LES Sports Bar

pretty chill place. they have free cheeseballs!

Sadly, I returned to LES last night to find it closed. I walked by it in December and thought it looked darker than usual, but now have found out it’s closed — Sad, it was my home away from home, a few blocks from my hotel, Debbie and the rest of the staff knew how to ensure their customers were well cared for. Too bad, my loss

Came here to wait for our table at THE BOIL which is downstairs. Same owner, but won’t serve any of the foot from the boil here. Oh well, horrible business plan. Great view though, drink specials are WEAK.

So much potential BUT…
This bar is like the girl you met at «that party» who was beautiful in every way… until you found out she was too high maintenance and had a penis. So i heard.
For the record, i’ve been here 4 times now since it opened…
Why it’s wack:
1. It’s looks like a sports bar, but the food isn’t. Yes, wangs (we’ll come back to this), burgers, fries, etc is bar food but these guys are trying to do it on a «gastropub» type vibe. Fried shrimp for $ 9? I don’t mind paying for a new «twist» on regular pub grub that uses quality ingredients, but 3 regular shrimp (yeah, three) I can get at NY Noodletown and doesn’t even taste as good, is not what I call a new «twist» on shate… The soft shell crab was good, but, again, $ 16 bucks for one that isn’t any better then what I can get anywhere else for half half as much. The artistic plating, the average taste, and the average quality, does not compensate for the above average price.
2. The service is shaky at best. Twice I’ve had good service from a good bartender (attentive, knew how to make a drink, knowledgeable about the menu) and the other two times I came in was a shit show. Two «s’s», one «o». Fo show. The female asian bartender, is slow and was not attuned to the needs of the customers at the bar (which always had less then 10 people in it when I’ve been there). She was very attuned to her phone though and talking to her peeps at the end of the bar. So, bad has cancelled out the good which leaves me to «eh» with the service. The bar-​back/​runner is good though. Did I just really write that last sentence?
3. No happy hour on a friday? Really? No, really… you aren’t Apothéke. So, in other words, don’t come here during happy hour times on fridays. I’m assuming they must do really well on this day cuz of the spill over from The Boil to not offer specials.
4. They stopped serving tots. WTF, that was enough to send me over the edge. Those damn tots were perfect.
Why it’s dope:
1. The big ass t.v.‘s…plural. All the way across the back of the bar. And they actually turn on the volume so you can hear the game. Perfect.
2. Happy hour during the week other then friday. $ 3 beers (bottle, no drafts) and some half price apps… yeah, common, but see #1.
3. The big ass window that is the width of the room. When they open it up on a nice day, it’s a nice touch. Just the right amount of exhaust fumes, funky aroma and noise to make you remember you are downtown in Chinatown.
4. The «wangs»…foodboner. Instantly. No forplay necessary. Imagine those wings you order at your corner Chinese takeout joint, with that «wang» taste that they only do, but actually crispy and not greasy. The sweet chilli sauce in the awkward glass is good, but these bastards are good on it’s own. Yes, they are the truth, Ruth… lastly, the sliders are pretty good too…
***Oh, and they have really clean, nice bathrooms. I’m not typing this to be a db, but I just think that’s important…***
In conclusion:
To be fair, I have not hung out here on the weekends or at night, just happy hour. They do have a d.j. «booth» in the back so maybe it’s cool, if that’s what you are looking for… If you want to hang out during the week and watch a game in quiet bar and have the breeze blow through your hair, then this is it. If you are waiting for a table at The Boil, which btw is owned by the same dudes, then chill and get your drank on… otherwise…
this is not a destination joint for any other

So I’m sitting here watching the Italy vs England game which is the only reason why I’d come in here. Otherwise you can totally skip this. I have in front of me the most disappointing serving size of mozzarella sticks. Like I understand you’re trying to be fancy, but fuck that. Cut down on the fancy a little and just give me some gritty bar food. And plus why does my French fries have Parmesan on them? BUT THE WINGS ARE THE TITS.

