Coal Yard

Coal Yard isn’t yet a place where everybody knows my name, but everyone seems to know the dude at the end of the bar who’s flinging coasters at the bartender, who merely laughs and flings them back. The middle of the bar is occupied by a serious fellow huddled over a book, and the other end is taken by two older guys with horn cases, possibly fueling up for a gig. A kid appears briefly and runs into the back, and the unmistakable smell of someone’s carry-out Chicken McNuggets wafts across the room. It’s a mysteriously mellow scene for the East Village on a Friday night. But sometimes things can take a sudden turn. On another night, a crusty character stumbled in, bellowing incoherently. The bartender liked him well enough to fork some pineapple from a can into his mouth. He showed appreciation by pouring beer on his head and whipping his hair, flinging drops in every direction. Cohorts appeared and everyone got louder and more capable of throwing an accidental elbow in my eye. But I was on my second round of cheap beer and thought it might be time for a new pair of glasses anyway.

Whenever I try to peg the crowd here I can only come up with “neighborhood people and a few weirdos.” But this is a good thing, because the East Village already has enough bars catering to yuppies, NYU students and (ahem) cocktail snobs. Coal Yard falls squarely in the dive bar category, but it’s not a dump. (For examples of that vanishing breed, check out Blarney Cove at 8am or Mars Bar at 3am). Operated by the team behind International Bar, it’s an inviting space, with an elegant curved bar that makes it relatively easy to see everyone, and decent beers on tap, including Captain Lawrence Pale Ale, Brooklyn, Blue Moon, and Guinness. Aside from attracting a crowd of characters, it has two other things every dive bar should have: cheap beer ($4 pints until 8pm and $5 after), and a jukebox loaded with punk rock and soul.

Coal Yard
102 First Ave. between 6th St. and 7th St.
3pm-4am