The Pop Bar

Amazing spot. Great events every night of the week. And all the pinball. Friendly staff. Staple of the neighborhood. Greatest bar around. Highly recommended.

Love Love Love the PopBar. If you’re looking for a casual bar experience with moderately priced drinks, this is your place. They have different drink specials every night of the week, and lots of fun live entertainment. Really cool patio space out back where they show movies in the summer time. Would definitely recommend this place, especially if you’re in the astoria are and just looking for a cool place to meet friends that’s off the beaten path a little. For a bonus, check out the karaōke and the drag bingo show — both really popular nights here.

I gave this place a second shot, I liked having a neighborhood place… not the best idea, so many other great places worth the walk. I don’t write review because I take a place for what it is, but here the Service was meh (and I mean waiting, waiting and waiting without being friendly once I could get their attention, and on slow nights) shady crowd both times, not sure what’s going on here. I’m not wasting mine or my friend’s time or money again.

Disappointing. As much as I wanted the D in Melissa to stand for Dick… she was right. This place should be and could be so much better. Pro: pinball, location. Con: Brutal graffiti on the walls, horrible music, lazy bartenders.

Went here on a Tuesday night. A few locals inside. The vibe is pretty cool. There are a few pinball machines, if you’re into that. Pretty standard bar, along with a small bites menu which was reasonably priced. There is also a very nice outdoor space in the rear (with a local stray cat hanging out).

Great place if you’re a pothead. I saw a few people go down with the food server and come back reeking like weed.

Walked into this «bar». I say that because their liquor selection looked mine before I turned 21. They were out of the name brands and just had crappy knock-​offs. Food wasn’t bad though.

My God!
The WORST!
No crowd, and a poor idea for a bartender (who I heard later was the owner!!)
Depressing atmosphere that made me want to drink more but they were out of some basic liquor!!!
I’d heard it used to be a fun place called Hellgate, but I guess they took the life out of the bar when they took the name
RIP

I’ve been here a few times and have always been kind of underwhelmed, but tonight made me realize that this place just sucks. A group of us sat ourselves at a booth near the front door. The bartender came over to say that he’d take our first drink order, but then we’d have to go up to the bar for anything else – fine, we didn’t expect or ask for table service. But then our friend who had gone to the bathroom sat down with us, and the bartender came back over to say «FINE, I’ll take ONE MORE drink order but you have to come up to the bar to get it.» Um, okay? No need to be rude, dude! Anyway, two of the guys I was with took a sip of their drafts and immediately realized that the beer was spoiled. It smelled bad and tasted sour. So they went up to the bar to tell the bartender. The right thing to do would have been for the guy to say, «So sorry about that, what would you like to replace it?» Instead, when told the beer was spoiled the bartender said, «I have to disagree.» After a little bit of cajoling, the spoiled beers were tossed and replaced. All that would have been enough for a one-​star review, but to top it off, there was a community theater production of The Tempest starting at 8, and we were informed at 7:30 that if we wanted to stay, we had to pay a $ 20 cover. PEACE OUT, Pop Bar, we won’t be coming back despite living right around the corner.

Great local bar. Living in the neighborhood, it’s our go to whenever we need to throw a party. It’s a little off the beaten path, but the cocktails are worth the trip.

This place is run like a house party that a teen hosts when their parents are away on holiday. Except the teenager party cocktails would have more alcohol in them… My Jack and Coke was just Coke. Come here if you like 90s hip hop, townies, and middle aged hipster couples trying to prove that they’re still cool.

New place in town! Checked it out with a friend. I must say the décor is cool! The vibe is dead. They need some better music in here to get the spirits up! Beer selection was typical for an astorian bar. Cask would be nice, craft beer would be better! Anyway all in all friendly bar tender and clean and spacious.

Pop Bar inspired me to make my first Unilocal review!
Nice local bar; for those in the neighborhood, an essential one. They’re never too crowded, have a friendly staff and an unpretentious, down to earth clientele. Awesome back yard.
Although, I’m not personally offended, I’d avoid coming here if you think you or your date may be offended by drinking in the presence of giant paintings of women with egregious proportions in cartoonishly compromising positions.
Another issue with the bar is that 9 times out of 10, they seem to be playing a collection of the worst pop music known to humankind. Think somewhere between a dentist“s office and a Guantanomo Bay torture chamber. I realize that you can’t please everybody, and their are many different tastes, but literally anything would be an improvement. Not sure of the exact bands I heard during my last trip, but think in the vein of hootie and the blowfish, third eye blind, Staind and Tracy Chapman. On the other hand, I appreciate the lack of hipster or current top 40 music, which I can’t help to think keeps our rents low.
A tv with the game on in the corner might be nice for those who care.
In summary: a coat of paint, letting the cool bartender put his IPOD on random, a small tv running a game, and this bar is 5 stars!

I came here last night with a bunch of out-​of-​town friends and a few Queens friends. I’ve never been out in Astoria so I didn’t know what to expect. We showed up at the Pop Bar around 2am and it was completely dead inside. The bartender, Dustin, was an awesome guy and a delight to be around! We hung out until close and enjoyed our drinks and surroundings. If I’m ever in Astoria again, I’m definitely coming here!

Went on a Thursday night. It was pretty low key but enjoyable. Great venue with lots of room and a backyard! The prices are also really good! Overall a great place just not in the best location.

All I can say is… THANK YOU. An amazing bar in this neighborhood is exactly what we needed. This place is the perfect mix of cocktails, beer, snacks, and a casual chill feel. Always events going on whether it be art openings or movie nights. Let’s keep the good stuff coming to 21^st St!

Stopped by last night looking for Hell Gate Social but apparently that was two iterations ago. Décor was interesting. I loved 5 Pointz but not sure if the choice to focus on the half naked graffiti ladies was the right choice. I would have focused on the light bulb guys or something different.
That being said the drinks were pretty good. I ordered the vodka smash wish was expertly mixed for $ 10 (a little high for the location).
The food was excellent. The «tater tots» made with sushi rice I could eat a pound of and the wings had an amazing sauce.
Did not get to check out the outdoor backyard as it was closed.
As it was Friday night there was a live band that went on at 10pm. They were decent but as I had helped move my girlfriend into her new apartment around the corner we only stayed for one song before calling it a night.
The good drinks, friendly bartender, and great bar food will bring me back again since it’s close to her new apartment.
Hope to check out Snick Saturday nights!

Confused. The paintings/​artwork on the walls resemble ‘art’ from I don’t know where. Am I in Japan or am I in Harlem?
Lived here for 8 months and this is the third name and theme of this bar. My suggestion for the next change (which will likely happen in 1 – 2 months): keep it simple, no crazy artwork. Put a few tvs on the walls and see how it goes.

I went here last Monday and had such a fun night! There’s a great outdoor patio in the back aaaaaand an awesome drag queen hosted bingo! She was hilarious and definitely worth checking out. Very laid back, casual atmosphere with well priced drinks.