The Waylon Country Bar in Hell's Kitchen: Open Until 4am

The Waylon, at 736 10th Ave between 50th and 51st Streets, is the Hell's Kitchen country bar that stays open until 4am every single night. A carved wooden figure the staff call Haggard keeps watch, a Shiner Bock is $7.50, and the homepage promises live music Tuesday through Saturday. If you searched country bar near me from a Midtown hotel or a Broadway theater seat, this is the closest honky-tonk that does not require crossing a river.

The bar occupies a corner of Tenth Avenue that still feels like the old West Side, a block of walk-ups and delis a few minutes from the Hudson. The nearest subway is the 50th Street station on Eighth Avenue, served by the C and E, about two long avenue blocks east. From the Times Square theaters it is a twelve to fifteen minute walk, close enough for a nightcap after a show lets out.

Inside, the décor leans on the outlaw era of country rather than rodeo costume. The Infatuation described a few wagon wheels on the wall alongside photos of Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson, and the jukebox and stage follow the same taste. The bar is also an unapologetic Green Bay Packers bar, so on NFL Sundays the room fills with cheeseheads, and the country soundtrack competes with the game audio.

The Waylon's own pages give two versions of the music calendar. The homepage advertises live music every Tuesday through Saturday, while the dedicated live-music page highlights bands every Friday and Saturday. The safe reading is that weekends are the dependable band nights and midweek is a bonus. The bar announces which bands are playing, and at what time, on its Instagram account, so that feed is the place to look on the afternoon you plan to go.

Friday and Saturday sets draw the biggest crowds, and the narrow room gets loud once a band plugs in. If you want conversation more than two-stepping, arrive before the music, settle at the bar, and leave the floor to the dancers when the first set starts. Late arrivals after midnight usually find stools again, because the 4am close means the room turns over more than once a night.

The menu reads like a Texas roadhouse that moved north. Shiner Bock on draft is $7.50, the house margarita is $15.50, and the pickle martini, also $15.50, is the house's salty, briny answer to a dirty martini. During happy hour, Monday to Thursday from 4pm to 7pm, select draft beers, well drinks and wine drop to $7, and there is a whiskey of the day for $6, which makes an early weekday visit the cheapest way in.

Food is bar food with a Southern accent. Shiner fried pickles are $9.50, fried cheese curds battered with Murray's beer are $13, and the Waylon Burger is $15. Skip the idea of a full dinner here and treat the kitchen as fuel for a long night: a basket of pickles and a burger split between two people goes further than ordering separately, and it leaves room for another round when the band comes on.

One reason The Waylon works in every season is the space behind and beside the bar. The official site advertises a season-round backyard garden and a roadway dining area, which gives groups somewhere to talk when the music inside is loud. On warm nights the backyard is the first part of the bar to fill, so if you are meeting friends, send the earliest arrival to claim a table out back.

The roadway seating along Tenth Avenue is the better choice when you want to watch the street rather than the stage. It suits a quick drink before a show at one of the theaters on 50th or 51st Street, and it is where smokers and dog owners tend to gather. In colder months the inside bar becomes the center of gravity again, and the backyard is quieter.

The Waylon takes reservations by phone or email, according to its contact page, which matters on weekends when a party of six will not find space by walking in. The events page notes that large groups and events are subject to a 20 percent gratuity fee, so budget for that if you are booking a birthday or a work outing. Call 212-265-0010 to book a section, ideally a few days ahead for a Friday or Saturday.

Smaller groups can walk in, and a pair of friends rarely waits long for two stools outside the peak band hours. Expect a room that is as much a neighborhood dive as a music venue: Packers fans treat it as a clubhouse during the season, after-work crowds from the Tenth Avenue offices take the happy hour seriously, and the late shift arrives once the theaters empty. Bring photo ID, because this is a bar, not a restaurant, after dark.

For a relaxed first visit, come on a Tuesday or Wednesday for the 4pm to 7pm happy hour, when the room is half full and the bartenders have time to talk about the whiskey of the day. For the full honky-tonk experience, arrive on a Friday or Saturday around 9pm and stay for the band. Avoid Sunday afternoons during football season unless you are a Packers fan, because the game takes over the room.

If the bar is shoulder to shoulder and you cannot get near the stage, give it twenty minutes and then move on. A strong alternative is Hill Country Barbecue Market in Flatiron, where the downstairs Boot Bar has a stage and room to two-step. In Williamsburg, Skinny Dennis has country and roots bands seven nights a week, and the L train makes it easy to get there.

Before or after a drink, walk west to DeWitt Clinton Park, which runs between West 52nd and 54th Streets from Eleventh to Twelfth Avenue, a green patch with ball fields and a view toward the river. A few blocks further north, Terminal 5 hosts big touring acts, and on concert nights The Waylon picks up fans heading to or from a show.

Heading east, Ninth Avenue is lined with restaurants from Thai to Greek, so dinner before the band is easy to arrange. A loop from the bar to the park, up toward Terminal 5 and back down Ninth Avenue takes about thirty minutes at an easy pace and leaves you back at the bar in time for the first set.

Address: The Waylon, 736 10th Ave, New York, NY 10019, between 50th and 51st Streets in Hell's Kitchen. Subway: C or E to 50th Street on Eighth Avenue. Phone: 212-265-0010. Hours from the official site: Monday to Thursday 1pm to 4am, Friday to Sunday noon to 4am. Happy hour: Monday to Thursday 4pm to 7pm, with $7 drafts, well drinks and wine. Reservations by phone or email; groups and events carry a 20 percent gratuity. Live music: advertised Tuesday through Saturday, with bands every Friday and Saturday.