The Quays Pub

A fantastic local pub with great character (& characters), ambiance and staff. Every time I have been here I have been treated as if I were a regular. And, I would be if I lived in Astoria.

We are visiting on business and have been to Quays three times since we arrived. The first two times were fantastic and the hospitality of the bartenders was amazing. Tonight we went for our third time because we loved the place and unfortunately it was drastically different. From the second we walked in the door the bartender Britney was absolutely unprofessional and rude to us. We were shocked as we had not experienced this type of attitude at any of the establishments we had been to since arriving in NY. She was so rude she even turned off our selections on the jukebox! While I would recommend this place it would not be when Britney is working. Maybe she needs to get fu*ked!

Rock solid authentic Irish Pub.
Staff is amazingly friendly and attentive (no waiting around to get served, they are true professionals), great selection of cold beer on tap as well a great selection of spirits… best of all… prices are SUPER affordable.
While I think they are known for their open mic night, I prefer the nights without open mic as they have one of those digital juke boxes where you can play just about anything you want.
Comfy neighborhood feel, great dart board and lots of TVs if sports is your thing.

The good: Pretty spacious. Cheap and strong drinks. EXTREMELY friendly staff, probably some of the best I’ve dealt with in Astoria from the bouncer to the bartenders. They are profusely thankful for the tips and generously give you buybacks once every 3^rd round. They’ll throw you free shots here and there if they really like you. One night we walked out of there and one of us clearly had way too much too drink and these two random fellas with Irish brogues smoking cigrits outside offered to help us get a cab if we needed it. No pretentiousness here you guys, just a meat and potatoes divey Irish pub. As of the last time I was in there I didn’t see ANY d-​bags which is a rarity in Astoria.
The bad: The open mic performances leave a little to be desired. One night me and my mates showed up with a friend visiting from the Soviet Union. I talked this place up like crazy but when we arrived there was a raucous bagpipe band in full ethnic regalia drunkenly playing Irish jigs and flailing about the stage. Our mate Bogdan from the USSR was literally too spooked to go in and roughly translated he remarked «there’s dancing pirates in there». I walked in another time while an emo girl was just getting done stinking the place up. I felt like saying «listen baby, 2002 was a long time ago». After that was some hipster doofus trying to do an acoustic set version of his death metal band’s songs. Basically this idiot stood there metal growling «OHHHH YEAHHHH» into the mic while singing about the KoolAid guy. Then this old Greek dude one man band called «Yanni and his Magic Flute» or whatever took the stage, busted out a baby grand Casio keyboard with pre-​programmed orchestration/​beats, and proceeded to sing love songs in Greek while playing the piano over said background. I get it, the whole point of open mic is so that you get a diverse mix of local performers but I was scratching my head after the disjointed antics I saw. What. The. Actual. F&^.
The ugly: This isn’t particularly the bar’s fault but you need to walk down the seedy part of Broadway to get here and it’s right near the Woodside Houses. There’s lots of degenerate hoods skulking around that area. I would be a little leery about stumbling out of here wasted because you make a few wrong turns and you’re in a bad spot.
In conclusion: Down to earth Irish pub a little off the beaten path with a funky name (keys, not qways or qwies).Generous buybacks. Strong drinks. Good prices. VERY friendly atmosphere. These guys keep it real and the décor makes it feel like a genuine old fashioned pub more akin to the «hotels» in Sydney than Astoria. Questionable open mic and area costed them 1 star.

I was here with friends. It was a random decision but my night was entirely ruined by this jerk off establishment and its jerk off regulars. Or management staff? There was this lowest form of life that I encountered: a fat man.
To give you the description, he was extremely overweight to the point he looked like he had no body parts but a giant ball of fat with no neck, no arms nor legs, sitting at the bar. Imagine such a fellow with sex offenders’ mind. The man in question was busy feeling female customers up pretending to be friendly or due to accidents. So he had his hands, at least, I suppose now. I was unfortunate to be one of his target customers for the night or simply because I was female and in proximity. Whatever the case was, I found the whole experience as grim and did not spend too long after the fat man inappropriately laid his hand on me. I was grossed out and suggested my friends we take off.
The lesson was learned. Discern even for a throw away drink from a throw away bar in a throw away area where you randomly stopped by. Gross people I ran into, indeed. Is this the major demography or I got extremely unlucky?

