Common Ground

F’n closed.
The east village is falling into ruin.

Saw the happy hour deals and couldn’t wait to pop in. It’s closed. No sign, no message on the machine.

While waiting for Fat Buddha to open, we wandered into nearby Common Ground and, after a few blissful hours of laughing a boozing, I am really kicking myself for never venturing in here before! Their brunch deal is insane, the vibe is chill and the bartender is rad (Hi Allie!!!). I honestly don’t even think I can drink enough to take full advantage of their deal (any appetizer, salad, or sandwich with unlimited mimosas, bloodies or well drinks for $ 25 from noon to four!) but I can certainly try!

Not a huge fan of this place. It’s a pub with board games and old school hip-​hop which in theory sounds awesome but unfortunately did not meet my expectations. I’m not sure if it was because of the weather but on a Friday night there was only one bartender for what seemed like the entire place. She was doing a fine job but there’s only so many people she could help at a given time. Therefore, our nachos must have taken about 30 minutes to come out which is entirely too long. Also, while there are a decent number of tables, they’re all pretty small which makes eating, drinking, and gaming at the same time a surprisingly difficult task.
$ 3 drafts and $ 5 cosmos/​Martinis at happy hour is hard to beat but I’ll still be checking out the other numerous happy hours in the area for a better time.

I came here last night for the first time to meet some friends to play board games. Yes, you read that correctly. It’s a pretty standard bar in most ways, but they have a wide range of games that people actually play, which is cool.
The place is dimly lit with some cool chandeliers and pretty good music. There was plenty of space and if you move to the back there’s more comfortable seating. It has a pub feel to it. You won’t find a lot of dancing here as the crowd seems a little more «buttoned up» than a lot of other bars. They play some good jams, but they should turn the volume up a couple of notches.
There’s a wide range of boards games — chess, Jenga, Guess Who?, Scattergories, etc. People play them and it seems that some people come here specifically for them. You’ll find the games on the shelves on the right hand side, as you enter the bar. Draft and bottled beer is plentiful and the happy hour deal is great. I didn’t have any of the food, but the menu was standard for a bar and the food looked average too.
If you’re attracted to the idea of playing games or want a good happy hour deal, then I recommend spending some time here. Otherwise, it’s a pretty generic bar.

What a great place! Sure, it looks more or less like just a typical bar inside, but it’s much, much more. They feature a great, freakishly affordable Happy Hour (one that goes all day on Sunday), and they have board games and lots of lounging space to spread out and play them with your friends! Plus, also on Sundays, they feature a special where, for $ 25, you can get any menu item of your choice and all you can drink cocktails and wine! One of my favorite boozy brunches in town!
On the food side, if you’re looking for gourmet food, this is probably not your place – they just serve up good ol’ bar food (and no egg dishes for brunch so be prepared). Nevertheless, their bar food is pretty yummy! I highly recommend: (a) the pulled pork nachos (don’t freak out, but they’re the runny American cheese kind… piled high with pulled pork, guacamole, etc.. old skool BUT Billy-​dee-​licious), (b) the french bread pizza, © the cheese steak sandwich, and (d) the wings (these are extra plump and juicy)!!!
Oh, one final note about service. Hopefully, Ariel will be working when you visit this place! She is one amazing bartender/​waitress… and she will do you right!

I am honestly shocked I have not reviewed this amazing place yet.
First of all it’s amazing because my good friend Alex works there and she’s absolutely AWESOME.
Second it’s amazing because they have games — like board games. Have you ever been drunk and played Sorry?! Yeah I bet not and you know why? because you haven’t been to Common Ground.
Third — they have couches and a cozy setting, but they also have dancing and fun!
Fourth — Sports are on the tv and that’s always the best especially when my niners are playing :]
Fifth — Food and actually pretty good food at that. For a bar, who doesn’t like delicious noms
Sixth — naked photo hunt. Yup I said it, I play it with my pals… it happens and it’s awesome
There are probably many more reasons i can think of, but hopefully my top 6 has convinced you to go because it’s great.
Say Hi to my girl Al for me :]
Enjoy!

It has board games! It’s a dive bar, but a big space– in the back they have big areas for groups to sit and at the front by the bar they have tall wood tables for smaller parties. My friend and I went because we were in the mood for some games, and we played Sorry!, Jenga, and Candyland. So much fun… some of the games have missing pieces and are old, but most of them work anyway and we had a great time. It is kinda divey, but the music was good and it wasn’t overly crowded. A good time.

