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The Thirsty Scholar gently nods to its patrons' intellectual side. A wild-haired Mark Twain effigy relaxes in an alcove and charcoal portraits of Samuel Beckett et. al. dot the nicotine-yellow walls. But is this Irish pub actually populated with geniuses? Well, discussions are more likely to center on Nietzsche than they are about the latest HBO original. Narrow as a shoebox, low-ceilinged, and set just below street level, the Thirsty Scholar could've been a pretty depressing place. But cheap stiff drinks and feel-good music guarantee the would-be intelligentsia never throw too many barbs when they're throwing darts. — Kristina Feliciano

Bar-hop over to the owner's other East Village pubs: Ryan's two doors down and Bull McCabe's on St. Marks.