Best Bars With Games That Won't Leave You "Board"
<p>Flickr user <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/flickr4jazz/3604810201/sizes/z/in/photostream/">flickr4jazz</a></p><p></p><strong>Nancy Whiskey Pub:</strong> Is table shuffleboard too easy? <a href="http://nancywhiskeypub.com/shuffleboard/index.html">Nancy Whiskey Pub</a> boasts the only "bank shuffleboard" table in Manhattan, where the pucks bounce off the sides instead of falling off the table. And that makes the game even harder! Tournament play gets hosted on the weekends, but anyone can step up on weeknights. Liquid courage comes in the form of $5 Guinnesses.<p></p><em>1 Lispenard Street, (212) 226-9943</em>
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Flickr user flickr4jazzNancy Whiskey Pub: Is table shuffleboard too easy? Nancy Whiskey Pub boasts the only "bank shuffleboard" table in Manhattan, where the pucks bounce off the sides instead of falling off the table. And that makes the game even harder! Tournament play gets hosted on the weekends, but anyone can step up on weeknights. Liquid courage comes in the form of $5 Guinnesses.1 Lispenard Street, (212) 226-9943
Gothamist
<p>Flickr user <a href='http://www.flickr.com/photos/antiparticle/185644432/sizes/z/in/photostream/"'>antiparticle</a></p><p></p><strong>Union Hall:</strong> If you're going to play games, might as well commit. Sure, tabletop shuffleboard is fun, but until we can find a full shuffleboard court outside of a Seniors Center, we'll stick with the Bocce Ball at <a href="http://www.unionhallny.com/home.php">Union Hall</a>. We prefer to play a la carte, but for anyone looking for a good competition they have a <a href="http://bocce.unionhallny.com/">league set up</a>, with team names like "Bocce of Christ" and "Big Lebocce."<p></p><em>702 Union Street, Brooklyn; (718) 638-4400</em>
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Flickr user antiparticleUnion Hall: If you're going to play games, might as well commit. Sure, tabletop shuffleboard is fun, but until we can find a full shuffleboard court outside of a Seniors Center, we'll stick with the Bocce Ball at Union Hall. We prefer to play a la carte, but for anyone looking for a good competition they have a league set up, with team names like "Bocce of Christ" and "Big Lebocce."702 Union Street, Brooklyn; (718) 638-4400
Gothamist
<p>Flickr user <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kittenclaw/4367323602/sizes/z/in/photostream/">kittenclaw</a></p><p></p><strong>Fat Cat:</strong> For sheer quantity, <a href="http://www.fatcatmusic.org/gaming.html">Fat Cat</a> has to be the city's mecca for drinking and playing. Boasting 10 pool tables, 10 ping pong tables, three shuffleboard tables, three foosball tables and tons of chess and checkerboards, the Christopher Street bar is good for anyone looking to join a tournament or just get drunk and smack ping pong balls toward their friends. Ping pong, pool and shuffleboard is nine cents per person per minute (jumping to 11 cents on Friday and Saturday), and foosball is $1 per game. Of course they're beer and wine only, though they recently added some Soju cocktails. <p></p><em>75 Christopher Street, (212) 675-6056</em>
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Flickr user kittenclawFat Cat: For sheer quantity, Fat Cat has to be the city's mecca for drinking and playing. Boasting 10 pool tables, 10 ping pong tables, three shuffleboard tables, three foosball tables and tons of chess and checkerboards, the Christopher Street bar is good for anyone looking to join a tournament or just get drunk and smack ping pong balls toward their friends. Ping pong, pool and shuffleboard is nine cents per person per minute (jumping to 11 cents on Friday and Saturday), and foosball is $1 per game. Of course they're beer and wine only, though they recently added some Soju cocktails. 75 Christopher Street, (212) 675-6056
Gothamist
