I shoot in a Thursday night pool league, and although it's a nice place and friendly staff...something has to be done about the AIR CONDITIONING!!! I was told their air is controlled by the mall and when the mall closes, the air is turned down. That's really my only complaint, the food is decent and drinks are good. Â But I've found lately I don't order as much as I used to just because it becomes almost unbearable to stay
Review Source:My previous post didn't show up somehow but I'm trying again. My sister was enjoying herself at this hall with a friend when two people walked in to the hall and stole her I phone which was only a few feet away. It was a very bold thing to do and needless to say her day of fun was ruined. The food is good and the waitress was nice but they need to have some kind of security in place to prevent these kinds of things from happening. Â Where was security? Ive always wanted to play in this place but I now have reservations. Watch your back in this establishment!!!
Review Source:The pool is a little pricey and they are very strict about happy hour, I arrived at the bar prone to order about 6 minutes before the end of happy hour but apparently I was too late. This is a shame and blaming that on an overly strict computer system sucks by the way, if I order my beer before happy hour ends I should get happy hour prices, otherwise they should advertise that happy hour end 10 minutes before the hour.
Anyway, pool is fun (if a bit pricey) and there are plenty of TVs to watch which ever game you're interested in. The clientele is also very friendly and my husband and I like to pop up to this place for a change of scenery before dinner in the middle of the week.
Why do I go to Galaxy???  For fine cuisine and ice cold beer? For the pleasant demeanor of the doorman or the speedy service from the knowledgeable bartenders?  NO!!!!!!!!   You will not find any of that here.  What you will find are two ceiling to floor projection screens and about two dozen televisions! PPV events are shown here on a regular basis.  30 pool tables!!! Bring your own stick because the sticks here actually look like  sticks....  Branches..... Â
  It is a rough crowd here. Sundays are hectic with football fans. Don't bring your weekend warrior sports knowledge here or you will get SHUT down!!  How can you be a fan of a team and not know the team fight song?!
   The less of an impact that your team has or the importance in he betting community  denotes the location and size of the television. The first and second games will be labeled on each television so you can vie for position!..  Great place to visit but I wouldn't want to live here!!
I'm kind of a semi-regular here. Â It's convenient since I live just a 5min walk away ..... no worries about getting home after a few(or more than a few) beers. Â That said, I have a decent feel of when to go and when not to. Â This place can get pretty rambunctious at times and I'm the type of laidback bar fly that likes to relax w/out any drama or craziness. Â Also, I'm not posting this review in regards to its billiards. Â Their pool is too overpriced and the tables aren't in the best conditions for that price. Â So .... I don't bother.
First, prolly the best thing I like about Galaxy is that there are plenty of TVs at the bar. Â They're not the best crystal-clear HDTVs in the world but most of them are pretty good. Â And I do enjoy taking in two or three games at a time while chillin' to some good beer and grub. Â I tend to use the menu to only what I like. Â The burgers and wings are pretty decent .... nothing mind-blowing but still good. Â I also like their ribs. Â I get the half-rack and that entree comes w/ plenty of meat and also with plenty of fries! Â Good stuff! Â The beer selection is typical. Â Part of the reason I tend to nick-pick my patronage is that they seem to run out of my fav beers during their busier times(weekends or game days, for example). Â
The staff isn't  there to be your best friend (unless they're already your best friend, I guess).  But you treat them w/ respect and they treat you well.  They get ppl who are total @sses or act like a tool, then guess what .... they don't wanna deal w/ them and chances are they're gonna wait a bit.  Don't think I've ever seen more than one keeper serving behind the bar and that can be an issue at times.  Being a long bar, ppl at one end may feel like they're being ignored. But, like I said .... treat her/him well and they'll treat you well.  I tip well and so I always get good service whenever I'm there.
The only real drawback for me is the crowd. Â The place gets a lot of ppl who tend to be disrespectful or don't know what they're doin' or who are just plain rude, esp when dealing w/ the bartender. Â And, esp when the bar's busy and the place is jumping. Which is why I tend to go on weeknights or when I know there's no huge basketball/football game.
