited double down saloon so many times and she always hooks it up. Amazing bartender with superb hospitality skills and amazing drinks as well. Stop by and visit Brittany if you can. Thank you again double down!

Cheap dive bars are really hard to find these days. This one pretty much fits the bill and I'm kind of floored that I've never been here. Everything is $2 off until 8pm. Which rounds everything on tap out to be about $5. After happy hour ends there's canned beer for $4 and something as well called 'ass juice'. I was tempted. Trust me. I was tempted. But the ass juice will have to wait for another day. Someone said it tastes sweet. But they didn't comment on if it's actually good or not. It was just a 'it's sweet/no comment' kind of description. There's a pool table in the back and I guess they allow outside food because they didn't seem to have a problem when I brought in slices from a $1.50 pizza shop next door. Wasn't too crowded when I went and surprisingly more sanitary than other dives I've been to. So kuddos for that.

Bartender charged me for 3 drinks even though I only ordered 2. I asked them to remove the 3rd but she refused. I'm a local and a regular. Yes they are cheap drinks, but I don't want to be swindled.

If dive bars are your vibes, this place is for you. Cheap drinks during happy hour and the bartenders are super nice. Cool place to check out if you want to grab a drink and chitchat with your friends

Service is great! Awesome place. Pool table is great! Try the Ass Juice and take pics in the Photo Booth!

It's a cool spot to hang out. The drinks are good and not expensive. Service was great.

If dirty and porn on tv is your thing - Try this establishment. If you want to navigate some angry people arguing over who is worse at pool then this is your place. We lasted as long as it took to drink our beer and bounce out of there.

I find it hilarious that yelp has described this place as "divey, classy" because they play porn on their tvs. Full on p*rn, the type the name might suggest . I wasn't expecting that. They do have a pool table and decent beer prices for happy hour. Be warned of the $15 minimum, and be sure to put your friends on your tab. They have cool art and the bartender wNot classy, but very divey. If you're feeling shameless, check it out.

Love this dive bar. They have multiple TVs with Porn on 24/7, so naturally I like to bring my first dates here when they ask for my suggestion. LOVE seeing their face if/when they become uncomfortable with sex paraphernalia in public, muhaha Nothing fancy. Ass Juice shots are $4 and delicious! 2 pool tables and loads of whiskey. My ultimate favorite bar in downtown Manhattan. And come here far too often!

I would rate zero stars if I could. The "bouncer" was incredibly invasive, condescending and disrespectful. Bar was empty on a Saturday night. I would skip.

Just updating this review to let everyone know that they did, indeed, survive Covid. However, the graffiti in the bathroom did not for some reason (RIP). Drinks were still great, but you do still have to buy a cracker or some shit to have a drink. I'm not sure if that's even still a rule but they're definitely doing it last time I went (about a month ago). Great to see them survive. Few big changes: Table service now , it's cleaner , you need to sign in with your info. Still the dopest bar in the East Village.

Went in because of the happy hour specials and before i ordered saw they were playing full blown porn on the tv. Very uncomfortable. Needless to say I'm glad I noticed before I ordered so I left .

One of the best bars in NYC easily. The drinks are reasonably priced, especially with happy hour. The bartenders are some of the nicest people we have ever had the pleasure of being served by. Chloe and Chris are the coolest people I can think of and they deserve a raise to be honest. I will always come here in NYC when I visit PS: Get the Ass Juice.

I was super stoked when I saw that Double Down was open again after a year of lockdown. We thought they didn't survive the pandemic! On our first night back, our bill was unusually high even though we only had two drinks each. We thought maybe they just gave us top shelf tequila or something, so we didn't think much more about it. The second time we came back, my friend paid the bill but also noticed it was a bit high for what we ordered. This evening, we ordered two well drinks and three beers. The server told us the well drinks were $8 each and the beer was $7 each. So... 16+21=37 right? When I closed out, she only gave me the credit card receipt, for which the charge was $45! I was a bit tipsy at the time so I didn't do the math at that point and gave her a 20% tip. I don't want to accuse anyone of wrongdoing without knowing their intention, but it seems like even with taxes, the pre-tip charge should not have been that high. There was no mention that gratuity (or a Covid recovery fee) had been added. We will not be coming back.

this place was fun to go with a big group and hang out... havent been here since the summer tho and just went at 7pm on a wednesday w/ a couple of friends, before a show. the bartender came up to our booth and asked what we wanted. my friend ordered a coke and he said, you gotta drink here- this is a bar. he literally refused to serve my friend a coke... these rancid vibes put us off so then we went to backyard. he literally follows us and went on abt how we HAVE to drink if we want to stay. so i go, can we buy non alcoholic drinks? he goes, no. this is a bar. they have coffee houses for that.... LOL are you kidding. i cant believe this man was for real. i never experienced a business refusing my money. kicked out of an empty bar in daylight for not ordering alcohol... wtf. he was such a freak lmaooo take your $$$ elsewhere

