Saying farewell to one NYC bar and hello to a new one

Last week, we got word that The Hairy Monk had closed, following a dispute with its landlord (aren’t these disputes happening an awful lot of late?  We digress — full DNAinfo story here).  The Hairy Monk was a solid spot for Third Avenue NYC sports bar crawl (and, if you’re a Boston fan, one of the few spots for the Boston-friendly NYC pub crawl).  We had been to Hairy Monk several times over the years.  Good bar food and a decent tap beer selection.  The bar will be missed.

When one bar closes, there’s another one that opens.  In this particular instance, we are talking about a new spot on the Lower East Side called Two Bit’s retro arcade, now open at 153 Essex Street (read the full story here).  The spot is supposed to have 1980s video games for a quarter play, along with craft beer and wine.  If this formula sounds familiar, it’s because you’re likely a big fan of Barcade in Brooklyn.  We love Barcade and if Two Bit’s can replicate what Barcade has done, then we will be very happy.  In addition, Two Bit’s has the potential to replace the one of the two spots on the LES craft beer NYC pub crawl that closed approximately a year ago.

What are your thoughts on the closing of Hairy Monk and the opening of Two Bit’s.  Please leave us a comment!