New Haven, CTDive Bars

On the corner of State and Crown, Cafe Nine sits in an 1880s building that the New Haven Independent's Micro-Histories traced back to the lower State Street shot-and-beer taverns of the old dry-goods district. It has been a hole-in-the-wall music room for decades, cheap drinks and live bands most nights, from punk to doo-wop. Come for a beer and a shot and whoever is on the small stage; the room's history is half the reason to go.

Rudy's is the reincarnation of a bar that held down Elm Street for 76 years before moving to Chapel, and the New Haven Independent covered the reopening. Owner Omer Ipek, who is Belgian, brought the signature Belgian frites, hand-cut, double-fried, and served with ten sauces. It stays a student-and-regulars dive at heart despite the newer room. Order a pile of the frites with a couple of sauces and a cheap beer, and you have the whole idea.

Three Sheets calls itself a gastrodive, and CTbites' New Haven happy-hour writeup sums up the vibe as arty, gritty, and a little goth, with Mexican-leaning bar food. The happy hour is the move: five-dollar plates including twin tacos and yuca fries, cheap drafts, and a bartender's-choice cocktail. It runs a monthly collage night on top of the drinks. Go during happy hour for the tacos and yuca fries and a draft, and stay for whatever is happening.