Botanica Bar

There’s “no pretension” in the air at this NoLita “hole-in-the-wall” where “chill” cats throw back “cheap drinks” and plant themselves on “comfy/shabby” couches for “low-key” interludes; bonus frills include “good DJ sets” and Sunday night karaoke.

Save Money: The drinks are cheap to begin with, but two happy hours--one from 4pm to 8pm and another from 3am to 4am--mean $3 well drinks and $1-$1.50 off drafts.

Save Money: The drinks are cheap to begin with, but two happy hours--one from 4pm to 8pm and another from 3am to 4am--promise $3 well drinks and $1-$1.50 off drafts.

If you're downtown and like to hang out at a somewhat seedy basement dive bar, stop by here. The DJ's spin a wild variety of music. Botanica is probably best known for its location at the former site of the Knitting Factory.

Old Knitting Factory is the new drinking factory, and at these rates, you can throw 'em back by the dozen. No florida water or Santeria trappings here, but plenty of spellbinding hooch, and a smattering of bewitching talent as well. Unpretentious, arty crowd appreciates the divey ambiance that's a rarity hereabouts. Loungey back room and a kind of gross communal couch.

Neither edgy enough for the Lower East Side nor cheesy enough for Bleecker Street, Botanica offers a happy medium. A DJ blasts a fittingly eclectic mix of rock and hip-hop from a small booth in the...

In the Caribbean, a botanica is a shop that peddles voodoo-influenced wares. This dark, underground bar certainly tries to live up to its namesake, with flickering votive candles and religious iconography behind the bar. “We do like our Virgin Mary” says bartender Mark Connell. The similarities, however, end there. On the islands, locals lift their spirits with magic herbal brews. Here at this...