Pioneers Bar NYC

You just found Manhattan’s best kept secret! We happened upon this bar wanting some chill vibes and to play couple rounds of pool. Walking in the atmosphere is extremely homey and welcoming. The decorations were awesome and we loved the big screens to watch football and the couches were insanely comfortable. They have great local brewery options on tap! We ended up playing some giant jenga and connect four as well.

A wonderful place to enjoy games and drinks with friends 🔥 absolutely love the vibe and theme of this bar. I’ve been looking for a place to throw my birthday party and it’s giving !!!! Looking forward to coming back with friends I was in the area after I stopped by at Loopys For Kalbi🤯 perfect after activity after a big bite ✨🙏🏼 drinks are reasonable , music is great and the place is spacious . I didn’t try their food I got the frozen pina coloda and let me tell you one had me 🥴

It was my first experience here after a coworker suggested it for an after work event. Even though the happy hour ended at 6pm, my coworkers and I were able to take advantage and the drinks were awesome. I didn't personally try but my coworkers really love the margerita mixes. We were all getting drunk enjoying the many games inside. And the service was awesome. Only downsides were that there is no ATM (most games are cash only), the change machine wasn't working that night, and there are no menus to look at the different drinks. Overall, it was a good experience you and friends can enjoy to watch some games.

Visiting NYC. This bar was recommended because the aesthetic and music were fun. Music and aesthetic were fun, but one of bartenders were upset toward my tip for him and decided to comment about it say "don't come out unless you are ready to provide a tip." I went to the bar 4 times that night. During that time, the 3 bartenders were absent-minded and preferred hitting on female clients. After getting my drink, i pointed out that their attitude to my friend but continued at the bar. After my 4th visit and "being over it," i closed my tab, and there was a drink that wasn't mine. The larger male bartender said he didn't like my tip and told me I might as well put zero.

We stayed right next door to the Pioneer at the Doubletree. Of the 4 nights we were in New York we spent some time in the Pioneer Bar almost every night. Cool little bar with great staff. Wasn't too crowded.

I did not try their food, but their variety in drinks is great and the vibe is the best part. Soooo many games to choose from. I spent two nights in a row there for 5 hours straight playing games and having a good time! Shout out to the amazing bartenders 🤩

Fun bar with games and space for a larger group to hang and play pool. Staff was fast, nice, and helpful and drinks were great!

It just works. Drinks after office in a noisy casual place with games to spend some time with friends, we always go.

I left a horrible bar and this place saved the night! The only reason why this bar isn't 5 stars is because they don't have tequila. No Patron, no Don Julio, no Casamigos, nothing. Other than that, the service and fun at this bar is unmatched. I have already been here multiple times but I will always keep coming back. Shoutout to Chris for making some great drinks.

Walked in at 11:35 on a Saturday. Not busy at all. Nonetheless, we sat at the almost completely empty bar for 25 minutes and the bartender completely ignored us, but served other random people who walked up to the bar. Absolutely unbelievable. Avoid this hole at all costs.

This bar was a quick walk after playing mini golf from Swingers. A cozy bar to get a beer or two while playing table games and watching sports. We played beer pong and giant jenga which were both fun. The back area has plenty of places to sit and hang out.

Totally recommend Pioneer.. definitely a after hour spot to hang out with friends. Great customer service and definitely treat dodger fans with open arms. Will definitely come back to this place. #dodgers #yankees #worldseries2024

This is my kind of place. It is a fun sports bar with tons of games. You will find a punching machine, a basketball game, pool table, foosball, pinball and more. And best of all, these machines are all very cheap at $1 or $2 per play. There also have some free board games (Connect 4 and Jenga) too. They have reasonably priced drinks and the staff are very friendly. Pioneers is perfect for those who are looking for a no frills and humble place to have drinks and have fun. It is very spacious in the back area as well, so our large group was easily accommodated.

Gary is the best!! Come see him you won't be disappointed! I'm Visiting from Arkansas

This is a great post-work bar to have a few drinks and play a few games. It's chill - has a good variety of seltzers and drinks and is spacious in the back. The bathroom and some couches were dirty but other than that, the place is solid!

Went here for a Saturday outing and was NOT disappointed! Great beer selection, great Jenga, and a pool table, all at a good price point esp for manhattan! Would go again!

