Welcome to the Johnsons
New York, NY 10002-2312
Phone: (212) 420-9911
- Cross Street:
- Norfolk Street
- Directions:
- F at Second Ave
- Hours:
- Daily 4pm-4am
Editorial Review for Welcome to the Johnsons – by Lissa Townsend Rodgers
The Scene
If there's one thing the Lower East Side doesn't need, it's another bar. And if there's one thing this entire city doesn't need, it's another theme bar. But, despite that, somehow you don't begrudge the existence of this suburban rec room circa 1979: plastic-wrapped couches, wood-paneled walls, shabby pool table, avocado vinyl barstools, big ugly television and hideous landscape paintings. Unfortunately there's only a small patch of shag carpeting, but one can't have total authenticity--and if there were, there'd be no Black Sabbath-stocked jukebox and tabletop Ms. Pac Man game.
The Draw
The Johnsons' drink menu isn't totally authentic either--there's no cocktail called "Mom Will Never Notice," a mishmash of liquors from behind the bar. What they do have is both root beer and orange soda on tap, meaning that you can have a Jack Daniels and root beer, one of the finest cocktails there is.
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Insider Tips
Save MoneyWash down the free Doritos at this bar with $2 Buds and well drinks Mon-Thu 3pm-9pm and Fri-Sat 1pm-9pm.
User Reviews for Welcome to the Johnsons
11/15/2007 Posted by marlabeeker
Welcome to the Johnsons is one hell of a dive in the LES. It's a mod-podge of people from your college hipsters, crazy regulars, or random business types. It has a homey- unpretentious feeling with all the vintage decor, fridge behind the bar and pac man table. Cheap beers always a plus ($2 PBR) but their Guiness on tap is either never properly working or the bartender just doesn't know how to pour... then again I'm sure getting a job there doesn't require much more skill than knowing how to open cans. Also- the two reviewers below must have never stuck around until the wee hours of the morning, because pictured above is in fact WTTJ (with the lights on, it does look different.)
Pros: CHEAP BEER!
Cons: smells, dirty, creepy old men, but hey- its a dive bar!
11/12/2007 Posted by looseseal
Welcome to the Johnsons is not pictured above as another reviewer noted. WttJ has shag carpeting, a gold-inlaid mirror and refrigerator behind the bar, and a genuine living room beside the bar with a pos television, fan, couch, lay-z-boy, a wall of pictures from your grandmother's house, and a line of emptys on the tv stand reminiscent of your last frathouse experience. The folks playing pool are typically 50-60 y/o Vietnam vets or Native Americans and will mack on the girls in your group. That's a good thing. You aren't going to a velvet-roped bar filled with hair gel and Ballys. If you want a bar with character, you want the aforementioned qualities and redfreakinneck interaction. When we last went, the place was packed but service was really quick. After the second trip to the bar, the tenders remembered that we were all PBR drinkers and a quick flash of fingers told them how many we wanted. The previous time, WttJ was not very full so the quick service was understandable. I don't know the quality of the rail drinks because I don't stray far from PBR. If you visit NY and want a true experience, you have to stroll through the LES. WttJ is just one of many bars within a block or two that are worth visiting. It, however, is the crown jewel of the area in my eyes.
Pros: Atmosphere, the 'boy, prices, icy tubs of PBR
Cons: Can't wear seersucker, have a flammable 'do, or discuss politics
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful
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