I'm not much of a billiards player so right off the bat, there's little margin for error. I've seen fights here pretty frequently, the last time involving the security guard. And it was way beyond keeping everything "secure", it was more like a "how dare you step to me in my place of work can't you see I'm busy" ass-whooping. This isn't a commentary on vigilante justice, but I don't think security guards need to be going after personal vendettas, however wronged they might be.
Despite this, it's not unsafe. It's like high school - fights happen but if you're not an idiot, you probably won't be involved.
Service is hit or miss. I've been there when the waitress is totally on her game, other times another waitress acts like she doesn't have any responsibility. One time I was with a big group and someone ordered SoCo and lime for everyone. The waitress brought out straight SoCo shots and a pitcher of lime juice. No words for that one. As a general rule, you don't want to even question whether or not you'll be given good service, right? It's like they flip a coin each night to decide whether they'll pay attention or not.
Once I was in here and we asked an employee to put the Redskins game on one of the bigger TVs. The Cowboys were playing at the same time, and a bunch of drunk Cowboys fans started barking, probably thinking we wanted to interrupt their game, which was currently on a big TV, even though we they could have played two games at once. I expect idiotic behavior from Cowboys fans, but I didn't expect the employee that we asked to change the channel to give in to them and shrug at us while he walked away.
If you're bored and it's not football season and/or a weekend night, you can enjoy yourself here. But if there are more than twenty customers, there's a high probability of rowdiness, bad service, or both.
I'm going to give you a fool-proof guide on how to avoid headache and heartache at Galaxy Billiards Cafe. Â Pay attention and read carefully:
1. Â Do not under any circumstance get the Chicken Tenders. Â What will happen is that you will get six chicken tenders in six completely different sizes. Â You might even get one that resembles a seasoned Ore-Ida crinkle-cut french fry. Â Plus, they're just not that desirable to get anyway.
2. Do not under any circumstance get any carrots and/or celery with your order. Â What will happen is that when these two things do come out, they both will be warm. Â The last time I checked on the menu, I did not see a cold and a warm temperature option for carrots and celery.
3. Do not under any circumstance expect your food to come out in a decent time period. Â This rule might actually coincide with rule number two, because your food might actually be stuck chillin on the warmer on the kitchen counter which would be the reason for the warmness of things that should not be warm to begin with.
4. Â It's $9 an hour to play pool per hour per person. Â My advice: you better win some games in order to suffice the pain of overpaying to play with a stick and some balls. Â Pause.
5. Beer is your best friend. Â I believe I paid $3.50 for a Bud Light bottle, which is not bad at all. Â If you don't like beer, you can try your luck with the bartender.
6. Do not be a fan of the Louisville Cardinals during NCAA March Madness. Â They'll end up breaking your heart somehow.
If you follow these six aforementioned rules, you should be in for at least a subpar experience.
If you are a poolplayer this is not the place for you. The rates are too high:
1 player = $9.00 /hr
2 players = $13.00 /hr
3 players = $15.00 /hr
I know of NO poolplayer that would pay these rates on a regular basis, and I have been playing for over 20 years.
The food is sub-standard, even for bar food.
The service is very slow.
The bathrooms are not well-kept, which is inexcusable for a place of this size and its prices.
The tables themselves are in very bad condition (stained, torn felt, bad rails etc.).
To be fair, the 27 tables are nicely spaced, which is always a plus.
Experience has taught me that when a place like this has a primary draw of bar money and sports-bar patrons, little is done to maintain the equipment. They are already making their money, and most of the people that play in these places can't spell pool, much less play it, so what do they care if the tables play poorly?
It is just another sports bar with pool tables that cares more about the money made from food/liquor than anything else.
I can only imagine what St. Patrick's Day would be like. Of course, I won't be there to find out. The place will make a ton of money from food and drink so more power to them. I am sure rent is sky-high in that location, so maybe they shouldn't invest thousands in making sure the tables are perfect when the average patron is going to rip the felt by trying to scoop the cue ball for a pathetic attempt at a jump shot!
