Bar Review: Common Ground, Manhattan

Neighborhood: Manhattan/East Village
206 Avenue A (between 12th St & 13th St)
New York, NY 10009 (212) 228-6231

Truth be told: I don’t actually remember too much of the recent Friday night I spent at this bar. I headed in after work and took an empty stool at the bar. It wasn’t very busy, but that changed as the night went on—which is pretty much to be expected for any bar in the East Village on a Friday night. My friend who lives in the neighborhood assured me that it isn’t like that every night. Since moving to the neighborhood, Common Ground has become his local spot, and from the friendly bartenders and the generous drinks they pour, I can see why.

The place was dimly lit and had a strong pub feel, though there was a large couch area in the back. My friend and unofficial spokesperson for the bar says the idea behind the space was to create a sort of bar-meets-living room space. To quote him: “Somewhere you could come in, grab a seat and a board game off the wall, and hang out without the pressure to feel like you are in a hot spot, pick up joint, or alcoholic watering hole—even though it is a touch of all those things.” The jukebox has a mix of oldies and new artists, from Johnny Cash to The Clash to ACDC to Black Eyed Peas. You could tell Jersey was representing that night from the number of times I heard Bon Jovi songs—like I said before, my friend claims this isn’t the “typical scene.” (He asked me to emphasize this as he didn’t want the presence of Jersey to scare people away….)

Common Ground has a Wednesday night trivia night and open mic on Sundays. They also serve food and have drink specials during happy hour.

Review by Gina Myers, for NYCBYME.com


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