Came here early on a saturday night. Drinks were good, songs were all bangers (hats off to the bartender on Aux), and the place was decorated so cool. Eclectic garage decor but looked really nice. They have a lot of games to keep you occupied as you drink up, from giant Jenga, pool, beer pong, basketball. Such a cool spot, i'll be back!!

Apparently, the door guy is a delicate flower. Approach with caution. Can't comment on anything beyond that.

Love this place! Near the hotel, so I hung out here a bit. The vibe is chill and they have a large tap option for beers, soda and ciders. Of course, there are plenty of liquor and mix drink options, too. Come here to watch the game or play games with friends while catching up! They've got pool, large Jenga, connect 4, board games and more!

Since that night, I've been back many times and Chris and Selena have taken great care of me! Highly recommended.

This place is always closing hours way before the time on the website and on yelp. Tried 4 times and every time the bartenders say they have done last call 2-3hrs before closing time on website.

Another fav review for James!! What a awesome dude. Thanks for making our night! Will definitely not be the last time we come here! #james

The service is always professional and courteous to all customers who go in. I love to go to this range and put in my weekly range time. The ambiance is great and everyone is attentive. I wish this range would be open earlier than 11:00am.

This is my second time here and the second time the bartenders just looked at me and my friend waiting to order and then just went back to their obviously very important conversation. This last time thought was special..they ignored us for a minute then decided to play rock paper scissors to decide who would do their job next. Truly insane and horrible service. I've worked in the industry for 6 years and this is by far the laziest staff I've ever come across. Drinks are cheap tho! :)

Great bar experience. I'd highly recommend this spot if you are looking to unwind and grab a beer and watch a game.

James was a fantastic bartender so fun to talk to and made me really like this place!!! First time BUT won't be the last. #james

I Realli enjoyed myself on a random Tuesday night and my last night in New York. Looking forward to returning!

No nonsense place, cozy, some games (no pinball right now), some bar food available and a decent happy hour. Great service, good selection of drinks - not a dive bar but not overpriced either - nice space overall.

Great drinks , great customer service , Games, positive energy.. top fav bartenders (James , Mitch ) always recommend coming here , You can't go wrong coming here really five stars *****

This is my go-to spot for drinks before I pop into improv. The price point is great, everyone here is super friendly and most of the patrons are either part of the improv crowd or artists of some kind, which I love. It's a great bar in the area and I will continue to come back and bring friends. Note this is a larger bar too and can accommodate large groups! 4.7/5

Great time! Lots of games, cheap drinks, tvs going. No complaints. I really like it here during the week, have not seen it on the weekend yet! Protip: hold your glass or keep it on a different table while playing giant Jenga, we did not and when the tower fell so did three full beers (I'm sure it happens often).

James form the Bronx is the best bartender! Absolutely love the variety of drinks availability - especially shelters. Proud to be part of the Pioneers Posse!

There's free games!!! Including janga and board games. The drinks are affordable. There's cool and comfortable couches. Definitely happy I stumbled across this bar. Bringing outside food is accepted. It's pretty busy.

Fun sports bar pretty close to MSG, they've got a ton of games in the back including pool, connect 4, and some arcade games. They serve pizza here, which is a huge win. The pizza is not good but the fact that you don't have to leave is amazing

Really fun late night hang out! We loved the $8 frozen margaritas that were strong! The large jenga and connect 4 was free and fun. The decorations are odd and funny. Kinda like dive bar/frat party vibes, but it's a pretty large space for NYC and great drink prices. I recommend the coming here on your bar hopping adventures or for cheap late night fun!

Does it get any better than this? Pool, Jenga, basketball. I've seen life, and this is it. So much potential for a night on the town. Five stars. Five stars. This is it. Great staff great bar good beers good people how do I explain? Take a chance enjoy life at Pioneer. We just be some bros doing beers on the occasion some baes pop thru u know how it is. Life is beautiful. If you can do no good at least do no wrong- Hippocrates.

A wonderful dive bar to get some drinks and play Jenga, connect 4, pingball or beer pong. They have a good number of beers on tap and this is a great place to chill with friends over games. There was enough place for us to move and chill on the multiple couches in between games. It's a large bar, so great for big groups. They have a pool table as well, but there were folks just standing and hogging the table the whole time we were there!

