The full ranking
Chalk the cue and find a table. From Financial District game rooms to East Village honkytonks, these are the Lower Manhattan bars where pool is the main reason to stay.
Cellar Dog (West Village)
A 9,000-square-foot basement on Christopher Street that carries on the legacy of the beloved Fat Cat, with 10 pool tables, ping pong, shuffleboard, foosball, and live jazz nightly until 4 AM on weekends. A five-dollar cover after 6 PM keeps the vibe genuine.
Amsterdam Billiards Club (East Village)
The self-described Mecca of billiard halls, founded in 1989 with 25 Brunswick pool tables, oriental rugs, original oil paintings, and a zinc bar. Ranked the number-one rated billiard club in America, it draws both casual players and world-class competitors.
Sadie's Ward (Lower East Side)
A late-night LES bar operating until 4 AM every day, named after an 1860s neighborhood crime boss and carrying the legacy of its predecessor, The Whiskey Ward. The Diamond pool table, rare whiskey selection, and dollar-a-game Sundays make it one of the best pool destinations downtown.
The Irish American (Financial District)
A Financial District Irish pub with a pool table tucked into the back, drawing the after-work crowd with cold pints and a no-frills neighborhood-bar atmosphere in a corner of Manhattan that can feel short on them.
Toad Hall (SoHo)
A genuine SoHo dive at 57 Grand Street with toad statues, a vintage jukebox, low prices, and a pool table shoved in the back of a small, smoky room. Open until 4 AM with a 'be nice or leave' policy.
Double Down Saloon (East Village)
A loud, unfiltered East Village institution with a pool table, cheap drinks, and an anything-goes crowd that has been a staple of the neighborhood's dive bar culture for decades. The walls and ceiling are covered in years of accumulated art and memorabilia.
Parkside Lounge (Lower East Side)
An LES neighborhood bar with a pool table, pinball machines, and an intimate back room that hosts live music several nights a week. A reliable, no-scene hangout in a neighborhood that keeps changing around it.
Kingston Hall (East Village)
A wood-paneled East Village bar with a pool table, shuffleboard, and a full food menu, combining the energy of a game bar with the comfort of a proper neighborhood pub.
169 Bar (Two Bridges)
A 100-year-old Lower East Side institution, formerly known as The Bloody Bucket, with a leopard-print pool table, fish tank, neon lights, and daily happy hours until 7 PM. One of the last true dive bars below the bridges.
Doc Holliday's (East Village)
A long-standing East Village country-western dive with a pool table, cheap shots, a mechanical bull, and a jukebox stocked with outlaw country. The kind of place that stays exactly the same while the neighborhood transforms around it.
Ranked across 4 sources: Yelp · Ranked by Rating (May 2026); Google Reviews · Ranked by Rating (May 2026); Time Out New York · Best Pool Halls NYC 2025; Secret NYC · Best Pool Halls NYC 2023. Full scoring is on the Methodology tab above.
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