That being said, since it is so close to my job, I would go back, but only to play with someone else who is in the area. I would not go here just to play pool.
I don't think I have ever eaten at this place but I have been here many times to watch the NCAA Tournament. I have played pool here before as well. Solid spot but I know as of March 2010, they didn't have HDTV's. Not sure if they still are HDTV-less but the last time I went they didn't.
Review Source:Galaxy is a cool place, IMO, and not ghetto at all. Maybe it's just the days I go there, but I haven't seen any fights or rowdiness. I normally shop at Tyson's Corner and would not go anywhere that I thought to be unsafe, never got that impression from Galaxy.
The drinks are very decently priced and STRONG! The food is decent bar food, but what do you expect at a bar when you're paying around $8 for something to eat. You definitely get your money's worth. This isn't "La Auberge Chez Francois", it's a bar and billiard not a 5 star french restaurant.
Pool tables are in good shape and are decently spaced.
Nothing really exciting or remarkable, but you definitely get your money's worth here; there's no doubt about that.
Ok....I'm going to make this short and sweet. I went here on a date recently. (It was a great date with a great guy....*smiling). And I had a good time at Galaxy. Their service was good and playing pool is always awesome when you win. The only thing was (which they had nothing to do with) these ugly chicks were fighting....OOOO gosh. It really messed up the vibe when I was getting my mac on...feel me? LOL...but all in all, I would go again. Good times!
Review Source:Worst time of my life,last night. Up until now i have been a regular at this dump. So I ordered drinks from the bartender named Minji. Three clear long beach teas which tasted like sour mix. When closing time came...I put my money in the check presenter and proceeded to leave. I was the only tab left open. Minji chased me out of the bar, and in front of my friends said I was fucked up...and didn't pay my tab. I was mortified.
Since when is it ok to chase down a patron, curse them out, accuse them of theft and get away with it??? I went back inside the bar and showed her where I left the money. She continued to berate me and curse me out. Telling me I was fucked up. Then proceeded to have me banned.
When is it ok to treat a patron like this? Only in a place like galaxy can a staff member curse at a patron...and treat them like Shit. I know nothing will come from this review...
But please save your money and your time...go somewhere else. Anywhere.
The atmosphere was nice, a lot of little TVs( I wouldn't recommend for a fight night) and a lot of pool tables. The service was mediocre our waitress forgot about us (I think) but we eventually got noticed by another waitress who helped us.
My first drink (Goose and cranberry) was weak and watered down, I returned it, it was remade and much better the second time around. I also noticed it had a lot of Ethiopian and Spanish folks which is kool just my observation. I had Mozzarella sticks (yum) and the bill was fairly cheap including a couple of hours of pool  :-)
I'd go again.....if I have nothing else to do
I have been going to this place for years. Here are the things that have never changed. The table service sucks. It is hit or miss with the waitresses. I wish they would train them. The worse is when they all hang out by table next to the dart boards. When you play darts they get annoyed you invaded their space, lol. The food is above average for bar food. Watching football there is great because of the atmosphere and number of TVs.
Pro tip, the bartender's will give you consistently good service. If it is just 2 or 3 of you do yourself a favor and sit at the bar.
I'm in like with this place. Â As a native Detroiter I am a fan of the Lions and consequently need a place in the DC area to catch the games. Â Hello Galaxy, located just minutes from my house. Â So, I come here regularly for the football game on Sunday and I have paid to watch the occasional MMA or boxing title fight. Â What I can say is that the food is average, the staff is friendly and you can watch your team or sport in relative comfort. Â After having said that, I have nothing negative to add, only that there's nothing spectacular about the place. Â It's a middle of the road sports bar. Some sports bars blow you away with food or an abundance of tvs. Â This place is serviceable. Â Therefore, Â I would not go out of my way to come here or highly recommend it. Â But, I would not put it down either. Â It's just average across the board.
