- Restaurants |
- Nightlife |
- Shopping |
- Movies |
- All
Break Bar & Billiards
Categories: Nightlife Pool Halls Nightlife Bars Sports Bars Pool Halls, Sports Bars [Edit]
32-04 BroadwaySte B
Astoria, NY 11106
Neighborhood: Astoria
(718) 777-5400
- Nearest Transit:
-
Broadway (N, Q)
Steinway St (E, M, R)
30 Av (N, Q)
- Hours:
Mon-Thu 4 pm - 2 am
Fri 4 pm - 4 am
Sat 12 pm - 4 am
Sun 12 pm - 2 am
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Parking:
- Street
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Music:
- Background
- Best Nights:
- Fri, Thu, Sat
- Happy Hour:
- Yes
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Smoking:
- No
- Coat Check:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Good For Dancing:
- No
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
90 reviews for Break Bar & Billiards
Review Highlights
-
"Yes PING PONG, who has that nowadays." In 36 reviews -
"Tons of tables plus they had air hockey and ping pong." In 21 reviews -
"Happy hour here is great." In 18 reviews
Loading...
90 reviews in English
-
Review from Eric T.
Long Island City, NY
5/14/2012
I have been going to Break for years, but finally got around to writing a review.
Their Happy Hour deal is great, from 4-8 you get free pool when you get a drink. That is an amazing deal in and of itself for anyone who likes a game of pool. The beer selection is pretty good but I steer clear of the mixed drinks, they seem a bit pricey. The food is likewise pretty good for a pool hall. Big burgers, enough variety to please anyone but not a gourmet hotspot.
They have trivia on Tuesdays, Street Fighter on every other Wednesday and Monday and Thursday feature their leagues.
Personally I find this place to be its best on weeknights for after work beers and pool. More chill than weekends and plenty of sports to watch without stepping on other peoples' feet. -
Review from Ryan R.
Woodside, NY
4/30/2012 1 Check-in Here
I think this place is great. TVs all around the bar, pool tables everywhere. Its huge!! The owner is hilariously awesome. Every TV had "Linsanity" on and I had no interest in watching basketball because my NYRangers were playing. I told the owner I wanted to watch hockey, without any hesitation, he handed me the remote to one of the TVs and let me control whatever game I wanted. Then handed me a beer because I was the only hockey fan in the place.
Good Times...and they have ping pong! -
Review from Sarah C.
3/25/2012
This place is a total gem but easy to pass by, due to the fact that it's located on the second floor. I find the bar scene in Astoria to be one extreme to another - either a European dance hall, or a dingy dive bar. Don't get me wrong, I love the dingy dive bars, but sometimes a girl wants a little more.
Break is great because it is a classy billiards hall (along with foosball, air hockey, ping pong, and other adult games). The place is huge, and has tons of places for people to sit or stand, which is one of the core things I look for when going out - not a fan of the crowds. I found the service here to be top notch - the waitresses are very sweet and attentive. The one slight bummer of going here on a Saturday night was that they were out of a few favorite beers on tap. I decided to order a guinness and the pour almost made up for the lack of beer selection.
Will plan to go back with friends in the future and try the food, because I got real jealous of the people next to me who ordered wings. -
Review from Jennifer S.
ASTORIA, NY
5/17/2012 1 Check-in Here
Take a break - go to Break!!! Casual atmosphere and a lot of pool tables. I normally come after work in the beginning of the week when pool is free. There's also ping pong and ice hockey :) The beer selection is good, but the last 3 times I went they were out of multiple brews. I know there have been other reviews of poor service, but I've consistently gotten good service.
-
Review from Jesse F.
3/5/2012 1 Check-in Here
I don't know what the deal is with the negative service complaints. The bartender and our waitress (Laura, I am pretty sure) were both great! Laura especially was super sweet; she hooked my friend up with a hot toddy whose honey came from one of the staff's secret stash.
We got a pool table without a wait around 9 on a Friday. The music was respectable 90's/2000s hits. And the atmosphere was fun. It's like being transported to someone's giant gameroom in the midwest: pretty awesome.
**I used my very first Yelp check in for an hour of free pool ($18 bucks savings!)** -
Review from Jason L.
