Best Happy Hours with Games in NYC
By Artie Vincent
April 25th, 2013
New York City is less than ordinary. And none more evident in its bar scene.There are many kinds of bars in the city: dive bars, punk bars, rap bars, sports bars, college themed bars, Spanish bars, Russian bars and, of course, Irish pubs -- which is the most popular choice destination for most New Yorkers. But a growing and highly-popular trend these days have been bars with games. These bars, old and new, offer games of all sorts, ranging from skee ball to pin ball, and are complimented with great happy hour prices for the blue-collar types on a Friday evening. If you are looking to try something different, there are numerous places all over the city that will fulfill your gaming needs.
You should start at Ace Bar. The East Village staple offers a great selection of traditional bar games that will spark your local bar olympics. Ace features two pool tables at $1 a game, darts at $10 refundable deposit, Skee-Ball lanes at $1 a game and finally your sporting experience ends with pinball at .75 cents a game. The place is lined with retro sigs and pop culture memorabilia, but more importantly you could enjoy a pint of Shock Top or Yuengling for $3 from 3 pm to 8 pm.
Barcade
Across the river in Williamsburg, though, the gaming theme takes it up a large notch. At Barcade, you will have a large selection of craft beers -- more than 20 beers on tap -- and you have more 30 classic arcade games lined across the walls of the establishment. On the weekends the bar has become an ultra-destination for college students. There's a large crowd engaged in tournaments of Contra and Final Fight. From 4 to 8 pm, you could enjoy a dollar off your McNeill's Dead Horse and shoot down a Jim Beam for $8.
About a 10 minute walk from Barcade, there's a pinball mecca inside the Satellite Lounge. Don't underestimate the scene. This tiny bar is packed beyond capacity with die-hard pinball geniuses cramming quarter after quarter into the Batman games, or yelling at the machines during the weekly competitions.
Satellite Lounge
In neighboring Greenpoint, there's a hole in wall place called The Diamond that features the city's best shuffleboard. The long traditional bar game has slipped from sight recently. But at The Diamond you wouldn't tell. The shuffleboard is free (only rule is no yelling) and you munch on an upscale bar food menu (chili with goat cheese) and sip on the rotating craft beer selection such as Sinebrychoff porter ($8) or Greenport Harbor Anti-Freeze ($7).
A short cab ride south takes you to Cobble Hill's unique bar called Floyd's. The farmhouse-themed bar features the city's one and only indoor bocce court. The owners, from Iowa, pride themselves on the small-town atmosphere as they feed their regulars with great happy hour deals. You cold get a bucket of six assorted can beers -- which can include PBR's and Genessee Cream Ale -- for a measly $15.
The waiting time could get long on weekends at most of these Brooklyn locations so travel back to the Village and visit the massive Greenwich Village Country Club. The former 1930's bowling alley is a massive indoor gaming haven. There's 9-hole, mini-golf course ($9.95 per person), Ping-Pong and pool tables. The highlight of the festivities here is the 2.5 gallon Dunk Tank. For $65, the gigantic drink concoction is great for groups. The mix includes Absolut, Malibu, Beefeater and varied juices.
But if it's a more laid back atmosphere you crave, then take the 6 train uptown to visit Manny's on Second. The Upper East Side college hangout is lined with 40 plus flat screens and 24 beers on tap. But the biggest draw is the daily competitions on the bar's Xbox. Of course the most popular games are Call of Duty and Madden. The biggest hit of them all is $2 pints for happy hour.
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