No, there will never be another Hogs & Heifers, with rows of motorcycles parked outside and piles upon piles of bras hanging from the ceiling within.
The biker bar held its last hurrah Sunday night before closing for good due to a rent hike. But don't despair — the West Village still, surprisingly, has some great options where you can drink cheap and unpretentiously.
► Automatic Slim’s, 733 Washington St. at Bank Street
Automatic Slim's is perhaps the most appropriate replacement for Hogs & Heifers. Dubbed “a more sanitized version” of Hogs & Heifers by New York Magazine for the more raucous crowd it welcomes later at night, it's also a good place for an after-work drink and a burger on the early side. Happy hour offers $4 beer, wine and well drinks, $5 for “call drinks” (meaning you order a specific the brand of liquor) from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Philip Seymour Hoffman used to hang here.
► Johnny’s Bar, 90 Greenwich Ave.
Johnny's is as old school as it comes in the heart of the West Village, with its understated neon sign out front that simply declares there's a BAR inside. They offer a very creative, ever-changing “shot of the day” special for $3.50, plus a happy hour of well drinks made with Jim Beam, Bacardi or Jose Cuervo for $5.25 from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. A selection of draft beer is available for $3.50 any time of day.
► White Horse Tavern, 567 Hudson St.
White Horse is not trying to do you any favors, and if the fact that they're cash only and have no happy hour doesn't make that clear, the bartenders will. The bar's character is summed up by a sign behind the bar that advises employees to ignore anyone claiming to be a friend of the owner because the owner has no friends. The upside is great bar food and outdoor seating, with wine and bottled beer for $6, draft beer for $7. Dylan Thomas used to hang here.
► Barrow Street Ale House, 15 Barrow St.
Barrow Street is the opposite of White Horse: They've got more happy hours than days of the week. Every weekday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., draft beers are $4, well drinks are $5, and glasses of wine are $6. On top of that, each day affords barflies a new special: Mondays get you 45 cent wings and a seasonal draft beer for four bucks; all 15 of their craft beers are just $4 on Tuesdays; Wednesday is $4 Yuengling and Bud Light night; Thursday offers $4 Miller Lite bottles from 7 p.m. to midnight; Saturday has $4 Bud Light bottles froom noon to 7 p.m.; and Sunday sees $4 Yuengling draft all day. Their kitchen is open until 3 a.m. and their potato skins are top notch.
► Four-Faced Liar, 165 West Fourth St.
This is an ideal after-work drink spot for your mellow posse, with booth-like tables conducive to conversation even when it gets a little loud. Happy hour runs from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. and means a dollar off everything. They have a hard-and-fast $10 minimum on credit cards, which actually matters because this is one of the few bars where you can still drink cheap even during unhappy hours. PBR cans used to be $2; a bartender apologetically let us know they are now a whopping $3.
► Corner Bistro, 331 West Fourth St. at Jane Street
Corner Bistro is well-known for their fantastic burgers which, at under $10, are a rare find in the West Village. (They are also unwieldy, so this is not a first-date dinner spot unless part of your charm is devouring a burger as it excretes juices and sauce all over your hands and face.) Draft beers run you just $3 for McSorley and Bud, $3.50 for Yuengling, and a whole $4.25 for Stella, Hoegaarden and Sierra Nevada.
► WXOU Bar, 558 Hudson St.
Also known as Radio Bar, WXOU has a killer juke box. A sign behind the bar offers a warning to the crowd you're trying to avoid: “Cash Only — No Red Bull.” Happy hour means $4 drafs beers, $4 well drinks, and lasts weekdays from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. and weekends from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. Draft beers are about $6 normally.
► The Rusty Knot, 425 West St.
A "dive" bar from the fancypants founders of Freemans and The Spotted Pig, the Rusty Knot actually does offer pretty cheap beers regularly — ranging from $4 to $8, and $7 glasses of wine. Happy hour is Monday through Friday, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., and entails two-for-one Busch pints and well drinks. "Two-fer-Tuesdays" has the deal lasting all night once a week. The vibe gets a little fratty later at night and closer to the weekend, but as a forlorn Hogs & Heifers patron told us: "Might get bro-y later, but what doesn't in the neighborhood?"
