What’s In A Name? Good Vibes at Bad Times Bar in Tivoli

A sidewalk lined with soft pink peonies leads to a charming housefront with roses climbing its front porch; it’s a surprisingly gentle welcome for a bar called Bad Times. Once inside, the warm atmosphere, attentive staff, and chatty local patrons elbowed up to the bar stray the vibe further from its name.

Bad Times Bar, which opened in April, is located on Broadway in Tivoli, tucked away in the Dutchess County countryside. The village’s main drag is dotted with a surprising number of restaurants, pubs, arts organizations, and niche storefronts like activist-fueled thrift shop Thrift 2 Fight, a curated home goods store and art gallery simply named Available Items, and a yarn shop, Fabulous Yarn, for when you decide to pick up a hobby after giving up on cell service. It’s a community rife with personality, and the new bar—with its all-are-welcome ambiance, something-for-everyone menus, Joy Division playlist, and ironic name—is a natural fit.

White bean dip with baguette

Bad Times offers a small array of specialty cocktails, with a few additional revolving specials listed on a chalkboard beside the bar. A short menu of reasonably priced snacks and small plates offers a light bite with complementary flavors to savor alongside your drink. For instance, the tomato martini ($12), a red-hued refreshment made with gin, vermouth, tomato juice, and olive juice, deserves a heaping bowl of house nuts ($5)—mixed roasted nuts seasoned with rosemary and butter. The Tormenta Negra ($11) with mezcal, ginger beer, and lime juice has quickly become a favorite; its flavor profile with hints of smoke and spice is easily tempered by an earthy chicken liver mousse with plum compote and toasted baguette ($12). The Kingston Club ($13) is fruity yet not overly sweet, made with Drambuie, Fernet, pineapple juice, lime, and bitters, and pairs well with the tangy dill dressing on the Big Chop Salad ($14) made with crisp spring greens, asparagus, watermelon radish, peas, white beans, pickled lemon, and farro. Other hits on the food menu include two seasonally flavored asparagus deviled eggs topped with bacon ($6) and a white bean dip served with a baguette ($8).

Date cake dessert special with whipped cream and caramel sauce and a cherry on top.

Wine and beer offerings are slim yet intentional picks, with local love for Suarez Family Brewery ($8 a pint; beer style varies) and a selection of reds, white, and roses offered by the glass ($10-$16). For those in a true TGIF (or DGAF) mood, the PBR is cheap ($5) and endless complementary cheesy poofs are the only thing saltier than the bar’s name.

While seating at the natural-wood bar is limited, it’s cozy; a handful of cushioned sage-hued barstools beckon visitors to stay awhile; candlelight along the olive-toned walls only add to the comfort. In an adjacent, conversation-friendly room you’ll find a few bistro tables and a door that opens to a large outdoor patio that doubles the space in warmer seasons—an ideal spot to try that Kingston Club.

Bad Times is open from Tuesday through Saturday, 4pm until 10pm.