ASTORIA, NY
5/8/2012
I have been going to Break for about 2 years now, maybe about 6-7 times a month with friends to catch up play some pool or maybe watch a game. I live 5 minutes away so it's convenient. It's never really packed which to me is great, since we only hang out there for a couple of hours or so and don't want to wait for a table. Drinks are ok priced. Happy hour is great. Lots of TVs to watch games.
The waitresses are OK if you like that sort of thing, with that I mean they dress ridiculous kind of skanky, maybe they feel that they need to because they are not so bright and are not good at there jobs. They are never around, they are always talking to each other in a corner. We usually go to the bar anyway to get our drinks and we really don't want to deal with the waitresses. By the way I am a straight male.
Just don't need to deal with Jersey Shore rejects. Not my cup of tea. Laura is the only exception she is also a part time bartender.
The bartenders are cool. Angie is smart, pretty and pleasant to talk to. Laura is a very nice person knows what she is doing They have just hired a new bartender Sabrina. I've only met her twice but she is sexy, intelligent, down to earth & very funny, I think she only works Friday and Saturday day shifts. She was a pleasant surprise. Alexia is extremely fake, not good conversation, another Jersey Shore reject.
The bouncer Al on Thursday nights is a cool guy. The other bouncer Eric not so cool.
The mangers are all pretty laid back and very nice. They have just hired a new manager Bob on the weekends Saturday & Sunday day, one of the waitresses told me. I had a conversation with him and Wow, what an annoying creepy man. Bob told me that he use to be a manager there a few years back, and then rambled on about who knows what. I thought he was just a another guy hanging out playing pool, since I have seen there before playing pool. He does not seem management material, he looks like he just rolled out of bed and had an odor to him. I think he thinks he is really smart and funny but he is just obnoxious and creepy, the kind of guy who still lives in his parents basement. Warning! Do not approach Bob. Luckily I don't go there Sunday and I'll just stay away from him on Saturday afternoons.
All in all Break is great just go to the bar for your drinks and food and stay away from Bob! -
Review from courtney o.
ASTORIA, NY
2/25/2012
I had me and my boyfriends double birthday party here last night! When i called to ask them about how to go about having a party at Break, the owner spoke with me and was super nice about everything. they said they would give us 2 pool tables with free pool from 10-12 and an area sectioned off for our party!
one disappointing thing once we arrived 30 minutes prior to the party starting...the waitress that helped us at first really didn't seem like she had any idea there was a birthday party scheduled to be there that night. She was somewhat rude to us when we tried to tell her there would be more people coming then we expected and we needed a decent space...meanwhile Break was no where near crowded at all and there were plenty of tables available with large couches next to them. Once we got that situated and we requested the table and area we wanted, everything started to get a little better!
Our waitress for the night was Maro and she was AMAZING. I was so glad she was the waitress for our party. she was so quick, friendly and never gave us a hard time! i really loved her!! She even made me and my boyfriend do "the nastiest shots ever" because she said she always makes the birthday people do it when she waits on them. She was on top of it and fabulous! So request Maro if you ever plan to host a party at Break.
All in all the night went great! I think they were satisfied with the amount of business our party brought them, they ended up letting us have the 2 tables for free pool the entire night. my crowd seemed to have a great time and I'm super happy with how everything turned out! I would definitely refer anyone to have their party here since theres so much space and not far from the city! We really had a blast last night ! Thanks Break! -
Review from Kara M.
Brooklyn, NY
2/20/2012
um..so I've been here twice. The first time was a few years ago for a friends birthday. We had a good time, It was super cool because her roommate had brought a pinata, and the staff was cool enough to string it up from the ceiling. They also found a broom stick for us to use to hit said pinata. The server was attentive and they were cool about us bringing our own sweets to celebrate. I remember a male bartender being super nice.
remember...this was probably 2 years ago.
Then I went to Break again last night for a different friends birthday. There were no longer couches so we sat at a long picnic-like table. The boyfriend and I came a little later than everyone else, but as soon as we sat down the server was there offering to get us a drink, We asked her to give us a minute, and after 20 minutes or so, BF suggested we just walk to the bar, no biggie. The bartender seemed pleasant for the most part. When we got back to the table, my friends informed me to order from the server because she gets pissed when we walk up to the bar. Okay, understandable, because we are lowering her check average by not ordering from her. I get it. Sorry.
