One of my favorite downtown bars, especially on an off night (Tuesday or Wednesday) when it’s less busy. Great drinks and hang. Friday and Saturday can get packed, but also fun in a different way.
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
Jack Pitts
The Scratcher is honestly one of my favorite bars in New York City. It has a divey feel, but it’s actually really nice and comfortable — the kind of place you go when you just want a good drink without any fuss. Drinks are affordable, especially if you’re out with friends, and the service has always been solid. It stays lively, but it’s not a club vibe at all, which makes it perfect for actually hanging out and talking. The crowd feels very normal and down-to-earth, which I really appreciate. It’s a fantastic stop on a bar crawl or a great place for a nightcap. Highly recommend.
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
Tyler Wayne
bartender is a stand up guy. the reason for the 5 stars is that they replaced the candles with fake ones. completely improved the vibe. pls never bring the old candles back. if you do i'll give you 3 stars, love the playlist.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Genta Nishku
No frills, stick to beer and simple cocktails
Bayley Sweitzer
Awesome bar always loved this place BUT WHAT HAPPENED TO THE REAL CANDLES? Please bring back the tiny fires. Would be a five star bar for me if the real candles came back.
edit: [sorry about the permit issue. I hope yall get it sorted out.]
Taha M
We came to this bar excited to support a local spot and brought a good sized group of friends to enjoy the night. Unfortunately, the experience was not what we expected. Instead of being welcomed for bringing in business, we were met with hostility from the bartender, who seemed annoyed at how many of us showed up for our event. It felt like we were being punished for trying to have a good time. The service was slow, dismissive, and honestly uncomfortable. At one point, it felt like we were inconveniencing the bartender just by ordering drinks. On top of that, there was little to no music, which made the atmosphere feel dead and awkward. We were only trying to celebrate a moving away party.
Atmosphere: 1
Service: 1
Robert Burak
Superb bar. Great atmosphere.
Daniel Davidson
Fantastic. My favorite.
Petra Ruiz galbe
Me and my friends are from Spain and we just understanding the tipping culture here in the us. When we talked with our friends from us about this they told us that you have to give a minimum of 20% in a restaurant and places like fast food or bars it’s a curtesy but not something obligated. With this in in mind my friend we she payed she didn’t left a tip bc 1. 6’5 for a cider is kinda overpriced 2. The bartender with didn’t come to our table or anything we went to the bar and she just took the cans out of the freezer and nothing else, not a glass or even straw. We payed and 5 minutes after she came to our table, slammed the bill and (not even joking) screamed that she didn’t care that we were from Spain that in the us you leave a tip and we have to fix the bill. Okay, we’re genuinely sorry for that, we had no idea that tip was also mandatory in this case. Still, there was 100 ways of how to approach this and she just took the worst one. When u are working the priority should be the manners and professionalism and that was just not it. I worked as a waitress and I know is tiring and sometimes really exhausting but I would have never approach to a client like that, and talking with my American friends said in my social media they all agreed that that behavior is not normall. Also the place was full of empty tables with glasses on it
bartender is a nice guy. i stood at the end of the bar for about 7-8 mins while he served a few people at the opposite end who got there after me, but that's just how it goes at bars sometimes. he ultimately seemed like a stand up bloke. the real reason for the 2 stars is that they replaced the candles with fake ones. completely ruined the vibe. pls bring the candles back. if you do i'd give you 5 stars, the playlist could use a tiny bit of work but thats more of personal preference thing, wouldn't hold it against you.
Atmosphere: 2
Service: 4
Steven Khakshouri
Best bar in merica
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Rachel Tang
Cute little spot near Astor place. Loved the bartender super sweet
Wonsik Yoon
Totally racist. Racists.We came here to eat as a family, but the employees didn't pretend to know us for more than 10 minutes and didn't take our orders.Very unfriendly.I can't believe racism still exists in New York.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
C C
Coming from the UK, it's hard to replicate the pub culture but The Scratcher does a great job at capturing some that same feeling. The staff were really friendly, good selection of drinks and a nice atmosphere as a whole.
