Kelly’s Bar & Grill

Kelly’s bar is a real local bar and very welcoming to a group of artsy gays! We did a mini bar crawl for my friends birthday and they gave him a free shot!
The bartender is so kind and thoughtful — he really took care of us. When we were outside sitting on the ground smoking (yes, when you’re drunk and happy it’s not so bad!) he brought us chairs! He even gave us gum after he let us eat our snacks at the bar. The drinks were strong and everyone was pleasant to talk to.
Most of my group was an ex-​Philly crew and we’re all used to low-​maintenance bars where you can shoot the shit with just about everyone and we felt like we were back home! Def going back.

I went on a Monday night… I don’t know what I was expecting, but the place was empty and when I say empty I mean I was the only one in there while waiting for my friend. Bartender was nice, beer was reasonable…$ 5 bottles. Maybe I should try this place out on a weekend. There was definitely a weird vibe in there. I don’t recommend going there on a Monday at 8pm.

«Dive Bar» is a tired, often misplaced cliché these days that gets thrown around liberally. This is important to note in describing Kelly’s – as this local Astoria bar is the embodiment and finest example of the true definition of a neighborhood dive bar. The place is phenomenal and came with lofty expectations after being talked up by my friends; it did not disappoint. We came very late on a Sunday night and were greeted at the door by a wise-​cracking regular, jokingly demanding to see «license and registration» before laughing and telling us to get the hell inside.
Once we got inside, there were only four patrons besides us who were all clearly regulars. The guy who let us in continued to crack jokes and bust our balls as we ordered some Budweisers and hit the jukebox. «Who the hell plays The Kinks, Roy Orbison, and then Slayer?!» he quipped. Each person, including the bartender, made it a point to learn our names within the first couple minutes and after that, you felt like one of the group. It was literally like I walked onto the set of a movie.
To me, this joint is everything a watering hole should be, and everything that hipster bars in Brooklyn and Manhattan try to be but aren’t. It’s authentic and supremely rare; I’ve literally never been to a bar like this before and am thrilled it exists. If this bar were a person, it would be my best friend. Cold cheap Budweisers bottles, whiskey, a cast of characters, a bunch of laughs, and a great jukebox.
If you can take a joke (and fire off a few yourself) and enjoy no-​frills places where you can get to know new people, this is your spot.
Can’t wait to get back.

Fabulous Friendly Neighborhood Bar. Super bartender and great customers.

I came across Kelly bar a couple of years ago and went pretty regularly for a while but have not had a chance to go back in the last couple months. It is a no frills local bar with a 1980s kitschy feel. But thats what makes it so fun! You will always see the same locals in there (most who seem to have been going for decades). The prices are cheap and the pours are generous. And they always have good bar snacks, like cheez-​its :-). And there is a pool table! It always feels cozy and they decorate the place for any holiday that are coming up. Definitely worth a visit!

Best Dive in Astoria!

This is the real deal The jukebox is a steal — its got all the staples for a good time drinking: Crue, GnR, & tons of other great Rock n Roll bands. The bartenders are funny & nice. This bar is cheap too. I hope only cool people and locals continue coming here. I’d hate to see it over run with bratty college kids .
This place rocks!

This place was a little odd. Five of us (early 20’s) walked in on a Friday night and felt very out of place. The few people in there were friendly enough, and we had some fun on the pool table around the back, but didn’t stay past our first drink.
There’s nothing on tap, and bottles came to around $ 5 — they had Magners, Amstel Lite, Corona, that kind of thing. Definitely not a place for people in our age range though.

Today, I saw some guy taking down the Kelly’s sign and put up a sign that says «Red Owl Bar and Grill». I assume they switched owners. I will check out the Red Owl in a week or so. Now I am bummed that I never got over to Kelly’s.
UPDATE — — — —
The Red Owl signage is for exterior filming shots for Showtime’s «Nurse Jackie». I went into Kelly’s last night. Its a micro-​local time warp bar. Everyone there is very friendly its like a club. If you dont mind some, as the Irish say, «craic» then go in, but if you and your friends just want to drink alone, Kelly’s might not be best for you. I happen to enjoy good craic and I love micro-​local neighborhood places, so I really enjoy it there. $ 3.50 bottles of Bud, and they also have those little «nip» bottles for either 2 even or 2 and a quarter, I forget. Nice pours on spirits too, those run $ 5. Its a great priced place for sure. The owner, Sandra, or «sandie» as she introduced herself to me is very nice, great personality «been here for 46 years!» she proclaimed. There is a crazy bunch of characters there, very outgoing but everyone is very friendly — so there’s nothing to worry about. There is a back room with a full sized pool table. Four TV’s in the main room, two focused on horse racing, and two on college football. I get the sense that this is a betting bar as well. Horses on TV, pool game in the back, card games getting mentioned. Just a good local place. Very warm.

Every single time i come here i always meet extremely original people.