Marie's Crisis Café

"One day, one of your seven or eight children will ask you what Marie’s Crisis was like. And you’ll want to be able to answer that question. This is an old, divey basement bar in the West Village where there are Christmas lights year-round, and someone is always playing show tunes on an upright piano. Everyone is invited to sing along, and every once in a while a server will sing their own solo. If there’s a particular song you want to sing, try throwing some money in the fish bowl on top of the piano. Be aware that Marie's is cash-only." - bryan kim, katherine lewin, neha talreja, carina finn koeppicus

"You can technically get an $11 Manhattan at this divey show tunes bar in the West Village, but we’ve never seen anyone do such a thing. This is strictly a place for a beer or vodka soda, either of which will run $7 (or $5 from 4-7pm, Monday-Thursday). Brush up on your Chicago lyrics, and sing along with the piano player and every single patron inside as you enjoy your inevitably strong beverage." - bryan kim, sonal shah, molly fitzpatrick, willa moore

"Rainbow flags ripple above a cohort of voices belting classic and contemporary Broadway hits at this historic Greenwich Village piano bar. The world’s oldest acoustic sing-along piano bar sits was once a brothel, boarding house, and eventually, a 1930s-era cafe owned by namesake Marie Dumont. New ownership in the 1970s ended food service to make this space primarily a bar, and at some point, singalongs started catching on and the bar became a proudly gay space, only playing live show tunes every night from 6 p.m. until the early morning. The cash-only space has no cover, but a two-drink minimum is encouraged, as is generous tipping for the piano player." - Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner

"You could make a compelling argument that Marie’s Crisis is the best bar in NYC. The drinks are cheap (around $7), the divey basement space is full of history (Thomas Paine lived on site), and a pianist plays non-stop show tunes every night. Brush up on your Chicago and A Chorus Line lyrics before stopping by, and feel free to sing along to every song you recognize. Crowd participation is highly encouraged here. Just be sure to bring cash, and keep in mind that there’s usually a wait to get in on weekend nights." - bryan kim, will hartman, willa moore, sonal shah, neha talreja

"We’re not going to perpetuate any stereotypes about theater kids being big dorks too busy singing show tunes to have a real romantic life. What else do you think is going on at all those steamy late-night rehearsals for Oklahoma? But the show tunes part is true. At Marie’s Crisis, you can sing along to musical numbers being played on the piano all night, and, unless you come with the person you’ve been in a tumultuous will-they-won’t-they friendship with ever since you were cast as Tony and Maria in West Side Story, it shouldn't get too romantic. This place is loud and ruckus, and every song is a group activity. " - neha talreja