Stepped in here super quickly for a friend's birthday Friday night. I've been to Ace Bar before. A couple of times. It is fun. Usually. Come prepared with dollar bills or quarters. Not to strip. They have ski ball and a various assortment of pinball machines and pool, etc. I think my friend advertised on his facebook event that there would be $3 drinks here. Which made me scratch my head because I don't remember this bar being that cheap and of course it wasn't. Later hours and not happy hour a well is $6. Ah, whatever. The bartender snapped at me once for trying to order from the service door. Which I didn't see. . . . but then they took their time at actually taking my drink order when I moved. I'm not not a fan of this place but it also is kind of a dive and too juvenile for me at this point and age. But friends' birthdays. You've gotta go. Anyway, he did get to reserve an entire table which is kind of cool. But there is just something about this bar, maybe the people that it draws in that I find obnoxious and wanting to punch in the face. read more

Ace Bar - Birthday! - Bars Near Me - New York, New York

Was visiting NYC for the first time, was recommended to the Lower East Side by some native friends. Stumbled upon Ace Bar on my second night there and it's exactly what I was hoping for. Great prices, laid-back atmosphere, and super friendly staff. Only draw back was it was kinda loud (but I did stumble in on trivia night so that's expected.) Will definitely be going back the next time I'm in the city. Loved it! read more

Great beer selection. Tolerable music. Annoyingly crowded, like you will have to move multiple times a minute if you are standing up. $20 card minimum sucks, but bring cash. BUT THE MEN'S BATHROOM. There is no partition between the toilet and the urinal. There is no lock, anywhere. This means that if you have to shit, a stranger will walk in, look at you shitting, and then urinate while you stare at them, still shitting. The stranger will leave. A new stranger will walk inside while you are still shitting, pee while you shit, and leave while you continue to shit. Or maybe you have to pee while someone is in there, shitting, staring at you, with nowhere to even avert their eyes because the bathroom is so small. I wasn't confronted in the same homophobically violent way as the reviewer below, but it's worth noting that that happened, and I hope whoever assaulted him got fired for being both homophobic and physically violent with a customer. (Which, by the way, reviewer, is still homophobic even if you're not gay.) read more

PINbALL Alert ! ! ! Stop 4... Thanks to John - Mr. Daytrader/Pinball Player for this spot. ACE has: Spiderman (see: http://www.ipdb.org/machine.cgi?id=5237 ) The Family Guy (see: http://www.ipdb.org/machine.cgi?id=5219 ) It was essentially dead on a Tuesday night. Only 5-6 patrons in this large space, compared to HiFi, Lucy's, and Vazacs Horseshoe. Other distractions: + 2 Pool Tables in the back + 2 Dart Boards in the back + 2 Skee Ball Lanes in the Middle It's a nice space with basketball-like hardwood floors, however, it smelled kinda lockerroom funky in there... Check out my NYC pinball list here: http://www.yelp.com/list_details?list_id=_nL3k1dC1w_-P8HH4qSXrA Pix laters... read more

Ugh, oh dear. Forget about even trying to get to the bar it's so crowded in here. Plus there are too many guys with popped collars leering and sweating and pushing... it's a girl's nightmare. A reminder of college but at New York prices. Not my thing. And skee ball at $1 isn't a good deal. There are pool tables at better bars where my shoes won't stick to the floor and where I can hear more than 6 inches from my face. read more

I met some friends out Friday nite at Ace Bar. It is kind of far from the train which is both good and bad. It's bad because who the hell wants to walk 15 minutes to/from the train. It's good because it is hidden and not on a main road to attract whoever! I like that...shady. The whole block is shady. Def one of those cool characteristics of nyc. The bar itself is big and great for a birthday party get together or any large group gathering. The bathrooms were clean and the bartenders nice. All good things in a bar! The best part about the place is that it has skeeball!!! How much cooler can you get? More spots, besides Dave and Busters, should have skeeball. Great invention. Overall, its a cool down under space. No pretenses, no snobs, no bullshit, just fun! read more