But then some of us wanted to order food...oh, server....where are you? Nowhere to be found. I look around the section...she had us, the huge table of 8-10 people and a two top...I give her some credit, maybe she has more guests over by the pool tables. eh, okay. But at least check in on us. Annoyed, my friend goes to the bar to order food, and then 20 minutes later gets reprimanded by the server for not ordering from her. Well, chippy, if you came around once and a while maybe we'd order from you. I give her another shot, and I order food from her...chicken fingers...and fries please. The fries never showed up, cool. But then again once we paid our tab, they weren't on there. So perhaps she couldn't hear me. Two item orders are difficult...
At this point I'm kind of fed up. So I go to the bar to get some water, The bar has maybe 4 people sitting at the end, Bartender leaves her conversation and comes down to greet me. Sets down a coaster, I ask her for two waters. please. I receive silence. a glare. then two waters, no straws. I say thank you. silence. She walks away. The dollar in my wallet, stays in my wallet. Yes, I usually tip for water or even a diet coke. Thanks for being a bitch.
Now, I'm done. I'm done with Break. Bye Break. Bye. Good thing I'm not a pool shark because I highly doubt I will ever step foot in this place again. My friends were all equally disgusted. A few of us played air hockey, it was to busy to play pool or ping pong. But this review isn't about the billiards or the games. It's purely about the service.
The bathrooms are also disgusting. Do people perform restroom checks in this place? doubtful. -
Review from Richard B.
Brooklyn, NY
1/25/2012 1 Check-in Here
They have a Foosball table and it works and its a one man goalie and the beers are good and the atmosphere is chill enough for grown ups.
Waitresses are a little scantily clad to rev up business I suppose, The place is on a second floor, I I think there is a Yelp free check in offer on the place too.
Bar is large and gives entire pool hall feeling of a bar not a kid's hangout. Well done. -
Review from Megahn C.
Astoria, NY
1/29/2012
Break is a perfect hang out during the week. It's relaxed, they have trivia nights on Tuesdays and the selection of beer isn't bad.
The door man is a dick who may be mute. It would be nice if he would use words instead of grunting and using sign language. -
Review from Brenden W.
Smithtown, NY
2/24/2012
It was a pretty cool place overall but there are a few things that were left to be desired. First off the service was pretty bad in general. There was a server for our table but she would only check in on us (about 8 or so) every 20 minutes some times more. When we first got there we went 30-45 minutes without our server being around to the point that I had to go up to the bar to her to order another beer. I would have no problem going up to the bar for each drink but it had been established that we were getting served.
Another one of my issues is that bothered me was there seemed to be no system to keep people from holding a pool table all night. It seemed that if you didn't grab a table before it got busy you were stuck waiting until everyone left before getting onto a table. If they are considering themselves a pool hall then people shouldn't have to wait very long to get onto a table. My friends and I felt like we shouldn't even try due to the time people were taking on tables.
Overall it was a bit uncomfortable a place because we were sitting on a picnic like table. The prices were fair considering where we were. I don't know many places where I can get a draft beer for a better price then what they had.
I think the place had potential, it can be a really cool place but I would not suggest it for any time you would expect them to be busy. They did have plenty of tvs to watch what ever sports game was on. Maybe I just caught the place on a bad night because I could see this place being a good one. -
Review from Jon R.
12/4/2011 2 Check-ins Here
I came here to celebrate my birthday and my engagement (BIRTHGAGEMENT!) after a delicious Chinese dinner in Flushing. We arrived just before 10 and there was a good amount of people there but it was not crowded. I was pretty impressed by how large the space is. They have a LOT of pool tables.
After checking in on Yelp and receiving a free hour of pool, my friends and I played some games and a very nice waitress got us drinks. The drinks were a little expensive, and on two occasions our waitress forgot our order or brought them after a long time. But again, she was very friendly and apologetic on those occasions.
Overall, we had a really fun experience!Listed in: Astoria, Represent!
-
Review from Steven S.
ASTORIA, NY
11/25/2011
I've been here a few times now with different groups of friends. Overall, it is a fun spot to have fun--pool, ping pong, Foosball and even the basketball shooting arcade game. The food is fair, nothing spectacular. But the prices for games and food are reasonable.
Most recently though I tried to go in with a friend and was told by the bouncer that we couldn't come in cause my friend was wearing sweats. Now to get technical, they were Adidas track pants with the stripe but either way sports related pants. But last time I checked this was a sports bar. It does not have a vibe as a club or a fancy restaurant... simply a sports bar with flat screen TVs, sports related games and typical bar food. The bouncer was not very friendly over it... simply dismissive. For a Friday night, it wasn't that busy... I would figure they would welcome all clientele in a sports bar. I'll pass in the future when friends come into Astoria. -
Review from Omar D.
