New Neighborhood Haunt Shows Promise in Pouring

In the never-ending rivalry between Columbia and NYU, our downtown adversary usually has the edge when it comes to neighborhood bars. But Morningside Heights is about to see a new sports bar—the doppelganger of a successful East Village student hangout—that might slightly diminish NYU’s nightlife advantage. As of Oct. 1, the Village Pourhouse will open on Amsterdam Avenue between 108th and 109th streets and will bring with it bookable party spaces, an impressive roster of bottled and draught beers, and 19 televisions broadcasting every sports channel available in the United States.

The owners of the original Village Pourhouse on Third Avenue and 11th Street, which opened in August of 2006, have long been interested in opening an uptown location and decided to take advantage of the space formerly occupied by Mona and Roadhouse, especially because of the site’s proximity to a certain uptown university. “I don’t think we would have come up here if Columbia wasn’t there,” says David Freeberg, who will manage the Morningside Heights location jointly with Matt Worley.

But coming to Morningside Heights proved more difficult than Freeberg and Worley had expected. The bar’s upstairs neighbors, skeptical after having experienced excessive noise, lax security, drug use, and underage drinking under the previous tenants, “dragged their feet” on the bar’s opening, according to Worley. Knocking down walls, reconstructing the space, and installing air conditioning also took longer than anticipated and contributed to the managers’ decision to push back the bar’s opening date from June to September. Now that construction and decoration have been completed, the Village Pourhouse possesses a rough wooden facade and a dark, minimalist interior.

Freeberg said that the Village Pourhouse will operate on a “grander scale” than other Morningside Heights drinking establishments, and its layout, which closely hews to that of the original downtown location, reflects the managers’ intention to impress. Two bars—a front room infused with a classic rock soundtrack and a “Red Light” room for lounging and dancing—will offer divergent vibes for clients’ varied moods. Patrons can also book two party spaces and take advantage of staff party planners at no fee. The first nook, dubbed “The Dugout,” accommodates 15 to 20 people. The second, which will be known either as the “Vegas Room” or the “Skybox” (“We might vote one night,” mused Freeberg), houses up to 30 people and is equipped for access to private kegs, available for purchase for $300 to $400.

For those who prefer their beers in smaller quantities, the Village Pourhouse will offer 23 draught selections and 75 to 80 bottled varieties from around the world. Prices range from $2 for Natural Ice, an American lager, to $13 for Saigon Pale, a Belgian pale ale. During happy hour, weekdays from noon to 5 p.m., Bud Lights go for $1 per drink (with that price doubling from 5 to 7 p.m.). Though the kitchen won’t open for at least a week after the bar has begun serving drinks, the Pourhouse will also eventually offer American fare until 2 a.m. every night and will even deliver from 96th to 125th streets on the West Side.

Some Columbia students, who have been disappointed by neighborhood bars in the past, are greeting the arrival of the Pourhouse cautiously. “I’m withholding judgment until I find out it’s not another overpriced, overcrowded bar with overloud music with underage students,” said Gilad Edelman, CC ’09. (Edelman later confessed that he himself is underage.)

Freeberg and Worley, for their part, claim that they will do everything they can to prevent underage drinking at the Pourhouse. “It will be extremely strict at the door,” said Freeberg, who plans to employ three licensed security guards each night. When the Pourhouse recently opened for a single evening to host a party for the launch of Columbia student-penned guidebook Inside New York, the guards turned away 100 people with fake IDs, estimated Freeberg.

Freeberg sympathizes with the plight of the underage drinker. “I did everything I could when I was 19, 20 years old to get into a bar—I understand,” he said.
Still, the managers are committed to steering clear of trouble. “It’s the law,” said Worley. “It’s not our fault.” Freeberg added that, compared to smaller bars, the Pourhouse is less likely to get away with allowing underage drinking.

But Freeberg and Worley want to provide a relaxed, enjoyable environment open to all those 21 and over. “We’re not trying to be beer snobs by any means, at all,” said Freeberg. “I mean, we’re a sports bar that does food. We like to have a good time. We want the environment to be fun.”