Do you absolutely love drinking? But, are you the world's most competitive person?
Here's how to know if you're an extremely competitive drinker: did you excel at beer pong in college? What about flip cup?
Were you at your prime, in your most glorious moments when your Beer Olympics team was able to finish chugging before the other teams?
Then drinking at bars without competition must be extremely dull to you. Which is why you need to reinvigorate your competitive spirit with these 8 bars with games in NYC.
Get your game face on!
1. Hair of the Dog (168 Orchard Street)
Do not come to Hair of the Dog on a Friday or Saturday expecting to play games.
If you come to Hair of the Dog on a Friday or Saturday, you are lucky if you can squeeze your way in the door and squeeze your way close enough to the bar to order a drink.
But, let's say you come to Hair of the Dog on a much less crowded Monday, with a crew, grub on some buffalo chicken nachos for dinner, and then cap off your night with a friendly, competitive game of beer pong.
That sounds like an excellent idea.
2. Barcade (various NYC locations)
Obviously. Having a list of best bars with games in NYC and not including Barcade would be as blasphemous as, say, wearing an Eagles jersey to a Giants game. Or something equally as blasphemous.
Barcade focuses on classic video games like Centipede, Frogger, Asteroids, Donkey Kong, and Pac Man. If you grew up in the 80s or 90s, playing games at Barcade will be a magical transformation back to childhood, except... you'll be drinking American craft beer, and likely lots of it.
They have three NYC locations-- one in Chelsea (148 West 24th Street), one in the East Village (6 Saint Mark's Place) and the original Barcade in Williamsburg (388 Union Avenue).
If you love video games and tasty beer, and you want to combine the two for a fun night out, we would definitely recommend a visit to Barcade.
3. Pioneers (138 West 29th Street)
This is an amazing bar to bring a large group. Why, you might ask?
Well, reservations are the move for sure, but this bar is very accommodating to groups. They have amazing pinball machines, and lots of backgammon, Cards Against Humanity (the world's most fun card game), and video games.
And they also have a giant game of Jenga, and a giant game of Connect Four.
If you love board games and you've always wondered what it was like to play giant versions of these games, get to Pioneers ASAP.
They also have team karaoke on Tuesday and Wednesday nights, if you've always thought karaoke needed to get ... competitive, and a comedy open mic Saturdays at 3 p.m.
4. Bleecker Street Bar
Are you a darts aficionado? Are you so good at darts that you've been solicited by the Darts Olympics?
Well, if you said yes to the above question you're lying, because the Darts Olympics doesn't exist. The Olympic Committee just confirmed that darts won't be a part of the Olympics until at least 2024. But, you can head to the Bleecker Street Bar to practice in the meantime.
Bleecker Street Bar usually isn't that crowded on the weekends. So you might have to wait for twenty minutes tops at the dart boards. They also have a ton of pool tables in the back.
So, if you love playing pool and drinking and you're looking for a Saturday night spot, the Bleecker Street Bar is your move.
,5. Merrion (1840 2nd Avenue)
This Upper East Side gem comes equipped with some dope specials, like free buffalo wings with every pitcher of beer (besides Yuengling and PBR) and a free hamburger with the purchase of a drink.
Aside from these phenomenal additions, they also have a skee-ball game in the corner, which can make pounding beers and laughing with friends much more competitive than it otherwise would have been.
6. Full Circle Bar (318 Grand Street - Brooklyn)
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Speaking of skee-ball, if you're a skee-ball lover you should get to Full Circle Bar ASAP, since they founded the country's first skee-ball league.
Full Circle Bar has seven skee-ball lanes which cost a dollar for each game, and an extensive beer list which includes over thirty beers.
7. Brooklyn Bowl (61 Wythe Avenue - Brooklyn)
The thing about Brooklyn Bowl is that it's a bowling alley, obviously, but it contains enough peripheral activity to classify it as not just a bowling alley.
With amazing food, live music, and plenty of delicious beer options, Brooklyn Bowl is so much more than a bowling alley.
Yet, of course, it'll satisfy your competitive drive, and will still very much offer you the opportunity to kick your friends' asses in bowling.
8. Two-Bit's Retro Arcade (153 Essex Street)
If you love arcade games and you've already exhausted the majesty of Barcade, Two-Bit's Retro Arcade is for you.
It's cash only, though, so hit the ATM before you go.
This small Lower East Side vintage arcade offers classic vintage arcade games for 25 cents a play, which is probably way cheaper than a time machine would be, and definitely the next best thing.
If you're feeling nostalgic for Fight Champ, Paperboy, Ms. Pac Man, Street Fighter, and more than twenty other arcade games from the 80s and 90s, plus you want to drink wine, sake, and craft beers, this should definitely be your next weekend hangout.
If that wasn't good enough, movies are projected onto their back wall, and hot dogs and pizza are also for sale here.
Check out Top 10 Places to Act Just Like a Worry-Free Kid Again in NYC.
[Feature Image Courtesy: Gothamist]