JAMAICA, NY
2/29/2012 1 Check-in Here
I love Break Bar in Astoria, Its always a great time. The atmosphere is calm & cool, plus the waitresses are great. One waitress in particular Erine Is awesome she always makes sure me & my friends have a memorable experience.
-
Review from Jason T.
ASTORIA, NY
2/29/2012 1 Check-in Here
Okay so let's start with the establishment, its like a pool player's nirvana, full ball, ping pong, air hockey and a basketball hoop. Need I elaborate? Then the staff, so many young professionals with enthusiasim regardless of the night and an unrelenting drink list with specials. There are few times in life when you realize that you may have found what you are looking for. Realize. I suggest coming here if you want to have a good time be served by goddess' and play games among kings. If your desires are less, I digress.
-
Review from Shane O.
ASTORIA, NY
4/12/2012
This place is off the chain!! Let me give you a run down of what rules about it: a SHIT TON of cheap AND well-maintained tables (as well as a sitting/eating area), good bar food, good beer selection and prices, unbelievably friendly servers who love their regulars and newcomers equally, big TVs, sick tunes, ping pong, foosball and BIG BUCK HUNTER SAFARI. ARE YOU LISTENING OUT THERE?! Big Buck Hunter Safari. I've loved this place every time I've gone there...it's become one of my spots.
-
Review from Will D.
Astoria, NY
2/15/2012 1 Check-in Here
Good beer selection, food is eh, trivia is awesome. Tuesday night trivia is free, competitive, and always a good time. Service is hit or miss.
-
Review from Sandra A.
Brooklyn, NY
2/25/2012
Great place! My boyfriend and I had a great time and will definitely go back!
-
Review from Dewey B.
ASTORIA, NY
2/13/2012
went here for my girl's birthday. over priced, no buy backs, manager was an ass when we asked if they could play some music. Will not be back.
-
Review from Steve W.
12/20/2011
i like break. i think i saw ross gellar here once....anyone? friends fans out there? ummm i don't watch that show either. on the real tho, ross is such a loser. what did rachel green ever see in him. she's so fine. anyone see her in horrible bosses? dammmmmnnnn.
on to the real break, i came here a couple of times. the doorman here never smiles. he's always grumpy about something. and the dress code is kinda weird. you're allowed shorts, hats, sneakers, whatever. but you can't come in naked? well not naked, but sleeveless is not allowed. apparently the upper part of your arm is offensive. what is this, the middle east? where the women cover up their faces? just replace that with men and the faces with arms and you'll get my analogy.
after drawing on a fake tshirt with markers, we finally get in. they have a pretty sizable bar, very friendly bartenders (unlike the angry bouncer/doorman). its never that packed here but a good amount of people. there's alot of pool tables available and 2 ping pong tables. there's also arcades, an air hockey table and a basketball machine. pool first, i lost. i'm not asian afterall. i go to ping pong and i dominated, ripping shots after shots. i'm asian again. then i play basketball and win again, my asian card gets taken from me again. then i play air hockey and won that too. damn i'm good. but now i'm caucasian all of a sudden.
the waitress is friendly and very fast with the drinks. almost too fast. as soon as i finish my beer, a hand takes it away from my mouth and replaces it with another. damn she's fast. a quick slap on my ass and she was off to charge my credit card and give herself extra tip for touching my caucasian ass.
break is located in the middle of astoria's nightspot, full of bars and restaurants and flashing lights. good location, big place, great staff except for the bouncer who i really hope isn't reading this right now. bah humbug.
WE WERE ON A BREAK!!!!!!
p.s. i think ross gellar had a legitimate argument. who's wit me? anyone? -
Review from Rob B.
ASTORIA, NY
10/25/2011
Break is a very fun spot. The prices are reasonable and you can play pool for free during happy hour as long as you're drinking.
They have a lot of pool tables, an air hockey table, ping pong, foosball and a couple of old video game classics like Ms. Pac Man. There's also a bunch of TVs to catch the game on.
The only thing keeping this from 5 stars is the staff and service. It isn 't terrible, but most of the bartenders and servers are clearly employed for their looks, not their customer service skills. -
Review from Whitney J.
