Drinking is an activity that is always best when paired with eating. If you’re not looking to commit to a full meal while you sip your artisanal cocktail or gulp down your draft beer, you can always seek out a light and tasty snack at any of the following bars.

 

All the snacks here, from the wings to the fried baby anchovies, taste even better when washed down with a shochu cocktail or a Japanese beer. The crispy chicken skin and grilled rice balls are some of their must-try small bar dishes. (565 Vanderbilt Ave., Brooklyn; 347-425-9570)

 

This Southern themed bar offers up just the kind of comforting snacks you’d expect from the region. In addition to savory options like pickles, smoked beef jerky, and warm bourbon bar nuts, you can opt for something sweet, like the fresh baked cookies. Cocktails aren’t cheap, but they’re delicious and categorized by how easy they are to drink. (271 11th Ave.; 212-981-6188)

 

If you’re looking for something fishy to eat with your drinks, Bar Sardine goes beyond just oysters and into the realm of open sandwiches. Though they're a little on the pricier side (for bar snacks—not for New York), the smoked mussels on black truffle toast always seem to make beer taste better. (183 W 10th St.; 646-360-3705)

 

Though the wings here are nothing to sniff at, the veggie chips are, perhaps surprisingly, a bigger snack draw. They’re pretty unique, with various colors of potato and even lotus chips that you can dip into red pepper tofu sauce. Don't forget the mini doughnuts, which are covered in ginger, sugar, and cinnamon. They’re pretty hard not to order. (13 First Ave.; 212-995-5400)

 

Besides the full lunch menu, Houseman stocks classy bar snacks like dressed eggs and a pickles and cheese plate. However, the $4 fried fava beans seem to be the snack that people really come back for again and again. (508 Greenwich St.; 212-641-0654)

 

A happy hour snack menu will be ready to greet you at KOA if you go after work, featuring pork gyoza that stands out for its non-traditional dumpling shape. This, in turn, somehow makes the gyoza taste better. Even more noteworthy are the fried wonton skin chips. Whatever amazing powder the chefs use to coat the chips, they’re not telling. (12 W 21st St.; 212-388-5736)

 

Maybe the most divey bar snack you could ask for exists at The Levee. Cheese puffs sit out on the bar for any patron to munch on while drinking relatively cheap draft beers. It’s an interesting, slightly modern take on bar-side nuts. (212 Berry St., Brooklyn; 718-218-8787)