The number of New York City dive bars shrinks at a faster rate than those great, grimy spots can replenish. A real deal dive, wherever it exists in the United States, must age naturally to come by that distinction honestly. No amount of venture capital/celebrity cash/dumb money can buy the authentic patina that makes the theoretically best of our arguably aesthetically worst as wonderful as they are. So the actual dives that do remain really shine.
Rudy’s Bar & Grill is the platonic ideal of the genre. It’s been holding steady in Midtown, of all places (a broadly defined neighborhood that isn’t particularly hospitable to old, great, things), for over, or almost, 100 years, depending on who’s counting. By the former claim, the Rudy family started the titular joint back in the no-fun days of Prohibition, when it may have been patronized by the likes of the old-timey, balding, ‘lil babyfaced bad guy, Al Capone. In the latter account Rudy’s formally opened its doors when that national nightmare concluded in 1933. And some time after, it also started offering gratis hot dogs, heated on a roller, rather than the mythological grill that the ampersand implies. Now, being that these are free, you should expect more of a T-ball grade complement of toppings than any major league accoutrements. While ketchup and mustard have been known to grace the premises, this might be a good time to repurpose any old takeout packets you have lying around.
Read more: 8 Restaurants That Were Once Frequented By Al Capone
Visiting Rudy’s Bar & Grill today
The exterior of Rudy’s Bar & Grill in NYC – juliancdunn/Instagram
Thank Batman or whatever higher power you send your Gotham gratitude to, for Rudy’s is one of the easiest places that a person can be in a city less and less conducive to, you know, being. That is not to say that Rudy’s doesn’t get crowded, which it does. But the place also opens at 8 a.m. on weekdays, for goodness’ sake (noon on Saturday and Sunday), and it stays that way until four in the freaking morning, so, outside of primetime, you should be able to nab a seat. Does a dive bar this close to Port Authority that early in the day actually sound kind of bleak? Yes.
In addition to its long, late hours, Rudy’s is also one of the last remaining actually cheap bars in town. A few draughts and cans are even priced at $4, so you can cover the drink and the tip for one crisp Lincoln. The rest of the brews max out at $9, or $30 for a pitcher. Rudy’s also has a full bar, of course, but we’d advise reserving those spirits for something like a boilermaker rather than anything muddled, rimmed, or otherwise hated by bartenders. Bring cash.
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Read the original article on Chowhound.