This is a dive bar this is not an upscale bar. This is a come as you are place and be prepared to size up the competition because with games such as jenga, connect 4 etc you are bound to play a game or two. The bar has a pretty huge beer list. I am not really into beer but if you are your in the right place. Food- they have pizza. However they allow you to order from other places. Wish i knew this prior to going so heads up folks bring your own food. There was a male bartender with long hair who was amazing. I didn't get his name but i am a sucker for good service so I'll be back.

We stayed at the hotel next door for 3 nights and came here every night. James the bartender made our experience so special while we were here in NYC! He was wicked helpful and knowledgeable. Along with ALL the other staff working last weekend! Everyone was so friendly and attentive. The drinks were great and so was the atmosphere. Highly recommend going here. We will definitely be back!

I've been here a few times after co-ed sports games with a group. The layout is spacious and they have a good size bar. There are some pinball machines toward the front and a few other arcade type games. The main draw of pioneers is the oversized jenga, connect 4, and other games. These are fun in a good group setting but the games and bar itself is pretty grimy. There's some seating such as an old leather couch but I wouldn't trust sitting on it. The whole place just doesn't feel clean. Pioneers doesn't sell food besides popcorn and potato chips, however they let you order delivery to eat in the bar which is good I guess. The bathrooms aren't very clean and on skeevy side. The place in general needs a renovation and deep cleaning. Still, a fun bar.

WE LOVE IT HERE baby boy Kyle and James are the guys. Nutrls are the shit such a good vibe if you're in the neighborhood this is a go to spot

James was awesome and this bar is such a vibe!!! Amazing!!!!!!! So unbelievably awesome like genuinely smf and the workers are so friendly!!! Like I had so much fun

This place is like if the year 2012 met a Netflix produced romantic comedy but honestly in a good way. If you like feeling like you've been dropped into a time machine and arrived as a movie extra in Netflix's next smash hit, and if you like big jenga, this is your spot. I'm kinda obsessed

I went with my friend to this bar so that he can meetup with his friend, and I was really surprised at how cool the atmosphere and the bar was. The bouncer was also fun to talk to as he saw me holding my longboard and we ended up having a friendly conversation about skating. This bar also has space for rent for people that would like to hold events here. They also offer game nights and comedy nights as well. In addition to the classic arcade games scattered around the bar, there are also more traditional games such as Jenga and Connect 4. Overall, this is a great place to catch up with friends over a drink and to have a good time playing games. Would I come back? Definitely!

This place is different and cool, but if you're looking for real food to eat... look for delivery. The only food option here is bagged chips, popcorn and microwaveable pizza. Anything can be ordered in though.. which is strangely weird. However, the giant games, pool table, arcade games and such are super fun and free. Lots of tvs and big screens to watch. Service isn't GREAT, but not the worst either. Gets packed after 5pm! So if you want to play a game, come early or plan on at sticking around a while!

I really enjoyed this place. We stopped in on our way to Penn Station from our hotel at around 5pm on a Sunday. It wasn't super busy, but not dead either. We grabbed a couple of beers and played jenga. The bartender was very friendly and provided us with recommendations for local beer. The vibe is really chill and would be a nice place for a group of friends to hang out or even a casual date. They have pool tables, pinball machines, several jenga sets, and TVs. If I lived in NYC, I would return!

The bartenders were negligent and had unwarranted negative attitudes. There was a short male bartender flirting with a woman (who's boyfriend was right there) the whole time i'm waiting to order a drink, didn't acknowledge me at all. So a woman takes my order and i finally get my drink with the most offensive tasting alcohol i've ever tasted, most likely the cheapest alcohol present. So i order another without any alcohol. So whatever, not a big deal. After a while of sitting there and being ignored, I ask for my check. The short man comes back with the wrong tan and it's cheaper than what my order was originally, after trying multiple times to get his attention to solve my issue i FINALLY was able to tell him (most people wouldn't, clearly i shouldn't have). He and the other bartender, a tall man, give each other a sly look like "hey more money for us", which i found offensive. So he goes to fix it, proceeds to come back and ask me for my card again, so that i can pay extra for his mistake of course, and i'm hesitant because i don't want to get wrongfully charged (spoiler alert, I WAS). So not only was i treated poorly and charged extra (somehow 3 times) but afterward i sign and set it down, i was so tempted to not tip but i felt guilty, tipped 2 dollars, the short man has the AUDACITY to check my tip IN FRONT OF ME immediately after. Incompetent staff, bad drinks, bad vibes. Unfortunately, cool concept for a bar but poorly staffed.

