went there twice because it was so much fun! my only gripe is the fact that they don't have an updated website! i was really interested in their unusual bar food, but they said they didn't have a kitchen. they do allow outside food indoors though so that's a plus, only thing is it's a couple of blocks away from the nearest food place (not their fault). Staff was chill and fun to talk to, right before it closed we were doing shots and listening to evanescence and gorillaz lol. read more

A fun, rowdy bar with darts, pool tables, and arcade games in the back, it's a crazy space that has a local crowd. The guy at the door has a sense of humor even as he kicks out the kids from the bar. Not easy to identify, necessarily, but a bouncer down the street guided me here. Just a bit out of the way... Cheap beers ($3-4 specials) and a noisy atmosphere make for a very fun night overall. But the bathroom is nasty. Seriously a scary experience for those who like the clean. Overall, you're not here for the bathroom but the crowd and the crazy fun. Crowded but fun if you're looking to cram in here with a big group of friends or just hit on the crowd :D read more

definitely had higher expectations. Came here in the middle of the week and it was dead. Im sure on the weekends it would be more busy but the vibe of the bar wasn't anything special to begin with- with all the other options in the area, I wouldn't necessarily set out to say "let's go to ace bar". Standard bar with some bar games but nothing crazy. Clean and friendly environment may get me back in but just not my spot perhaps read more

Ace Bar - Sign out front made me chuckle though. - Bars Near Me - New York, New York

This place is fun. Best friend Bates and I come by often for skeeball, where she kicks my ass. Sometimes we will come in the early evening so I can return the favor on the pool table, but usually we stumble in around midnight on a weekend when the rest of the EV scene has become too much and we long for familiar surroundings. The jukebox is a little obscure, I'm a classic rock and mainstream punk kind of gal, but who really pays attention to the music when you're only 20 points off the skee ball lead!? The bouncers are great guys, if you stay on their good side...yell a lot outside while smoking and they'll call you names... read more

I scoped out Ace Bar last weekend as a potential spot to hit on my upcoming birthday bar crawl. Pretty basic dive bar, nothing really special other than the slightly interesting decor and skeeball. It's also very spacious compared to the other bars in the area. It was Saturday night so it was undoubtedly crowded. Didn't get a chance to play skeeball. Drinks were averagely priced and I didn't notice anything cool coming out of the bar. I clearly remember the place being unbearably hot. They gotta work on that. read more

Didn't let my friend in on her 21st birthday. The bouncer was convinced her ID was a fake even after scanning it and checking for holographics. He ruined her ID by peeling off the protective film, claiming it was a sign it was a fake. He was very rude to our group, and generally just seemed incompetent. This experience ruined the start of her 21st. read more

If you want to play games while sipping on your drinks, head over to Ace Bar for a variety of game options. This place has one pool table, skew ball, two darts boards, and a few board games. Pool and skee ball are $2 a game, and you need to put down a $10 deposit with the bartender to play darts. They do not serve food, but there is an extensive menu with delivery options. Happy hour is everyday from 4PM to 8PM! The decor is very reflective of a gritty Alphabet City bar, and it gets very crowded on Friday and Saturday evenings. I would go back - the ambiance is very young, fun, and casual. read more

Absolutely LOVED this bar!! The energy was great along with the awesome yummy drinks and fun games. Went yesterday night with a few girlfriends (it was Sunday Funday!) and the moment we came in, one of the workers asked if we'll like to take part of Trivia Night! .. Trivia at a bar and if your team wins, you'll get a $50 bar tab?! Hell yeah, COUNT US IN! Most creative team name gets a free round too. We grabbed the clipboard along with some dranks .. Long story short, "Fantastic 4" (our team) won 2nd place! Got us a round of free dranksssss :) Played some games and pool afterwards, only a $1 and the darts were free ... Will def go back! read more

Ace Bar - Trivia night!! We were already feeling the yummy strong drinks. - Bars Near Me - New York, New York

Ace bar has everything you are looking for in a fun East Village bar. Super spacious with lots of different areas to sit and tons of games to keep the party going. They have recently added some new craft beers, drinks and liquor all while keeping the prices super affordable (especially compared to a lot of other E.V. watering holes). I love that you can bring in food from anywhere or get delivery ordered. It also helps that my favorite ramen place in NYC, Minca, is right across the street. I've gotten to know the staff and the folks that run the bar over the years and they are really awesome people. I'm sorry to read of a couple of negative experiences other patrons have had. This bar can get extremely busy and the staff has a lot to deal with. But as far as any accusations of discrimination of any kind, I have to defend my neighborhood bar here. Ace has always made myself and my friends of all different backgrounds and orientation feel welcome and safe, and has alway had a very diverse staff also of all different backgrounds, races and sexual orientation. With locally owned, neighborhood bars dropping like flies in NYC, it's nice to have Ace in my backyard. Oh AND they have trivia and other fun events going on a lot. read more

