Jake's Dilemma

430 Amsterdam Ave (@ 81st St)

Friday night, a friend and I found ourselves foraging the Upper West Side for a good place to grab a few drinks. DeeScreenWriter suggested Jake’s Dilemma. I had been once before and remembered having a relatively good time. Thus, Jake’s Dilemma it was.

The divish bar consists of two main areas and a basement nightclub. The front bar has booths, one pool table, and a beer pong table; the back room is reminiscent of an old law school library with couches, books, and tables; and I only passed by the nightclub on my way to the bathroom. The bar was crowded when we arrived at 11, but it emptied out after a few minutes allowing us to score seats in the back. We stuck with pitchers throughout the evening, ranging in price from $13-18.

The best part about Jake’s Dilemma is the crowd. ComicJoy joined us and what followed was an evening of laughs, cries, over-the-top story telling, and crowd mingling. A group of friends chatted us up because they were so impressed by ComicJoy’s enthusiasm. A couple hours later, I had tears coming out of my eyes from laughing so hard. Overall, I had a great time and could not have asked for anything more of the evening.

Despite the location and the feeling you might be at a college fraternity party, the atmosphere is unpretentious. Everyone is there to have a good time, throw back a few, and mingle. They also serve food and have a cheap happy hour. I cannot say if I will be back, as I am not in the area often, but I will recommend it to friends looking for a decent place to drink on the Upper West.

DAMAGE ~ $20
VERDICT: Go if in the area.