Joe Strummer has looked out from the wall outside Niagara for more than two decades1. He was a frequent visitor after the bar opened in 1997, and a friend of its owner, the musician Jesse Malin2. Dr. Revolt and Zephyr painted the mural in 2003, after Strummer died in December 20021, and it was redone or touched up in 2009, 2013 and 2015, becoming an Instagram destination along the way2.
The corner had a past before Niagara. From 1981 it was A7, the hardcore punk club where some of the scene's most influential bands played1, and in 2016 Niagara hosted A7's 35th-anniversary show in the old space1.
Our listing counted three rooms with three very different vibes. In 2010 Niagara was due for a facelift3, its old Tiki Room became a separate bar called Lovers of Today3, and Time Out kept hearing about the mellow crew of rockers who owned the place4.
In 2022 Malin and his partners opened 96 Tears next door, at 110 Avenue A5, and that December he hosted a busking show at the mural for the 20th anniversary of Strummer's death1. Niagara was still on the corner of Seventh Street and Avenue A in August 20251, 6.
Researched October 2026.