Came in for the first time yesterday June, 4th, 22 at about 11pm to meet up with some friends. As I ask the bartender for a drink (Girl, Tall, white, skinny, tattoos all over herself, dark hair) she decides that it's a good idea to basically make fun of my tattoo which was so random and actually pretty hilarious that people act such ways because you could tell by her mannerisms, that she wanted this to hurt me. Of course I disregarded her words, just told her I liked my tattoo. You look at her and all you see is depression and hate. Someone who was definitely bullied and now in her small little social hole called a bar, she thinks it's ok to try and place herself higher than others. Again, when you're an adult these things really should not bother you, which it doesn't, but luckily I also am confident. People go to bars to be free and relieve stress not get "bullied" by victims. Bar was cool otherwise. Maybe she needs to be removed idk that was really weird energy. Ps. Still left a tip, I aint petty haha

Interesting. I'm a huge fan of the library. It's one of my favourite bars, and one of the bars I pretty much learned how to drink in. When I was younger, I wanted to expand my divebar love and headed to DDS across the street. I instantly felt unwelcomed and left. 8 years later, my friend and I are doing a Christmas crawl, and he suggest DDS. I begrudgingly say yes. All ratings of this place are warranted because it's KING dive bar. It's an absolute pile of shit but it embraces itself, and is exactly what it wants it to be. If you're looking for a real dive bar, skip out on Lucy's and just head here. The place is pretty big and even has a backyard. They're a bunch of tvs that play weird things -- usually niche porn (Japanese BDSM, Little people) and vintage porn. The seats are sticky, and the back area smells strongly of piss. The bathrooms are truly disgusting and don't have locks that work all the time. Beer are cheaper if you pay in cash. Bartenders have a "fuck you" attitude. It's dressed up to be a punkrock bar, but I think the spirit of punk, punk rock, and metal have left long time ago.

Great time wish I lived closer because I would be there every weekend. Have to try the "ASS JUICE"

Great no frills bar.. jukebox full of awesome rock and punk albums.. descent priced beers.. and a pool table.. Also the graffiti all over the walls is super cool

Typed punk nyc into google and found this place. What an amazing staff and friendly regulars. Alan is the bomb!

Someone please get me the heck out of here.... This place is a trap because the drinks are so cheap and there's some type of "outdoor garden." But don't let that fool you. The bartender who was working Thursday afternoon was extremely rude to my entire party. She was passive aggressive and decided right after we placed an order to take out a prop and do some kind of skit. Seriously.. you're going to take out a whip?? The act was tasteless and uncomfortable to watch and completely killed my mood. The thoughts running through my head during this was W T F. I immediately knew I just had to leave this place and will not spend anymore money in this establishment. Who in the right mind would treat their customers like they're garbage. Every interaction she had with customers was an opportunity for her to make some sort of nasty comment. This place is a hard NO from me. Save your money and spend it elsewhere.

Good spot for pregame. Cheap drinks! They have $2 beer. Me & my 3 other friends order 3 sour vodka & malibu bay breeze cost us $24. Not bad at all! Place was okay. Theirs 1 pool table. We got there around 10pm & we sat on the bar area. I observed around 11pm place got packed & crowded. I didn't really like the interior of the place. Wall art is kinda creepy. 4 star for that cheap drinks & good service! Cheers!

Love double down, I am a regular in Vegas but can't relate with the NYC. While bartenders was great the off the clock Bartender made it unpleasant

Best dive bar in the city!!! Staff is always friendly, customers are welcoming, and music is awesome. Check out the pool table, vintage juke box, and photo booth!

My favorite punk bar with a dive appeal and dive prices. Always visit when I'm in NYC. Chris is a great bartender. Highly recommended.

Porn. Three Stooges. Bad Horror Flicks. More Porn. Ass Juice. Reasonably Priced Drinks. Attentive Bartenders. More Ass Juice. Porn-Painted Walls. Photo Booth. Pool Table. More Painted Walls. I think I've covered it.

Ah...this is one of the weirdest damn bars I've ever stepped foot in. The entrance is covered with graffiti, giving you some idea what you're in for. Only, not: the bar is much larger than you'd expect at first and the atmosphere is chaotic: TVs alternately showing sports, horror movies, and some kind of bizarre 80s porn. Drink and shot combos run $6, they serve up a bacon martini, and their house shot is the Ass Juice. $4 gets you a shot of the ends of liquor bottles. Goes down pretty smooth, all things considered. It would be very easy to lose chunks of time in this place. It's a good thing.

Its cheap,straight up punk rock and sex all rolled into one place. This gem is in the heart of the east village/ alphabet city playland. If you're uncomfortable around pornography then keep walking by they probably don't want you in there. You're probably too square for them. Piss the bartender off or leave a shitty tip, you will get called out on it. You can find some pool tables in the back and sometimes live music. You can find your PBR's but I go here for the "ass juice"($4). "Ass juice" is some fruity potent concoction, it reminds me of the jungle juice I had back in college. It tasted good going down and a few hours later knocked your ass flat on the floor.

Great dive bar! Came here for happy hour after work with a few friends and had an awesome time. Really good prices/cheap and the bartender Allan was super cool. I highly recommend the A$$ Juice shot!

