Houston Hall

My only gripe with Houston Hall is that it can get packed quickly, which makes finding a place to sit or hearing the person next to you a bit difficult. Other than that, it’s a decent place to grab a beer after work or catch the game.

Went the first time for my cousins birthday and had a great time! Great music and atmosphere was great! On the other side; it is a beer hall and being that I’m not a the biggest beer drinker, they offer over drinks but it will cost you. Second time I went, the baseball was on and it was overly crowded.

Great space! Big open beer hall style bar, with picnic tables, quality beer and really tasty bar food. People tend to linger so it can be hard to snag a table. But overall this place is an excellent after work spot. One of my favorites south of 14^th.

This place gets 4 stars because of the ambiance. The bar food is basic and nothing to rave about.

I joined a friend and his colleagues at what one of them called a «bougie-​beer hall.» Haha. I didn’t get it at first, but then when I realized the happy hour posted is only Monday through Thursday and we were drinking $ 9 pints despite it being still early on a Friday. And yeah, I got it.
The atmosphere is what you’d imagine a beer hall to be. The tables are large with bench seating. The bar is long as well. The lighting is bright up until a certain point when they dim the lights and turn up the Janet Jackson.
All in all, this is a good spot to hang with large groups of people for some beers, preferably during the week when it’s happy hour. The bartenders are nice. I sampled a few beers during my stay. I don’t order an food, but I did eat some of my friend’s house made chips that came with his burger.
I’d come back if someone else wanted to come here.

I’m a regular patron of Houston Hall for various reasons (work-​related functions, Happy Hours or birthdays, proximity to the office). It’s a good, central spot for meeting up with big groups of people, with the trains so close. The food is decent, pretzels, bites and the like. But WHY why why why did I get charged $ 14 for a Jameson on ice? whyyyyyyyyyy
Lower your expectations and come here for beer, communal tables and frat boys. Don’t bother with anything else.

If you somehow score a table and/​or a decent space for your group, you might have a good time. But more often than not, it’s insanely crowded and loud. It’s one of those places where you feel like you’re constantly in the way, no matter where you’re standing.
The food and drinks are okay, but pretty pricey. With all the options in the area, it’s far from my first choice.

If you’re in your mid-​twenties, this is a great place to hang-​out with people your age! Good times!
Downsides: it gets super crowded, so be prepared to search for an area your group can claim.

Came for a private event so definitely had a better experience than most, but I got to see what a person would go through on a normal night.
extremely packed, german beer house with no room to move. I can’t imagine being able to order a beer without screaming, or bumping into other people.
But definitely a good place to scope in lower west if that’s your motive.

I love this place! I went here in a Wednesday night and it wasn’t crowded at all. Even though I have heard it can get really crowded on the weekends. The space is just so fun and big I ordered the big soft pretzel and it was amazing even though it was like 15 dollars! Definitely not something I would get all the time but still a really yummy treat. I would definitely come here again!

I *cannot* understand the appeal of this place. No, it’s not the worst place you could go to, but it is certainly not remotely redeeming enough to be even be considered a contender anymore, either.
What do people enjoy about it? The open spaces and high ceilings? OK, yes that’s nice, I guess. That the staff is dressed like they’re in a yodeling movie? Cool, if cosplay is your thing. The benches? They’re swell, if you can find a seat. Bet you can’t, though.
But what stands out to me time after time is insane noise levels, astonishingly rude staff, lack of seating (or standing) room, constantly getting asked to move or relocate because you’re in the way of something, prices that don’t justify the atmosphere, and the music: Let’s hone in on the music for a moment. I am not kidding, they were literally playing a Celion Dion song from their camp cafeteria-​style sound system. Wtf?
Sure this place is different than a standard sardine packed narrow bar, but everything about it is just… annoying. Don’t bother.
Ha… as I’m now looking at prior reviews I see this is a place tourists get taken to to be dazzled by the amazingness of NYC. And bedazzled they are. Consider that when you’re debating to visit this place. I’d rather get drunk in a public bathroom stall than come back to drink here.

I had no idea that this place was even here, it’s HUGE! I had no idea at this entire warehouse of a place was just sitting here on Houston! I was incredibly impressed by the sheer size of this place let alone how great of a time I had here. The beer selection is great and you can get them in giant glass mugs. The bartenders are very speedy and the food selection is great. There are long tables to sit and drink with friends at. There were lots of people when I came here and it was easy to talk here and have a great time with friends. Although it was quite crowded, there was still plenty of space to sprawl out and relax. This is the best indoor beer hall I have ever been to, such a great time. The interior design and decoration of this place reminded me of a barn or warehouse one would find in the South, so well done. I truly cannot wait to come here again.

The worst… really the worst. Packed to the gills, a standard sized beer is $ 10, they advertise bottle service (ugh), the music is so loud I was shouting to talk with someone two feet away from me and was hoarse the whole next day.
I’m too old for this crap.
Really a shame because the beer itself isn’t that bad, and the service isn’t that bad, but they are clearly catering to a demographic which I am hilariously incongruent with. It’s to the point where if anyone invites me out here again, i will a) judge them and b) try to suggest a better, cheaper, quieter place so we can, y’know, TALK.