Queens, NY
9/9/2011 2 Check-ins Here
Came here on a Tuesday night with some friends. My first reaction was surprise because this place is HUGE. Tons of pool tables, all in great condition. Tons of cues of varied sizes (important when you are The Shortest, like me). Oh! and we got to play for free for a bit, which was pretty neat.
Half of us decided to play ping pong (yep, 2 ping pong tables- set apart with a screen to keep the balls in even!) and the rest of us played Trivia, which turned out to be a lot of fun. It was a little hard to hear the guy running it (big space and all that) but we had a blast and placed 3rd. Not too shabby.
Very low key place, but don't expect miracles from the bar. They don't stock bitters at all and the two bartenders on shift didn't even know how to make a side car. Stick with the beer and your Jack and Cokes -
Review from steve m.
ASTORIA, NY
11/13/2011
This place was ok...Decent place to play pool. Music was good for most of the night for a Saturday night.
Just don't buy beer by the pitcher here since they barely fill it up. Cheaper buying by the glass. -
Review from Molly F.
ASTORIA, NY
2/16/2012
Awesome for big groups. Easy to stay entertained and the drinks aren't too expensive.
do you have add? come to break. - just doing my marketing for break. thank u and u can send a check to my apt.
aka ill be there tomorrow night spending all of my paycheck. LOVE BREAK
ps tons of tv's....#linning -
Review from Tonya C.
ASTORIA, NY
1/19/2012
This is my local but if you want any kind of customer service at your pool table you need to have Maru as your waitress/bartender otherwise prepare to wait forever at the bar while the other ladies discuss their latest boyfriends or what they had for lunch. Even if they walk by, they don't ask if you need anything. Go Maru (the one with the awesome tattoos)!
Also the ping pong is great! Bathrooms are gross but really no one goes there for that...luckily. And they need to replenish their pool sticks since many of them are cracked and the tips are broken, however, it's worth it to play for free at regulation tables. I'll be back thanks to Maru.
P.S. Get on the cider order...always out of Woodchuck! -
Review from Kitty C.
Manhattan, NY
1/13/2012
Went for a friend's birthday and had a great time with my friends, but no thanks to the server.
When I arrived I asked the server if I could separate my friend's check with mine from the group, since we'd be leaving earlier, and I didn't want to get into the whole tax and tip argument you can incur with larger groups when you are a gracious tipper and feel pressured to make up for other's lack of gratuity. She was quick to agree to that and I ordered a beer.
The service was slow, and it didn't seem terribly busy, but even the 20 minutes to receive my first beer I could forgive. You never know what your server is dealing with when they are out of your site. HOWEVER, while waiting for my drink, I noticed my friend's beer had a fruit fly in it. Again- I am sympathetic, I work in the industry, fruit flies happen, no matter how diligent you are in cleaning. The kicker was when we asked for a replacement, and she returned with a water glass filled with approximately the same amount of beer that was left at the time of the insect's discovery... 6 ounces of the 12 ounce glass.
Really? No apology, no offer of a complimentary drink, not even a full replacement.... That's a little crazy. We move on, get over it, for the sake of our friend's birthday happiness.
We ordered food after the first round of birthday guests had arrived, and waited for 26 minutes for an order of chicken wings and some fingers. My other friends urged me to share their sampler platters while I was waiting, but I declined because they were cold from being out for about 20 minutes prior.
At the 20 minute mark I gave in and snagged a wing. Tasty, but as I had suspected, cold. When my order finally arrived, they were identically as cold as the platters that were ordered about an hour before and had been sitting out since arrival. I ate the first one and was hesitant to bring it up, but couldn't deal and asked the server for a fresh batch.
I wish I were lying when I said she snagged the plate off of my lap, and returned about 5 minutes later with a hot plate full of microwaved wings- complete with my first wing's bone, celery as soft and steaming as well-cooked pasta, and nuked blue cheese in a plastic portion cup on top of soggy wilted lettuce that the wings were platted on. Needless to say, I didn't eat them.
I know we're not at a fine dining level here, but that is unacceptable. I am beyond accommodating when it comes to service. Maybe it was the chef, or maybe you got weeded, but the situation was handled almost absurdly.
Will never go back. -
Review from Sam S.