This place is amazing. I went for my friends going away party a week ago and the service was impeccable and the prices were VERY reasonable. Living in Brooklyn, I may not be able to visit as much as I would like. But you can guarantee that I will be back!

I’m Irish and this is the only place in NYC I always drink Guinness. Definitely as close to an «Irish Pub» atmosphere as you’re likely to get, and staff are friendly and professional. And you can walk in 10 mins before a playoff game and realistically hope to get a seat near the TV. Why am I telling you this?

I came here last night with my best friend. This bar had great ratings for live music, so I was really excited to finally see what all of the buzz was about. The moment we walk in we immediately want to leave. There were two singing comedians that were miserably failing to make anyone clap or laugh for that matter. The sound system was so loud that their already blood-​curdling voices were decidedly unescapable. I have no idea what the hell they were talking about but among their unique lyrics, I was both shocked and offended by how many times they screamed the word abortion into the microphone… there were also references to Hitler and the artists’ desire to push his mother down the stairs. I am not capable of making this up.
I closed our tab immediately and just as we were leaving we met two other people there who looked just as confused by what was happening. At this point, the bar tender came by and apologized for the show as well as gave us all shots on the house. I am easily won over by great service, so I decided to stay a little longer. The people I met there were awesome and so was the bar tender. It was the first really warm and friendly Astoria bar I have been to so far. I felt a little like I was in an episode of Cheers, sitting like old friends with people I’d never met before. I would probably be comfortable returning by myself I enjoyed myself there so much. Thankfully the performers (if that’s what you would like to call them) didn’t stay on for much longer and the evening carried on nicely. I understand why people love this place so much and look forward to getting to know it better.

Cheap drinks like $ 5 Guinness — no food but they allow you to order in. They’re reasonable people in other words. The bartender Joe is a swell fella with a great tude. I recommend coming on TUESDAYS for the Quays COMEDY NIGHT. It’s FREE and there are drink specials like $ 3 PBR’s. The local comedians are very funny and talented and they work the room as good as any. For a free event this is the best thing going in Astoria on Tuesdays IMO.

What an awesome bar to stumble into as a weary traveler. After landing at newark and facing a short trek to laguardia, we opted for a local watering hole in lieu of sitting in the terminal waiting for our departure flight.
I knew this was a bar I would love to frequent more often if only I lived in one of the surrounding boroughs. Mike the bartender was a solid stand up guy. He made us feel not only welcome in the bar, but as if we had been regulars at the bar for years. It was painfully obvious we were from out of town, as we drug our suitcases along like reluctant toddlers in a quest for libations. This went unnoticed or they just didn’t care. I really loved that this bar was conveniently located to many other watering holes and yet this bar seemed to not draw the attention like those bars in close proximity. For me that meant I got to chat without having to shout over anyone, I could go for a smoke it to the restroom without being hit on, and I could order a drink and have it hit my lips faster than if I were having a drink in one of manhattans cocktail lounges. Not that my travel attire would have been accepted in such a place, but I digress.
The drink and beer selections were as unpretentious as the bar itself, and I for one like it that way. I can’t wait to make a return visit and rub elbows and cheers with newly minted pals. I’ll be the one at the bar, working on a few rounds of boiler makers.

easily one of my favorite places to go in astoria when i don’t feel like dressing up or getting cute, don’t feel like brushing against strangers, just want a damn drink with no frills.
love their jukebox although it could probably stand to be updated… and they do buybacks!

I love this place! Great staff, great beer, great prices — what more could you want in a bar?! Thursday night is open mic hosting lots of great talent. Check out their Facebook page as well.

Quays is a fun little casual Irish bar in a great neighborhood. The bartenders are funny and very nice. Good sense of humor. Decent beer selection. Good Irish whiskey selection too. Cozy décor and nice and breezy. Its located on a corner and they open the floor to ceiling windows so there is lots of fresh air! Beer is served in 20oz glasses!
Music is whatever is playing on the juke box and sometimes live music and open mic.
No food served here, but they encourage you to order in or bring in take out.
If you stop in for a beer you will likely stay for another, everyone there is very personable!
Also, the wall pads at the bottom of the stairs are hilarious!

