Fish Bar

After trying to go to Upstate and finding the wait to be too long, we wound up at it’s nearby sister restaurant: Fish Bar.
Upon entering, the host greeted us warmly. We ordered 2 cocktails, followed by 2 hefty pours of white wine. The oysters and raw clams were awesome. We also shared the ceviche — which was the host’s recommendation, and absolutely amazing. Finally, we tried the cuttlefish ribbons with uni, which was a very rich and unique dish. The server was super nice, and actually offered us a complimentary dessert.
This could definitely be my new EV fish go to! Cannot wait to return!

Literally perfect meal, from start to finish. Great food, space, and service. They were even nice about us breaking their Tabasco bottle. Will certainly be returning! Our server Ivan and the adorable host with the glasses were both so welcoming and nice too!

If you can’t stand the wait at Upstate then come to this place. The menu is almost the same and one dollar Oysters during happy hour is defnitely a reason to come. I recommend the fried clam and oysters. The octopus was disappointing but the mussels made up for it! Definitely check this place out!

I will never ever go back to this place. We were supposed to go to Upstate but it was super full, waiting was 1.5 hrs and a person there suggested us to go to this place. So we went, which was a mistake – we should’ve just gone to other place.
1. The server wasn’t nice to us, she seemed not caring about us at all from the beginning to the end, even getting us a bill took FOREVER.
2. We didn’t have oysters here which seemed the most popular menu, but what we tried were not good. I was very unsatisfied
— scallop: the portion was very small and even the texture was weird, don’t go for it
— calamari: it was the only tasty one among what we ordered. Not amazing though, just sweet calamari fries.
— we also ordered a fish menu with rice, rice was okay (very moist) but the fish was incredibly tasteless. Portion was very small also.
3. Quite packed and pretty loud. Maybe good place to drink but I’d say this place is not for good foods.

I’m very picky with my oysters but I enjoyed all 6 six types I had from here. The waitress was super helpful and told us exactly which ones to get, and clearly, she knew what she was talking about. Great service. I would also recommend the calamari. They make it with an Asian twist so it’s in sauce with peanuts and spices — delicious. We actually only came here because the line at Upstate was really long so the host there pointed us to Fish Bar right across the street since it’s by the same owner, but I was not disappointed in the end!

This place smelled like a litter box. I came here to meet some friends on a Sun night and it was great, no one was there. But there was this lingering smell that just wouldn’t go away. My friends agreed.
The walls are painted with fish to make you feel like you’re in a tank, plus a spinning disco ball. Although it feels more like you’re in a kids room. The bartender was nice, chatty with the group — delivered the drinks that were requested.
With all the bar options in the area I can’t say I’d come back here. I’ve seen worse but why go where there’s a stench in the air.

Dion is the friendliest and most welcoming host/​bartender. His DJing is on point and the service is excellent considering the price.
–Hugh

This is a late review… like months late.
PBR + Bourbon… I would think that I wouldn’t have to explain anything else after this.
A nice small dive bar with quick service. Clean overall place. By the 4 PBR +Bourbon, it didn’t matter… a great time was on us. This place started a nice LOOOOOONG night out. The bartender was awesome. She kept the shots going and we kept the tips flowing.

Had another great night here. Debbie is another great bartender who takes good care of me. Again, I love this place as it takes me back to what NYC was back in the day.

I wouldn’t necessarily categorize this bar as a dive, but let’s just say they’re in no hurry to renovate their establishment, wobbly tables/​chairs and all. In case you were wondering, the walls won’t stick to your clothes. The only ambiance you’ll experience is that of the underwater theme painted on the walls. Can you say Sharknado 2?
I came here for a Meetup event on a Friday night; ’tis the season for Ugly Holiday Sweater parties. To the right is the bar itself, a ~10 foot long bar. They don’t serve food, but have a legit dossier of menus from nearby restaurants offering delivery. They even separate them into types of cuisine.
Our group was about 30+ deep and they were able to hold our bodies in comfortably on the left. The only issue were the bathrooms in the back of the bar– every time someone needed the toilet, and it was pretty often since the dams were long broken, there was a lot of shifting.
It’s a nice and chill place to have a large gathering. I was having decent conversations with everyone, and didn’t lose my hearing or voice. There aren’t many places in NY where I can claim this.

This is not a «dive» because it’s not gross. It is a quaint neighborhood bar, filled with regulars and locals, and great staff. Drinks are cheap guys!!! I love this place. Best night? Sunday. Friendly crowd, never too crowded, and a great place to chow down on local grub while throwing back a few bevvies.

