Grassroots Tavern (CLOSED)

One of the only honest dives on an otherwise gimmicky stretch of St. Marks Place, this bar lures in-the-know East Villagers to its dark basement digs. A weekday happy hour, from 4 to 8pm, entices with a dollar off already dirt-cheap pints and two bucks off pitchers. The cut-rate prices should free up some dough to sample some of the dozen suds on tap—from blah Bud to England’s crisp Strongbow cider.