Despite the name, I’ve certainly been to smaller bars in the city. But the snug adjective does describe the warm atmosphere of a joint that knows why it exists: to provide locals with a space in which to imbibe beers, play a little darts and eat decent bar food. Hell’s Kitchen no longer embodies the old world of Manhattan that it once did. Gone are places where Mickey and Don can sit and smoke and drink domestic brew for hours on end while discussing some low-level scam or another. In their place are bars like The Snug that service a youngish demographic that work in the surrounding area or are killing time before or after filtering through the Port Authority. It has also increasingly become an area in which gainfully employed youngsters dwell, so it also has that built-in group, who are often in search of a weeknight beer and burger in a relaxed atmosphere. We wandered down from a bar a little further up 9th Avenue in search of some food, and were drawn in by the friendly facade, dark wood interior and, well, snuggly looking bar. The place was by no means crowded, but was well attended and the bartender quick to serve us. We sat and ordered some burgers, which came with fries and onion rings. I’m not sure if it was like the four beers I drank before coming over to The Snug (plus the two there), but that was a damn tasty burger, made in the best bar burger tradition. I swear that everything tastes better with onion rings, though. This is an overall pleasant neighborhood bar that will certainly suffice for a weeknight drop-in and a warm snuggle. [MF]
751 9th Ave.
212/763-8924