Bandits — A Girl's Guide to Drinking Alone

44 Bedford St at Leroy St, West Village

The Place: A decked-out, retro-themed cocktail bar that calls itself a “diner and dive.”

The Time: Tuesday June 14, 6pm. I’m seeing Alison Leiby’s show “Oh God, A Show About Abortion” over at the Cherry Lane (it closes June 30 so see it if you can!) but first I wanted to visit my old friend Daddy-O, a bar in the West Village that gave me very fond memories. Specifically, eating my weight in tater tots and then making out on the corner at 2am on a fun third date (ah, to be 23 again, when I somehow still felt like getting close to another human being after consuming a lot of fried potato). To my SHOCK and HORROR I find that it’s no longer Daddy-O, but another bar called Bandits. Well, I’m here.

The Vibe: Omg hello, the 1970s called! I can see the diner influence with the big booths and checkered tiled floor and padded swivel bar stools. But it is disco all the way baby, with a giant glittery disco ball hanging from the ceiling, big fringe lamps over the bar, wood-paneled walls, vinyl records and old rotary phones scattered around. The music is fun and loud and all 70s/80s. I take a seat toward the middle of the bar. There’s a guy to my left drinking a beer who is soon joined by a woman, a duo with cocktails to my right, and two people on the corner, whom the bartender definitely knows. The back bar is labeled with backlit spirit descriptors in big block lettering. It begins to fill up around 6:15 so I made it in the nick of time. The woman in the duo puts her Barbie-pink purse down on the stool next to her, presumably to save the seat. At one point I look behind me and a HUGE group has formed, like, where did they come from!? I’m still not used to large quantities of people in the same space, but I don’t feel crowded.

The Bartender: There are two, both wearing branded Bandits t-shirts. The guy who helps me is nice but spends most of his time either making drinks or talking to his friends on the corner. Understandable.

The Drank: On the bartender’s recommendation, I get the Truth or Pear, “easily our most popular cocktail.” I could’ve guessed that, since it’s made of chile-infused mezcal, pear, rosemary, lime and dehydrated blueberry salt. (“Something spicy with mezcal” was by far the request I got the most when bartending.) It’s very tasty - slightly smoky, extremely refreshing, the spice isn’t overpowering. But the salt is around the entire rim of the glass and it gets to be a little much after a while. The rest of their cocktail menu looks super cool and innovative and yeeeettttttt…idk, can you really call yourself a dive if your cocktails cost $18 on average and you offer a “seasonal milk punch”? Food for thought.

Was I Hit On?: Around 6:40, I ask for my check and a shot of Montenegro for the road (because I’m about to see a play about abortion, remember?). The guy whose seat was secured by the purse hears this and is FLABBERGASTED. He whips his head around and says, “there’s someone else who takes shots of amaro in this town?” Dude, we’re in Manhattan, New York, not Manhattan, Kansas. So I ask if he wants one. He says yes, and the bartender pours himself one too and the three of us clink shot glasses. I then ask the guy if he works in the industry, because most people I know who like to take shots of amaro work in bars, and he says “no I just like amaro.” Then turns back to his friends. And I’m just fine with this arrangement.

Should You Drink Here Alone?: I had a fun time at Bandits, for sure, and I will definitely come back next time I’m in the West Village. The drink was delish, the vibes were right. Based on the crowd of people I had to wade through by the time I left at quarter to seven, I wouldn’t recommend going during peak hours. Go when they open, or at 2am, when you can still have tater tots if you wanna, makeout sesh not included.