Otto’s Shrunken Head

Again, another tiki bar (my favorite!)
The only thing keeping them from getting 5 stars is the fact that I always forget they are cash only. I count that as a slight negative because I’m from the land of debit machines everywhere, but otherwise get over there and drink! (Oh yeah, it can get pretty crowded on weekend, but this NYC get over it.)

Place was gross. Mai Tai was inbearable. Don’t think about going unless you’re wearing a super weird outfit… But the place is unique and has character, so that’s gotta count for something. Hence the 2 atars.

not what I expected!!!

Take this place with a grain of salt. Definitely not for everybody. aka don’t take your stuffy friends here, haha. Otto’s the place where you go for a good time, to people watch — because there is always a character there. drink tiki inspired drinks and groove to some music.
Been here a couple times for shows and a drunkenly good time. I have yet to get a cool mug, I definitely want to take them up on the offer of just having them keep the extra $ 5 and walking out with the mug.
They have cheap beers and usually strong tiki drinks. Though the last time the lychee drink seemed to not have any liquor in it. Still delicious nonetheless. Also, maybe she was just having a particularly bad day but one of the bartenders last time was just plain rude to customers. Quite the turn off. We sure didn’t stay long this visit!

Was looking for a tiki bar. I think we found it here, but the experience wasn’t great. Drinks were not good, and they were super expensive –but they looked cool– if you are interested in drink aesthetics then go for it. It also smelled weird? In the bar? but I thought the décor was cool.

Came here because we wanted a tiki bar. Well, we got the tiki bar, but the drinks were terrible. Still not sure what we were drinking? We bought the Volcano blast (bowl)…it was an odd mix of alcohol and hard to put down.
Giving it 3 stars for the eclectic ornamentation and peculiar patrons coming in and out. It’s quite a fascinating spot.

A year or two ago, my friend and I that previously worked together at the same arts firm passed by this spot crossing the Williamsburg bridge. It took awhile to find it again, because I searched ‘tiki bar’ on google and none of them seemed right. I accidentally found it again when I was looking for ‘Otto’s Tacos’, the irony. We finally met up and went earlier this year, and it’s more than we expected! They have cute glasses you can order with your drinks, parrots, shrunken heads, Sharks, Dolphins, and different tiki drinks that come with decorations on the side! The mug is an additional $ 5, while the drinks are $ 12. I got a Zombie with a shark, and my friend got a Ruby Jewels shark. There was a man at the counter who was telling us about which drinks would look good in the shark, and which ones held more liquor; he had collected all the mugs there and was a regular! I ended up purchasing the mug because I couldn’t resist, while my friend decided not to. The only thing that was a bit off putting was the bartender, who seemed disinterested, and I found out why when she said that she worked on tips only. Bar jobs can be tough. As we sat down, someone came up to us and said that they had a live comedy show going on in the back! We went to the back room, where there was a stand up going on. We did get put on the spot as the ONLY patrons sitting there, but it was a lot of fun, and I even shared a funny story! All the comics were really funny and really engaged with us– The whole experience was unlike any I had ever had in a dive bar, and this is a spot I will definitely revisit again and again.

Otto’s is an unforgiving place. A once punk bar, now kinda punk bar but mostly tiki bar, it is as confused and in denial as a teenager going through those important life things.
Don’t get me wrong — I love tiki bars more than a everything bagel on Sunday — but Otto’s identity crisis leaves me wanting more. Also, the drinks, aside from the Mai Tai, are sweet garbage (in their defense, this could be said about any tiki bar).
Despite it’s two-​faced profile, I still very much appreciate Otto’s and its longstanding tenure in the East Village.

Had been meaning to make it in here at the recommendation of an acquaintance. This place is such a hodgepodge of contradictions that it is so right for me. A lot of dive, with some music, with a funny bouncer, with tiki mugs and a random crowd.
This is the type of place where you meet a stranger, you become friends and become regulars. But if your relationship dies down, then you’ll have to pick who gets to keep this bar.
Great for people watching in the booths. I didnt get to sit at the bar but I suspect it’s second fiddle to the booths or the live music stage in the rear. Either way I think coming here alone would lead to a good time too. I had great company and was beyond entertained.
Didn’t have time to take pics because I was enjoying myself and the dimly lit atmosphère did not need to be corrupted by flashing lights. Didnt use the bathroom, nor start a tab, so I cannot comment on that.
However, this place truly honors the dive bar spirit: it is all about the drink. Those bowls may feel light at first but they do creep up on you. We imbibed on a volcano punchbowl that looked like it was filled with Pang’s punch. I’m not 100% certain what it was tbh but I thank the genteel lad that tried to flame the fire in our souls with the bowl and it’s 151 shot! Ha! Either way the drink was great, the night was sweet and I will return.

