d.b.a.

Situated on 1st Avenue, just on the verge between Alphabet City and the East Village, lies d.b.a. (note lower case). Half bar, half garden - it's a good place to sit around and sample their extensive beer list. The enormous menu over will guide you in the direction, listing all the imported beers they have to offer - and there's a lot of choices. The bar is also just on the verge of being a dive - more like just one step above a dive. Something about the atmosphere saves it from being such, as well as the huge garden in the back which closes at 9:45 pm. Its a very laid-back, casual place for summertime happy hours, attracting a mixed bunch of tipplers to this bar. Sometimes too laid back, as you'll find it's just better to order at the bar for yourself rather than wait for the waitstaff. more

Yeah, the beer geek is here for another review. D.B.A. was recommended many moons ago by Dave Keene, proprietor of the legendary Toronado in San Francisco as "the place" for beer in the Lower East Side, and since my first visit there in the late 1990s, I make sure to stop in every time I pass through the Big Apple. Yes, it's still a very good beer bar, with an admirable tequila and scotch selection. On my last trip, I brought a home brewer, a beer drinker, and a Great American Beer Festival judge with me, all of them had a great time experiencing beers that they couldn't get at home. The point comes off for two reasons. First off, kill the sports on the TV. You're a beer bar, not some testosterone-laden jock bar. Oh, and though the bartenders are very nice, they seem to lack the ability to actually find the bottle of beer that I am looking for - even when I call it from the printed list. For well selected beer, it's one of the best on the East Coast and highly recommended. more