In short Dive-ish bar with a gamey twist. Can get crazy crowded. Crowd is a little on the raucous side and the floors are sticky. More of a standing bar than a sitting bar. Thus, you were warned. The bar has decent drink prices and has a ton of things to do in the backroom. Pool tables. Pin Ball. Darts. Ski ball (really, I felt like I could reenact that scene from Chasing Amy). I'd go back. read more

I don't go to Ace often enough to be considered a regular, but I've been enough times to know I love it. The beer selection won't wow any of your craft beer snob friends, but they have more than enough choices for everyone. The prices are more than reasonable ($3-6), so you can get loaded here and not feel horrible about yourself when you look at your bank statement the next day. The bartenders are cool and don't take shit from anyone. And of course, one can't mention Ace Bar without mentioning the greatness in their game selection: darts, skee ball, pool, etc. Darts and pool are standard, but the skee ball really puts the place over the top. The collection of old school lunch boxes will also get you bonus points with your friends when you bring them. As I mentioned in my previous review, this bar is right across the street from Minca. So if you find yourself waiting for a table there, stop by Ace and grab a few beers. read more

I love Ace Bar. I would call it a high-end dive bar, and here's why: 1. It feels less claustrophobic than your standard musty long-dark-and-narrow dive bar. By Manhattan standards, Ace Bar is actually quite large. 2. Ace Bar seems a bit cleaner than many other dive bars. I've been to plenty of places in the City where every single surface is sticky and caked in 30+ years of filth. You know, the type of places where you should be sure that you're up-to-date on your vaccinations before using their bathroom. Ace Bar still has the low-key, jeans-and-a-t-shirt watering hole vibe - but without the dive-bar-caliber filth. 3. Ace Bar has more bar game variety than your average dive. Pool and darts are great, but it is the rare duo of Skeeball machines in the back room that give this establishment an edge on their competition. Also, I think bar games are awesome because they tend to spark interactions between random people/groups at the bar who would otherwise just keep to themselves. I've been here a couple of times before when random characters have wandered into Ace Bar off the street, trying to peddle bootleg DVDs or roses and whatever other weird crap they have on them - but that doesn't bother me. I just see it as part of the Alphabet City charm! read more

I don't like it when Yelpers take a place and berate it because its not what THEY want. This bar is doesn't take itself seriously. You come in, see the 3D hologram Werewolf movie poster, skee-ball, pool and darts and instantly realize that this isn't your standard watering hole. Lively East Village crowd ranging from hardcore regulars to first time locals who are relatively harmless don't make this the "bad college bar you went to because your friends were there" at all. I get more of a "I want to go out and drink in a somewhat divey place but I don't want to be bored while doing so." Or "I want to go out and bet a winner-take-all-sex bet over a game of skee ball" type place (smooth move, right?!?!). Natasha the bartender was awesome. Lots of solid beers on tap (I had a different beer for each of the five pints I ordered last night), all for good prices. The bathroom is sketchy, though. It's clearly meant to be a one-person-at-a-time bathroom, but there's no lock on the door. Imagine my surprise when I'm taking a piss at the urinal and some guy comes in and just starts pissing at the toilet next to me. Hey, I'm no pee-shy-guy, but still... Having said that, this is still a solid bar. A dive bar is just a dive bar until you make it more than a dive bar, and they've pulled it off well and given it character. I'm foreseeing a looming 'regular' status for myself at this place in the near future. read more

Essentially this place always has a crowd if you're looking for a good place to go at any point in the night, even weekend afternoons. Fun games like ski ball and darts. Weekend afternoons they have a happy hour special that essentially equals $2/well. If you're wondering if this tastes terrible - it does - but it's cheap. Also this place smells terrible, similar to pee or a sweaty soccer team. read more