Stopped by the other weekend for a beer and some games. Could not ask for anything more. Decent priced drinks and a great selection too. Service was awesome and they have 2 real dart boards, not the plastic electronic ones. Not sure what the haters are talking about. Good place and cool people! Period! read more

Came here on a whim, looking for a cheap place to play some pool with my friend. Ended up staying here for a couple of hours playing pool, darts, and slamming some $3 Ace pilsners. I really dig the chill, fun atmosphere here. I'll definitely try to make it back here sometime. Also, I found out after the fact that this place was featured in Master of None, while watching the episode. So that's pretty neat too, I guess! read more

Ruben, the bouncer/manager, took it upon himself to destroy my state issued driver's license in front of my friends and I. While we pleaded with him to simply scan the ID, he refused to do so and continued to tear apart my identification. I have to spend $65.00 dollars to get it replaced. There should be a protocol that avoids ripping apart legitimate identification while complying with the law. I would have gladly talked to the police, and still would. Incredibly poor management. read more

I LOVE Ace Bar. This is exactly what an East Village bar should be and is supposed to be. The drinks are plentiful with generous pours. The bartenders are always super cool and uber friendly and genuinely so, not some fake friendly just to get tipped. They have some new beer varieties, I've noticed...in the "craft" category, which is great. There are loands of games to play to keep you busy and having fun. Once a friend had a birthday party and they took a reservation so we could all fit and get taken care of. Overall, a cool semi-divy bar that I highly recommend. read more

It's a pretty chill bar. The AC is blasting and it's like you walked into the Arctic. It blows right down the center of the bar and it's almost impossible to dodge without sitting at the bar or the booths. Standing gets you a ticket to the North Pole. The drinks are standard. Any drink you would get at any bar. There's a skeeball machine in the back. Along with two pool tables and darts area. It's okay but not something I would rave about. read more

Super chill spot with deals that you can't pass up! I came on a Saturday and happy hour was from 3-8, with $3 drafts and $5 well drinks. The bartender was quick and really friendly, even despite being busy. There's pinball, darts, pool, and skee ball, and you can pay for the games with card. We easily killed the whole afternoon here. Keep in mind that it does get pretty packed in the back (where the skee ball, darts, and pool tables are) so I would try to avoid this place during peak hours and come earlier in the day. read more

The love I have for Ace Bar goes back 5 years and it's still going strong. Though, it may be "divey" it makes up for with a whole lot of character. All is welcome to Ace Bar. Wether I look super shitty after a long day of work, when I'm on a date, hanging out with a group of friends, I know I can always find solace at Ace Bar. There's 2 pool tables (and they do pretty good upkeep on it), skee ball, buck hunter, pinball, dartboards, and a jukebox (All they're missing is a beer pong table)! You will always have something to do and there's always a place to find a seat because my lazy ass can't stand for standing around, which, they have plenty of room for too! The staff are super nice and friendly! And they have a great happy hour and events. The drinks are super cheap too! Literally, what's not to love about Ace Bar? If I ever leave New York Ace Bar will always have my heart! read more

DO NOT MAKE GROUP RESERVATIONS HERE. I spoke to 3 people on the phone multiple times and sent 2 emails that the manager allegedly "never saw". After confirming on the phone TWICE that we had 2 tables of 5 and 6 people booked for drinks a rude hostess at the door turned us away and spoke down to us. will never go back. read more

I like Ace Bar. It's a pretty nicely-executed dive, complete with vintage lunchboxes lining the walls, as well pinball machines, skee ball, Big Buck Hunter and billiards. Not only that, the place actually is pretty spacious, although on weekend nights, it can get a little uncomfortable with the amount of people in there. I can't really fault a bar for being popular, but personally, I would just try to come here during the week, when the crowd is a little more manageable. The clientele is a bit on the frattier side, so take that as you will, but I've never had a problem. I've come here for a lot of different birthday parties or casual get-togethers and I've always had fun. The beer selection is decent, and they tend to make the well drinks pretty strong, provided you're watching them make the drink. The music is pretty on point, with a pretty eclectic mix of songs on the jukebox. I could easily spend hours on the arcade games and just being super competitive with my friends. Again, perhaps the knock is that now that the word's been out for a while, the place gets crazy packed on weekends, making it hard to get to the bar. Your best bet is to come on a weeknight, so as to avoid the massive crowds. Not only that, the happy hour specials are pretty good too, and you can get beers for about $4. The beer selection is pretty decent, and I like how they typically have Yuengling on draft, being a PA boy and all. The bartenders, as mentioned, are pretty attentive, although it seems like the place is pretty understaffed on weekends. Non-happy hour prices are only okay, perhaps a bit more on the expensive side for a dive bar. Not to mention I'm not a fan of the $20 CC minimum, which is actually pretty atrocious. That being said, I've always had a good time here regardless, so just make sure you buy enough drinks for your friends. I'll be back on weeknights. I suggest the same for you. read more

