Gaf West

Great dart bar. Cool locals. Don’t get out to the west side much, but love stopping by here.

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: P
They also have darts, but they seem a bit impractical in a small bar

Great neighborhood bar! Despite all the changes in Hell’s Kitchen, this place has remained authentic.

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

GAF
NY Manhattan Hells Kitchen
7pm Sunday 5^th 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.

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.

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!

Paint-​nite event held here for valentine’s day. A small bar with reasonable prices. Not a great selection of wine. basically you get what they have left. service was okay.

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 85^th 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.

Yup, one stars. I was with my girlfriend and witnessed the literal half a second pour for our cocktails. Both of them — whishkey soda for me, vodka soda for her. Bottle slightly tilted, a splash of liquor and then the bottle got put away. I seriously thought it was a joke. We got a shot of their special («moonshine» — I use the quotations because you can’t really get actual moonshine at a bar) and cut our losses. My girlfriend was nice and tipped — but I wouldn’t have left a nickel.
And as you can see, you’ll get a lovely response from the owner if you don’t like his bar. Don’t bother telling me not to come back, it wouldn’t happen anyways :)

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!

I love this place. It instantly became my local spot. I go often to throw darts or whenever I am tired of just being cooped up in my apartment. There is always a familiar face. The staff is awesome! Pete, Pat and Chris always make me feel at home. They are very attentive. Prices are more than reasonable for the area. There are enough TVs to make yourself comfortable anywhere you sit. They dedicate one screen to league dart games with an internal camera making this the most ideal place to shoot in the city. Lets be honest after having a few and a few more its nice not having to wait when there are 4 bathrooms.
If you have never been and live in the aria you will love this place too. Trust me.

I dislike dive bars in general. *You may throw a tomato or rotten egg at me, whatever.*
But I actually do not dislike this dive bar so much. Actually, I kinda like this dive bar, which is very unusual for me.
Lots of seating here, which is great. My friends and I stumbled in, it was our last stop for the night. We planted ourselves near the TV screens so us Americans could cheer on Team USA while my Canadian friend cheered on Team Canada (we were watching the Sochi Olympics. That night we watched men’s speed skating).
I don’t like beer but whatever, I decided to drink beer. I could not decide which beer to have and asked the bartender if I could try one that seemed interesting– Shock Top, mainly because the beer tap was cute. He gave me a small sample and I decided it wasn’t that disgusting, so I ordered a glass for $ 6. One of my friends had a delicious Manhattan, apparently the bartender was good at making it. He made a little too much so gave my friend the extra. He had 1.5 glasses of Manhattans for the price of one!
Behind us, there were 3 people– 2 girls and one guy. We were guessing that the guy was going to hook up with one of the girls, and he sure did. Meanwhile, the other girl, aka the third wheel whipped out her camera and started taking photos. She then started texting frantically, probably calling her backup hookup buddy.
Then I headed to get a slice of $ 1 pizza and stumbled home.

A small bar in the middle of Hell’s Kitchen. The layout is conducive to mingling (there are tables in the middle of the bar and walkways on all four sides of tables). The drink specials are pretty good — the G&T I ordered was decently made (aka pretty strong).

3.5 stars…
Decent local pub, nothing too special about the place. There’s no food but they have a binder full of delivery places if you want to order out for food. Their happy hour is surprisingly only 5−7pm and is only a buck off drinks. What I do like about the place is that they have a couple well kept dart boards and an electronic gaming machine (i.e. photo hunt). I also like that they have a second long bar with stools to sit at. Not a bar with a bartender and drinks, just literally a platform to put your drinks, grab a stool, hang up your coat, and watch the game on one of their TVs. It’s really a very cool idea.
I rounded down as the pints are mostly $ 6, a litte more than I like to see at a low key dive like this.

Looking for a quick drink, this is the place to go. Don’t expect to get anything hear but a cheap drink. This place is not fancy at all, but you will find great bartenders and great company!

Great place to close out the night. Appreciate that they don’t serve food here.
Odd layout with a large open area right when you walk in, than a waist high divider, than the bar on the north wall. On the sides of the south (and only that I know of) entrance are a couple of odd short tables & stools. Short meaning they are only 2 feet tall. Really strange. Small place with dark red walls and a wooden floor. Very chill, but than again was empty the evenings I drank here. Darker lighting except for the spotlight that shines on the dartboard. A few hdtvs. Good rock music over the speakers.
Solid bartenders and a friendly crowd. Bar top is great, beat up, well worn wood with a perfect, large rail to rest your elbows (the best there is). Bar back is awesome, mirrors, wooden, shelves. Wobbly stools. Never made it downstairs, guessing restrooms, but there is also a coed one in the main bar.
Bartender had to ask a well-​dressed, middle-​aged gentleman that was sleeping at the bar to leave, the guy gave him some shit that he was not sleeping and a verbal confrontation started between the drunk, the bartender, & the bartender’s friends. Nothing horrible, but it would have been smarter for the bartender to shut up his friends & repeat his request to leave. Probably 3.5 stars, maybe even 4.

The bartender working on a Saturday night was extremely rude to me and my friends. We went to another bar before coming here based on solid reviews and regretted ever making the trip. When we were inquiring about the prices of a bottle or draft here, the bartender gave us an attitude. After we ordered, he asked for us to show our IDs. Unfortunately my NY State ID still had the «Under 21» on it because I’ve been too lazy to visit the DMV and renew it these past 2 years. However, it CLEARLY states my birthdate and the damned State ID expires in 2017! (No, the DMV did not send me a new one) Yet the bartender said he couldn’t take it. I tried explaining to him that this expires in 2017 and my birthday obviously indicates I’m over 21, but he just kicked us out and said «Well you can go somewhere else because there are lots of other bars in this area.»
And that is what we did. We went bar hopping because EVERYWHERE else accepted my State ID with no issues. I understand if my ID bothers him but he could have been a little more respectful about it. At least say «Sorry, I can’t accept this ID», rather than «No this ID doesn’t work» and just kick us out like that.
*I will update this review once I find time to renew my ID. 3 hours at the DMV, here I come!

Came here as one of the last stop on St. Patrick’s and gotta be honest… don’t remember much HAHA.
What I do remember is that for a dive bar/​pub, this place is pretty nice. Quite a few TVs, but it was pretty late so only Sportscenter was on. We were able to get a spot near the bar. Bartenders moved fairly fast and they were friendly with us even though we were taking so long to order since we weren’t as coherent as we could’ve been: P
I also do remember this place having too many meatheads that were doing obnoxious things. Friend told me that a lot of people were complaining about that group. Hopefully it was just a St. Pat’s drunken behavior!