Photo by Robert K. Chin for NYMag.com
I came to Lolita Bar (266 Broome St, NYC) for a presentation of the Restless Legs Reading Series. It is an ongoing series where travel writers share stories of their adventures.
By the time I got here, the basement space where the reading’s were taking place was jam packed. I stood at the top of the stairs for a short while but my rickety legs and growing thirst found me at the far-less crowded bar at street level.
Photo by Robert K. Chin for NYMag.com
It seems like a pretty cool joint to me. Relaxed atmosphere. Exposed brick with paintings on them. Low light. Some candles. Excellent happy hour prices. $3 drafts and well drinks daily from 5:00-8:00pm. Good music playing and not too loud either so I was able to have conversations without yelling.
They did fail my Guinness test. The pour was slightly fast and my pint almost immediately lost it’s head. Even at only $3.00, I could not have more than one pint. Luckily there were plenty of happy hour specials to choose from. I switched to the Brooklyn Lager.
I was fascinated by some of the art that was hanging around the place. One portrait of a young girl drinking a beer was eerily staring at me the whole time. There were no tags indicating the artist’s name or prices or whatever. I could not tell if these were part of a special show or just an aspect of the decor.
I tried to get more information about the art. Unfortunately, the bartender actually seemed annoyed that I had the nerve to ask about it. She mumbled something about it being part of a show and just walked away in mid sentence. I asked again a few moments later, but got no reply at all. I’m not sure why that happened.
I would find out later after some research online that they do have revolving art shows. I still don’t know who this artist was, but I do think it’s great when any bar offers a touch of cultural diversion from the usual boozing.
All in all, I liked the place and would recommend it for a night out with friends. Just avoid the Guinness and for the love of God, don’t ask them about the art. Ah, I’m just kidding. Maybe she was just having a bad night or maybe she just broke up with an artist.
Oh and I guess I still need to (really) get to a Restless Legs Reading event.
See Also:
Lolita Bar
Restless Legs Reading Series