Friends of mine rented out Ace Bar for their birthday and it was AWESOME. Not that I'm a fan of exclusivity (lie) but the bouncers even made you say a password we all got from the Evite. I thought that was hysterical. Maybe it was the open bar... maybe it was the skeeball and Buckhunter... maybe it was the Guitar Hero our friend brought and left there... maybe it was the open bar... oh wait, I said that already.... but I had a GREAT time here. Definitely would love to go back. read more

My friend mentioned something about a bar with skeeball in passing, and I immediately latched on to the idea, and demanded that we visit this establishment! Granted, this was about 4:30 in the afternoon on a random weekday. We wandered over to Ace Bar where we were practically the only customers. We sauntered up to the bar to make sure our one-dollar bills were in working order and ordered some beers to wet our whistles. On to the skeeball! I hadn't played since my childhood birthday parties at Showbiz Pizza (now known as Chuck E. Cheese), so I was quite out of practice. Needless to say, when I somehow landed a ball in the "100" pocket, I did a dance of joy. It was the only "100" I managed. Ace Bar also has a couple pool tables (only $1 a game), and dart boards, with a few arcade games at the front. Beer prices are reasonable, with most being in the $4-$5 dollar range (bottles and drafts). Credit cards are $20 minimum, so be prepared to order some shots, or just drink a few more! read more

Adult arcade? This is the retro, chilled out version of that. Ace is a watering hole with a mellow vibe and cheap brews. It was also, until recently, the home of Brewski Ball, which is a Skeeball league, but it has moved to Brooklyn to its new home of Full Circle Bar. I played in that skeeball league for a season, had a good time, it was a good crowd, and the bar was okay, cheap drinks, but not much more than that. I liked how easy the place was, everyone was pretty friendly, the bartenders were only so-so, you had to go out of your way to get their attention whenever you needed a refill, which was a pain in the butt, especially because I was almost always there on Sunday nights (to roll with the league) and the bar usually had one person sitting at it. Seemed a bit ridiculous. I think the idea behind this place is if it's your normal haunt, you know everyone and get the best service at the bar. If you are not a weekly regular, you might not know everyone so well, and will find the service lacking. Saturday nights are way overcrowded so don't bother. You can't get a seat, get to the bar, or get more than 5 feet into the space without feeling claustrophobic. Decent week night place for a drink or two, don't know that there is much reason to go now without the skeeball league there. read more

My friend had us all pile into Ace Bar for her 23rd birthday and it was an absolutely fantastic night. The bar isn't huge (our friends managed to take over pretty much the entire front section of the bar), but it didn't end up turning into a disgusting sweatfest where you can't get to the bathroom or a bartender without 5 clammy arms and backs touching you. The drinks are almost too reasonable in price. I'm pretty sure every beer I bought was under $5 and I'm pretty positive I only paid $6 for my friend's birthday Mind Eraser. Can't complain there. Ace Bar is definitely my type of place. Some days you just don't feel like sitting around, drinking, and talking. Some times you want to dance, other times you want to sing karaoke, and, man, sometimes you want to play effin' Skee Ball. Oh, and look at that, you can. At only a buck a turn, that's well worth the cost too. read more

People seem to like Ace. It has skee ball, arcade games, darts, pool tables. It has a small but effective selection of beers on tap. The bar is nice. The place is big and there are booths in the back. The lighting is good too. So why only three stars? It's because the place is boring. Sure, if you're a frat guy in your late 20s or early 30s, you are going to like this place. Ace reminds me of the divey college town bars that grew up. As people work and have income, they want to relive their college experience but in a more upscale setting. The place is a frat boy / soriority girl hang out. It's also a sasuage fest with few single people. I could tell that the guys were looking for girls but none of them were willing to actually go talk to someone. Strange that. Also, there is no lock on the bathroom door. I find that disturbing on several levels. Don't get me wrong, there is a lot of good here. There are lots of servers and bartenders who have no problem harassing you asking you to buy more drinks. The lighting is good so you know you won't go home with a ugly mcfugly. The music is awful but when are frat kids ever into anything half decent? I really think the heavy metal / rap trend in personal musical taste right now is something that should be restricted to iPods and not broadcasted publicly. If you want to pretend to like twisted sister and public enemy, go nuts but don't assault me with your weird sense of musical trends. Play what's good - not what's trendy. But I digress. If you want to relive your college years and you're in your late 20s and you're male, you'll like Ace. read more

