Cheap Shots

Renamed Spanky and Darla’s
i LOVE this place. Super nice bartenders.
Melissa, made me and my friends her chocolate cake shot. So yummy!
Cheap drinks!

There’s been a name change. Unilocal!team, get on it!
This was a nice spot for an easy little drink with some friends and their friends in the back. Good conversation, good times, good laughs, and, oh yeah, great bartenders! Nope, I don’t know any of’em, and I’m not in the neighborhood enough to be a regular, but for them I’ll come back again and again. That’s what makes a go to spot.

This place rules. I searched Unilocal for «cheap whiskey.» I wasn’t impressed by the results so I qualified it with «dirt cheap whiskey» and International Bar was the first hit. I must have walked right past International and happened upon this place. It was pretty empty, a couple sitting at the end of the bar and one other dude, the doorman and the bartender, Shaun. I spent all afternoon throwing back specials ($ 5 for a shot and a beer, almost felt like home), playing Mortal Kombat 3 and Galaga and chatting it up with Shaun (who I learned had a pretty decent taste in music when she threw some songs on the juke.) The next day I found the International Bar but wound up coming here again.
I won’t be calling this my neighborhood haunt anytime soon, but I could. Highly recommended!

Now Spanky and Darlas, is truly A-​ok, not bad, not great.
More a dive bar, a good place to pre-​game for your next stop. The only thing was I expected cheeper drinks, although the beers were cheap, the the mixed drinks seemed to be average price it was $ 9 for a full size frozen margarita and $ 10 for a long island, average city prices. The bartenders did give us a free shot so that was a plus.
Overall, if your into the dive bar thing def worth checking out, cam here with some friends so it was fun, but otherwise nothing special.
Just a heads up they don’t take credit so be sure to bring cash.

Good for what it is: a DIVE bar. If you’re not into that, don’t come.
Pitcher of Blue Moon was $ 13. Can’t find that anywhere else in NYC. Some guys spilled a drink on my girlfriend’s coat and the bartender bought us a shot when she saw it. She also bought us a drink back. Always a good sign of ANY bar. Very shanty, but everyone’s friendly. They took away all their video games (and beer pong table) now that they reopened but that didn’t matter to me.

Hey guess what… CHEAP SHOTS IS OPEN AGAIN!!! GLORY GLORY!!!
So here’s what happened:
After taking the train bakk towards my house on Wednesday nite I was thinking, do I want a beer? Yea maybe I want a beer. But where do I go? I walked around St. Marks (like I always do) and couldn’t really think of a place to go to. Then I thought, hey, why don’t i chekk to see if Cheap Shots is still open. So I walk down to 1^st ave… and loe and behold!!! SHE’S BACKKKK!!!
I walk in, expecting the grungiest diviest dive of them all, but alas, things have changed for the spot. The walls and everything are cleaned up, no grafiti (none even in the bathroom). And the air hokkey table is gone, but you know what, the shots are STILL cheap! I was planning on getting a beer ($ 3 a pint) until i got up to the bartender. My undying need to get a great deal overwhelmed my want to «only have 1 beer» so I got a pitcher instead ($ 6.50 for Patriot, which is their house beer). Despite the place cleaning up a bit, it hasn’t lost a step. I sat at the bar by myself and started chatting it up with everyone, including the 2 bartenders who were more than nice. Some girls started dancing on the bar which got one of the bartenders to get them shots, which she decided to share with me too. Man oh man, I walked out of that place floating, and I’m glad that this place is bakk… which means… I can go there again! HOORAY HOORAH!

Yeah I just heard about Cheap Shots getting shut down when I was in another bar this past weekend. I liked this spot and hopefully they come back soon. At least lets say by my birthday, I never got to try that «Get to Drink all you can on your actual birthday»
I remember there was a really hot bartender on Friday, I think she would leave by 8 though. Carmit– That was kind of a while back, not sure if she was still there recently.