I've been here a few times through out the years! Always a reliable dive-style bar. Has some fun games but not always available. The drinks are subpar and sometimes watered down but a good staple for an easy place to stop in!

I came to this bar because I got $3 off my first drink after seeing a show next door. I did not expect to see such a wide range of games to be available; it was a pleasant surprise. This bar boasts a large space with room for huge connect 4 setups, a couple projectors to show sports and/or video games, and card and board games that you can request to play. Drinks are fairly expensive. Most beers cost at least $8 on tap but I did notice that certain beers will go on sale sometimes, like Michelob Ultra. Still, prices that high make me think twice before coming through. I probably will only come back at someone else's suggestion.

Fun activities and games! Spent too many nights here and would always go back. Highly recommend it!

first time in New York and stopped in- had the best time chatting with the bartender James! can't wait to come back my next visit!!

I have been to Pioneers twice now and have had similar experiences both times. They had a terrific beer list and a fun atmosphere, complete with pinball machines, life-sized Jenga, and more. However, these enjoyable beverages and diversions also led to massive crowding, which I experienced on both a weekday night and a Saturday evening. I would definitely recommend checking out Pioneers, especially with a small group of friends, but try to arrive on the earlier side to avoid the crowds and get the most out of your experience.

Here's the story folks, I love this bar like my brother loves a ballsack, but i can't appreciate dishonesty. I scored 470 on skeeball, and was denied my free drink (please see attached photo). Normally speaking, being denied is my way of things, but i was here with my puerto rican hot spot girlfriend janet, and we were both humiliated by my turn-down at the bar. This is a great bar, but the skeeball policy is effervescent at best. Buck B

How is this place still open? Recently went by there and saw that it was shut down by the Department of Health. Went by there last night as saw that it was open. Place was filthy! Bartender was rude. NEVER COMING BACK! Gross! Gross! Gross!

Came with a large group on a Saturday night and the place was nearly empty. Being mostly Asian and young looking, the bartender (white woman) refused to serve our group more than 2 rounds of shots. Although none of our group members were drunk or acting drunk, the bartender still refused to serve us, even after speaking reasonably with her. If you're young looking or Asian, I don't recommend coming to this bar.

Accidentally stumbled upon this place and was really happy I did! The bartenders are absolutely on fire here. During the busiest hours I saw them take 4-6 orders at a time! Talk about memory! I highly recommend the Pear Margarita! Very good.

I would give 3.5 stars if half-stars were allowed! Pioneers is spacious and contains an array of games, ranging from pinball, to pool, to skeeball, to jumbo-sized Jenga. Almost every time I've been here, the bartenders have been extremely nice! Service has proven to be fast and friendly, even on busy nights. It can get chaotic here, especially on the traditionally more busy nights (Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays). However, in accordance with my preferences, I choose to visit on nights that are known to be less busy. Last call sometimes occurs somewhat suddenly and unpredictably if you have a habit of visiting on the less busy nights, like I do. Just be aware that the specified business hours on the web may not exactly match up with actual closing time - though it's usually close. The bar has a lot of seating, so you may be able to find a seat even on a busy night. They recently had to remove 4 of their 8 pinball machines to remain compliant with legal gaming standards (or so I heard, don't quote me), so the selection of pinball has been cut in half. Last time I was there, one of the machines was out of order and another wasn't working very well, so unfortunately, if you're visiting to play pinball, you may encounter a limited selection (though I do not, in any way, blame the business for this). Their selection of alcoholic beverages is more than satisfactory, and you get what you pay for, as far as the house pour goes. The prices for certain drinks are somewhat expensive, but this is to be expected when considering the location. In other words, when I come to Pioneers, it's with an awareness that it falls within the means of my budget (whereas I normally opt for a dive or a pub more suited to my typical need to restrict my spending). This is not an accusation against the business of the drinks being overpriced; rather, a suggestion to be mindful according to your financial constraints (and not to blame the business). Pioneers is definitely a place I will continue to visit when I'm in the area and in the mood for some fun games and a few drinks!