Jack O’Neill’s, New York

Don’t feel put off by the empty interior during summertime: Pencil Factory’s proximity 50 feet away—and its inviting sidewalk seating—beckons smokers and drinkers who appreciate a heady summer breeze rather than Jack’s slightly dingier backyard patio. Jack’s has never drawn bustling crowds of newcomers to colonize its bar stools and couch seating with loud conversation and beer-spilling antics, appealing instead to a weathered clientele that return nightly for its low-key attitude. Beer prices run cheap--$5 pints of Old Speckled Hen, Stella Artois, and seven of their compatriots—and plentiful seating relieves the potential for milling masses. Black oak tables cluster in the front, while the back area is half-Irish bed-and-breakfast and half-parlor; threadbare couches preside over an antique coffee table, and oil paintings of long-dead Irishmen hang on the red walls. On particularly slow nights, the bartenders will line up free shots of whiskey for the lucky few with enough good sense to give this tasteful venue a whirl.