Three Hour Open Bar for $10? Yes, It’s Real.

When I moved to the Upper East Side earlier in the summer, one of my first discoveries was Aces and Eights, a dive bar on 1st Avenue between 87th and 88th Streets. I heard they had a good happy hour deal, but I didn’t quite understand how truly fantastic it was until I went there one Friday night with a few friends in-tow.

First, it is imperative to note that Aces and Eights has $10 Michelob Ultra pitchers at ALL TIMES. No matter the day, no matter the time, you can purchase $10 pitchers. This alone makes it an 89th and Broke-worthy post. But on Friday and Saturday nights it gets even better - ALL YOU CAN DRINK draft Bud Light from 9PM-midnight for only $10! That’s right, $10 for an open bar of draft beer for three hours on weekend nights. Insane, right?

Truth be told, they do serve you in small plastic cups (not typical Solo size), so you do need to keep returning to the bar for refills. But at $10 for three hours, or a mere $3.33 per hour, who’s complaining? I can’t think of many things that I can do in the city for $3.33 an hour, let alone things involving alcohol.

Also, from Monday-Friday from 5-8 pm they have a BOGO deal with a poker chip. So you buy a drink and get a poker chip that’s good for a second chip. You can redeem it on the spot, later that night, or the following week at any time (provided you don’t lose the chip).

What also makes Aces and Eights so much fun are their skee ball machines and beer pong tables. However, one hiccup is that no matter what time of day or what special is currently available (read: on Friday and Saturday nights during the three hours of open bar), you need to stick with the $10 pitchers of beer to play beer pong. So I’ve had it when people are annoyed that they spent the $10 on the open bar, but then had to spend another $10 for a pitcher of beer in order to play beer pong. If you want to play, forgo the open bar deal and stick with the pitchers. But if you don’t care about beer pong, obviously do the open bar if applicable.

Overall it’s a great dive because it provides entertainment (skee ball and beer pong), it’s pretty roomy, and it has some of the best specials in NYC. There’s also a LES location, but I can’t vouch for the specials or entertainment at that spot. Is it the best bar in NYC? Not even close. But it’s not pretending to be either. But I like what it is - a laid-back bar with awesome deals. No more and certainly no less.