Home Sweet Home

The proprietor of Home Sweet Home has an open fixation with taxidermy. "She's looking to acquire a horse—a stuffed, full size horse—for that corner over there," commented one bartender on a recent visit here. Surely that corner to which he was referring, in the back of the bar, could use something. Otherwise one will find cement floors, vintage sofas, a lion, some birds of prey, various woodland creatures and an assortment of bric-a-brac lying around this semi-divey Lower East Side bar which on a Saturday night looks far more nightclub-like than one might expect (velvet ropes outside, thick-necked bouncers in black leather and black sunglasses). Drinks are always reasonably priced, the staff friendly, and until the horse arrives there's ample room for dancing.

 

 

Despite its location on a nondescript block, Home Sweet Home is the newest standout on the Lower East Side. Tucked underneath an art gallery, this sparsely furnished hideaway is always packed with the asymmetrical haircut crowd. Decorated with taxidermy and folk-art knick-knacks, the space is kitschy cute and never fails to attract the downtown set with great local DJs and always-cheap drinks. It’s not a bad idea to drop in during an opening at the space upstairs as the bar is generally less crowded and you might stand a chance of scoring one of the seats in back. You can call it a dive, but the chandeliers above the bar certainly say "fancy" to us. Besides, no matter what it looks like, there’s no place like home.