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This spacious bar and live music venue from Rob Shamlian (creator and original owner of the Dark Room) invokes the spirit of uglier-than-thou nineties grunge; the exposed guts of the bare-bones interior has the studied industrial-minimalism of old NIN music videos while the glass chandeliers emit the ghostly light you'd expect in an off-path subway tunnel. Heroin-chic bartenders don't look too happy about cranking out staples like Jack and Coke en masse but they're responsible for the gritty, moody, instant hip-in-a-can feel as much as the un-decorations. To really secure indie-cred, patrons are best off sneaking downstairs to catch a band or two: Rising acts such as the iOs, Snowden, and Morning Theft played during the openings weeks. — Porochista Khakpour

There's a cover charge of $5–$10 when there's a band in the house.