Common Ground Bar & Restaurant

Avenue A has so many dive bars and run of mill establishments. This place really stands out as a unique find. Even though it looks trendy and hip, it's totally chill and fun. The employees are totally cool, and the food is great. Only drawback is that it can get really crowded on the weekends and on Wed. for trivia. Oh yeah, the jukebox is amazing!!! Pros: atmosphere, employees, mixed crowd Cons: TVs with sports more

Fell into Common Ground and could only stand to remain at the bar for 1 drink-- doesn't do justice to Ave A and a far cry from a ""cool hangout."" Not sure if the previous reviews were posted by the owner and employees, but find such enthusiastic reviews of this place hard to believe. Decor is way to clean and fancy for neighborhood. board games seem to destroy the concept of a bar-- who wants to play a game of clue rather than get drunk? Well suited for the totally nerdy crowd, awkward guy behind the bar, and not worth visiting. Try ""Drop-off Service"" on next corner instead. Pros: Cold Beer? Cons: Lame Crowd more

If you frequent open mics, you know that there is alotta garbage out there. Hey, they're open mics, that's what happens. But this one is definitely a cut above the rest. The quality of musicians is extremely high, and they actually let you play more than three songs. That is not common. Out of all the open mics I've attentended there so far, there was only one sucky performer, and I only saw him once. Maybe someone cued him in on what he sounds like. The last few times there have been a bunch of solid musicians playing, and lots of original music. This is the place to hear some new and upcoming NYC musicians, as most are probably frusrated with corrupt nyc booking agents. There's no cover charge, and the Common Ground is definitely the nicest hangout in the East Village, with good drink prices and awesome food. So as you wait and muster up the courage to get ""onstage"", have a few of their famous drinks and a panini (they ROCK!). Oh, and by the way, I was informed that the ONLY bad review below was written by a bitter ex-employee, someone that was not cool enough to blend in with the incredible staff that keeps this place kickin. Go check it out for yourself... you will not be disappointed. Pros: great food, drinks, value Cons: someone putting on a crappy song on what is normally a great jukebox more

great addition to this up and coming neighborhood (the next chelsea?). nice/interesting menu with panini, which you dont normally see as bar fare (i'm sick of buffalo wings). exotic drink menu (they even have grapefruit juice in individual cans - quality!!) and great staff. i mostly go there for the board games (and to get drunk), but its a good pick-up place as well. Pros: nice TV's Cons: not hip to nascar more

Was here the other night with some friends and had a great time. The food they have is real good and the drink list is intereesting too. It's a nice change for the area and I'll bring people here again. Good mix of people. more

Not a bad place, though not great. Trivia night is fetid; avoid it because the crowd is completely lame. Otherwise, it's a good place to go on off hours as the bartenders are good and prices extremely reasonable. more

I can't believe it's taken me so long to write a review on what is my FAVORITE bar! I'm probably a bit biased, being that I live very close, and this is a very comfortable and inviting neighborhood bar. The staff is amazing. Again, I am now biased since I've proudly made friends w/ them all, but even the very first time in there I couldn't believe how friendly everyone was. The owner will sit at the bar and shoot the sh#t w/ ya, and the (attractive) bartenders will never let your glass go empty. The jukebox ROCKS! Plenty of tunes to choose from. They are now doing ""theme"" nights, like Bingo and Trivia, which is actually alot of fun. I was the first to think it would be corny, but it really isn't. Prizes are free drinks, so you can't go wrong. The interior of Common Ground is very comfortable and inviting, as I mentioned before, but also kinda fancy looking, with a big wooden bar, chandeliers and comfy couches front and rear. But don't let that fanciness fool you, cause this is definitely a place to let loose. Very laid-back and chill during the weeknights, and hoppin' on the weekends. Can get kinda crowded, but never to an annoying level. Oh.... they even have open mic night (every sunday) now! You really have to check this place out, although I fear that I have now invited all the people that DON'T know about it, which is what keeps this place so cool. Oh well. Pros: food, ambience, staff Cons: fratboys with popped collars more

Cool place for a few (or a lot of) drinks with friends. Usually has a good crowd and good looking girls. Each day has different drink specials too, good for keeping the tab within reason. They've got a couple of flat screens for games as well. Pros: Drink specials, girls more

