Gleason’s

Basic Astoria bar, the popularity of which changes on any given night. It’s probably less busy than a lot of bars in the area, but is a good standby.
On bigger nights like Halloween or NYE, it is definitely busy. Nice amount of space in the back for dancing, with a DJ. Definitely just depends on the night whether the music is actually good, or if they’re bumping Taio Cruz. I’ve had some incredibly fun nights there, and I’ve also had some awful times there where we left bc the music was so bad/​boring.
It’s a good drive by bar to check in to and see how the mood is that night, with the option of going to a more populated bar nearby.
Staff is friendly. Never ordered food there.

So I’ve been here a few times but only at night when it’s bar time lol I honestly stopped going here at night because it was too crowded. I’m old now, I like quieter places lol So anyway– I came here on a Thursday afternoon for some lunch with a friend and we were the only two in there for quite some time– which was great! Haha! No complaints about that! Big difference from the night time that’s for sure. So I ended up ordering a drink and it was very strong, again– no complaints! You get what you pay for and I like that. Our waitress was very attentive and very sweet. I ordered some jalapeño poppers and some cheeseburger sliders. Both were really good! Prices are reasonable as well. I also love the Jackie Gleason stuff on the walls– pretty cool. They have a lot of TVs too for sporting events. Overall, the atmosphere is pretty cool in here. They also have glass doors up front that open up during the nice weather months.
I recommend!

Do not order the entrees. Or anything off the menu besides appetizers. Don’t get me wrong this place is a great place to go to have a few beers. Watch a game enjoy yourself. But the food. I’m sorry the food is not up to par at all
I ordered the Mac and cheese. And for myself… even if it’s bad. I love Mac and cheese and will eat it. Left half the bowl. Couldn’t even try to eat any more to try to be respectful. Cheese was cheap. Noodles not cooked.
I also ordered a steak sandwich. The fries were great!!! Best thing I could say. Steak was cheap as well. Asked for medium. Maybe at best medium rare? I asked to get it to go only out of respect and I’m going on a bar crawl and will eat anything.
Again. 2 stars because it’s a nice place. Awesome beer. Fun to be at. But the food. I will not be ordering again.

Solid spot for happy hour, pregame-​ing, or just a quick drink in the neighborhood. On the weekends, it’s a hit or miss. Most nights aren’t packed, but on the occasions that it does have a lot of people and the dance floor gets put to use, there’s a good mix in what the DJ plays. Old school jams as well as what’s currently on the radio makes it a good time for all! Awesome weekday happy hours ($ 4 beers on tap, ~$ ⁵⁄₆ margaritas, and sometimes they have shot specials. There is always a seat at the bar and the bartenders are super nice. One thing: DON’T come in here ordering a fancier drink (ex: old fashioned) cause they are NOT good at that! I’ve tried to order this on several occasions with several bartenders and it’s not the type of place for it. Go for simple jack and coke, vodka cranberry, and beer!

This is our go-​to neighborhood dive. Nothing fancy, but the prices are great and we enjoy their wings. Always quiet and just the right speed for a super chill night.

I watched the Super Bowl here with my friends. It’s been a while since my last time here and I used to like this place, but yesterday the service was horrible. We sat at a table next to the bar. Our waitress was unfriendly, had a bad attitude and was not attentive at all. She was very into her phone and didn’t pay attention to her tables. We couldn’t even flag her down to order something, because she sat at the end of the bar and was texting the whole time. She never checked on us, took my food order wrong, forgot to order our tower, didn’t give us silverware or napkins… And all of this wouldn’t be a that big issue if she was at least nice or attentive.
I only give 2 stars, because the food was still good (even if I didn’t get the way I wanted), and they have many tv-​s, so we could enjoy the game.
I don’t say I will never be back, but only if I can sit at the bar.
I hope for a better experience next time. I would happily change my review for a 5 star, because this place used to be so much better!

Great projection screen tv. Food is so-​so. Beer/​Drink specials are lame. Service was exceptionally good. I want this place to be 4 stars, but its just not there, yet.

Just ate the best wings in astoria. So much better than Dillingers. And you don’t have to deal with a racist owner like Dillingers.

I generally like their food and service but tonight I ordered the steak and was totally disappointed. The steak was supposed to be 14 oz. it was ¹⁄₃ steak and ²⁄₃ fat. Completely not edible and a waste of $$$.

Flat beer. Terrible Guinness dirty place. Million other places in Astoria to go to. Not coming back here!

Fair beer selection. I had the wings here a few times and they were A-​OK. This place was a lot of fun during the Playoffs/​World Series. A dive bar but not overly dive-​y. Astoria is strikingly diverse now, with people from almost every conceivable background. Broadway has the best spots.

