New York City Soho

Lucky Strike, 59 Grand St. (www.luckystrikeny.com), Poussez to enter this French-style bar, where the drinks are written in faded letters on glass above the bar. You can feast on a croque monsieur ($14) or steak frites ($25) as you gaze at a L'Eclipse movie poster. Beer $7. Wine $8-10. Well drinks $8. Appetizers $8.50-13.50. Sandwiches $11.50-14. Open M-W noon-1am, Th noon-2am, F-Sa noon-2:30am, Su noon-1am. Happy Hour 4-7pm. Takes credit cards. No wheelchair access.
The Ear Inn, 326 Spring St. (www.earinn.com), Don't miss your chance to party in one of New York's most experienced drinking establishments. Originally built at the end of the 1700s for James Brown, George Washington's African-American aide, the house became the site of a brewery in the 1800s, then a speakeasy in the 1920s, then an unnamed bar referred to simply as “The Green Door” by sailors after Prohibition. The current name was the result of an attempt to eschew the Landmark Commission's arduous process for obtaining new signage (the right half of the B in the neon “BAR” sign was painted black). Beer $4-6.50. Wine $7.50-9. Appetizers $6-7. Burgers and sandwiches $6-9. Entrees $10-13. Open daily noon-4am. Kitchen open until 1am. Takes credit cards. Wheelchair access.
Grand Bar and Lounge, 310 W. Broadway (www.sohogrand.com), On the second floor of a luxurious hotel with industrial accents is a lounge with stylish chairs and sofas where you can enjoy a Dirty SoHo (Stolichnaya Gold vodka, olive brine, assorted olive skewer, $15) into the wee hours of the morning. If you get there before midnight, you can also order serious entrees such as the New York strip steak ($28). Mixed drinks $13-18. Beer $8-28. Wine $11-23. Liquor $12-55, Champagne $14. Appetizers $12-16. Entrees $15-28. Desserts $9-10. Open daily 6am-3pm. Kitchen open until midnight. Takes credit cards. Wheelchair access.
Milady's, 160 Prince St. If you want to skip the swank and posturing of some SoHo bars and just want cheap drinks and good food served by congenial people, head to this little treasure, tucked away on the corner of Prince and Thompson. Instead of wondering whether people are judging your wardrobe choices, you can do the things normal people do in bars: play pool, watch sports, and fiddle with the jukebox while you throw back Drunken Palmers and Pink Miladys. Beer $5-6. Wine $6. Appetizers $5-9. Sandwiches $8-10. Entrees $11. Open daily 11am-4pm. Kitchen closes M-Th midnight, F-Sa 1am, Su 11pm. Wheelchair access.
Merc Bar, 151 Mercer St (www.mercbar.com), Merc Bar seems to have taken its inspiration from Native American interior design; tall wooden walls, long boats hanging from the ceilings, and a decorative assortment of antlers. Comfy, holstein-clad cube chairs cover the floor. Merc Bar's motto is “just a bar,” so don't come asking for food other than the free bowls of pretzels situated generously around the establishment. Beer $6-9. House mixed drinks $13-14. Wine from $10. Open M-Th 5pm-2am, F 5pm-4am, Sa 4pm-4am, Su 4pm-2am. Takes credit cards. Wheelchair access.
The City Winery, 155 Varick St., at Vandam St. (www.citywinery.com), A real-life winery in a renovated, 19th-century building in downtown New York City. Try a glass of the City Winery Rosé of Pinot Noir or take home a bottle of the Downtown White or Van Dam Zin. If you're hungry, you can munch on pretzels ($5) or flatbread pizzas ($13-17) made with lees from the wine barrels. The winery hosts frequent musical performances. Sundays (11am-2am) feature klezmer brunches, with lox and bagels and the soulful sounds of the T klezmer clarinet. Sometimes the winery is only open to performance ticket holders; call to confirm that it is open to the general public. Wines $9-164. Beer $7-16. Food $6-24. Winery tours free. Open daily 11:30am-3pm and 5-11pm. Winery tours M-F 12:30-6pm. Takes credit cards. Wheelchair access.
The Room, 144 Sullivan St., between Prince St. and W. Houston St. (www.theotheroom.com), Beer and wine from all over the world is served in this tiny but extremely hip bar, where the furniture takes up most of the floor space, works by local artists appear on the walls, and alternative music plays in the background. Satisfy your craving for fine alcohol with one of 30 different wines and 60 different beers. Beer $6-20. Wine $8-15. Open daily 5pm-4am. Takes credit cards. Wheelchair access.
Raoul's, 180 Prince St. (www.raouls.com), An authentic French bistro where you can pair your drink with gourmet appetizers and entrees such as the chèvre cannelloni with grilled eggplant, baby zucchini, and green tomatoes ($21) or the pâté maison with baby spinach and walnuts ($10). Take in the evening air in the garden room in the back, or simply enjoy the charmingly eclectic assortment of paintings on the wall. Wine averages $12-13. Beer $6. Mixed drinks $12-16. Appetizers $10-19. Entrees $21-39. Open daily 5pm-2am. Kitchen open M-Th 5:30-midnight, F-Sa 5:30pm-1am, Su 5:30pm-midnight. Takes credit cards.
Bar 89, 89 Mercer St. (www.bar89.com), This martini-oriented bar is a sea of black leather, sharp angles, and irises. A popular drink choice is the St. Germain, made with Absolut Pear, St.-Germain elderflower liqueur and champagne. The watermelon martini uses a puree made from scratch. Other hits include the coconut and Starburst-flavored martinis. Beer $7-12. Martinis $14-17. Appetizers $9-36. Sandwiches $9.50-16.50. Salads $7-16. Desserts $6-11. Open M-Th noon-1am, F-Sa noon-2am, Su noon-1am. Takes credit cards. Wheelchair access.
The Emerald Pub, 308 Spring St. The Emerald Pub is caught between a dive bar and an upscale lounge, with serial microsuede cube chairs on one side and typical bar accoutrements on the other: a model human skull, miscellaneous trophies, and even a bear pelt. The back wall holds a mosaic, constructed in part with parts of Jagermeister bottles. Happy hour (5-8pm) is especially happy on Thursdays and Fridays, when the bar holds a free barbecue for customers. Beer $4-6. Well drinks $6. Open daily 11:30am-4am. Half-price happy hour 5-8pm. Takes credit cards. Wheelchair access.