Came across this place last Friday for my friend's birthday. Excellent place to have a party. The waitress was an angel, the food was fantastic, and this is probably the best jukebox I've seen in town. I think I found my new favorite bar. Pros: food, jukebox, flavored mojitos more

Loved the mood - classy decor - good sounds - attractive crowd - delicious paninis and salads (not expensive). This is a great place to hang out in the east village. Pros: service, atmosphere, prices more

The place looked beautiful, the atmosphere was warm and welcoming, the staff was fun and personable (and gorgeous), and the food was inexpensive and delicious. I'll definitely frequent this place. Pros: Beautiful decor, delicious food, excellent happy hour more

This is the worst place in the East Village. A total meathead kind of bar with the worst jukebox known to man. The owner still can't get it right. Pros: A few cute bartenders, Almond stuffed dates Cons: Crowd stinks, Meatheads, jocks, Frat guys more

Just tried this but don't think it worked. Was just here on Thursday night and had a great time. Great food and drinks (expertely prepared by my new favorite nyc bartender Sara...gorgeeous too) They even have bored games if sara gets busy back there and can't joke around with you. Everything was reasonably priced and the music was good too. Will be back for many Thursdays to come Pros: drinks, bartender, music more

The staff here is really great and REALLY attractive. The owner came on a little strong. He should take a day off now and then. Deceptively expensive. I've walked out of there broke and sober many a time. more

Came here on a Thursday around 10 p.m. with my girlfriend. The place was pretty empty. They do have a lot of board games to play if that's your thing although the music can get pretty loud trying to hear the other person. They have a couple of flat screens for sports viewing and they have the MLB Package. The staff is for the most part friendly. Drinks are affordable and they have numerous specials (on Thursdays, domestic bottles were $3.00). It seems to draw a mid 20 to late 20's crowd. Not a bad place. Sticks out a bit because it looks nice as opposed to all of the dives on Avenue A. Pros: Specials more

How on earth did Common Ground ever end up on Avenue A? That's got to be one of the greatest mysteries of 2006. The bar itself is nothing more than a glorified sports bar. Very clean, very new- it wouldn't be out of place in the corner of the Garden State Plaza. Not exactly your dad's Alphabet City. I stopped in on a Saturday night, and it was crowded, but not annoyingly so. We found a table off the bar, and watched as the stripped shirt crews wandered by and Bon Jovi blasted from the speakers (no joke).. two beers later, we moved on.. Cons: crowd, music more

Stopped by Wednesday night. Front of the bar was filled with about 15 people and a bit loud. But headed to the back and was able to find comfortable seating and was much more quiet. Our cocktail waitress was v. nice and attentive (rare in nyc), even the barback/bus boy was v. nice - esp. greeting us. The design is beautiful and nicely out of place for Ave. A. They also have all sorts of board games to play. The bar also didn't have the dingy smell of a bar.... It smelled clean and fresh... Not sure what they do but it adds the all the senses. This isn't my ""type"" of lounge - but I really enjoyed my experience and will come back again. Only draw back was the TVs... I understand why they have it but it really cheapens the place. Pros: Service, Decor, Cleanliness Cons: TVs, No DJ more

I went to common ground with 13+ friends for my birthday (I won't tell how old!) and it was awesome. The food was great, the atmosphere perfect, the music great. We all had a lot of fun and it was exactly what we wanted. more

First of all this is my first review and this bar was the main reason i signed up! After going there this past weekend I just had to sign up and write a review! Very friendly service and the atmosphere so much fun. It was St. Patty's day so a bit crowded but that's to be expected. Drink prices didnt kick you in the butt either. Finally I liked the menu; a break from the normal bar food that you normally see! Overal a great experiance and totally would recommend it! Pros: Friendly Atmosphere, Drink Prices not bad, Interesting Bar Food more

We only needed to wait awhile before we could find a nice table in the back. Table? Well, not exactly. It was a trunk. The waitress was a bit cold at first, seemingly beat from the rag-tag crew just leaving. She warmed up as our bill got larger. The busboy-- maybe the only one in New York whose first language is English-- was extremely friendly right from the get-go. Maybe it had something to do with my being with three attractive Japanese women and no one else. I don't know. But we enjoyed his company. The other patrons were friendly with none of the nose-in-the air you expect these days in the East Village. The music was not overpowering. The 7 glasses of Magic Hat were. --Drink Club is a roving group of NYC drinkers Pros: friendly staff, friendly patrons Cons: too crowded early more