Drinks are reasonably priced especially since when they bring the glass to your table it’s almost overflowing.
The service was good until it came time to pay for my bill.
I tried to pay with a credit card, but the credit card minimum was $ 20 and I hadn’t reached it, so I gave my waitress cash instead. She goes to settle the bill, which took longer than expected, and comes back with my «change» of $ 2 when I should have gotten $ 2.70 back. Now I’m not about to be picky over $.70, but she just handed me my change and walked away. No explanation as to why it wasn’t the full amount. Very unprofessional. I don’t think I’ll be back any time soon.

My god this place has to be the worst half assed place I’ve ever been
I went here on a Tuesday evening to watch the mets game
We sat at the bar for a good 5 –7 mins before we were even acknowledged
We both ordered a burger and a pint of Guinness
The Guinness was poured in one pour and thrown up in front of us
THIS IS A SO CALLED IRISH BAR
AND THEY CAN’T POUR GUINNESS
I should have left then but didn’t silly me
Our med-​rare burger came out like a hockey and stone cold like it had been sitting under the heat lamps for 15 mins
When I brought it to the bartenders attention she just shrugged her shoulders and walked away
Wow wonderful customers
My advice management
Train your staff
They don’t have a clue about customer service
During a mets play off game it’s probably a good idea to have two bartenders on or at least have someone behind the bar that can bartender
My advice to customers
Go to MacDonalds it’s better food and service ugh I can’t believe I said that but unfortunately it’s true

Used to come here for trivia until it started sucking.
Here for a band, and service is slow– I get it, this happens. Food was mediocre, although they tried to give it to someone else. Then while I’m halfway through my fourth beer, staff come over with two tabs to tell me my card was declined (I was paying cash, just gave the card as a placeholder). I’m still here and far from closing out, so why my card is being charged is a mystery. Hand over cash for both tabs, bartender comes back and tells me I overpaid. I explain that I’m paying the whole tab since the staff apparently do a worse job keeping track of a tab than a drunk customer. I’d rate zero stars if I could, but I can’t. This used to be one of my favorite bars in all of NYC.
…and the waitress just cleared the table of the cider my friend was still drinking.
Skill.

On a Thursday night around 11 pm at Gleason’s, my life changed.
I walked into this dive bar wondering why my friend had brought me here. There was nothing special about Gleason’s, no décor to set it apart from any other dive bar you might encounter in Astoria. There are TVs hung along the bar walls, and it’s full of bros pounding pints and cheering for their team.
«You have to get the mac and cheese,» my friend told me.
Looking at the price of the mac and cheese, a mere $ 6, I wondered if I was being fooled. Were these, perhaps, mac and cheese bites? Was this portion going to be about two forkfuls worth? Maybe they must skimp out on the cheese to be able to sell it at this price.
My friend assured me that this mac and cheese was a generous proportion, and that it is, in fact, made with seven cheeses.
It remains to be the best mac and cheese I have ever ate. And I’ve crossed paths with some pretty outrageous mac and cheeses.
If you’re hungry and want to eat something cheap and amazing in Astoria, you have to stop in and order it to believe it.

My newly minted ‘21’ year old cousin and I were walking down broadway on a late Thursday night looking for a place to sit down and have a drink. We saw gleasons and the open store front was welcoming. The bar area itself was pretty full, so we sat down and ordered some beer. We had a few rounds and then decided to order some food. We ordered the Disco fries which came with mushrooms and my cousin didn’t like mushrooms, so it would have been nice if the menu stated that. They were really good regardless. We also ordered the boneless mild wings but they came bone in and we just ignored it because we were really hungry. They were spicy but good. The bartender came over shortly after and gave us a couple rounds of free shots so that was really nice. I like the juke box they have and the app you can download from your phone — you can pick pay and play your songs right from your phone.
Overall it was a decent place, wouldn’t make it my weekly spot but definitely once in a while!

I was introduced to this place by a friend and have been coming ever since. The ambiance is very relaxed and they place great music. The bar area is large and they have room in the back with tables. I went yesterday when I was looking for a place to have dinner. I passed by and we decided to go in. Plus it was happy hour and frozen margaritas for $ 5. What?! They were speaking my language. Ha. I’ve tried their food before and it was good. We ordered margaritas, a frozen and a regular on the rocks. They both were great. Very nicely mixed. We looked at the menu and ended up picking a burger with provolone cheese and avocado with fries. It was delicious. The burger was cooked well. The burger was so flavorful and juicy. My bf liked it a lot. They served it with coleslaw and a pickle. The fries were ok, just wished they hadn’t left them too long in the fryer. We ordered another round. The bartender was very nice, friendly and attentive. This place is also great to host events. A wedding party was celebrating in the back room. Very nice. This place is great to watch sporting events. I’ve come to watch the NY Giants play and its great. They have a lot of tv screens. Check this place out.