This is where the MAGIC HAPPENS. And by MAGIC, I mean SKEEBALL. Aside from the sheer awesomeness of two regulation skeeball lanes, the bar is a great spot to kick it with your crew. Just skip it on Saturdays 'coz its a nuthouse. PBR on tap, along w/ a solid selection of beers, cider, bottles of all kinds, etc...not too shabby...but what's up w/ the Duff beer can they have on display? Can you actually buy Duff beer?!?! read more

This is my go to spot when im in the east village and need a low key spot to just hang out and not fight for drinks with the masses. There are two pool tables, a designated space for darts (awesome), skeeball, pinball and a wall lined with old school lunch boxes that are probably worth a lot of money. I really like this spot as its in the middle of the block, a little off the beaten path and isn't really that crowded. Ill definitely be back. read more

Not sure why a place like this needs a bouncer, this is not Plumm. In any event, I really like the cheap PBRs and cheap, yet stiff, vodka sodas. The arcade games in the back are a definite plus if your dexterity improves with drinking. But alas, my already weak skee-ball skills only get worse. That's why it's better to keep it towards the front of the bar, where there are booths for the whole crew to sit down and catch up. read more

Located in alphabet city, ACE is a low-key bar if you want to just kick back with a few friends. Optimal for a Thursday night or a lazy Friday night, this place had not disappointed me of all the times I've went. There is a little of everything for everybody at the ACE bar -- darts, skeet ball (YESSSSS), pool tables, and the obligatory big buck hunter, oh my oh my... As a social derelict, I've also took advantage of their draft specials on numerous occasions. The bartender is very friendly and I am fond of their potent mixology. What also keeps me coming back is the dart board and the skeet ball machines. Make a high score on skeet ball and the next drink is on the house. Ballllinnnn... If you ever find yourself bored on a weeknight and itch to go out, grab a few friends and head to ACE bar. Adventure awaits. read more

And now between the hours of 11 PM and 2 AM on Fridays & Saturdays there is a cure for both the crowd and our bitchy waitress who complained about getting drinks at the bar when we played pool. Its called arsenic. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWTQzdYUqXg read more

Ace is always our go-to place when we are out of ideas for a night out. The games are really fun, and always a good way to meet fun people. We always meet cool people when we come here. Drinks are inexpensive, hard to go wrong. Always packed during weekends, but empty during the week, we came here once during the week wanting to have some wings and we were told they didn't have a kitchen! We ended up ordering delivery to Ace Bar. Haha. Worth it for a fun night though.. read more

Oh, Ace Bar is so disappointing, How could a bar with two pool tables, a dart board and a skeeball machine NOT be fun? Let me put it to you this way...I stopped going to frat parties when I graduated from college. During the week the bar reminds me of a saloon in the Old West: lonely drunks at the bar, gulch passed out in the corner, tumbleweeds rolling through; but a strange thing happens on Friday and Saturday nights...musclehead-frat boy-douchebags flock here like the swallows to Capistrano. It gets packed, its nearly impossible to get a drink, and playing pool is only fun until the guy you're playing starts to take the game way too seriously. I had a buddy who lived across the street who didn't even like going here...I'd say that should tell you something. read more