Let me just start by saying this is one of the coolest bars I've gone to in Alphabet City. The art/graffiti/drawings/paintings all over the wall and the dim lighting is perfect for anyone looking to relax amongst nonjudgemental companions. By the way ASS JUICE is $4. It's worth it and they don't skimp on the liquor! You get what you pay for! Shoutout to the bartender-- you're awesome.

love this place...but...but....often, the bartenders are rude, maybe in a bad mood.? ..i dunno...but this is something a bit off putting.... there was even an instance of witnessing a blatantly racist door person... C'mon, we are in NYC in 2021...whats that idea of having someone turning people away from the bar because their "mexican" ID wasn't good here ( literal words..) awesome naughty videos, good price beer...but please bartenders.....try and get some sleep, be nicer, maybe get laid or try not be rude more times than not... with that been said, i am still going to get back there when in town! But I have a thick skin...

Double Down Saloon is pretty much legendary as far as dive bars go in NYC. It's one of the more famous ones, along with a few others on its strip. It's exactly what you'd expect from a dive bar. Not a lot of variety in drinks beyond the basics, but drinks are cheap and strong if you know well enough to order them neat. The service is hit or miss depending on the bartender you have. I've had a variety of experiences here over the years, and the people who come here certainly are interesting. As with many dive bars, avoid the bathroom and you'll be fine. If nothing else, people watching is at its finest here and you can get some cheap but strong drinks while doing it.

Went here on a date, and was given pretty much exactly what was promised. Cheap booze, some 70s porn on the old-timey TV sets above the bar, random box full of condoms, a pool table, and even some free arcade games next to the bathroom. The spot definitely has a relaxed yet fun, divey kinda feeling to it. The bartender was super nice and friendly, and gave me two shots of Ass Juice. The color and consistency is EXACTLY what you would expect. The taste was sweet. Not bad at all.

Came here for a quick bar hop stop. Was farely empty but presented good vibes with joking bartenders. We opted for the ASS JUICE. 4$ and still dont knkw what went inside. haha. But apparently most bang for your buck in alcohol. located a few blocks off of st marks place. It seemed like they had a pool table in the back!

I never write reviews, but I could not ignore how AWFUL this place is. A friend wanted to go to Double Down Saloon on a bar crawl for his birthday. There was a group of 7 of us that may not have looked like we "fit" in at a dive, but I was game. 2 of us went up to the bar to grab a round for everyone. The woman bartender with short blonde hair and glasses asked to see our IDs and did not come back for 10 minutes after claiming to be "busy" at the other side of the bar (I can tell you this bar was not crowded). She very blatently kept helping the clientele around us. After 20 minutes of no drinks, we left. We wound up at a bar across the street and had 4 rounds. Sucks you missed out on a group our size because you didn't like the way we looked. Do not recommend and would never go back.

No. Who the hell plays porn in a bar? I've never been more confused and uncomfortable in a bar. I've been to LA and LV kind of clubs using pornography to provide a hedonistic atmosphere, but this place was essentially a pool bar with porn on the TVs. I won't return or recommend somebody go because it was such a terrible atmosphere, and I don't want people to view me negatively after their visit. Just don't go here unless you're horny and too cheap for a strip climb.

ROCK DIVE BAR. If you have expectations otherwise, you are in the wrong spot. Bathrooms are gross, they have signs about drinks called "Ass-Juice"....It was fun!!!!!

This is place is just not for me. Why were there condoms everywhere?? I went over to play a pinball machine and one was on the handle! I really wish I noticed it beforehand. I don't know if that is a regular occurrence, but once is gross enough. There is a cool outdoor area which was a nice change of pace from the other bars. Double Down also has its own custom light and dark beers and I thought they were worth the try. It's kind of a grungy place but taht could be what you are looking for. If so, head on down. If not, look elsewhere.

Punky dive bar with gross sounding special drinks. Love the dive vibe in this place. Wasn't too crazy when I went although, it was the night before New Years. Never had to wait to see a bar tender which was nice. Ass juice is their signature mixed liquor beverage known to not taste like booze but be full of it. PBR on tap. Bathrooms were actually nice when I went "early" in the night. Pool table available. Sign said something about a beer garden but being 10 degrees I didn't check it out. Highly recommend this place if you're looking for a good dive bar. Affordable as well.

Cool place, punk bar on Ave. A.. wear your Motorhead T-Shirt for sure! Bigger joint with all kinds of art & murals on the walls, lots of BLACK. Music is louder and definitely good & porn rolling on the TV's.. how people think this is something that should be there is beyond me. Goofy drink names like "Ass Juice" and a pool table in the dark amongst graffiti set the stage for total dive caliber. Clientele is all over the map & the bartenders are kinda dry. Good stop for a drink & some people watching! talk later

The server was rude she didnt give service i was nice i asked for a jameson on the rocks she said shes not serving

Been coming here for years and it's been one of my go to dive bars. This all changed this past weekend when we were charged $10 for well vodka and $12 top shelf. Those are high end bar prices! It's usually $6-8. They also tried to say it was this expensive because I ordered a Red Bull vodka. Red Bull does not come out of a gun. Chloe is great, but the guy really sucks. What bothers me is that we paid cash. Can't help but think the overcharge was pocketed. This local won't be back. Dead to me.