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Before becoming the East River Bar in early 2004, this venerable space was an illicit Latino speakeasy, and before that, an underground biker bar. Its first incarnation, though, was as a paint factory, and the giant main room retains a great industrial feel, with beautiful pressed-tin ceilings and weathered floorboards. Instead of accentuating such things, though, the owners have opted to camp it up, putting up a disco ball and a cowboy-themed mirror behind the bar. The resulting comfortable dive is complete with the standard handful of beers on tap, and a number of games—Big Buck Hunter, pinball machine, and pool table. If the weather's nice, the concrete patio becomes a family-friendly haven, where hipster tykes buzz about while parents cook BYOBBQ on the grill. These meaty treats compete with the beefy fumes emanating from nearby Peter Luger's. — Emily Gould