This is an old school gin mill, maybe 40 years plus and things have not change much. It is a shot and beer joint. Whiskey, bud bottle, half liter liquor bottles for service, etc. etc. Order a martini get a look. Order a frozen drink you go to the backroom and disappear.
In recent weeks I have been here a couple of times for various reasons. I thought a bottle of Bud at  $4 was a little high for this neighborhood and for afternoon pricing. The place has great potential with a good cleaning. While I do like a Dive Bar atmosphere, it had to much of The Bowery feel of years past, before gentrification.
I guess if I lived in the area, I would stop by. It is right off the 238 Street stop on the number 1 line. It is a solid bar, but may not appeal to everyone. Irish Bartenders, lottery machine, pool table, darts.
Overall, The Punch Bowl has stood the test of time. Maybe the Owner owns the building. Who knows. The bar is a bar of convenience. It is ideally located with a ton of regulars, but time will see that clientele vanish. The Punch Bowl serves it's purpose, but I would like to see the shine put back on. We can keep that gin mill charm just add some new world comforts: HD TV, craft beer, wifi, credit cards, etc. etc.
I want to preface this -- this is a DIVE bar and as such, it really deserves 3 stars. But if you were to compare this to a regular joint, i wouldn't even give it a one.
As you enter, the room is filled with smoke, cigarette smoke. The bar is along the left side. On the right, there's a Karaoke machine with a hostess. You make your requests and you can belch all you want when its your turn. Some of them were really good. Towards the back there are some pool tables. One of the main reasons people come here is because you can do whatever you want and no one gives a crap, ie. smoking -- anything. lol. And also, because the drinks are super cheap. Their clientele as far as i can see, are younger or older -- not many in between.
I was there for about 40 minutes or so and stunk of cigs. I doubt that I would come back again but for what it is, not bad at all.
Definitely a dive bar but has both karoeke nights as well as open-jam sessions, so that's a plus.  My sister and I love this place when we are just looking to have a drink and play lotto.  Dark' lighting, give it a shot if you're in the area and need a cheap drink  ( but don't expect a lot of variety in beer ).  Downside they don't serve any food but you can bring it from outside.
Review Source:Went for the Karaoke, found reasonable drink prices, came back again only to discover that somewhere around 1am, it turns into a smoking bar (at least on Friday nights)... Despite the no smoking sign up in the corner (small one), about half the bar lit up past midnight...
If you don't mind the smoke, it's a great bar, but I just can't stand it...
I went looking for a dive bar one night ... and boy, did I find one. Â It's RIGHT off the subway, which is nice. Â And I've never seen it crowded. Â The bartenders are always nice and there's usually an older crowd having a good time. Â Last time I walked in, everyone in the place was engrossed in The Edge of Darkness, which was playing on one of the bar TVs. Â If this place wasn't exactly what I was looking, it wouldn't have received 5 stars.
Review Source:I LOOOOVE Punch Bowl! My husband and I are fans of local bars and this one is perfect! There's a nice dark, wooden, low-key feel to this place, and the locals are really nice. The prices are very reasonable, there are specials sometimes, the bartenders are all irish as far as i can tell, and are very friendly. This place gets karaoke nights on the weekend, has an internet jukebox, and has that QuickPick Keno-type lottery that runs every 3 minutes on the TV (my personal gambling fix!). If you're looking for a casual, sometimes iffy/crazy fun atmosphere, go here! It's right off the 1 train and a couple of different bus lines. It's better than supporting a chain- support your local Irish pub!
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