Review Source:Horrible, awful, gross! If you come in from Ellsworth Drive, the stairwell smells like pee. Once you're actually inside, Galaxy has that awful smell the rest of the mall has. There are ZERO big screen tv's. Instead, 1992 called and dropped off 2 large projection screens and a bunch of little tvs.
The food is nasty!!! They mess up all of the standard bar food like burgers, wings, and quesadillas. You're much better off just eating at one of the fast food places outside.
It gets packed during football season with a ghetto ass crowd. Cops are always outside and have to come in often to kick someone out or break up a fight. It's impossible to get service on days like that.
You've been warned. Enter at your own risk.
I think the pool tables are top notch spaced very well and accomodating for folks! The Food is very good for a sandwich and bar oriented business! The waitstaff are friendly and nice! As the owner of a local business I am tired of seeing the negative Yelpers, This place does well in a world of rude customers and young people. They cater to the young group and do a good job with them. If you don't like the kids of today then look for a more adult spot. I own Babes Sports Bar & Grill and get upset when I hear people bash other places when they try the best they can with what they have to work with. It's insulting to see such negative Yelping knowing how tough it is to keep positive reviews in a negative area! Keep up the good work again and I hope to see you soon. Remember the old adage if you can't say anything nice then don't say it at all!
Cheers,
Ron
This place is NEVER a disappointment! Every time I leave that joint, I'm walkin' sideways.
I ordered a (ghetto-ass) Blue Motorcycle that I couldn't finish...and for those who know me, that's saying a LOT!
Charged $5 for the fight (mad about that shit, since I didn't go there for no damn fight!)...anyway, can't hold that against them :-)
IT Â justo b a place i just to go alot, its nice inside n the bathrooms r clean but the people who goes there have made it very ghetto n for some reason the bartenders seems like they not happy to serve. Â
The good thing there r alot off  tvs  to watch the games but i tell u is not my 1st pick, ITs best if u go there b in a group off friends, they mens r very low class..
Its a shame such a nice place justo b long time ago it just became very ghetto
I went there on St. Patty's Day so it might not have been the usual crowd (I'd been warned that it was very sketchy) but it seemed like your typical pool hall crowd. The space was great with nice areas for pool as well as places to sit to watch the big screen and the bar area was spacious enough. In terms of the layout, it seemed like a place I could see myself making my regular spot.
But the kudos begin and end with the space. I can't weigh in on the food/service because I heeded a warning not to eat there and we were sitting at the bar so we didn't have to deal with the waitstaff but I haven't heard much good about either.
The HUGE downside as sports bar however is that the TV's are from 1995.I liked the space enough to put up with the crappy screens/sound last night but it's hardly a place that I'd want to go to check out a big game. It'll do in a pinch because I live/work near it but that's about it.
With a little TLC and an upgrade to the 21st century, this could easily earn another star.
UPDATE: Went again last night and the food was good. Solid hot wings, my friend's Rueben was very good, and everyone was happy. Our waitress was also very good. And we were lucky to get a seat by the nice projection screen.
I'd still only bump the place up to 2.5 stars though because if I wasn't able to convince the manager to put the Syracuse game on the screen, I would have been s.o.l. since we'd have had to watch the game on the tiny, non-HD TV's.
First, people should know this place is pretty damn ghetto. 99% of downtown Silver Spring is nice, but this place caters to a crowd that results in cops coming by and handcuffing quite regularly. Honestly, most people who live here are just waiting until the liquor license gets pulled and this place dies.
Second, Babe's Sports Bar has now opened in Silver Spring which has a ton of pool tables, so there's no reason to come to Galaxy unless you're the aforementioned ghetto patron.
Third, their projector TV sucks (appears to even be standard definition).
Fourth, the pitcher special that was offered to us actually didn't exist (the waiter said something like $10 pitchers, but she was new and didn't realize it was that pitchers STARTED at $10 and that we actually were buying $15 pitchers. The a$$hole manager/owner or whoever come over offered to change the check, but was going to charge the waiter the difference for making the error. Obviously, we paid the full bill because, unlike the majority of people in this dump, we're not scum.