Astoria, NY
1/30/2011
This place has so much potential to be great, but they play the WORST music of any bar I have ever been to. I've been here on four separate occasions and every time the music has been impossibly worse. I am not a music snob- the music here is that bad. I'm guessing the owner just plugs their ipod in and puts it on random so you have to listen his collection of sarah mclachlan and ace of base while you're trying to have a good time with your friends.
It'd also be great if they had drink specials, but the fact that you can play pool and ping pong for free more than makes up for it. It's also an awesome space.
I'll go back, but fuck, they really need to do something about the music. -
Review from Brian P.
ASTORIA, NY
8/17/2011
Good atmosphere overall. Good food and nice selection of beer. I'm rating it low because tonight I had a poor experience with a waitress. Maybe she was having a bad day but we basically didn't feel "wanted there" and it felt like she was doing us a favor for service. She was very cold. She even rolled her eyes at us when my girlfriend asked a question. I don't want to rat her out but if any Break management is reading her name is Y...
I have had many better experiences where the customer service was friendly and courteous for the most part at Break. However, not on this Wednesday night. -
Review from Tara D.
New York, NY
4/22/2011
This place was AWESOME!
I went with a couple of native Astorians (?) on Tuesday for Trivia night! Let me just say, it was FANTASTIC! It probably helped that I knew the host for Trivia night, but even if I didn't, I think I would have had a great time.
Very low key bar. People dressed in everything from jeans and t-shirts, to after work suits and ties. I definitely felt at home at this bar! It was a very comfortable, yet darkish setting with a relaxing atmosphere. The 2nd game of the Knicks vs. Celtics game was on, which also was a crowd pleaser (until they lost..)
Anyways, the only reason I took off a star, was because I decided to have the popcorn chicken. At the time, I thought it was fanastic, however, later that night, early that next morning.. my stomach was not so happy.
I will probably be back next Tuesday! See ya there! -
Review from Valerie s.
Queens, NY
1/28/2011
I have a love-hate relationship with Break. Things have kind of gone downhill in the past few months. My friends and I love the Tuesday trivia nights, and the place is super spacious. It's conveniently located for all my Astoria/Sunnyside/Jackson Heights/etc. friends. The food is decent for bar food (though I feel like the prices went up recently).
There used to be free foosball and free pool Tuesday nights (as long as you're drinking/eating). Now, foosball costs a dollar and free pool ends strictly at 9. We tend to win trivia every now and then, but now the drink tickets are only good for well cocktails (maybe it depends on the bartender, but my friends have been refused beer). Their soda taps suck. I don't drink much, so every time I order a soda, it tastes like half water.
Come to think of it, I've only been there on Tuesday nights, so I can't vouch for the weekend scene, but I'd imagine it to be sports bar-ish. There's always ESPN and Spike playing on the screens.
But you get an extra star for being a reliable hangout spot. -
Review from Robert W.
Astoria, NY
3/8/2011 2 Check-ins Here
I've been a regular at Break for about 2 years, primarily for Trivia Night on Tuesdays, and I'm sold on the place. It should be packed all the time. Are they advertising enough? Whenever I bring someone with me to Break for the first time they invariably say a) this is so cool! and b) I never knew this was here!
Break has a classy vibe. A nice lounge area, a long curvy bar, and dark wood everywhere. It's quiet enough to have a conversation. Musically I think you are subject to the bartenders' whims (is that a Pandora station?), so it's luck of the draw. There's also plenty to do here; pool, ping pong, Buck Hunter, air hockey, foosball, electronic basketball, darts and a dozen high-def screens with a DirecTV hookup. I've always had good luck getting the staff to change the channel so I could catch a game while I ate. Street Fighter tourneys on Wednesday nights? Pool tourneys on Thursdays? Get out! I think you can play pool for free before 9pm if you're ordering food or drink. Bring a date!
Drink prices are pretty competitive for Astoria. The beer menu is new and improved with stuff like Delirium Tremens, Prohibition, Celtic Ale, Sapporo and others on draft. They have bucket specials on Bud and Corona but that ain't my scene.
The food is well-prepared pub fare. Really solid wings. You have to order your fries separately nowadays, but they're good fries.
Tuesday Nights are for trivia and though the game starts later than it used to (8:30-ish) the hosting is back to being top-quality. The giveaways are the best in Astoria (first prize are 12 drink coupons), especially when you consider that it's free to play.