For the type of venue — I’m not much one for «dive» bars — I would say this place was pretty decent. I’d probably more likely give this place a three-​star rating based on personal taste, but the experience was good, so I’ve adjusted accordingly.
First off, board games with alcohol is always a plus in my book, and there was a good amount of space for everything: hanging at the bar, dancing in the back, and lounging on couches (they weren’t all sticklers for protecting the couches for «reservations» either). Drinks were a bit meh — either too light or too heavy on the alcohol depending on the pour — but I guess that wasn’t too surprising. I was really digging the 90s music playing here at the beginning of the night (Next, 112, and then some «Gettin’ Jiggy With It»!), but then it gave way to 80s and classic rock, which was my cue to leave.

We came here for brunch to celebrate a friend’s birthday. Wow, this place is truly a neighborhood gem.
It is spacious– a group of 14 people can comfortably be accommodated in the back of the restaurant. I was also surprised that this place only had two staff members managing the floor on a Sunday.
For 25 $ you get unlimited cocktails and an entrée (mostly sandwiches and light bites). Although the dish was not gourmet, it was acceptable for a group of friends having fun and playing ‘truth or dare jenga’ on a Sunday afternoon.
For anyone looking for a place to celebrate anniversaries and events without any hassle and carefree attitude, this place is perfect for you.

You can’t beat $ 3 drafts in New York City… EVER!
Common Ground is a really cool bar in Alphabet City. They have really good happy hour specials until 8PM including $ 3 drafts and $ 4 mixed drinks. The crowd that frequents the place tends to be in their 20s — 30s so you’ll find a really good mix of people.
If you’re going to Common Ground here are my suggestions:
1. Go with a group of friends. They have a sh*t load of board games to play while you’re there. Everything from Connect 4 to Monopoly is up for grabs.
2. Take advantage of the happy hour specials before 8PM.
3. Don’t be obnoxiously loud. I went with a large party recently and we were really into a game of heads up. We kept getting weird looks from other patrons whenever we were too loud. This is more of a chill spot.
4. Reserve a table in the back. Seriously, the place is HUGE! They have a rather large booth section in the back that 2 – 3 parties can reserve. If you’re not getting there early enough to grab a table then this is your best bet.
5. The minimum on cards is $ 10 so get crazy & live a little!

So I was weary when I pulled up to this pale but it is actually amazing!!! I would definitely recommend and I would return back to this place. I went here on a friday night from 530−8pm and tried their happy hour. AMAZING.
PROS
There is metered parking right out front that is 3.50/hr but fortunately it ends at 7pm! Imagine that, a meter ending that early in the city. This is definitely a plus.
The happy hour HAS GREAT PRICES. Well drafts are $ 3 and all other drinks are approximately $ 4 and shots are $ 6. I had 2 amaretto sours and a shot of fireball and my bill was 15 bucks, in the city! Happy hour ends at 8
The service was great. The waitress was very attentive and definitely tried to cater to our party. There were approximately 14 of us and she was on point with everything. Even when our reservation seats were up she moved us somewhere else to ensure we remained comfortable opposed to squeezing up front.
The food was also pretty tasty, as fat as appetizers.
The couches in the back [reserve them!] are pretty spacious and comfortable to sit in.
Music is not too loud, so it actually allows for great conversation. I was here for a networking event on 9 – 19 and it worked out pretty well.
Its great that they have games there to assist with having a fun night. Games and drinks? Perfect.
CONS
I actually have none! And I am pretty critical… the board games were old?! This place was well beyond my expectation and is definitely a favorite!

Everything looks really old and … kinda outdated. Maybe that’s just what they’re going for? But at least the drinks are pretty cheap here.
A lot of the games were missing pieces too. it was cool to come here once just to see what it was like, but I would not make this a destination.

I want to like this place, but WOW does it have issues.
I visited during happy hour to have a couple of beers and a bite. I ordered the quesedilla. It took a long time to come out. Two other orders that went in after mine came out sooner.
The bartender was extremely friendly and apologetic. I smiled and shrugged it off; things happen. The quesadilla was really good. The chicken was moist and the tortilla was grilled just right.
At 7:50, I finished my first beer. Since I still had ten minutes until happy hour ended, I decided to get another one. Despite having an empty glass in front me along with an empty plate topped with napkins AND my cash out to order that second beer, the bartender had not come over to visit me when I gave up and left at 8:03. She did manage to visit two other groups at the bar twice and take the order of a woman who came up next to me when I had been waiting over five minutes, but I apparently was undeserving of basic customer service.
I want to come back, but I am going to need some indication that management has addressed these issues.