I love heading out to New York and do it anywhere from 6 – 8 times a year… but as an avowed cost/​benefit type of guy, I find myself constantly battling heart palpitations every time I go out on the town for food or drinks. Jeezys, Manhattanites, how do you deal with these astronomic prices?
So imagine my rapture, dear readers, when I discovered Red Heels. To wit: The first time we were here, my friends and I ordered a whiskey/​ginger ale, a vodka soda and an Amstel Light. After a brief time, the friendly cocktail server delivered our drinks with aplomb and said, «That’ll be $ 11».
Puzzled I asked, «You mean for the vodka soda or the other cocktail?»
«For everything» she breezily replied eyeing me with some curiosity.
«G-​GAD-​DAAMN!» I stammered out as I quickly reached into my wallet and grabbed a $ 20 bill. Magnanimously, I motioned for her to keep the change which she did without a hint of hesitation. After all, true dive bar employees realize that above-​average tips are few and far in between: best to just chalk it up to inebriation and palm the money ASAP.
$ 11 for a round of drinks for three is cheap in just about any American city… but in NYC, the center of the world??? Forget about it man. I’ve learned my lesson dropping bar bills the Gross National Product of mid-​size island countries at some of the ritzier establishments in the Big Apple so this place is a god-​send. Sure, there’s a time and place for balling out, but for relaxing (and cost effective) times, I make it Red Heels time.
Bonus tip: Literally next door from The Boil, a Vietnamese influenced Cajun seafood restaurant. Great food and horrendously bad service.

Dropped in with some friends last Saturday. Surprisingly big place with lots of nice booths, plenty of space at the bar AND still a big area to dance (which was great bc the music was pretty sweet– a lot of late 90’s and 2000’s stuff like Mystikal and Ludacris). Also, they had a bunch of nice big screens to watch the NBA playoffs so I was particularly excited about that. They did a great job at this place of combining a fun, dance atmosphere with a laid back sports bar.
The waitress (who was very friendly) came right up and sat us down at a table. She got us drinks and food quickly (very reasonably priced for Manhattan). The bartenders were also all very friendly. Really great vibe at this place so we will absolutely be back.

Dropped in Sunday night to catch the Rangers game because streaming at home proved ineffective, and I’m glad I did! Notes:
— Bottled beer only, no drafts
— Attentive bartender lady (although the bar was dead)
— 5 TVs
— Excellent mozzarella sticks, made in-​house
— SUPERB brisket sliders (gigantic at $ 3 a piece)
— Décor is nothing special
— Bartender’s friend told the Boy and I to «go home, have some fun, make some babies» on the way out, and we happily abided

A great addition to the Lower Eastside. Not a typical sports bar. 5 – 6 TV screens and multiple projectors. Feels like a upscale lounge and they have pretty good DJs Thursday Friday and Saturday. A great place to watch sports or hang with friends. Busy yet fast service. Staffs were very friendly. Amazing burgers (newest addition to the menu), buffalo wings and good cocktail selection. My favorite is the Watermelon Mojito. The place is really spacious and has a huge window overlooking the park. The only negative is the place is on the 2^nd floor and is hard to find but its also a hidden gem.
Highly recommend this place for casual night-​outs or company events.

Worst sports bar!!!
Worst porterhouse burgers … The burgers were burnt and tasted rough… I complain to the waitress and she told me to keep it to myself or else… wtf…
1. Terrible food
2. Bad service
3. Bad appetizers
4. Bad cocktails
5. Everything bad…

I went here on a Friday night with my friend. We were trying to meet up with his friends but I guess they dipped out early.
When I got there the bartender talked to her friend for a good 15 minutes before she got to me. The place was empty so I thought it was a bit rude.
As for the vibe, it’s pretty but weird for a sports bar. A girlish sports bar? I thought it was odd.

In what world is a bar called Red Heels (with an actual sign that is two red high heels) NOT a strip club?
In this world, apparently. This is also a world where a bar called Red Heels is a sports bar that has bottle service AND beer towers, a bar with tolerant and friendly staff, and a bar that I don’t exactly recall leaving.
But I remember liking it.

