Basement bars in the East Village always come with a warning: bring your own respirator. Bring your inhaler. Bring your hazmat suit. In fact, if you are in any way sensitive to second-hand smoke, you may want to come in a fuckin’ bubble. Of course, this just comes with the territory, and in no way deters most hardcore East Village dive fans from hanging at this classic shabby hole. Complete with wrecked furniture, low lighting and decor that may have been boosted from some broken down mobster’s house in Jersey, Botanica resembles not a garden, but a bohemian den that would scare away even the most liberal of the label-nazis from the nearby SOHO crowd. This fact alone makes this a place we can enjoy. DJs spin your typical mixture of clubby/jazzy/trip-hop most nights of the week, which adds perfectly to the lazy, hazy atmosphere of the joint. We recommend coming with a few friends and heading back to the back room to lounge and drink down some reasonably priced booze on a nice Friday night. [MF]
47 E Houston St. (bet. Mott & Mulberry St.)
212/343-7251
botanicabarnyc.com
