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Opening Hours
Today: 4–11pm
Thurs:
4–11pm
Fri:
4–11pm
Sat:
2–11pm
Sun:
2–11pm
Mon:
4–11pm
Tues:
4–11pm
Location
237 East 5th Street
Categories
Neighborhoods
Fish Bar 1 Bars East Village

By the time I arrived at Fish Bar on a Friday afternoon, a few regulars had already settled in. They chatted quietly as I explored the bar, which - true to its name - is decorated with fish and undersea creatures of all kinds. As I checked out Fish Bar’s reasonably priced drinks, which attract a diverse group of young people and locals, I wondered why the owner had decided on a nautical theme… and why there were so many dollar bills stuck to the ceiling.

Fortunately, John, the owner, was happy to answer my questions. In the mid-nineties, he said, he frequented a bar called the Castro Lounge, which was unofficially known as “Fish Bar.” When the owner put the bar on the market, John bought it and made the unofficial name official. Fish Bar opened on January 1st, 2000, and regulars immediately began bringing fish back from vacations to decorate the ocean-blue walls. “It escalated quickly,” John said with a sigh.

That explained Fish Bar’s origins, but not the money on the ceiling. According to John, it is a game invented by the regulars, who have a special technique to get the dollar bills to stick. But he refused to tell me anything else. “I guess you’ll just have to come by and check it out,” he said, and I assured him that I would visit Fish Bar soon - with a wallet full of dollar bills.

Location
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