In sum, I didn't give this 1 star because the waiter was perfectly fine, the place wasn't as dirty as it could have been, and I don't remember the wings I ordered being overly crappy. The only purpose this place serves is to keep its patrons away from other, better bars in the area.
Absolutely loove this place & proud to know its minutes from where i live.
Anytime i have out of town company i ALWAYS bring them here to loosen up & unwind. The sports fans are enthusiastic, the price is right the wings are  exxcelllent but the service is terrible!
evrytime we have a problm with our order, we have to hunt the waitress down..& we have had diff ones & they all have done the same thing...and  they are never apologetic.
but the price of food/drinks is always soo good, the atmosphere & the large amt of tv's is why i  keep coming back for more
they really should invest in more flat screen tvs because there a re a lot of older folks there & to sit soo far away looking at a regular sized tv is not cool.
during the big games they will bring out the projector screen which is gr8
will see them superbowl sunday...cant wait!
msB
Someone just suggested this place to another yelper, and I'm like whaaa...???  I've been here twice and I've never been impressed.  I don't know if it starts with the army of youngin's blocking the door when you try to get in or the decent downstairs into the black hole of 'nothingness'.  Now to be fair, it is a huge bar, but it's got no  flair, pop anything.  It's dark, people are too far spread out and look like serial killers.  Its outdated, feels creepy, and the sound system is poor.  The pool tables are cool, but I never go w. anyone who can play...so.  I mean, checked out a game here once, service was mediocre as was the food.  Its not the worst bar I've been in but certainly by no means the best.  I wouldn't suggest this place unless you work upstairs and need a drink on the way home from the job.
Review Source:I've been a few times to watch Redskin games, most recently to watch the Skins/Eagles game. Â
POOR sound quality unless you sit around two old, outdated, dull resolutioned large screens/projectors. One screen is captioned because the sound is so bad. Plenty of other televisions through the place, but they're small, something better suited in a living room. Maybe.
Bar food: Eh...C'mon Galaxy, how hard is it to put out a good buffalo wing?
Service: Decent.
I've been here a couple times, but only mid-day saturday/sunday... weird I know.
This place is buried below the mall in a dark cave. Â The service is trashy, the specials are ALWAYS out, the pool is expensive...the pitchers can be cheap
AND if you come through the outside, you have to wade through the hooligans and drug dealers to get in... and if you come from the mall side, you have to wade through even more hooligans and drug dealers to get to the mall.... lose-lose
Perfect place for chillin, especially when it's football season!
Pros: Â great selection of beers, decent selection of bar food, good sound system with a fun internet jukebox, and dozens of t.v.s for watching whatever sports are in season---and thanks to ESPN Classics, you see games even when they're not in season. Â The bar tenders and service crew are all friendly and laid-back and help keep things running smoothly.
Cons: Â only a couple of things, sometimes the service really gets bogged down when there's a big crowd, but normally it's fine. Â They do tend to run out of certain beers before the weekend's over. Â But generally these aren't big problems.
A great place to relax after work and on the weekends!
So I've passed by Galaxy for years but never ventured in until last Friday.  (the crowds i've seen outside the door always looked suspect to me; mostly young) I was meeting a couple of friends for a pre-movie drink and meal. Kind of mad at myself for not stopping in earlier -- i dug it!. Galaxy is what i need more of instead of the typical dc club night out. It's a sports  and pool bar  with plenty of tv screens and pool tables. Lots of room and seating. It was a Friday night so it was jumping and i didnt have to wait long to grab a table. crowd was a mixture of different races and ages. foodwise- i got the popcorn shrimp -- which was WAY too bready. i usually don't get popcorn shrimp cause i know i'll be disappointed. i was, but going to give this place a few more tries before judging the food. the wings looked tasty though....my drink was  a watered down fruity concoction but i'm not a heavy drinker so not complaining. prices were good (compared to $13 at Stan's in DC for a plate of wings!!!) otherwise - i'm ready to learn to play pool and make Galaxy a regular spot!