Came in on a random Thursday. Although the bartender just opened the place and was doing setup, she welcomed us warmly and was very attentive. The specialty Tiki cocktails were great. For an extra 5 bucks you can take the specialty glasses home. Happy Hour also had 2 for 1 on Well Cocktails or Bud/​Bud light. Décor was great, as well as the much needed air conditioning. Only drawbacks here is… there is no food. When you have craft cocktails this strong and good, just offering potato chips isn’t a enough. Sadly we couldn’t handle more than one specialty cocktail without food and had to go somewhere else. Will be back again… after we eat first.

Love this NYC tiki bar.
I’ve been to some of the top tiki bars throughout the country (namely La Mariana in Honolulu, Tiki Ti in Los Angeles, Three Dots and a Dash in Chicago, Tonga Room and Smuggler’s Cove in San Francisco. .. and I’d put Otto’s up there with the best of them (Three Dots and a Dash being my favorite).
Otto’s is a dive — but that’s a good thing. The place has a half-​dozen booths and a bar seating maybe 15 – 20 people and that’s about it. There was live music in the back which appeared to accommodate more seating but I didn’t venture back there so I’m not sure how much more room the place provides for seating. Nevertheless, we got in quickly and instantly found two open seats at the bar on a crowded Saturday night around 11pm.
The place was VERY loud and it was difficult to communicate with the bartenders but the girls tending bar were very professional and more than adequate in a fast-​paced environment. Mixing tiki drinks is obviously a process and it seemed you never had to wait too long to order the next drink.
For me, the drinks were way too potent. Also, the combination of ingredients in the drinks wasn’t balanced very well making them too strong and detracted from the taste.
The highlight, for me, were the tiki glasses. I collect them from all of my stops across the country and Otto’s had some great glasses and you can take them home for a VERY affordable $ 5 apiece. I bought six (with one of them being a very cool limited edition piece for $ 40).

Went to Otto’s for a night out around midnight expecting a high energy place but when I got there it was womp (ehhhh). It was pretty empty with a couple of people trickled around — the whole backroom was empty though. The reason I came here was because my friend snapchatted me a video of this place a week earlier and it looked like so much fun. There was a band playing in the background so I decided to look it up. I was really looking forward to the fact that it was Tiki themed and it just looked like a really cool. Maybe I went on a wrong day… Other than that, my friends and I bought the Volcano Bowl and it was pretty good and big (it was enough for the six of us to sip on). Not sure if I’ll be back but if I do then definitely coming back when a band is playing.

I love their drinks here! It’s all fruity and delish. Doesn’t taste much like alc. I love coming here for the drinks and the fun looking cups. The price of cocktails includes the cup that you can choose to keep, or give back to the bartender for $ 5 back.
It’s a dark dingy bar with xmas lights and random tiki decors everywhere. There is an area in the back with bands playing sometimes.
Shout out to the bartender with red hair, she makes the best drinks!

Fun place, awesome bartender, strong drinks.
Came here for a friend’s birthday and we had the place packed… unfortunately there was only one bartender and each drink has about 700 ingredients so it’s labor intensive. However, she was a machine… smiling, greeting all the customers and turning over those drink orders.
I like the tiki theme, even if it’s a bit corny.

No replacement for the amazing PKNY (may it rest in peace.)
Bartender is apathetic, drinks are expensive and oversweetened (though nicely on fire), and there is no feeling of travel /​being whisked away. No, you realize you’re just in a fucking dive bar in Alphabet City and you got taken for a ride on some tiki drinks.

NYC’s best Tiki Dive bar to stager into as far as FRANK is concerned. This treasure of a dive bar drips with Tiki-​ness and cheap liquor… If your on the east side of Manhattan you better make sure you enter this domain and sip some Polynesian pleasure.
One of the many qualities about OTTO’s is you’ll still find many locals and a few drunks enjoying intoxicating punch and straight shots while enjoying the company’s of new & old bar mates from parts unknown. Live music is located in the back room, so entertainment is a plus. After all you can only drink so much prior to passing out and becoming the entertainment.
Watch out for glowing green drinks served for $ 12, it’s the reason I lost my mind in NYC. It’s either I drank to many or aliens abducted me. Cause I have no recollection of my wear a outs for 12 hours. I also think this caused the 70’s NYC Black Out.
You have nothing to fear and everything to gain by entering the finest TIKI BAR on the island! So drink up!

