Description: There are two types of bars in Manhattan. The first kind is a place where beers are $8, the service is snotty, and you are surrounded by tourists and chichi locals. The second kind offers $3 beers, dingy decor, and gibbering drunk locals. Bellevue is firmly in the latter camp. The name alone should clue you in, though this bar terms itself an "alcohol abuse center" rather than a psych ward. Long a favorite of Hell's Kitchen locals, Bellevue's recent accolades as one of the city's best dive bars have won it new fans.
The interior of Bellevue is dark, and that's just the way patrons want it. Ragged furniture and bar stools hold you up as the waitresses serve drinks for ridiculously low prices. An average mixed drink (rum and coke) will run you around $4. Every so often, they'll thrown one in for free if you're in it for the long haul. The decor is in the early heavy metal style. Posters all over the walls and ceiling attest to Bellevue's fame. Try to catch the script where Rob Zombie hosted Headbanger's Ball live from Bellevue. The lights are red and dim. Thrown in some "borrowed" signs from long-gone businesses, an Ozzy bobblehead doll, Betty Page videos on the TV, and other assorted weirdness and you've got Bellevue.
Aside from the cheap beer and laid-back atmosphere, people come here for the music. The jukebox has consistently rated tops in the city. The selection is superb if your taste runs toward metal and goth. Bellevue is the only place *I* know in the city where I can program Sisters of Mercy and Korn in the same set. The clientele reflects the diversity of music, with everyone from pierced punkers to local hobos calling Bellevue home. This is certainly not the bar to visit if you're in the mood for some classy entertainment. It is the place to stop if you need a quick drink (or three) on your way back to New Jersey, as the Port Authority is right across the street, allowing for a quick getaway.
Close