Lower East Side, Manhattan · bar
A relic of NoLita’s past that refuses to dress up, Spring Lounge is the kind of dive you drink at when you don’t need to impress—exposed brick, weathered wood, a semi-circular bar, and enough character to make the smell part of the charm. It’s been open since the 1920s and still pours from 8 a.m. into the early morning. Expect cheap drafts, quirky regulars, a killer jukebox, maybe a life-size shark (yes), and the occasional queue of weekend singles jockeying for the last stool.