The Rusty Knot is part of a series of tidbits from the chapters of my book Bars, Taverns and Dives New Yorkers Love, published by Rizzoli. You can order it online at Powell’s, Amazon, Rizzoli, and Barnes & Noble. Signed prints of the bars in the book are available here.
“It’s like your uncle’s lake house in the 1980s,” says Victor, the general manager. The Rusty Knot is a thrift shop dream of mid-century vacation cottage furniture and artifacts, from artistic (surprisingly good garage sale paintings) to goofy (the “Please Be Nice To the Bartender—Help Is Hard To Get” PBR sign, c. 1970). The vision was to create an accessible, casual place in the far, far West Village, a part of town where that sort of thing hasn’t existed for years, since the days of docking and shipping faded and millionaire condos sprouted up like mushrooms. The Rusty Knot is a high-concept, modern nod to the old riverfront bars that once lined the Hudson. They wanted to create a low-key, tasteful “dive,” a hang out where anybody from the neighborhood (and beyond) could come as they are. They did and they do. “We get some people coming in after black tie events and others after their run along the river.” High to low, with style.
On that hot day I first visited, I sipped my beer, enjoyed my tasty eats, listened to a surprisingly broad mix of jukebox tunes, and admired the striking painting on the back bar, featuring a view of the old Hudson waterfront c. 1947, flanked by two woof-tastic pinup girls from the era. Hunkered down in my cool, shady oasis, my back to the West Side Highway, I felt miles away from the heat, noise and dirt of that sweltering Manhattan summer beyond the door.
Best Times to Visit: For peace: weekday evenings at sunset. “There’s a 5–10-minute window when it’s amazing for anyone in the place,” says Victor. For a party, stop by Sundays 4–10 p.m. when they throw a good old Fire Island-style tea dance (details below).
Best Seat in the House: The deck furniture near the big front windows, so you can watch the sunset.
Drink: Starter: You’re at The Rusty Knot, you drink a Rusty Knot: a frothy, frozen mint Daiquiri, a perfect “beach drink” for a warm summer day… or the dead of winter, for that matter. Later: A Pickle Back, a two-ounce shot of Jameson Irish Whiskey immediately followed by a two-ounce shot of brine from the Rusty Knot’s wonderful house-made pickles. According to Victor, they started batching up pickles specifically for the Pickle Back brine, but they’re delicious in their own right, too. It’s a perfect end of the evening drink: the brine’s salty electrolytes are alleged to help head off hangovers.
Next up:
Ruby’s Bar and Grill, the pride of the Coney Island boardwalk and another chapter of my book Bars, Taverns and Dives New Yorkers Love, which you can order right here. Limited-edition signed prints of the bars are available here.