I hate to see grown men cry. However, I am far too competitive to let anyone beat me at muther-fuckin' SKEE-BALL. So, its a good thing that they have a pretty decent selection of beer and strong drinks. Place is PACKED on a Friday though. I knocked off a star for the seating sitch. There aren't enough seats in the parts of the bar I want to sit in. On a side note: they also have an excellent web site with bartender pics and profiles. So, you can call them by name when ordering, or flirting, or both. Sure, I can be accused of being a stalker but, I prefer to think of it as preparation. Props to everyone who attended my first NYC DYL way back when. The Beccas, Chun (a man really shouldn't cry that hard in public), My yelp nemesis, Justin C., Jen D., Larry L. and other ppl that I've forgotten because I drink waay too much. read more

ACE Bar has become my new playground in the East Village. With Buck Hunter and Pinball games in the front and Skeeball, darts and pool table in the back, there's something for everyone! I'm also a sucker for a place with a decent jukebox and ACE has one. The only thing this place needs is a photobooth! I usually hit ACE on weekend afternoon, so I never have a problem finding a spot at a booth or on one of the gaming platforms. They've got a wide selection of beers and ciders and the staff has always been pleasant. If you're looking for a fun afternoon with your friends post-AYCD brunch, come to ACE and work off that buzz or add to it as the case may be. read more

Back in the day, you had to take a crazy scary walk across 5th street, past the Guardian Angels HQ, through the projects, then brave the Hells Angels HQ to get to this shady, dark bar with no name. The bouncer knew you, the place was full of freaks and geeks, the juke box was brilliant, the beer was cheap and served by hot goth chicks. I can't vouch for the juke box now, but every time I go to ACE, I feel like I run smack into the cast of "Felicity." The trendier the neighborhood gets, the more bubbly NYU co-eds take over the territory. Sadly, this makes ACE less appealing. The clientele used to match the decor - now it clashes with it. They think they've found a cool "dive" bar, but it was much cooler when they weren't in it. Big props for keeping the classic lunch box wall and the wolf-man hologram through the change in ownership. I prefer the dark booths you could make out in to the skee-ball that replaced them, but that's just me. On the up-side, ACE has free wifi and is essentially empty during the day. We did our fantasy football draft here on a Sunday evening last year and had the whole place to ourselves. Just like old times . . . . read more

After I learned with dismay that Bouche Bar across the street had been closed, I wandered in here with some friends after seeing a movie at the Pioneer Theater. The place has a little bit of activities overload going on. There's pinball, two pool tables, darts, Big Buck Hunter, even skeeball! Whew, I'm exhausted just writing this! Methinks they would get a better use of the space by limiting it to only a few of said activities, thus creating a few more places to sit, but that's just my opinion. Some good beers on draft - I had a Boddington's - and a full bar. Definitely a big, divey, East Villagey kind of place, but therefore, not really my kind of place. But why am I in the east village so often again these days!? read more

It's crowded, noisy, crazy on a Saturday night. The pool tables are constantly being used, and used well. Tons of people, super cheap drinks. We're talking $7 for a Ketel 1 and your choice of mixer. Pretty people, ugly people, tall people, short people...lots of people, lots of cheap booze. And you didn't want to come here because why?? read more

Normal bar in the E. Vill, proximal to Minca (a plus), peopled with hipstrologists (meh, could go either way on that), pretty cute bartenders (schwing), nice selection on tap (inching towards excellence here). But wait. SKEE BALL. That's right. Your paltry averageness just got 4 star'd thanks to your SKEE BALL machine. Venue owners take note! read more

Miller Lite on Tap, Skee Ball in Back, Buck Hunter up front. 'Nuff said? Great dive bar, lots of room for a large party. Apparently, you can have pizza delivered here, um yay. Only problem...my ML was $4.00, which I feel is pricey for my ghetto beer. Have I become jaded about cheap booze? Probably. I will be back as I didn't get to partake in skee ball, so y'all better watch out! read more

