Connolly’s Bar

Always a good time at Connolly’s, been going there for Rockaway summers my whole life. Relaxed, neighborhood fun.

4.5 stars…
Less than a block from the beach and just a few blocks from both the Cross Bay Bridge and the Beach 98^th St A/​S train stops is one of Rockaways most well known business, Connolly’s Bar. Despite it’s popularity in the last few years it remains a local-​centric dive bar with plenty of charm. They don’t serve food but don’t mind bringing in your own from my knowledge. Unfortunately their only outdoor space is a few benches in the front but if you’re in the area I’m sure you’re getting enough beach time in to satisfy your need for being outside. Though they do have a full bar their claim to fame is their frozen pina coladas. I almost never get frozen drinks because I find them to be either too sugary or too weak but I had to try theirs. The piña colada comes in a simple small styrofoam cup topped with a maraschino cherry. It was by far the best frozen drink I’ve ever had. It was velvety smooth, properly strong without being overpowering and with the perfect piña colada flavor without being too sweet. They really nailed the recipe. Because it comes in the unmarked styrofoam cup you can certainly order the drink to go and bring it to the beach if getting out of the sun isn’t what you’re after. You can even get a growler filled with it if you want but I’m not sure why you’d want that when it’s just going to melt and you’ll lose the amazing texture. It’s been awhile since I’ve been here so I forget the price of it but it was definitely reasonable. They do have another boozy frozen drink available, when I was here it was a frozen pink lemonade. I got a small sample of it and the texture was more icy and just wasn’t as impressive as the piña colada. If you’re hanging out in the Rockaways and don’t stop by for one of these drinks you’re really doing yourself a disservice.

A bar I can walk into with only a bikini and t-​shirt and take a frozen piña colada to go?
Five please! And I’ll take a shot of Jamseson too :)
The rest of the reviews pretty much sum this joint up.

The piña coladas here are wonderful however that is about the only good thing about this place. The people who attend this bar are some of the rudest and despicable people. We live around the corner from this place and the people get so drunk here that they scream, yell, and pee everywhere, including our parking lot, at all times of the night ! Beyond disgraceful.

Can be a bit loud and dark inside but you can bring your drinks outside to sit on the patio area for some fresh air and ocean breeze. Check out the frozen piña coladas on tap– definitely worth it! Darts are free. Cool pics on the walls. $ 3 empañadas, who can go wrong?! CASH ONLY!

I am here with my two friends Mary and Clara. We waited forever for the piña colodas. People were getting served way before we did and we were here first. When I asked for our the bartender the bitch that she is have me attitude. Very dissatisfied. After 20 minutes of waiting for the drinks. I must say. The piña colodas are no joke.

Two words: frat party.

A great place to grab some drinks at Rockaway beach. The pours were heavy and swift. Prices good. The bartenders were very friendly and knowledgeable. The crowd was lively. Will definitely go back!

I love the music and atmosphere, especially after a day at the beach! Piña coladas are amazing just like fox 5 said

Frozen piña colada is the reason to go here. I went four years ago with a buddy, had a couple with the additional rum on top, and remembered it fondly ever since. Had a chance to revisit today and they are still great — with a cherry on top — and there’s no better way to cap a hot day at the beach. Six bucks each, plus one for the extra shot on top, barely gets you a coffee in Manhattan. Bonus: have a couple of these and the interminably long train back to the city may go by a little faster!

Going to Connolly’s after a day at the beach is pretty much summer in a nutshell… or perhaps a seashell is more fitting, but then again this is Rockaway we’re talking about here so seashells ain’t exactly in abundance nowadays but that’s neither here nor there because holy shit are those frozen pina coladas and pink lemonades delightful.
Like, extremely fuckin’ delightful.

frozen piña colada, with a floater on top. x3 (or 4… or 5).
grab some lids if you can find em, and employ a buddy to carry extras. walk to beach of choice (86 i’m lookin’ atchu).
plop yourself down in the sun, in the sand. get toasted.
you’re welcome.

After a hot, sunny Memorial Day afternoon on the beach, the frozen pina coladas at Connolly’s hit the spot like no drink has ever hit the spot before.
All the seats on the outside porch area were taken (by what seemed like long-​time regulars) so my crew and I posted up inside by the bar. It was pretty dark in there and we definitely would have preferred to sit outside if that had been an option, but the vibe was laid back and the $ 6 pina coladas were perfect, so we really didn’t mind.
Will absolutely return next time I’m at Rockaway Beach!

We came here early, two days in a row. I’m a sucker for a dark, empty bar, and when you add in pina coladas, there ain’t nothing better. Plus, the staff is clearly having a good time messing about, and I dig that, too.

Ditto to what everyone else has said. Great bar, great vibe, very cool bartender… yo, AND amazing pina coladas…

Cash
Only,
Fun, strange crowd
For Irish pub
Pumping out frozen piña coladas.

Great Beer Selection, The Pina Colada was great…
Service by Bartenders Were Excellent…
Cant Wait to go Again…

I’d give my left arm for a frozen pink lemonade with a floater. + Jeff and KerryAnn are the nicest people you’ll ever meet!

This place is like stepping into another world, a world filled with nice people. With bartenders who are happy to see you and with pina coladas so delicious that you can almost feel the sand beneath your feet and hear the sounds of the ocean. OK, you probably do since the beach is a couple of blocks away, but what I’m trying to get at is that this place definitely does NOT feel anything like the chaos of the city. I love this place. I love to just stare at all the old photographs on the walls of Rockaway people back in the day. I almost want to move to Rockaway just because I never feel like leaving this bar every time I stop by. I can’t rave enough about this spot. I just hope the city crowd doesn’t end up spoiling this awesome bar.

This is one of the first ‘bars’ in New York that really reminded me of New Orleans, both in body and spirit. Yes, there are bars that sell hand grenades and hurricanes, and yes there are bars that have bestrewn themselves with certain Louisiana ephemera, but that’s not New Orleans.
Connolly’s is about as unpretentious as is possible for a business. You’re in the basement or on the porch of someone’s house. The prices match, as you’re rarely paying more than $ 5 for a drink.
After getting ridiculously sunburnt at Rockaway, nothing will help more than a piña colada from a styrofoam cup. Aloe vera? Get away from me with that pagan witchcraft (please note the t. I’m not referencing that damn expensive sandwich stand by the semi famous bald guy).