<p>Flickr user <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/orignauxmoose/4149131802/sizes/z/in/photostream/">Orignaux Moose</a></p><p></p><strong>Crocodile Lounge</strong>: You'll come for the free pizza and Wednesday night trivia, but stay for the skee ball. The line can get long for the classic boardwalk game, but you can kill some time in their photo booth or with Big Buck Hunter. <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/crocodile-lounge-new-york">One patron warns</a> that the skee ball machine is "erratic scoring," but you weren't actually going to play to win, were you?<p></p><em>325 E 14th Street</em>
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Flickr user Orignaux MooseCrocodile Lounge: You'll come for the free pizza and Wednesday night trivia, but stay for the skee ball. The line can get long for the classic boardwalk game, but you can kill some time in their photo booth or with Big Buck Hunter. One patron warns that the skee ball machine is "erratic scoring," but you weren't actually going to play to win, were you?325 E 14th Street
Gothamist
<strong>Lady Jay's</strong>: When you've had enough of shuffleboard, give shuffle bowling a shot. <a href="http://gothamist.com/2010/07/08/new_restaurants_15.php?gallery0Pic=2#photo-2">Lady Jay's</a> is starting a PBR-sponsored <a href="http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=163172260402361&set=a.146387758747478.32483.100001287640663&theater">shuffle bowling league</a>, with $2 PBR for all league play. Pair that with other $6 beers, a country jukebox and an open backyard in the summer and it'll be hard to leave. Just watch out for the picklebacks.<p></p><em>633 Grand Street, Brooklyn; (718) 387-1029</em>
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Lady Jay's: When you've had enough of shuffleboard, give shuffle bowling a shot. Lady Jay's is starting a PBR-sponsored shuffle bowling league, with $2 PBR for all league play. Pair that with other $6 beers, a country jukebox and an open backyard in the summer and it'll be hard to leave. Just watch out for the picklebacks.633 Grand Street, Brooklyn; (718) 387-1029
Gothamist
<p>Via <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/ontario-brooklyn">Yelp</a></p><p></p><strong>Ontario Bar:</strong> Everyone knows nobody likes to have fun more than Canada. And what's more fun than air hockey? After Cheapshots (Now Spanky & Darla's) got rid of their air hockey table we were devastated, but this Canadian-themed bar (think deer heads and Canadian whiskeys) made up for it. The table is in the back, along with a Pac-Man table game and a few board games. Just don't use the "Canadian" decor as an excuse to order Labatt. You're better than that. <p></p><em>559 Grand Street, Brooklyn; (718) 384-2835</em>
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Via YelpOntario Bar: Everyone knows nobody likes to have fun more than Canada. And what's more fun than air hockey? After Cheapshots (Now Spanky & Darla's) got rid of their air hockey table we were devastated, but this Canadian-themed bar (think deer heads and Canadian whiskeys) made up for it. The table is in the back, along with a Pac-Man table game and a few board games. Just don't use the "Canadian" decor as an excuse to order Labatt. You're better than that. 559 Grand Street, Brooklyn; (718) 384-2835
Gothamist
<strong>Ace Bar:</strong> Yes, this East Village bar can get crowded sometimes, but it's worth it for the <a href="http://www.acebar.com/games.html#">skeeball and the dart leagues</a>, not to mention the pool tables. And on March 11th they'll be hosting a <a href="http://www.acebar.com/events.html">Rolling Stones Pinball Tournament</a>. (If any band was going with pinball we were expecting The Who, but whatever.) You can also check out their vintage lunchbox collection while you're waiting for the lanes.<p></p><em>531 East 5th Street, (212) 979-8476</em>
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Ace Bar: Yes, this East Village bar can get crowded sometimes, but it's worth it for the skeeball and the dart leagues, not to mention the pool tables. And on March 11th they'll be hosting a Rolling Stones Pinball Tournament. (If any band was going with pinball we were expecting The Who, but whatever.) You can also check out their vintage lunchbox collection while you're waiting for the lanes.531 East 5th Street, (212) 979-8476
Gothamist