I’ve been to cheap shots a few times. One time I went for the air hockey table in the back, but I guess they didn’t clean the bathroom that night because the whole back area smelled like piss and this super duper frat-​y crowd, fresh out of something you’d see on some MTV special with that «I could be on girls gone wild if I get one more beer» kind of girls decided to hog the air hockey table. Not only did they hog the air hockey table, as drunk and belligerent as they were, decided to give nasty glares to anyone that even dared to try to wait for the table.
Some time passed and I went again for two of my friends birthdays. The first bartender was nice and chill. Pretty cool. Then later on this other bartender takes over, and he was just not having it that night. His attitude was very «I don’t want to be here right now, and I certainly don’t want to have to get anything for you». He grunted, was piss-​y and moody. I used to be a server myself, and I know what its like to have a bad night, so I tried to be patient and very nice, but unlike other bartenders that normally eventually crack a smile, he was just not going to have it.
So… a little bit of time passes… I was on a budget at the time, and I didn’t want to break my friends banks on my birthday when they took me out. I hoped that second bartender was just a one time thing, so I went back to this place for my birthday, hoping to relive the good time we had with the first bartender that was so nice to us. Which was what happened… until shift change! The evil bartender came back on and his bad mood was clearly not a one time thing. He said something snarky to me, and all I simply said to him was «Last time we were here, you where mean to my friends and I too.» Granted maybe I shouldn’t have said that, but I wasn’t rude about it. I said it very simply and matter of fact.
In the service industry when a customer says something like that to you, you’re supposed to handle it politely and respectfully tell them sorry to some extent. Instead I got cursed and yelled at. Then he tells me to leave the bar. I was in complete shock, and told him that his behavior was completely over the top and that I’ve never had a problem in a bar before in my whole entire life! We start to leave, and I turn to the bouncer and try to tell him what happened. I then turn to find the manager yelling at my friend and demanding that we leave the bar faster! She PICKS UP A CHAIR AND NUDGES IT AT MY FRIEND AS IF SHE WERE A BULL DANCER AND MY FRIEND THE BULL!
I turn to the bouncer and say, «I can’t believe this, this is so not classy». He then replies, «Well honey, you came to the wrong place.»
Yes I did! I’ve never had a problem EVER before in a bar in my life. I tip well, fair to say very well. I sometimes even buy the bartender drinks and usually make new friends at bars. I was completely in shock.
Trust me. Don’t go here. Its a disgusting mad house that reeks of piss! Its not even that cheap, unless its your birthday, and if it is don’t worry the bartenders will begrudgingly serve you and treat you like shit on your special day. Just make sure you keep your mouth shut about it.
*****Note. I’ve just been informed that Cheap Shots is under new management, with a new owner. So maybe they will change, but this was my experience with the old staff****

I will start with 2 positive things about the place: I know they used to have an air hockey table and when it’s your birthday you get a bunch of free drinks or shots. Bad news its über divey and there is urine on the floor in the back, both in the bathroom and outside of it. I am not a dive bar person, this really was the divey-​est EVER. So take my opinion for what it is: a fish out of water flopping around in pee wanting desperately to escape.

A great place to get a quick cheap drink. They have bottles and cans of domestic for about $ 2-​$ 3 bucks and $ 4 bucks for a Jägermeister. If you have been to ‘The Duck’, Yogi’s or ‘The Patriot’, they are all similar, all owned by the same guy.
The bartenders are always cute and the patrons are usually best described as ‘odd’, mental patient strange. The Jukebox always has good tunes available, lots of Johnny Cash.
If you need to lay the foundation to your night out $ 15 bucks spent here will do you well.

If you like cheap pitchers ($ 6.50), overly flirtatious, fairly attractive bartenders, and an overkill of 80’s «hits», then Cheap Shots is the place for you.
The smell wasnt like I remembered it. There was practically no smell at all; Bravo Cheap Shots. The beer was surprisingly good for the price.
I was meeting up with two friends. We hadnt hung together in a long time, so we were doing a lot of catching up and reminiscing. The bartender kept coming up to our table, grabbing my arm, rubbing it, and interrupting our revelry. It wasnt as if she was even trying to do her job or anything. She just wanted to chat. It got kind of annoying. Oh well.
We left, and went to… (see below).

Me: «Hi, can I get a shot of whiskey and a pitcher of Patriot ale?»
Bartender: «What kind of whiskey?»
Me: «Well.»
Bartender: (pours my drinks and picks up a stack of glasses) «$ 9.50. How many glasses?»
Me: «Just one.»
Bartender: (smile)
This is classy for numerous reasons.
First, always with the well whiskey. I would like to tell you that I have a world class palate, but my drink is getting funneled through my throat with much haste and with a frugal $ 3 price tab. Elitism is for the sober.
Also, while it is a bit laughable that they «renovated» this damp hole in the wall, they actually did a decent job at making it a reasonable place and not kryptonite for women.
Second, what is Patriot Ale? Does it turn me into French-​Indian War hardened Mel Gibson as I chop down bloody redcoats with a tomahawk? All I knew was that this glorious beverage was cheaper than Bud Light and the rest. It actually tasted like the only drink approved by American Apparel, Pabst Blue Ribbon.
Third, one pitcher, one glass. An eye for an eye. Mano y mano. Just a few things we should constantly chant in our heads. I never abide by «sharing is caring.» Drinking is caring. You do also have to keep it classy with a glass. The idea of drinking straight from the ginormous pitcher creeped up in my head, but the attention was not needed. The Darwin Show had already begun.
(to be continued…)

The name says it all. The place is a dive for sure. It’s actually pretty kept up for a dive too.
We went on a Sunday. The bartender was pretty cool and friendly. Had a couple of old timers at the bar and then my group. Pitchers for 6 bucks, shots for 3? Can you beat that, really?

