Heres the websites for some downtown pubs take a look and lets see if we can get a consensus on were people would like to go. From what I know of the.
Swifts: large selection of beer on tap and even more in bottels.
Long bar with a large back room with long tables with benches and boths on the side's. Menu is o.k. not extensive but good for a pub crawl. Oh yea the cleanest bathrooms on the L.E.S. in any pub Iv ever drank at.

Puckfair: Owned by the same people same selection of beer the menu is a littel different, but mostley the same. Long bar, small tables in back and small booths. Once more very clean bathrooms.

Telephone bar: Its been a long time since Iv been to this joint. From what I recall. Good selection of beer. Big space with long tables. Dont recall the bathrooms. Must have been to drunk or the did not make an impression on me.
As i recall the food was good, but a lot of tourist.

Bua bar: Never been to this joint so I cant say.

You may wounder about my bathroom obsession. After drinking and hanging out in downtown bars since I was about 14. Iv made a mental note of were you can go without catching some rare disease since NYC is not the city of public bathroom.

So take a look and lets see were we want to have this one.
http://puckfairbarnyc.com/
http://www.telebar.com/credits.html

http://swiftbarnyc.com/
http://www.buany.com/