As a long-time regular, I know most of the staff by name. Yes, there are a lot of good-looking people working here, and they are super-helpful with getting food and drink in your hot little hands or getting that obscure soccer match on one of the big screens. Particularly on Trivia Night when they get occasionally slammed with customers all at once. We threw a surprise party for a friend here a couple months ago and everyone had a great time, largely due to the staff.
A++ can't recommend enough! -
Review from Kirsten S.
Astoria, NY
10/21/2011 2 Check-ins Here
I love this place. It is huge and has so much to do. It is great for a large group or even a more fun type of date. If you are into sports there are TVs everywhere. The owner was very compliant when I asked to put my team's game (which is not an NY team) on the TV next to the pool table I was at. All you have to do is buy a drink to play free pool. And who doesn't like Buck Hunter?? I seriously want to throw a birthday party here!
-
Review from Miriam S.
ASTORIA, NY
4/9/2011
A great place to hang out in the area.
The food is okay, nothing spectacular, but at least reasonably priced. The service could use improvement but I don't come here hoping for a wonderful dining experience.
I come here because the place is never crowded and I can come with a group and still either sit in the lounge area and grab a bite to eat or grab a pool table.
It's a very relaxing atmosphere and the space is quite big. Whenever I'm with a group of friends who are indecisive about what to do I bring them here and the night always ends happily. -
Review from Laura J.
Woodhaven, NY
12/14/2010
Beware you will so spend more than you planned too!
Besides that this place is great! Awesome pool tables, great ping pong tables and just a good-chill-ambiance.
I do wish their jukebox had a wider selection because after a while you get tired of listening to the same music over and over. -
Review from Matthew M.
New York, NY
11/12/2011 3 Check-ins Here
As a pool hall, this place ranks as one of the better ones. Although there are no happy hour specials for beer, they offer free pool until 8, as long as you keep drinking. If you feel like going out for happy hour and want to engage in an activity at the same time, I definitely suggest this spot. Fries and wings are good, not sure about the main entrees. Usual selection of beers, nothing special. Service was average, the servers aren't that friendly and seem to get annoyed if you're not spending a shitload of money. Also, you get a free hour of pool if you show the manager your check-in on yelp--just be ready to argue with the waitresses about it because they usually put up a fuss.
-
Review from Ben W.
Bellerose, NY
10/12/2011 5 Check-ins Here
I love coming to this place. pool before 9 is free if you're drinking. Ping pong is not; they need to realize that I (and probably any other Asian) would give them 5 stars if they included ping pong into happy hour. how about half price even?
I like the vibe of this place, and usually like the music, and think it's a really chill spot to sit down with friends and play some pool. downgrading to 3 stars (from 4) because of the staff. They are just not welcoming. They are way too attentive before 9pm and not attentive at all after 9 pm. It's not like "oh hellooooo, may I get you guys another drink?"; it's more like a snappy "are you getting another drink? ... and your friend? well she doesn't have a drink...". And after 9 pm you basically need to go to the bar and feel bad about interrupting your waitress's conversation to get a new pitcher. And please. please stop taking away my beer! If there's still beer in it I'm not done with it! And if we're drinking pitchers - guess what?? We still need the glasses!! No joke, I needed to request 4 new glasses in one night, and that was just for me. Also, we had a free hour of pool, as did the people next to us. Sure, we got our free hour of pool, but when we got the receipt, they charged us for the people next to us, saying that since we were together we can't both get a free hour. Well, they left like 2 hours before us and paid their own bill. The waitress should have charged THEM for it, not US. We weren't together. She didn't seem to care and said someone had to pay (for the free hour of pool). Anyway whatever. I didn't want to make a big deal since we go there often, and we gave her her 15% anyway. And I guess we were conversing with the people next to us, and they were also asian, so we were kind of together in some respect of the word... I think another reviewer used the term racist. i'm not quite there but ... hmm.
Anyway, make sure you check in on yelp. that's my useful tip of this review. and also -- don't let go of your beer. protect it. -
Review from Mike D.
12/18/2010
Something different for the area. Think Dave and Busters without the commercialism and screaming kids and you have Break. It's located on the second floor. Primarily a pool hall/bar, but also has a sprinkling of other fun games. Other games for a small cost include air hockey, ping pong, basketball, darts, foosball and a couple of arcade games. It can be a little dangerous at times. Beware of flying ping pong balls, air hockey pucks and darts!!!! My brother almost hit a guy with a dart because the dude wasn't paying attention, he nonchalantly strolled into the line of fire. They might want to relocate where the dart board is set up.
