New York City: Pioneers Bar (November 2014)

My spouse and I spent an hour at Pioneers Bar one Saturday afternoon in late November 2014. We were staying nearly next door at the Doubletree Chelsea. Pioneers is located on West 29^th Street between 7^th and 6^th Avenues in the Midtown West/Chelsea area of Manhattan. Pioneers opened in 2012. This establishment was previously called the Comedy Bar. The bar is long and the room around it is spacious, with several televisions to watch above the bar back. Wi-Fi is complimentary; just inquire about the password. The back of the establishment contains open space with some tables, several comfortable furniture groupings, and a stage area. On the afternoon that we visited, an open-mic comedy session was taking place. (Regrettably, the comedians were not terribly funny.) Restrooms are located in the back of the space near the stage. (Check out the funny signs above the doors to the two individual one-hole unisex restrooms.) Pioneers has several games available for guests to borrow and play; they are giant oversize versions of games such as Jenga and Connect Four, in addition to several pinball machines. At each end of the U-shaped bar is a “hydration station” where patrons can help themselves to a glass of water instead of asking the bartender. A limited food menu of pizza, hot dogs, and nachos is available (which we did not try); the kitchen appears to be located in the basement. Prices were not as inexpensive as we had hoped (although some daily specials are available). One of our party drank beer (Pioneers offers 19 beers on tap, and gives you a free one on your birthday), and the other drank soft drinks served from a “gun”. We matched beer for soda round for round, and when we requested our check, we were surprised to find that we were charged per refill on the soft drinks. Granted, this bar is located in Manhattan, and granted, most bars and restaurants do not even offer fountain beverages. (Most restaurants serve soft drinks in tiny glass bottles, in which case we expect to be charged per drink.) However, this bar serves soda in plastic cups that are reused every round; the cups are not always replenished with ice, nor is a new straw provided each time. Still, Pioneers provided a mostly uncrowded spot to spend an hour on a chilly late-fall afternoon.