A nice grungey bar, where when its your birthday drinks are free, and everything is super cheap.
The walls are full of graffiti, the inside smells a bit strange, they have an air hockey machine which is fun to play and a jukebox that plays any tune you wanna here.
This is a very good dive bar!

A large group of me and my coworkers (12) all met up at Cheap Shots, to celebrate two birthdays in style.*
–It is a huge dive, like nothing I’ve seen before. From the spray painted exposed brick walls, to the picnic table as one of the only furnishings. We started out with some of the $ 2 shots. That night they were offering Kamikazes and Red Headed Sluts. I’ve never had any of these before, so naturally I tried both, several times.
They both tasted horrible, so why did I keep drinking them? Because they weren’t burning a hole in my pocket, and I was suddenly at that point in the evening when everything seems like something worth cheering to.
The Red Headed Slut looked, and unsurprisingly tasted like cough medicine; while the Kamikaze was marginally better.
After that I started drinking whiskey sours ($ 7),** played some air hockey (OWNED the birthday boy, thats right I don’t care its your birthday I’ll still kick your butt); and subsequently lost to Liz for the Championship.***
Then there were some blurry bits in the evening, getting on a table dancing to «Dirty Diana» with Liz, getting photos taken of me by strangers.
M: What are these photos for?
Stranger: Oh, nothing
M:‘Kay
And meeting a Mexican who swore he was Filipino.
Ordered another Whiskey Sour, waited, waited, waited. FINALLY YES
M: Wait does this have alcohol?****
Opened my bag, and poured some extra from my personal stash of Johnny that came to the party.
The next afternoon a stumbled into work with a large iced coffee, and a 2 liter bottle of water, and just smiled knowingly at my coworkers. At least we all looked like we were hit by a truck.
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*By «style» I mean free alcohol
**My drink of choice in any dive
***I want a rematch
****It’s okay that I paid for a drink that didn’t really have any alcohol, I got a neat tumbler out of it

So much graffiti I could barely see the bartender.
The drinks are cheap and plentiful.
A great place to get trashed and watch a game on the tele and get rowdy.
Great juke box, right in the loin of the city.

This place is funny as hell; pretty much the quintissential dive bar. First of all, like the name says, the drinks are cheap. Don’t expect anything more than pitchers and plastic cups. Cheap Shots is filthy with graffiti all over the place, but thats part of the charm; if you don’t like it, don’t go there. The bartenders can sometimes get pretty damn drunk, which can be funny as soon as you’re pretty damn drunk yourself. This is a must hit for birthdays, as you can drink literally as much as you can as long as you tip well and aren’t falling over.
The bottom line with this place: expect it to be packed, loud and rowdy. If thats what you’re looking for, then great. If not, take your ass up the block.

Go Shorty.
Its your Birthday…
We gonna party like
its your birthday…
we gonna drink bacardi like
its your birthday.
and we dont give a F&^% cause
its your birthday…
THATS RIGHT! ITS YOUR BIRTHDAY AND YOU GET A FREE SHOT! MUST SHOW ID! Amazing! I think this place is worth going to for a bit on your birthday… oh yes I do!

This was a second stop of the night for us and a somewhat short one.
The place is very narrow, crowded, and not very clean. Nevertheless, it is somehow cool!
Very importantly, the bar is fully loaded, cheap and the bartenders definitely know what they are doing.
The Kamikaze red headed something-​something is a surprisingly good choice for $ 2!
Another good place to start the night in this hood

I like this place. I like this place a lot. I love having cheap shots (har har) and $ 1 shots at 11 PM. Granted, you don’t know what the shot is but it’s damn good. The music is okay since it’s an internet jukebox that customers can control. There’s air hockey and some boxing game in the back. The Truck Shot (I believe that’s what it’s called) is Jaeger with a pitcher of Guinness. You get your picture taken if you finish it, I did not even attempt it.
Staff is friendly. It gets packed as the night goes on. You get free shots on your birthday. It’s a good time and I’ll be back.