I love Common Ground — for starters, their happy hour is until 8 and it’s $ 3 for any draft. ANYTHING. So you can get Ommegang Hop House for $ 3 — done. Food during happy hour is also 25% off, if you spend $ 25.
And they have board games, which definitely makes it one of my favorites. Nothing like $ 3 drafts ($ 2 if you want Yuengling or Miller), board games, and a semi divey kind of vibe.
I’ve gotten the guac a few times, and recently tried the hummus, and both were good. Nothing special, but hello — they have $ 3 drafts and Taboo, so it shouldn’t matter too much.
Really fun place to go with a big group (especially if you can score a couch!) — and at my most recent time there, the bartender told me that it seems to be the place to go on an OKCupid date, which makes sense since if you meet up with a bore, you can at least play Jenga to occupy your time instead of making awkward conversation. So there’s always that option for you.

Overall
— Very relaxed atmosphere — an excellent place to meet for a drink /​pre-​game before going out in the East Village. Never too loud, good drinks (bit $$$), tons of places to sit, and board games make for a relaxing, conversation focused bar. Finally, the best trivia in the East Village on Wednesday nights!
Pros
— Board Games! — If you’re like me and enjoy board games + beer, then this is the place for you. The full range of games are here: party games (‘Dirty’ Jenga, Taboo, etc.), thinking games (Chess, Trivia Pursuit), and some great, easy games (Connect 4, etc.). There are many large sitting areas and tables to play at as well.
— Friendly Service — I’ve never had to wait long for a drink here, and the bartenders and waitresses are great. They’re constantly walking around taking care of customers — you won’t find them on their phones or deep in conversation with customers.
— Trivia! — Similar to the board games, this bar holds a great trivia every Wednesday night starting at 9:00 PM. The host is funny and the questions are fun — not too tough but tough enough to make it competitive. It’s absolutely free to join and the top 3 teams each week get cash for the bar. Hint: study your geography, it comes up a lot!
— Relaxed Atmosphere — Summing up everything before, the bar is very relaxed with lots of comfy couches (not gross couches), large tables for games, book shelves for ambiance, and enough lightning to see others but dim enough to make your blind date look a little better.
Cons
— Not a dance bar — Not exactly a con, but this is not a place to come «rip shots» and «dance your ass off.» Don’t get me wrong — I love nights like that too, but this place is not the location for anything like that. The music typically ranges from the «80s rock ballad» to «90s sing along» — not exactly hardcore dance. They do have a Juke Box though, so there is always the option for you to choose that awesome ‘lil Jon song you’ve been wanting all night.

On a sunny Sunday afternoon, my Team in Training mentor and I threw a fundraising party at Common Ground. We were able to reserve the whole back section of the bar and take advantage of the excellent happy hour specials they feature, as well as a wide range of board games to drunkenly figure out!
The deals ranged from $ 5 bloody marys, which were a spicy hit amongst the group, to $ 4 draughts. I went with the $ 25 for any food item plus unlimited bloody marys, mimosas, or well liquor drinks from 1−4pm. I *definitely* got my fill.
The food was alright, typical pub fare. I had the Philly cheesesteak, which was satisfying but not necessarily worth raving about. My wife went with the warm goat cheese salad and found it not living up to the description in the menu (especially the bit where the goat cheese was warm…)
All in all this is a fantastic place to kick back for a few hours on the weekend. Especially when drunken Connect 4 and Cards Against Humanity are involved!

I think place is called Common Ground because if you come here on a first date and you find out that it is turning out horribly, you’ll always have common ground in the form of awkwardness-​reducing board games.
It seems to be a rather convivial place actually. When I was there one night. Someone was celebrating his birthday and gave cannolis and cookies to errbadeh. There’s joy and laughter and music up in this joint, but not so much that you couldn’t hold a conversation with someone. There wasn’t waiter service the week day I was there, so place your orders at the bar and wait to pick them up.
Overall, a nice laid back place to hang out with board games to act as social glue if you so desire.

Big fan of this bar.
Surprise shots. The John Daly (Arnold Palmer). The Deuce (Beer and a shot)
Great value, good prices in general.
They have board games in the back and lounge seating. If you’ve got a group of friends, you guys can play some drunken jenga or whatever game you think’ll be fun when you’re drunk

What happens when you mix an overworked 20-​something year old woman and a happy hour that offers $ 5 cosmos?
a) a very drunk woman
b) a very happy woman
c) an interesting conversation with a stranger
d) uncontrollable laughter
All of the above! DUUH
What can I say? Bishes love cosmos.
Especially when they’re $ 5.