If you go here with no previous experience, be forewarned: This is by far the worst bar I have ever been to in my life. First, we walk in. Cash only. Fine. I’m from out of state where this is less common than new York and I have no cash but I’m with a new Yorker so I think nothing of it. The moment we step to the bar and begin to order a beer, the red headed (dyed) bartender (ess) puts a beer on us for some random guy who says «and one for me too» which I didn’t realize till after but (unbelievable)…me and my friend order and then she says «so what’s your girlfriend drinking?». Clearly no one else but we’re in a good mood so whatever, order a 4^th beer with the intention to give it away… Then she starts talking about when we’re going to pay her… Neither of us have cash it turns out so we ask her where the ATM is. She just goes on and on for literally 2 minutes about how we are ordering beers and not going to pay; we’re from Boston and think it’s cool not to pay in new York. Clearly insanity at the bar. So then another guy comes to the rescue at the bar and says «hey guys, no worries, go one block up the street and take a right and BAM: ATM» I think cool, this guy is just trying to defuse an awkward moment, it’s just the bartender that is crazy. But then he’s like «then you can come back and apologize for the shit you started». I looked at him in disbelief and then again the bartender insulted us and Boston by saying” maybe in Boston this doesn’t pass as shit but you guys are not okay here. I’m going to hold one of you as collateral while the other goes to the ATM”. Unbelievable bull at a level I have never have experienced. We told her there is no way we would ever pay her for the experience we just got and left. Some people actually clapped when she announced our departure with «here go some people from Boston that don’t want to pay for their beers». Disgraceful.
This can all be chalked up to one terrible bartender but honestly I’ve never experienced anything like this in my life. F this place.
BLACKLISTED FOREVER. Zero stars. I know New York is better than this.

It’s a small bar with a big personality. More quirky than divey to me, with a friendly crowd. Me and my roommate came in and made friends with a group of people very quickly. The bartender (petite brunette with glasses) was very sweet. They also don’t blast the music so you can actually hear people talk. More of a place to go with friends than to drink in alone. The place is tiny, and getting to the bathroom will have you weaving and excusing your way through, but it’s dim and colorful and all around a fun spot to drink in.

Okay so, I was going to give a one star review where I hid a glowing review inside a litany of complaints to keep this place a secret. For one, that just wouldn’t do Fish Bar justice and for two, the positive reviews just keep rolling in but the place is still usually almost empty. So, really, that would just be pissing against the flood, wouldn’t it?
This is the bar that I go to when I want to have a drink and conversation with friends and not much else. It’s quiet, it’s cozy, it’s easy to miss unless you’re absolutely certain where you’re going. Fish bar is super divey, but not in a stereotypical or contrived way; the tables and chairs shake, the men’s and women’s bathrooms are interchangeable, there’s only one tap, it’s nice and dark, and it’s frequented by an older crowd. It’s quiet enough to have a conversation in and cool enough that nobody cares what you’re saying. If you don’t have any friends to go out with, have a seat at the bar and the bartenders or the regulars will chat you up. People who are creeped out by reality, by actual people and human interactions, will want to avoid this place because there is a feeling of anti-​anonymity. Yet it’s not a «Cheers» style brass rail watering hole with neighborhood goodguys showboating, it’s a being-​for-​itself haunt of poets and intellectuals drinking the voices in their heads down to a whisper.
I love the drink special. It’s not as cheap as other places, but it feels more right here than anywhere else. It’s not there to lure you to the boat, it’s to keep you underwater. No credit cards, so get cash beforehand and be prepared to drink yourself sick.
And they have a movie night on Wednesdays, if I’m not mistaken.

Quirky little place. Easy enough to access and I was very charmed by the painting of fishes on the wall (I guess that’s where it gets it’s name). It’s the epitome of the hole in the wall bar you’ll hang out in with friends for something quick and cheap which is exactly what I did. It was a pretty small space and had random strings of lights along the bar and the outside window. It was cute but very divey — I’m glad I got to visit but don’t really know if I’d take a date here or even suggest this place to hang out with a friend if I could choose.
They had Lagunitas (currently my favorite beer), for the pretty reasonable happy hour price of $ 4 in a bottle. They don’t accept card by the way, giant pain in the butt.
Overall I’d say try it out if you want a change of scenery but I’d add that you aren’t missing out on anything if you don’t.

I’ve been here for drinks a few times and am always a little bit disappointed. The drinks aren’t quite as cheap as the dive feel would lead you to expect. It’s kind of dark and grungy. The bar only takes cash.
Although it’s a pretty small place, we’ve never had a hard time getting seats. My friends really like it here so I’ll probably keep coming back…

Nice
Owner,
Free cheese, and
A legit dive?
Was it all a dream? Long live the Fish Bar!

Like.
A no nonsense neighborhood eclectic dive fit for good two fisted drinking. We found our party of three here after a mind blowing sushi blowout next door at Jewel Bako to perfectly offset the evening. High priced sushi, then a cluttered neighborhood dive perfect for a bunch of old farts like us.
We had many good single malts late into the evening.
Memorable. This is a good hang.

A small dive bar that does the job. Bartender is cool, drinks are cheap and a lot of drunk college kids. Fortunately, the kids kept to themselves and wasn’t as obnoxious as I thought they would be.
I noticed the music would go from being really loud to barely there, which meant we were either shouting to each other over the music or finding ourselves talking super loud when we didn’t need to. But that doesn’t affect my rating of this place, just a mere observation.
Cash only!

What a neat little place! It’s quaint, cozy and a great place to get your booze on. We wanted to go to a chill bar to pregame a little before we went to Affiare for a friend’s birthday party. We originally wanted to go to McSorley’s but it was wayyyy too packed so I used my handy dandy Unilocal app to find another bar close to McSorley’s (walking in heels is a biatch).
Fish Bar on a Saturday night wasn’t crowded at all! It was perfect. We sat at a table and looked at the drink specials. $ 7 for a HUGE «shot» of bourbon and a PBR? Even though I thought it was a disgusting combo it was very sufficient as a pregame. We then got $ 3 grape shots that were delish! The bartenders are friendly and fun, the drinks are cheap and the atmosphere is a-​okay! Definitely a place I wish I knew about while I was still at NYU!