It’s really hit or miss here & inconsistency really sucks. Their mac n cheese is bangin but only on the good days which I have yet to master. The chicken sliders are good too but don’t pay extra to add anything cuz they rarely ever honor it. Cheap shots which is always a plus, just be mindful of the inconsistently when ordering takeout or delivery.

I actually don’t mind this place. It’s a little bit divey and dark. And a little bit out of the way. But they had Coney Island watermelon wheat on tap. Came here super late a few weeks ago. They had some kind of Hispanic music going on because all I remember is Lil Stephy’s butt flash before my eyes across the dance floor and all of a sudden she was pretending to be on an episode of «Dancing with the Stars». It may have been more epic if I had joined in but I was preoccupied. Only complaints were generally with service. Maybe our waitress was a little too hell bent on getting the hell out of there and ending her shift because she both tried to snag my macaroni and cheese that I was in the middle of noshing on slowly. And also she interceded this epic «Dancing with the Stars Tango» to rudely ask if we could all pay because her shift was ending.
The mac and cheese was pretty good. Only $ 6. Not the best I’ve ever had but still great and it consists of 7 cheeses and has panko crumbs. Also, Penne as a form for holding cheese is consistently a genius idea. I tasted gruyère, I tasted parmesan, perhaps cheddar, creaminess, and I’m not sure on the rest of it all. There would be pictures but after hearing a diatribe on how awful Unilocalers are for taking photos of their food before they eat it, I just couldn’t. Also, Stephy may or may not have about 80 photos of Gleason’s mac and cheese already on Unilocal.But I’d definitely come check the place out again.
*Also, note happy hour select drafts are only $ 3 until 7pm. Regularly it is $ 6. Also, they apparently give you a free order of wings with every pitcher on Sunday. These are good things to know.

From there outside… or from the inside for bag matter, this isn’t an amazing bar. But there are a few reasons that I really dig it, despite only having been here twice… but the first time I was here did end up being for like 4 – 5 hours as my boyfriend and I made the bar counter stools our home, engaged in rather deep conversation and watched some UFC, no-​holds barred boxing and made fun of golf.
Kay, so reasons that Gleason is one of my new favorite Astoria haunts:
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+ The Mac n’ cheese here is pretty out of this world. Like seriously. I’m a Mac n’ cheese snob and I was a little afraid that a SEVEN CHEESE MAC would taste rather overdone, overwhelming and that each cheese would get lost in the shuffle. WELL NOPE, it was amazing, decadent, creamy panko-​crusted perfection. I also mixed in some tangy Tapatío hot sauce for funzies and it was even MORE delish. It’s also only $ 6 for a pretty generous serving. Gleason’s easily now makes my new favorite Mac n’ cheese in Queens… but I have to get the truffle Mac in my fave Queens winebar again just to make sure :). I hope they NEVER CHANGE THEIR RECIPE.
+ Framed photo of Jackie Gleason? AWESOMEPANTS.
+ Wings? Do it — they’re cheap, meaty-​looking and smell fantastic. Boyfriend was less than impressed with his last night, but has enjoyed then in the past. I thought they looked decent, but what do I know — I was in my Mac n’ cheese fantasyland! :D
+ Mozzarella sticks — not the worst I’ve ever had. Juicy, succulent, melted and breaded with yummy Italian seasoned breadcrumbs. Not a bad deal at all.
+ Music? Yep. All the top 40 crap you can handle packaged for you with seamless transitions by a DJ that actually mixes and isn’t just pretty play on his iPad. I do warn you, it’s a lot of craptacular music — but for dancing purposes it’s everything you need to ass shake and jazz hands your heart out all the way in the back underneath a disco ball. I love disco balls.
+ Beer selection — not amazingly unique, but having Coney Island’s «Tunnel of Love» watermelon wheat beer on tap? I’ve never seen it before out of the bars on Brooklyn’s Stillwell and Mermaid avenue strips. It’s such a delicious beer, kudos Gleason’s, kudos.
+ Bartenders — friendly, efficient and last Friday night (my first time here) we got buybacks, hooray!
+ Waitresses — I can only speak for one and to be honest, I’m tempted to remove a Unilocal star for her inappropriate attitude with our table and with my boyfriend and I in particular. We were dancing and yours truly was pretending to be on that «Dancing with the Stars» flow and she rudely interrupted us (literally put her body in between us in mid-​turn) to let us know we had to pay in 5 minutes because her shift was over. I understand her shift was over, but her overall tone, attitude and communication skills were severely lacking and just not cool. She also took 2 beers off of our table that were each about half full — NOT less than half or like one sip — each half full :-/​.
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I plan on getting Mac n’ cheese here though at least like once or twice a month, so I’ll chalk up our negative waitress experience to just being a fluke and keep things cool since this bar has so many other positive things going for it.