Restaurants & Bars
Plug Uglies Owners Plan New Bar At Former Third Avenue Ale House
The owners of Plug Uglies say they'll give the longtime pub space a facelift while keeping it a welcoming neighborhood destination.
UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — The owners of Plug Uglies, the popular Upper East Side sports bar on East 78th Street, are planning to open another bar in the neighborhood.
The team behind the rowdy but beloved pub is planning a new bar at the longtime Third Avenue Ale House space on East 92nd Street and Third Avenue, after winning support from the local community board’s Street Life committee on Tuesday night.
At the Community Board 8 meeting, owner Dieter Seelig said he was "super excited" to expand in the same neighborhood where he lives and his kids go to school.
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"We opened Plug Uglies in 2022," Seelig said. "We’ve been very fortunate to come across the opportunity to take over an existing space up on 92nd and 3rd, the Third Avenue Ale House."
The new bar will take over a space that’s been operating as a neighborhood staple for about 14 years, according to Seelig.
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He said the plan is to give the tired interior a serious refresh while keeping it squarely in the "neighborhood bar" category.
“What we’re looking to do is kind of what we did in 2022, which was take over a bar that was a little long in the tooth,” Seelig said, describing plans to "clean it up, give it a facelift, and kind of like position it for a bar for 2026, 2027."
Seelig framed the new spot as a slightly more polished cousin to Plug Uglies, emphasizing comfort and approachability.
"We’re really hoping to bring that neighborhood establishment, a place where people can come congregate in a bar that’s similar to Plug Uglies," Seelig said. "I would say it’s going to be a little bit more fresh, a little bit more clean."
The bar's name is still to come, but Seelig told the board they are close to choosing one.
The Street Life committee voted to approve the liquor license application 13–0, clearing the way for Plug Uglies’ owners to move ahead with their plans.
The Plug Uglies team's new bar will be located at 1644 Third Ave.
Know of a business opening or closing on the Upper East Side? Email Miranda.Levingston@Patch.com.
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