Gaf West
“Not a huge place, but it's got 2 dart boards, great tap beers and a great crowd.”
“The bartenders, Pete and Pat, are great and you'll never find yourself jumping around to get their attention for a drink.”
“Friendly, small bar with a local vibe.”
Gaf West
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Happy Hour: Yes
Has TV: Yes
Has Pool Table: Yes
Price range.
$ Price range Under $10
8 reviews
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GAF
NY Manhattan Hells Kitchen
7pm Sunday 5th July 2015
Five Stars
We came here to watch Women World Cup between USA and Japan. If you thought soccer was boring and that you could missed the first 15 minutes, you were absoultely wrong. The place exploded with the first, second, and third goals by Carly Lloyd. The bartender was really into the game which created an atmosphere of pure excitement. He even inspired some friendly rivalry with a cute Japanese couple.
This place has happy hour bud-lights for $3 between 4-7 everyday.
They don't serve food but you bring whatever you want in here. We decided on a decent Mexican up a block away.
The gaf is one of our friend's go-tos so anytime we are out with him, we usually end up at the Gaf. It's got a divey feel without being grimmy– you know what I'm talking about. Bartenders are pretty fast and good at handling bigger crowds. Prices are fair for a bar in the area. Downstairs they let you get a little more rowdy with beer pong. It's kinda weird going down there the first time– you feel like you're being taken to the basement and the stairs can be treacherous- especially after several rounds of beer pong. But the bathrooms are down there too so hold on to that railing!
Edit: Definitely thought I would add the thoughtful feedback I got from this place! A personal message now less –
"Hi Jesy,
Normally I like to reach out to people who review The Gaf and say thank you for the input, good or bad. In this instance, I can't bring myself to do that. Your review is not only inaccurate, but blasphemous to the way we do business. I'm sure I don't need to say it, but don't ever step foot in my bar again. Live your miserable miserable life and good luck with your obvious drinking problem, you total loser.
Cheers"
And how! Super touched they took the time to reach out to me!
**************
Sometimes reviews need a very simple explanation and this place hits the spot. The bartender gave us half second pours for our drinks. As in .5 seconds. For $8. In front of our faces. Pass!
One night, I played darts here with Jason Ritter, and I didn't even realize it was him because I was too focused on trying not to SPAZ too much as I played darts. My beau quite the darts master. I felt I had something to prove. We were playing two on two, and Jason's lady friend Sara ended up beating us with a bullseye.
*sigh*
Maybe we'll have a rematch…SOMEDAY…
Regardless, this is a cute place! The beau wanted to play a few rounds of darts after seeing a showing of "A Queen for a Day" a few blocks down, and I wanted a drink. Well, well, well, The Gaf definitely filled both of those voids for us. Small, but spacious enough. The TVs were blaring various sports games in all corners, with one group of people screaming when the Rangers won while the other cheered another RBI by the Yankees. Decent beer and drink menu; I was pretty stoked to see bottles of Crispin, and I was content to steal sips of his Glenlivet and cranberry vodkas. There are two corners to play darts in; one near the rear, closer to the bar, and those kids were just two rowdy. The darts area by the front door is much quieter, much nicer. No wonder Jason picked it! (Haaaa.)
I'm likin' it, indeed. I'd certainly add it to my roster of Hell's Kitchen bars to visit.
Happy hour wasn't happy! Only 2 beers on happy hour. No wonder it was empty! Bartender wasn't too happy we were there either. Disappointed
Some of my fondest memories of living in NYC were made at the Gaf — albeit the Gaf East, albeit at the old Gaf East on 85th Street that no longer exists. But there was always a connection to the Gaf West, in part because I had friends who lived nearby in Hell's Kitchen, and in part because of guys like Brian, Johnny, and Killian who often worked both locations over the span of many years.
The Gaf is your classic local bar. It means "home" in Irish slang. And although I never felt that the Gaf West had close to the same charm as the original Gaf East bar, you still knew you were in a special place, helmed by special people, and surrounded by strangers that you always felt were friends.
I stopped back in for the first time in many years the other night. Unfortunately, Brian was no longer working this location, Johnny had moved back to Ireland, and Killian apparently moved to Oklahoma. I was reminded that Emer, my favorite local Gaf inebriate from back in the day, had sadly passed away long ago. And no one knows what ever happened to Jason, the friendliest scary bouncer you could ever meet. The faces all around me, including the one behind the bar, were all strangers. Yet with a single round of Jameson shots to toast the coming new year, I was suddenly surrounded by friends in the serenity of my home. That's what makes the Gaf so special.
So happy to see that a local mainstay can still survive through the tsunami of change that is currently taking place in Hell's Kitchen.
The exact definition of 5 stars "As good as it gets." This bar is a 5 minute walk from the Theater District, where you can avoid $19 cocktails and thousands of doe-eyed tourists. It is a divey bar, but it is intimate and you can easily carve out your own space to chat and put back a couple drinks before a show.
I came here for drinks on a Friday
I think this is one of my favorites bars in Manhattan. Cool vibe, good prices and strangely enough it wasn't ridiculously crowded.
I was completely mesmerized by the people playing the shooting game next to me 😛
They also have darts, but they seem a bit impractical in a small bar