Dear The Quays Pub,
Never change.
Heart,
Jenni

It’s a great spot for a good time. It’s cheap drinks, great buybacks, and an awesome crowd. Everyone is laid back and willing to chat.
If you’re into bluegrass and folk music, Sunday Night there is a great jam session.

I’ve been sitting on my Quays review for a while and even though I love (and miss now that I’m out of Astoria) Quays, wasn’t sure why I had always liked it. No need to go into fine detail about the highlights of the Quays:
–Cheap drinks/​beer
–3^rd drink is a buy back
–Always can catch a musical act
–Always has a good buzz, whether its a Sunday night or during a performance
And it dawned on me; I never have had a bad time here. Ever.
Whether this place is jammed or it’s a slow night and just a few folks are at the bar, Quays always has a good vibe. There’s not a bad bartender there. Drink prices are completely reasonable. Good for big groups, small groups. In my years in Astoria, I sorta grew to love Quays in the last year I lived here, but I definitely miss it now!

The Place is Great Bar
I love the Atmosfer the Beer Selection.
Bartender was friendly and Helpful and gave us Large free Sampler…
went with my best Friend
I cant wait to be in the place again and have Fun…

The Quays is one of my favorite bars in my neighborhood. The first time I came in, «Valerie (’68 Version)» by Amy Winehouse was playing, I had a shot of Jameo, a big pint of Guinness, played some darts, read a book in the back, and was in love.
The bartenders usually throw a free drink your way every few drinks, which is nice. The prices are pretty solid. The people are great. The open mics are fun. Just a great experience overall.

What’s not to love about the Quays (pronounced Keys).
$ 2.50 Can PBR
$ 3.50 Coors Light Draft
$ 5.50 for premium or imported beer.
And on top of that they have buybacks.
I’ve been here just about everyday of the week and no matter what day you come there’s usually a decent crowd. Thursday are open mic nights and you see some really good singers and performers. Many of them make their rounds to all the Astoria bars with open mic nights. The Guinness here is amazing, and off the top of my head I can also tell you they have Coors Light, Stella, Blue Moon, Smithwicks, and a bunch more. They have about 12 beers on tap. The Quays has many loyal regulars who frequent this bar and they all love of for the same reason, cheap drinks, cool atmosphere and knowing this place is an all around good time.
They don’t have a kitchen so there is no food but they openly welcome people bringing food inside.
If someone were to ask me what I did the Summer of ’13 I would just say two words… The Quays.

Gonna start off by saying that I totally wish I came here more often, I’m just rarely in the neighborhood :(.
Stumbled in here for my first time with my best friend because we needed to kill time as I waited to meet my sister when she was done with her friend’s sweet sixteen-​ing. The bartender asked me to «orgasm in Spanish and shout that he had a hole in his sock» — I wasn’t drunk enough to do the ‘hole in the sock part’, but my faux arousement was pretty hilarious enough to warrant a few buybacks that DIDN’T include their automatic 3^rd drink buybacks… so needless to say she and I had MANY drinks on the house and made sure I tipped well :).
My second time was with the same best friend and 2 guy friends. Fun times were had, lots of alcohol was consumed and LIVE Gaelic Folk music?! YES PLEASE! The vibe here that night was super awesome and another great time was had!
Third time was the last stop on an über successful (at least I thought so) first date with a handsome Brit/​Irish CT born (and bred) gentleman who ducked in here with me because a) I freakin’ love the place b) they’re so cheap it’s easy to be a baller here c) it was POURING LIKE CRAZY and not too crowded. I love this place so much. We sat at one of the small round tables up front by the windows, talked, showed each other stuff on our phones, watched the rain and did whiskey shots — it was purrrrrfect.
Love how this bar can pretty much be anything you want to make it, no douchey clientele, just fun cool local folks looking to hang. Also, their (ALL THE TIME!!!) 3^rd drink buyback policy is STELLAR and the bar staff are really cool — they’ll even let you order food or bring it in from anywhere (since they’re kitchen-​less). If I lived closer to this place I would totally be a regular!