Otto's Shrunken Head — Restaurant in New York

Nested in the heart of Alphabet City, Otto's Shrunken Head is a bar of the type which is quickly becoming extinct. It's a dive... but... a great gone. It's tiki-themed and was once featured on Bourdain's No Reservations a few years ago. That's when I first heard of it and it's been on my list of places to hit up when in town for a while.

Well it looks like I can now cross it off my bucket list as my significant other and I hit up this joint on a very early afternoon, on a weekend after stuffing ourselves silly at one of the Momofoku's nearby.

We braved the chilly winds of a sunny, winter day and easily found the place. We stared at the dusty window display and walked right in. It was just past 2PM and the woman behind the bar was still setting up. They had just opened and we were the first patrons there. We decided to forego the booths and instead opted to sit at the bar.

The place is unique - and by unique I mean rundown. And by rundown I mean awesome. It's exactly what I was hoping it would be and honestly everyone should experience Otto's at least once in their lives. The drinks are pretty stiff but actually pretty tasty however they require deposits for each drink which was a pain in the ass. We were the only patrons there and yet they still made us pay those deposits. Seriously? We're sitting a foot away from you and making small talk.

Their drinks feature 2 categories: Tiki drinks and frozen drinks. We skipped the latter and tiki'd our way into an early afternoon buzz. I started with a delicious Shrunken Head, their signature drink and later had a Patty's Poison. Each drink has tons of exotic juices and rum. Tons and tons of rum. It's all sugary and it's all delicious. It'll add some hair to your chest and it will let you contemplate your life in whole new ways. I myself was wondering what the hell I was doing there at 2PM. But then I realized that their drinks were good and used that as an excuse for my holiday alcoholism.

The bartender was pretty friendly and made small talk with us and other patrons who eventually arrived. The place is cash only and they have events all the time (check their site or Facebook page). They also have happy hour fro 2PM to 8PM, Monday through Fridays but that doesn't apply to tiki drinks. Add $3 PBR pints and $6 boilermakers and you've got yourself a solid spot. A pretty dirty, rundown but glorious place. I look forward to hopefully returning one day for some more daytime drinkin' and some friendly banter with the bartenders working there. And and if you don't feel like being separated from their awesome tikiware that the drinks come served in, they sell them all either at the bar or line which...

I had never been to a tiki bar before this and this was not what I expected.

The location is in the East Village, really far East. You'll have to walk a block from the L train, which isn't too bad.

When you first enter, you're greeted by a bouncer to check your ID. Your feet are greeted by a "RX" mortar and pestle mosaic. I can only assume that this used to be a pharmacy. There's a bar to your right, booths to your right and a small stage in the back after the bathrooms.

The place is light up dimly with a bunch of random tiki decorations. It feels a bit like a dive bar with a theme. There was only one bartender and she was very friendly but it took a while for drinks to be made as the night and more people came.

The drinks themselves are so good! I had 3 of the Squealer which comes in a pig tiki mug. It was lychee and passion fruit slush ice with some form of alcohol. It was delicious. Each drink is $15 with the tiki mug, which is a bit expensive since the drinks weren't too strong. It's an extra $6 if you want to keep the mug, which I thought was pretty cool. I didn't end up keeping mine because I already had 3 at home.

Overall, a really cool place to go but get ready to spend money if you're trying...

Our band had a show here last night with our good friends who also played as well. Upon immediately entering the lounge, we were hoarded by two individuals asking for ID. The bartender, a red headed woman, was extremely disrespectful and not very courteous at all (Throughout the entire night). She asked us for our ID several times. I understand the strictness due to laws being enforced by the police, but she did so in a way that was not really necessary. She reprimanded my guitar player for bringing in his cabinet (which she claimed was too large) and said so in the most immature and inane way possible. The website clearly states that bands are welcome to bring their own gear. They also state that space is limited. Our top complaint with these guys is that they CONSTANTLY told us to "turn down." If the booking manager or anyone else affiliated with Otto's reads this, LEARN TO LISTEN, ANALYZE, AND DRAW A CONCLUSION. Do NOT book bands that play loud music. They were very rude in this regard so please, do NOT play here if you are a "loud" band. These people need to learn a thing or two about respect. I am very happy that I did not tip the bartender. She was the absolute WORST! Will never...