"The number of New York City dive bars shrinks at a faster rate than those great, grimy spots can replenish. A real deal dive, wherever it exists in the United States, must age naturally to come by that distinction honestly. No amount of venture capital/celebrity cash/dumb money can buy the authentic patina that makes the theoretically best of our arguably aesthetically worst as wonderful as they are. So the actual dives that do remain really shine."
"By the former claim, the Rudy family started the titular joint back in the no-fun days of Prohibition, when it may have been patronized by the likes of the old-timey, balding, 'lil babyfaced bad guy, Al Capone. In the latter account Rudy's formally opened its doors when that national nightmare concluded in 1933. And some time after, it also started offering gratis hot dogs, heated on a roller, rather than the mythological grill that the ampersand implies."
Rudy's Bar & Grill has operated in Midtown for nearly a century, maintaining authentic dive-bar character that cannot be manufactured. The establishment possibly began during Prohibition and formally opened in 1933, with rumored patrons like Al Capone. The bar serves gratis roller-heated hot dogs with minimal toppings. Rudy's opens early on weekdays (8 a.m.) and stays open until 4 a.m., making it accessible at off-peak hours despite occasional crowds. Rudy's endurance and unpolished charm exemplify rare, genuinely aged dives surviving amid a shrinking New York City dive-bar scene.
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