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Don’t tell the mostly Jersey clientele, but there’s nothing particularly “Manhattan” about this bar. In fact, with its liquor-company banners and beer-bucket-based marketing tactics, it’s easy to imagine this vast, high-ceilinged booze hall being franchised into prefab constructions in office-park-adjacent mini-malls across America. The lack of pretension is what’s worth traveling there for: The waitstaff is marvelously friendly, the menu (which reads like an Applebee's menu stripped of cutesy names) is reasonably priced, and the pickup scene—fueled by shots, neon-colored martinis, and men who believe wholeheartedly in the Axe effect—is thriving. The good times are egged along with the most irresistible jams from the WKTU playlist, though outdoor sidewalk seating is available if you need a break. — Alec Coiro