Went for a friend's Bday Get Together. I'm not a Dive Bar kinda person, considering the last one i went to was Welcome to the Johnson's (yuk). But this place was decent.... and I only say that becuz: SkeeBall PinBall Machines Shoot-the-Deer Arcade Game Pool Darts oh yeah- and the random lunch box display on the wall. It gets VERY crowded in there.. and the music is on full blast. So much so, u really need to SCREAM to talk to someone. Full of college guys and gals. I had a good time... minus the dude who tried to talk to me about living in Brooklyn..... sorry guy, but just because I am brown does't mean i have stereotypical perspectives about white people...... but besides that... go hereif you want : to get cheap-ish drinks, play some games, and lose your voice the following morning from trying to conversate with people. read more

Recently made my first trip to Ace Bar and I can say with confidence that ACE BAR is a Bar gaming wet dream. They have everything there, Skee ball, darts, pool tables, & Mother effing Buck Hunter. Based on things i read on the bathroom wall. There seems to be a skee ball league at ACE Bar. I don't remember what nights, but there are such teams as hepatitis Skee and 3 skee mafia. Yeah i had a good laugh reading that too. The beers were cheap, especially the 3$ PBR's which in all honestly is a nice change of pace for over priced NYC beers. The wait staff was super friendly and very attentive (another huge plus for NYC bars). read more

I like the lunch boxes in this place. They are shelved and encased in glass, as if in a museum--Dukes of Hazzard, Jetsons, Scooby Doo... they're all there, just like the ones everyone had when I was little. I am a thirty-one year old guy, but for a moment I was a kid again-- looking up at these little metal memory boxes, holding thermoses of nostalgia. I was a little drunk, too, which can make one overly susceptible to bouts of lunch box fancy. Good crowd, a lot of space to work with and a lot of ways to stay entertained while you are there. I gave the waitress a high-five on the way out--yet another place in the EV I want to visit again. read more

To quote the artist of the decade, Rebecca Black, this place is "fun, fun fun fun.!" Seriously though, it's a good time. Any place with skee ball has me hooked right away, but add our amazing waitress, Lindsay, to the mix and you've got yourself a hell of a Friday night. She was on top of our group's drink orders all night and the one time she returned without my drink, she made up for it with her bubbly personality and a free shot of Cuervo. Girl knows the way to my heart after only a few hours. Minus a star for the insanely loud (and not very good) music, and for the semi-douchey late night crowd, but the place is solid. Check it out. "We so exciiited" to go back! read more

I will do anything for anyone who can help me obtain a version of the werewolf hologram poster in Ace Bar - the one that says "He Only Comes Out At Night". I used to go here when I first moved to NYC 5 years ago - pre-skee. Since the skee it's gotten a little hectic - balls are flying everywhere all of the time. I mean, the skee makes people a little crazy. It's like crack - but way more expensive. read more

I just don't like this place. Yes, last time I thought it was cool that it has pool tables and skiball machines.. but both times I went there were too many drunk people laying all over them so I didn't get a chance to play. Oh. And this time, the floor was so sticky that the bottom of my flipflop stuck to it, the strap broke and my bare foot slapped onto the germ-ridden floor. GROSS. I'm probably not going back again. read more

Went for Happy Hour last Thursday. Well drinks for $4, Beers for $3. They have a decent amount of beers on tap. I'd recommend going for the beer because the drinks were REALLY weak (hence no four stars). We got there around 7PM and the bar was pretty empty. The back space is huge with tables, pool, darts, and skee ball. We easily played as much pool and skee ball as we wanted. The space was cool (on an extremely hot night), and perfect for catching up and playing games. I can't remember the music so it must have not been that bad. I do know there was a jukebox. If only the drinks were a little stronger. OH! I think there was a minimum on opening a tab. Not crazy, but there was definitely a minimum. read more

It's like that really awful bar you went to in college. The one you thought was terrible, but went to anyway because your friends were going and you wanted to hang out. It's like that, except without the appeal of having all your friends there. Packed to the gills. Too loud to hear anyone at all. People were definitely there looking to hook up, but there would be no basis for that ever happening except a lot of drinks. It's the kind of place where people were just waiting to get drunk enough to maybe take someone home. I got a really bad vibe from this place. read more