I celebrated Halloween 2015 at Houston Hall. The tickets for the event were moderately priced at about $ 27 and included a free stein of beer (you do not get a glass, rather just a free drink at the bar). Our friends got there early and secured a table. There were plenty of long open tables and a few 6 person high cocktail style tables.
We ordered a few of their specialty beers, which were brewed exclusively by Greenpoint Brewery. I also was pleased with their food. We ordered a big doughy pretzel which came with a spicy mustard dip and a cheese and garlic dip. You need some gum after the garlic dip but it was still really good! To top it off we ordered the fried pickle spears. They were lightly fried and the breading didn’t fall off.
Houston Hall is also a great spot to watch a game. Being a die hard Mets fan I was concerned I wouldn’t be able to see the game on Halloween. Luckily, there are 2 giant screens strategically positioned for optimal viewing pleasure. The sound wasn’t on but I’m not sure if that was because it was also a Halloween party at the same time. The DJ did a great job of incorporating the game into the party too. Intermittently he would stop the mix to play «Meet the Mets» to get the crowd into the game. I also really enjoyed his mix of 90s-​2000s dance and hip hop hits intertwined with the newer Top 40 songs.
Overall, I would look into celebrating another Halloween here or coming back for another game in this wunderbar beer garden!

CRAZY PACKED at 5:30PM on a Saturday!!! Literally could not even move, it was like a complete zoo.
However, they had multiple football games playing, like 20 bartenders behind the bar, so getting a drink was actually pretty simple. A beer on tap is $ 9.50.
Others got food (the pretzel seeming like the favorite). Overall this is a really great way to spend a Saturday, the place itself is really nice, and the crowd is a mid-​20s type of crowd. So while you’ll have to yell at your friends the whole time, it’s a good spot to hang out with a big group of friends.

Houston Hall
NY Manhattan West Village
8pm Saturday 10^th October 2015
Three Stars
We stopped in for a pint. It was a huge area with plenty of people but limited bar space. I had a Dunkel which was a medium dark beer on tap. It was pretty flavorful.

Love it here. Always have, and always will.
NYC has definitely got a handful of beer gardens to choose from, but there is just something about Houston Hall that keeps me coming back.
Maybe it’s the ample amount of seating. There never seems to be an issue snagging a space to call your own here, even if you are with a large group of friends.
Maybe it’s the ginormous steins filled mouthwatering German beer. I’m partial to the dunkel which is a dark nutty ale with sweet hints of caramel.
It could also be the food menu, which has more then just your standard brats and pretzels. You can get a cheese and meat board, milk truck grilled cheese or even fried pickles. Fried pickles always win.
And of course, I’d be remiss not to mention the cheery and vibrant atmosphere. Everyone here always seems to be in a good mood, and it’s not rare to strike up a convo with the group sitting next to yours at one of the long benches. Or maybe that guy last week was just hitting on my friend, unsure.
In any case, this is a fantastic indoor beer garden, and especially hits the spot when it’s too cold to do anything but sit inside and get yo’ drank on.

The only thing that bothers me about Houston Hall (which, I understand they have little control over) is that the ceilings are so high and the place is so big, that if it’s a busy day/​night, you are SHOUTING over everyone and trying to talk. It’s odd, because this isn’t a night club, yet you feel like you can’t have a legitimate conversation without making someone deaf.
Other than that, I LOVE THIS PLACE. Big TVs, they play NFL, NCAA, hockey, Olympics (when they’re on), etc etc. Beers on tap are great, service is whatever it’s a beer hall, and unclear about the food. But what a great place to throw a party /​event with some friends, as it’s incredible spacious.

I had just taken the train in from Connecticut. And then mistakenly took the subway, at rush hour, on a Friday, through NYC. Biggest mistake EVER. After walking several blocks, after the most painful subway ride ever, through piles of snow and ice, and getting to the hotel… I needed beer pronto. Thankfully our wonderful tourguide Patch, told us to meet him at Houston Hall (pronounced HOW-​STON) for some beers. When I think beer hall, I think pretzels. I think I was more excited for the pretzels.
I got dressed in my best NYC attire, and was ready to quickly get drunk. Without even needing drinks, Houston Hall fulfilled my heart. The walls are exposed brick, some with funky /​hipster paintings of NYC, the floors are big wooden beams, the ceilings are very high, and it is one, big, large, room of fun. There are long wooden tables to sit at, as well as smaller hightop type places. The room is massive, full of fun people, ready to drink.
Even if I wasn’t in love with the atmosphere already, the pretzel (That was bigger than my face!) would have sold me. Not only was the pretzel the biggest I have ever seen, it was one of the most delicious.

*** Large venue, Known for their beer selection, Nice staff ***
I came here with a group of friends. I wasn’t that impressed by the place. It is a very large venue and was very packed. Our group ordered their whole wheat pizza (which was SO small) and a giant pretzel (see photo). The food was okay and they have a large beer selection. But, overall I wouldn’t be coming back here since it has a very early 20’s age vibe.

Incontournable, atypique, l’endroit où aller boire un verre dans le quartier.
Un vrai dépaysement!!!