Area 140 First: A First Avenue Dive Bar With Happy Hour Until 8pm and $9 Shot-and-a-Beer
Area 140 First calls itself a “fine dive bar,” and it sits on First Avenue between St. Marks Place and East 9th Street. Happy hour runs from the 4pm open until 8pm. The bar doesn’t say what’s discounted, but the regular prices are already dive-level: $5 well shots, $7 well drinks, a $6 PBR, and a PBR with a well shot for $9.
It opened in early 2024, run by Michael “Durgy” Durgavich, a former silent partner in the Hard Swallow, and it plays to type: pinball, sports or sci-fi on the TVs, and a “Monday Punkday” playlist. It sometimes opens early when Ipswich Town are on.
The Happy Hour
Happy hour runs from opening at 4pm until 8pm. The bar’s site says “Happy Hour until 8pm” and lists hours of 4pm–4am without naming days, so we’ve read it as every day — and it doesn’t list happy-hour prices, so ask the bartender. The prices it does publish are the regular menu: $5 well shots, $7 well drinks, $9 PBR and a well shot, $12 Happy Dad and a well shot, half-pours of draft from $4, and cocktails from $10 (Apple Whiskey Sour, New Fashioned) to $15. Verified on Area 140 First’s own site in October 2026.
The Room
Area 140 First is at 140 First Avenue in the East Village. The draft list is the usual suspects plus a few crafts — Guinness, Modelo, Brooklyn Hazy IPA, Sapporo, Lagunitas IPA, Warsteiner — and there are Ritual zero-proof cocktails for $7. It books private events, parties and film shoots. The L at First Avenue and the 6 at Astor Place are the nearest trains.
Who Area 140 First Is For
| Occasion | Why It Works |
|---|---|
| A cheap round | $9 PBR and a well shot |
| Pinball | A Theatre of Magic machine on site |
| Ipswich Town fans | It sometimes opens early for matches |
| Late nights | Open until 4am |