Most recently came for a birthday party and had some appetizers. Food was halfway decent. They also had a drink special when you purchase a bracelet (think it might only be for parties or groups?). All you can drink with waitress service for 3 hours with tax and tip it comes to about $40.
I'd stop in again if I want a change of pace. Did try them out a couple of years ago however for Sunday football and we walked out after 5 minutes. Wasn't much of a scene, but maybe it was under different ownership back then. There is also a lounge area with plenty of tables and seating to relax it playing games isn't your bag. -
Review from Patrick S.
ASTORIA, NY
7/7/2011
I'm gonna say this: place is 5 stars inside. 18 beers on draft, almost as many pool tables, and a ton of tvs. But, the thing is, they are so SKETCHY about their receipts. I've never been to a place that doesn't give an itemized receipt. Because of this, I have no idea how much a beer costs at Break, and it certainly seems like it varies. Went here 3 times so far, and this is why I've knocked them down some stars:
1st time: Great time, played an hour of pool, had some beers. Was a perfect experience, 5 stars.
2nd time: Went for happy hour. Had 3 beers, tab came to $15, fair paid it. My friend had 3 beers: 2 bottles, 1 draft. According to happy hour this would be $13, his tab came out to $19, and he foolishly paid for it without really thinking about it. Wasn't until after we left he realized it, but he just figured bottles were $6 and draft $7 since there was no itemized receipt.
3rd time: Went for a YELP promotion: $4 drafts and free pool during the basketball game. Talked to a manager(?) who confirmed this with us, as long as we kept drinking during the game, and made us feel really good about our experience. I had 4 beers, so tab should be $16 + tax, bill came out to $27. I asked to talk to the guy who was there earlier, but he was "gone". Said that I was told there would be free pool for the game and while drinking, bartender told me that she hadn't heard of that deal. Showed her my phone and then she said "well the game is over". But it had just ended a few minutes ago. I explained this to her and she said it would be an hour charge of $10/hr for the few minutes I spent trying to flag her down with the pool balls. Was really really mad after that experience.
So, great great great place. Best pool hall I've ever been to in NY or Boston or anywhere. But, very shady to just give someone a tab that says $26 or whatever your "total" is without itemizing. Even McDonalds itemizes my receipt. -
Review from roderick A.
Jersey City, NY
12/9/2007
Its actually now called "Break Bar and Billiards" but at least there was a listing here on the website.
I've been here a few times now and I can't get enough of it. The only obstacle is that its on the 2nd floor, and the stairs are high enough that I think I'm seeing the Dalai Lama or something.
Yes it is a pool hall, but its much more than that. Walking in, you hit the foosball table. Yes FOOSBALL, who has that nowadays? On your left are your ping pong tables. Yes PING PONG, who has that nowadays? And next to the tables is your skeeball. Yes SKEEBALL, who has....oh wait...Continuing.....
Past the skeeball is a little lounge area, where the Internet Jukebox is located. Now I know people either love or hate the jukebox in a bar. For those people who hate it, I say SOD OFF! But to those of us who love it, it's great, great, great. And not only that, but if no one's selected music, it automatically starts playing XM satellite radio.
The pool itself is great. On weekends its $10 a person, per hour I believe. During the week they have various specials, like a Ladies Night where lovely ladies can play for half price.
Did I mention the long bar at the end of the pool hall? oh no, I did not. Its a very long bar, with a shelf full of, pretty much, everything. People only ordered beers when I was there, and it was $4.00 average per bottle. And they do have your regular bar food too, so don't worry about that.
So there you go, Break Bar and Billiards. We'll leave the nine ball on for you. -
Review from Shea D.
10/4/2009 1 Check-in Here
The whole "free pool before 9pm with the purchase of a drink and/or food item" is one of the only things that could drag me out to Astoria. I've been to Break a couple of times on a Friday evening for some pool and beer, and I must say I'm impressed. I can only think of one time where it was too busy for us to get a table. Of course that happened on the coldest night of the year, so I got to run my freezing ass back to the train with teeth chattering as I grumbled and cussed out all of the patrons of Break that evening.
The beer "pints" leave a lot to be desired (aka: small), but if I only have to buy one in order to enjoy free pool in a city that charges hourly rather than the tried-and-true method of setting up your quarters? I can do that.Listed in: Astoria Appreciation (the…, Gimme a Pint!