Review Source:WONDERFUL for Sunday Football .. minus the cave feeling.
When living in SS we would come here every Sunday for football and on occasion for Fight night.
GREAT place .. lots of TVs, good food and lots of open pool tables.
The only downside .. NO windows. You completely lose track of time and forget that it is daylight outside .. very casino like.
I highly recommend this place for football and fight night; great bartenders , good prices and always a motivated sports crowd.
I have never experienced such unbelievably bad service. Â The lone bartender spent 95% of his time with his back to the bar checking his Blackberry. Â He got cleverer by the time I tried to get a second drink and set the Blackberry on the cash register so it looked like he might be doing a really complicated change calculation for the one drink he had served in the past 10 minutes. Â I almost added a star because the pool tables are good tables, but all around the service was so bad and the overall atmosphere so unpleasant I really can't recommend it, unless you hate drinking and like bad music/tv, fluorescent lighting, and a giant, empty room.
Review Source:I've come here a few times to watch college football. Â The staff is pretty friendly, especially if you're there a while. Â The food is decent. Â It's hard to mess up sandwiches and salads. Â Drinks are alright - there's nothing wrong with them but they aren't spectacular either. Â Darts are free, just give your ID as a deposit.
They have an juke box here that plays music throughout the bar. Anyone with enough change can subject you to their "unique" tastes for hours at a time.
I feel like it's not a good value for me as a non-pool player. Â If you just to hang out and watch a game there are places to do this for less. Â Often bars with larger screens, better food and drinks, and sound for the game instead of the juke box. Â This place is a resounding meh in my book - nothing wrong with it, but nothing right, either.
I went to get a pool cue. Water dripped on my head. Minus half a star.
Waitress brought us our food...and dropped a french fry on the floor. Minus half a star.
There were about 20 TVs lining the wall in the back part of the room but none of them were turned on....minus half a star.
Waiter dropped a big leaf of lettuce on the floor when picking up our finished plates....I think you know what happens next.
(Not a good start, Galaxy Billiards.)
Overview as written by The Washington Post
A cavernous new pool hall in Silver Spring  -- offers 27 gorgeous tables, 36 televisions and a great happy hour.
Happy hour is a great time to visit; from 3:30 to 7, deals include $2.50 pints and $7 pitchers of domestic beer, with imports running a little bit higher, and some discounted appetizers. Pool costs $8 an hour for one player, $12 for two, $14 for three and $15 for four. (Add a buck per hour on weekends.) Get practicing -- there are plans afoot for regular tournaments and weekly leagues.
Pool halls really are the great equalizers -- Galaxy fills a need by attracting a mix of black, white and Latino pool players and sports fans, and serves home-style empanadas alongside burgers and neon-orange "galactic wings" on its menu. (Skip the wings, but the beef empanadas are pretty tasty.) Service can be a little chaotic if generally friendly, and managers regularly cruise the room, asking how everything is going.
Atmosphere Type: Nonsmoking, Bar, Billiards Bar
. Neighborhood: Silver Spring
. Nearest Metro: Silver Spring (Red Line)
$20 door fee if televising a top Boxing Match from Pay-Per-View. Â We go all the time and the location is truly a diamond in the ruff.
The 5 best restaurants in the 2015 Denver Restaurant Week
3,607 Views | Category: Denver
The complete list of 2015 Denver Restaurant Week businesses
1,970 Views | Category: Denver
The tourists' guide to Portillos: 5 must have dishes
3,306 Views | Category: Chicago
Pho = Pronounced "fuh" not "foe" for pho-king sake
2,904 Views | Category: Denver
Indulgery selected to exhibit at Collision Conference
2,983 Views | Category: Press Releases
Not Logged In
BUSINESSES
Local Businesses
Near Me
My Favorites
SOCIAL
Blog & News
MY ACCOUNT
Login
Register
Contact Us
Add Your Business