One of my favorite downtown bars, especially on an off night (Tuesday or Wednesday) when it’s less busy. Great drinks and hang. Friday and Saturday can get packed, but also fun in a different way.
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
The Scratcher is honestly one of my favorite bars in New York City. It has a divey feel, but it’s actually really nice and comfortable — the kind of place you go when you just want a good drink without any fuss. Drinks are affordable, especially if you’re out with friends, and the service has always been solid. It stays lively, but it’s not a club vibe at all, which makes it perfect for actually hanging out and talking. The crowd feels very normal and down-to-earth, which I really appreciate. It’s a fantastic stop on a bar crawl or a great place for a nightcap. Highly recommend.
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
bartender is a stand up guy. the reason for the 5 stars is that they replaced the candles with fake ones. completely improved the vibe. pls never bring the old candles back. if you do i'll give you 3 stars, love the playlist.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
No frills, stick to beer and simple cocktails
Awesome bar always loved this place BUT WHAT HAPPENED TO THE REAL CANDLES? Please bring back the tiny fires. Would be a five star bar for me if the real candles came back.
edit: [sorry about the permit issue. I hope yall get it sorted out.]
We came to this bar excited to support a local spot and brought a good sized group of friends to enjoy the night. Unfortunately, the experience was not what we expected. Instead of being welcomed for bringing in business, we were met with hostility from the bartender, who seemed annoyed at how many of us showed up for our event. It felt like we were being punished for trying to have a good time.
The service was slow, dismissive, and honestly uncomfortable. At one point, it felt like we were inconveniencing the bartender just by ordering drinks. On top of that, there was little to no music, which made the atmosphere feel dead and awkward. We were only trying to celebrate a moving away party.
Atmosphere: 1
Service: 1
Superb bar. Great atmosphere.
Fantastic. My favorite.
Me and my friends are from Spain and we just understanding the tipping culture here in the us. When we talked with our friends from us about this they told us that you have to give a minimum of 20% in a restaurant and places like fast food or bars it’s a curtesy but not something obligated. With this in in mind my friend we she payed she didn’t left a tip bc 1. 6’5 for a cider is kinda overpriced 2. The bartender with didn’t come to our table or anything we went to the bar and she just took the cans out of the freezer and nothing else, not a glass or even straw.
We payed and 5 minutes after she came to our table, slammed the bill and (not even joking) screamed that she didn’t care that we were from Spain that in the us you leave a tip and we have to fix the bill. Okay, we’re genuinely sorry for that, we had no idea that tip was also mandatory in this case. Still, there was 100 ways of how to approach this and she just took the worst one. When u are working the priority should be the manners and professionalism and that was just not it. I worked as a waitress and I know is tiring and sometimes really exhausting but I would have never approach to a client like that, and talking with my American friends said in my social media they all agreed that that behavior is not normall. Also the place was full of empty tables with glasses on it
NYC from the old days
Restaurantji Recommends
bartender is a nice guy. i stood at the end of the bar for about 7-8 mins while he served a few people at the opposite end who got there after me, but that's just how it goes at bars sometimes. he ultimately seemed like a stand up bloke. the real reason for the 2 stars is that they replaced the candles with fake ones. completely ruined the vibe. pls bring the candles back. if you do i'd give you 5 stars, the playlist could use a tiny bit of work but thats more of personal preference thing, wouldn't hold it against you.
Atmosphere: 2
Service: 4
Best bar in merica
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Cute little spot near Astor place. Loved the bartender super sweet
Totally racist. Racists.We came here to eat as a family, but the employees didn't pretend to know us for more than 10 minutes and didn't take our orders.Very unfriendly.I can't believe racism still exists in New York.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Coming from the UK, it's hard to replicate the pub culture but The Scratcher does a great job at capturing some that same feeling. The staff were really friendly, good selection of drinks and a nice atmosphere as a whole.
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
Loading...