Meron's Restaurant

Great bar if u just want to chill with some friends get some good drinks.

$4.75 for two beers? Yes, please!

Meron's is the standby bar for my circle of friends back in the 518. It's dependable, it's low-key, it has that charming small-town unpretentious air about it, and it's extremely reasonably priced.

The bar looks like something that one would find in a suburban basement. There are lots of little random knick-knacks: nesting dolls, a Red Sox banner (and here I thought that in upstate NY everyone was a Yankees fan by default--who knew?), etc. There's even a cat!

Don't expect to find Magic Hat, Saranac, or any fancy-schmancy brews here. Lawnmower beers on tap rule the roost, with the occasional "exotic" choices like Yuengling or Amstel thrown in for variety. Oh, and Plattsburgh is Labatt-town, through and through.

Meron's is also a restaurant, so that probably accounts for the homey feel of the place. There's a good sized "dining room" area with some pool tables and dartboards, if that's your thang. When my friends and I went, there were about 3 other people in the bar, all of whom were preoccupied with playing pool. Then again, it was a Tuesday night during the summer break. It's almost unheard-of to go out for a drink under such circumstances 'round those parts.However, the speakers were absolutely blaring, which I found totally unnecessary, given the dearth of patrons that night. My friends and I had a hard time keeping up a conversation over the roar of "Crash Into Me".

I'm no expert, since I went here on a weeknight during a time of year when most of the college-aged guys are out of town, but it was refreshing and relaxing to be there simply having a drink with two of my oldest friends. No meat market or skeezy patrons to be found here. However, my friends tell me that on another of their trips to Meron's, they were approached and propositioned by a scraggly fellow and his wheelchair-bound friend. Apparently I have horrible timing when it comes to planning my trips home.