Well this was an interesting little place. My friends and I ended up here while waiting for a table at The Boil, a restaurant next door. Its upstairs and it’s a nice space. It was pretty deserted for a saturday night, but maybe it gets busier later. The waitress was very friendly, and the drinks were ok — my vodka and cranberry tasted a little off, but it also may have just been really strong (not a bad thing…)

Where do I even begin? Let me just preface this by saying that if you are a woman between the ages of 21 and 25 who is still in college mode and likes sweet drinks, then you may actually have a good time here. Or if you are a man who is in pursuit of said woman, you also may have a good time here.
Unfortunately I am a married man in my 30s and on the rare days that I go out drinking with my friends, I want good cocktails, a somewhat grown up crowd, and good music that’s not played to a decibel level that renders my hearing useless — all things at which Red Heels fails spectacularly.
Aside from trying to be a swanky lounge, this place is also a pretend sports bar. Why pretend sports bar? Cos the TVs are there for guys who pretend to be following the game after the inevitable rejection by the tails they were chasing. Let’s be honest. If I was serious about watching a game, this would be one of the last «sports bar» I would come to. Who wants to watch sports over such loud music and sweet cocktails?
Maybe they convert to a proper sports bar on Sunday or Monday nights. We went on a Friday night and it just wasn’t my scene. Even the half off hh deal wasn’t enough for us to stay for more than a drink. We got outta there as fast as we could.

Great place in the Lower East Side /​Chinatown area to watch all the Sunday football games via DIRECTV NFL Sunday ticket. Same goes for Thursday and Monday Night Football games. Great location, clean place, friendly staff, delicious appetizers and cheap beer/​drink specials. Outside food also welcomed. What more can you ask for?

My thoughts on RED HEELS:
— Amazing sports bar? Yes.
— Amazing cocktails? Yes.
— Amazing appetizers? Yes. I highly recommend the chickens. Yum! :)
— Cute bartenders & waitresses — Yes!
Red Heels also have happy hours specials at Wednesday through Fridays from 6pm-​8pm. The only thing bad I can say is the happy hours specials only last 2 hours. I wish their happy hours would extend to 9pm or 10pm like the other bars around LES.
Anyway, I highly recommend this sports bar.

One of the few, and probably the best, sports bar in the area. The entrance is a little hard to find but I guess that adds a little mystery. Food is good especially the wings and the pork buns. 10 screens along with the bartenders and waitresses can’t be beat! Catch almost any game you want. The staff said they will be getting fights and UFC soon!

I love this place — definitely my new favorite spot. I stopped in for the first time yesterday to catch a game and didn’t end up leaving for 5 hours!
The vibe is cool, its like a loungey sports bar which means that the crowd is a little more upscale and the décor is a little more posh and classy. They’ll play any and every game on Sunday — just get there a little ahead of start time and they’ll put your game on for you. There are tons of high quality TV’s and a projector. The bar is great with comfy stools and there are lots of tables along the walls. My favorite feature is probably the giant picture window overlooking the street and trees. Gives it an open air feeling, even though you’re indoors.
They have $ 3 beers, $ 6 wells and $ 8 bloody’s all day on Sunday. And the food is also really good. I had the chicken wings — more like fried chicken with a sweet chili dipping sauce — they were awesome.
It’s located right next to the Boil. Red Heels is on the second floor and their sister club, Bobby’s is on the bottom floor. I didn’t go there, so I can’t speak to it. I know that Red Heels has a rooftop too, but it’s not open just yet.
Finally — a cool spot with cool people in the LES to chill out and watch the game!

Red Heels is probably the most recent hot spot. Great location situated in the heart of Lower East Side. When you go up the stair, the bar is right in the middle of the entire floor, so you don’t have to walk back and forth to get your drinks. The place is very spacious with lots of TVs and nice décor, so it is definitely a great spot to chill during football season or a cool lounge to hang out at night. What stands out the most is the big open window facing the park, it feels great to grab a drink with friends by the window and watch how lively LES is. Bartenders and waitresses are super friendly, and I highly recommend the signature drink «WATERMELON MOJITO». They recently added food menu also, try the «CHICKEN WINGS», it is very delicious… thumbs up!!!

Chill spot right next to The Boil. Great to grab drinks while waiting. There’s a bouncer in front and some dark and mysterious stairs going up. It calls itself a sports bar, but it’s definitely a more loungy almost date night vibe. They also didn’t appear to have any draft beers. It’s red and dim inside with chandeliers. Drinks on the menu were definitely above average in quality. Nothing to complain about. Bartender was very nice, fun, and helpful. They just opened and it was a weeknight, so it was a bit empty but otherwise definitely not bad.