The 10 best bro-free places for dudes in NYC

This recently opened hard-rock dive boasts rugged decor (leather booths, a stuffed buffalo head, retro neon beer signs), a jukebox blasting ’70s and ’80s stompers and 18-ounce schooners of beer that start st $3. Think of it like your cool uncle’s basement—only instead of being a man cave in the burbs, it’s in the shadow of the BQE. Cool!

Run by David Diamante, a professional boxing and basketball announcer and fifth-generation Brooklynite, this dark-wood–paneled and sport-spirited Fort Greene hideaway has couches to chill on and chat with other neighborhood guys; it's the perfect place for a relaxing puff (the house blend starts at $8 per stogie; BYO booze after an $8 corking fee).

This is the NYC gay bar where beards and flannels go to frolic among their own kind. Unpretentious and peppered with low couches and nooks for chit-chat, there’s also a pool table and some room for dancing—if you feel like it! No pressure, bro.

The clothes in this boutique are both urban and crisp (i.e. hip but still fitted), and decidedly American—expect vintage varsity jackets and homespun denim. Everyone fits in here, since it’s neither too preppy or too hipster. Or too prepster, for that matter.

Despite the name, Bedford Barbers can be found in Manhattan right under the 59th Street Bridge. The space is no-frills authenticity, and the owner offers a great deal for a hot towel shave (just $20, and only $10 for a beard trim). That handsome furry fellow usually guarding the door is called Dutch (a German boxer—now that’s a man’s dog!).  

Found in a non-sceney corner of Brooklyn (straddling the Heights and Cobble Hill), the unassuming charm of this woody den, complete with bocce court and plenty of comfy seating, is purely relaxing. Run by the same folks as the Bell House and Union Hall, Floyd’s crowd is friendly and inclusive, and its jukebox kicks ass.

Although neither the name nor the new Michelin recommendation would suggest so, Black Swan is a totally pro-dude space. The bar has the channel permanently set to sports (they show all the games, from MLB and NFL to Serie A and La Liga), and the food is hearty and good for the soul. The nicely mixed crowd at this spot makes it a perfect choice for a friend date (and also that regular kind). 

Where can a guy who likes midcentury “old” stuff around his pad find the kind of objets that won’t break in his hand? The name says it all—the wares at this cool store are funky, interesting and rock-solid. They may not come cheap, but a quality mantique should cost you some coin! 

This multidimensional menswear boutique/coffeeshop perfectly conceals clothes-shopping behind the façade of coffee and awesome surf equipment for sale. With so many activities on offer at Saturdays, there’s something for every man, every day of the week.