We had so much fun at this bar! We didn’t know what to expect and it’s a small bar at the front with a band room in the back but it packs a lot of personality.
The cocktails are amazing, you spend $ 17 to get the cocktail in a funky amazing mug and you either get your $ 5 back when you return the mug or you can keep it! I was so excited, I got to keep the best cat mug and drink Daquiris in it all night.
We also discovered an outrageous punk rock band in the back room, good music, guys in their underwear and a nude singer — it was hilarious! We had so much fun, everyone was really friendly and we got good and drunk. I highly recommend!

I’ve been meaning to check out Otto’s for years, and finally went there yesterday around 7pm when the front room was mostly empty and there was a free open mic comedy show going on in the small back room (where bands often play). Probably should have come sooner as the drinks are now up to $ 12 ea (I guess they were $ 10 for the longest time). If they were $ 9 I probably would have bumped them up to 5 stars, I’m just too frugal to be dropping $ 12 on a single drink (especially in a dive), do you know how many dumplings or bud lights you can get for that money? A lot if you know where to look.
Anywho Otto’s Shrunken Head for those unfamiliar is quite the well known tiki dive. It’s the exact combination of a classic dive bar and a kitschy tropical tiki bar that you just don’t see much of on this coast. I’m assuming the place gets rowdy as they run your ID through a machine, are cash only, and have a number of security cameras. Luckily the place was mostly empty and really laid back when I came. In addition to the back room the bar features a few nice booths, a pin ball machine, a photo booth, and buck hunter.
Happy Hour runs until 8pm but only includes 2 for 1 Bud/​Bud Lights ($ 5). The real reason to come here is their awesome selection of tropical drinks and glasses. There’s 16 tropical drinks on the rocks, 15 of which in their own unique ceramic tiki glass. There’s also a special tiki themed shot, and 7 types of frozen drinks. Most options are $ 12 ($ 17 if you want to keep the glass), the special shot is $ 8 (not sure if that includes the glass), as well as the large Volcano Blast bowl (good for a few people) which is $ 30 (bowl not available for sale). All drinks come with a piece of pineapple, maraschino cherry, plastic monkey, umbrella, and a frilly straw. It’s just over the top enough to be fun and not «girly». They also have other merch like an amazing limited edition shrunken head glass for $ 40, t-​shirts for $ 20, and a few other things.
I had the Otto’s Octane and the Pang’s Punch and tried the Wicked Willie, my slight OCD certainly makes me want to go back to try them all. Here’s my breakdown of those three:
–Wicked Willie (monkey glass): «Passion Fruit, pineapple and a suprising kick! Keeps you keepin’ on». This was delicious and tasted like a hawaiin punch juice box. It was sweet but not overly sugary.
–Pangs Punch (reg glass with a glow stick in it): «Our very own glow in the dark radioactive rum punch». This blue punch was equally delicious and had a prodominantly coconut flavor to it. Again sweet, but not overly sugary.
–Otto’s Octane (classic tiki glass): «Our pineapple rum, coffee liquer & banana concoction will help speed you to your destination». This was the clear winner. Not only was it one of the coolest glasses but the Kahlua balanced the fruit flavors out and it just was amazingly delicious, I certainly wished I had a beach to enjoy this on.

Any time I can have an elixir that contains 5 different types of alcohol and comes in a ceramic cat mug, I #win.
Did I mention it is fruity?
CAT MUG FOR THE CAT LADY!
Come to the tiki bar, that’s not really a tiki bar, you won’t be disappointed.
Oh, the other drinks aren’t bad either. The radioactive glowing zombie thing is fun. The beer selection isn’t terrible and the vibe is chill.

I was out with a friend and we ate at a place close by, but wanted to give a new place a try. We settled on this spot as it was pretty close and who doesn’t love a good tiki bar?
I loved all of the Betty Page girls milling about. That obviously gets this place at least 30 return visits by me. They also a fun trivia night going on. The place was cool, busy without being overly packed.
We easily got a couple of stools at the bar and proceeded to drink our faces off. They have a bunch of cool drinks, but I generally stick to beer. I did get the orgasm shot though. It was a Bailey’s and other yummy stuff concoction. I recommend it. Our bartender was awesome, attentive and cool.
I had such a good time that when I got my train to Yonkers, I passed out and took it all the way to Croton… yeah, dammit.