Rodeo Bar and Grill
375 Third Avenue at 27th Street, Manhattan
How can you not love a place that keeps its bar inside an old horse trailer? The Rodeo bills itself as "NYC's Premier Southern Roadhouse" and, for several years now, it has been one of the spots to see small-room country acts, local or otherwise. This building comes in two halves. On one side, you’ve got the restaurant, known for its Tex-Mex food (try the Cowboy Kisses!) and exotic Margueritas; on the other, you’ve got the bar, known for its rustic decor and ass-kicking live music. Bands play every night, and run the gamut from traditional old-time to rockabilly to alt-country (whatever the hell that means anymore.)
The place itself is nice to look at, with a lot of cool old signs on the walls, a pleasant and civilized nightclub-seating area, vintage Hot Rod magazine photos plastered on the men’s room wall, and more dead stuffed animals than the Museum of Natural History.
The crowd varies depending on the band, but you can usually count on two things: dyed-in-the-leather rockabillies, and stray Manhattanites looking for something meatier than the usual little-black-dress scene. Neither of which is ever a bad thing in a bar, really. The peanuts are always free and—in a refreshing departure from most Manhattan night spots—so is admission.
phone: 212-683-6500