They don't accept NYCIDs, though they do accept french IDs, which is fun.. Other than that, ridiculously packed on the weekend and everything but friendly. read more

I really wanted to love this place ... it's all set up to be fantastic. There's pool, there's skee-ball and there's plenty of bar space for a reasonable amount of people to belly up and drink the blues away. And for about an hour on a Saturday night (starting about 10 p.m.), it was fantastic. But apparently at 11:30 or so, everyone in the area decided it was time to come out and we ran into the buzzsaw that is late nights in Manhattan on the weekend. I don't think it's the bar's fault, but how do you rate someone poorly for being too popular? Like I'm doing, apparently. I'm sure it's great at 4 p.m. on some idle Tuesday ... which is when you're most likely to be blindsided by major upheaval which would require the aforementioned cheap beer anyway. read more

A really fun little dive bar with games. It has darts ski ball pool and air hockey. The decor is vintage and has a wall of all vintage metal lunch boxes! Not super big inside but fun with the right group of people. Good for groups and to hang with the boys! Cheaper drinks and has seltzer's available read more

Divey, laid back, and unassuming are my favorite. I like bars that have kitschy decorations and drink specials written on the wall. I have been here a few times, and I like it. Good happy hour (mixed drinks -$4, beer -$3), nice tap beer selection, and quite a few places to sit down and hang with friends. This bar also has a few standard dive bar cliches- pool table, darts, jukebox etc. Not too loud, not too crowded, nice place to meet a few friends and have a drink. read more

Despite this place being ridiculously packed the night I was here [Saturday], I was able to get a drink pretty easily at the bar--I even got in a few rounds of drunken Skeeball [a few times the ball rolled down the bar floor, oops]. I can't recall the crowd or the music but I had a pretty good and sloppy time at a birthday party that was held here. I think I'd try this place again on a weekday, so I can have more Skeeball face-time. read more

Was enjoying an early afternoon buzz, when my beer muscles emerged and I wanted to shoot some bucks. Went to The Library (a place that I recalled playing this while sucking down some Pork Slap), only to find that the game was replaced something that didn't have trotting animals. Long story short, we end up at Ace Bar. Beer, Buckhunter, and making friends on a random Sunday... I'm happy... ...except when I come in last place. read more

Skee ball in the back? Love it. Bartender who calls me handsome to other patrons before she even says hello? Keep her. Cheap happy hour specials? On a Saturday? Yes please. Friggin awesome booths off to the side in the main bar. Make out central! My kind of bar. read more

Wasn't planning on going out last night, but went to dinner with my roommate and a pitcher of margarita later - we were out. We ended up here after hitting up a couple of other places, it was a cute little dive-y bar. Can't comment on the beer selection or the prices since after dinner, I didn't need much more to drink. : x They had little booths with tables so after my roommate saw me falling asleep standing we parked ourself at a table and stayed there until we left. I'd go back it's kind of out of the way unless you're looking for it so it wasn't packed, which might have also been a function of it being like 3am. yea it was another long night... read more

This was my second time at this bar and overall it's pretty good. Went this past Saturday night with a group of 5 other people and although it was a little packed we had fun. The place is very spacious and they have a good amount of seating all around and hooks to hang your stuff if you'd like. The back section has a few TVs and cool games including arcades, darts, and 2 pool tables. The guys had to wait a while for one of the pool tables but that was understandable given the volume of people. The bar was packed but it didn't take long for us to get drinks. The bartender was nice and the drinks are fairly priced I only paid $14 for a Jack and Coke and a beer - I'm not sure if they were having some type of special. They have a waitress going around taking people's orders if you're feeling lazy. Just be mindful to bring cash for the games and drinks because they don't take cards if the balance is less than $40. read more

Ace Bar - Bars Near Me - New York, New York

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