Skee ball and Jaeger walked down the aisle and resulted in this gloriously frat boy-like mess of a bar. Speaking of mess, you should really be a complete hot mess to come here if you really want to enjoy it, otherwise, your judging side will come out and let's face it, judging ain't a good color on NO ONE. Except me, sometimes. Anyway, go for the jaeger, stay for the skee ball, avoid the popped collars, it won't be all that bad. read more

If you really like 1) dudes in polo shirts, 2) drunk girls loudly announcing their current drink count, 3) feeling like you just walked into the first day of freshman orientation at NYU and 4) having strangers bump in to you again and again and again, you should definitely check out Ace Bar on a Saturday night. But since I am a misanthrope with sensitive hearing, I think I'll support my alcoholism elsewhere. read more

I almost forgot to write about this place, which I literally stumbled upon when travelling between Manitoba's and 3 of Cups during my B-day week in NYC. After all, how can I NOT love a place called ACE BAR? Are you kidding? So, I walk up to the joint, and casually announce that my name matches that of the establishment. One of the guys hanging outside turns out to be a barback, and he invites me in to check it out. When I also tell of my B-day, I'm offered a drink as well. How cool is that? So, I saunter in, and am immediately floored by the killer collection of lunchboxes. Very impressive indeed. Then there's the really far out 3-D monster that just leaps out of the frame on the wall. Uber-cool. Lastly, I noted the skeeball, which was the inspiration for Buckshot in SF to get one. Also nice. The gang here made me feel welcome, and I was invited to stay for a bit after hours to hang out. That was pretty awesome too. Next time I'm home, I'll probably do a piece for RCTV. I wanted to do one during my initial stay, but they said they had to get permission from the owner, who's in LA, apparently. They didn't get back to me, and then I had to come back to SF, so maybe next time... read more

I can't put my finger on it, but I just did not have a good experience at this place. The bouncers were total douches. The waitresses were lovely. The skee ball machines were fun for a brief moment. The crowd was lame with a bunch of drunkards. The beer was typical lager. The place was just "Eh" for me. Don't plan on returning. read more

A standard pub. It's located on a quiet street on the edge of Alphabet City and doesn't feel like it's part of the scene. Decor is typical dive, with the addition of pin ball and a subtle Star Trek theme... Beer selection is kind of poor (there is an in house Ace beer, made for them by Budweiser, not quite sure how I feel about that), but the come up is that the drinks are cheap. It's just a place to hang out and have your way with a few glasses or more. read more

Been here twice...and both occasions were not really very fun. I can't blame the company, so that only leaves blame for Ace Bar. While all the games (darts, pool, skeeball) are kind of cool...the space is weird as if the place is stretched out, but the bar area takes up such a small part of it. That makes it a little hard to get a drink. The clientele is young...college-aged to post-graduate, except for this one weird older hippie guy who always seems to be hanging around the pool tables. Oh, and it's always freezing inside. I probably won't be back to Ace Bar anytime soon. read more

A dive bar guy I am not, but Ace sure does make me question my opinion. Darts, buck hunter, skiable, boardgames, pool tables, and a friendly speedy staff pouring drinks make it a really good place to hang out. Reason I went 4 out of 5: weeeeeeeeeeeeelllllllll its not the cleanest place I've ever been read more

A definite dive bar. Often filled with annoying NYU kiddies. Go check out the wall of old school lunchboxes. And it's fun to get drunk and play skee ball, pin ball, darts or pool. They allow dogs and I love dogs (probably more than most people). Best to go during the week, stay away during the weekends. read more

Things that help: When the bartenders notice you exist. Came here late on a Friday night after spending a bit of time at Double Down Saloon. It was a welcome change after being in a place that kinda skeeved me out. Bad thing about this place is that on this particular Friday it felt like everyone in the LES chose this bar to hang out in. It was jam packed in the bar area and the skee-ball/pool/darts area. Luckily the bartenders were really good and it didn't take me long at all to get drinks. Even getting a spot at the skeeball machines wasn't so bad. Overall I thought the draft selection was pretty awesome. Southhampton IPA, Smithwicks, the new Sam Adams Alpine, etc. Not a bad bar. Definitely a spot I could see hosting a party at - especially with the big booths and waitress service. Even though they had a bouncer who was carding I couldn't help but feel like 90% of the females in the place were underage. Maybe I'm just getting old? Oh no..! read more

I love ACE because a pint of PBR and jack-coke together cost $11, and because I schooled my date in pinball, so I now have something to hold over his head for years to come. Thank you, Ace. read more

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

Dive bar with good selection of drinks and fun atmosphere! They've got darts and pool tables which makes it a fun place to hang out with friends. You can also bring your own food which is a plus. 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