Doc Holliday’s: Small Town Bar in the Big City

Doc Holliday’s gives me the impression that some rich schmuck got bored and decided to helicopter in a small Midwestern bar into Manhattan’s Lower East Side neighborhood. It might have something to do with the old school country music and classic rock springing from the speakers. Maybe it was the worn-out bar bearing the scars of a close-knit clientele’s pounding, as it mourns the irreversible effects of countless weekends spent shouldering $3 cans of Busch, Rolling Rock, and Gennesse Cream Ale. Or, perhaps it was the endless assortment of novelty items that decorated the bar such as skulls, mermaids, and dirty license plates. Regardless of what it was, something in the air let me know that this isn’t your average bar found in the city.

The last time I stopped into Doc’s, it was a Saturday night. I sat at the bar and surveyed my options which includes $5-$7 draft beer (Stella, Bud, Brooklyn Lager, Seasonal Brooklyn Brews, and Guinness), $4-$6 bottles (Heineken, Hoegarden, Bud and Stone IPA), and of course, $3 cans for the customary broke-ass.  And lucky for me, my bartender was a friendly, talkative girl-next-door type that offered service with a smile.

The rest of the bar is decorated with cozy, wooden booths for small groups to sit down and hangout. A pool table can be found sitting towards the rear section of the bar, ready for a fun game between friends and strangers alike. And if you’re into arcade games, then you’re in luck, because there’s a few scattered around the bar, including a Big Buck Hunter shooting game located on the right-hand side as soon as you enter Doc’s.

Doc Holliday’s works best for out-of-towners feeling a little home sick, or for those New Yorkers that have never stepped foot inside of any one of the small town’s scattered across these United States.

Doc Holliday’s
Everyday 12pm-4am
141 Avenue A (on the corner of 9^th street)
[Lower East Side]

Photo Credit: nymag.com