Fat Cat Billiards

(212) 675-6056

75 Christopher St (nr. Seventh Ave.)
New York, NY 10014 40.733539 -74.003286

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Neighborhoods: West Village, Downtown

FATCATMUSIC.ORG

Hours:

Monday To Thursday From 02:00 PM To 05:00 AM Friday To Saturday From 12:00 PM To 05:00 AM

Last updated 10.17.11

Category:

Billiards & Pool Halls, Bars & Clubs, Neighborhood Bars, Bars & Pubs, Dive Bars, Billiards Bars

Payment Methods:

American Express, Visa, Discover, MasterCard

Billiard & Pool Hall Special Features:

Live Music

Bar & Club Type of Music:

Jazz, Blues, Rock & Pop

Bar & Club Special Features:

Beer & Wine Only, Live Music

Smoking Permitted:

No

What People Are Saying About Fat Cat Billiards

Featured Review

Contributor

Contributor

In Short – This is the sort of pool hall that fables are made of--cheap and gritty and cool. There's a communal feel in the low-ceilinged, well-worn basement, in the spacious sprawl of 10 pool tables, 10 pingpong tables, 3 shuffle board tables and scattered chess and Scrabble players. Low-key locals and practicing sharks down $3 Pabst and other bargain-priced brews, closing the night with jazz on rows of comfy couches in the offshoot performance room.

Editor's Tips

Save Money:
Pay only $10 per person to play the first four open hours of each day.
Save Time:
Need to hop on the Internet? It's only $4 per hour and there are several computers.
The Extras:
Call to find out about pingpong and pool leagues, as well as band performances and other shows.
Save Money:
Pay only $5 per person Mon-Thu (or $6 per person Fri-Sat) to play the first four open hours of each day.
ambiance
100.0% positive
  1. Some really great musicians play here and you get to sit within a few feet of the band on a comfortable couch and hang out all night.
  2. unique, fun spot for a night out with a group or a casual date.
  3. There's little noise from the pool tables, and most of the excellent jazz scene (and much of the decor) from Smalls has moved over after the latter closed down a couple years ago.
  4. Fat Cat is so much fun!
  5. Nice comfortable sofas and chairs in a comfortable FUNKY setting, but interestingly enough, you can't hear any of the noise from the games going on in the rest of the place.
  6. Meet all your friends at the Fat Cat, it's in a great location and they have alright happy hour specials.
  7. It's a good place to bring co-workers or friends with different ideas of fun.
drinks
64.28999900817871% positive
  1. You get there, there is a bar that only serves beer and label-less wine, and then to your right a live jazz band, a lounge, ahead of you pool tables, then ping-pong on the back, scrabble to your left, people making out to your right, this place is just gr
  2. Don't be fooled by the divey atmophere, this place offers a great variety of classy imported bottled beers.
  3. The bartenders have great suggestions for their beers or wines.
  4. do wish they had a full bar, though.
  5. haven't found anywhere else where you can play ping pong or fusball to live jazz, while drinking a great pint of beer (the Stones rocks - no pun intended).
  6. Booze was order at the bar.
  7. Cheap beer, dirty but plentiful pool tables, and any board came you could hope for, all with live music to keep you entertained.
menu variety
0.0% positive
  1. Don't be fooled by the divey atmophere, this place offers a great variety of classy imported bottled beers.
overall
100.0% positive
  1. The fat cat is a great place to come and relax, any time of the day or night, and any day of the week.
  2. good place for meeting friends as it is close to all subways
  3. It's a good place to bring co-workers or friends with different ideas of fun.
  4. great place, overall!
  5. This is a really great place to hang out and play ping-pong.
  6. It's definitely a good place to go out with your friends t.
  7. All around good place
  8. always a good place for pool
service
80.0% positive
  1. You get there, there is a bar that only serves beer and label-less wine, and then to your right a live jazz band, a lounge, ahead of you pool tables, then ping-pong on the back, scrabble to your left, people making out to your right, this place is just gr
  2. It's open late, and the chess/checkers are definitely ridiculous for drunk people.
  3. You will meet interesting people, from the B&T that came because of this review to the local millionaire that spits on Bagatelle/1OAK, the gold diggers and the spoiled cute girls (saw many cute girls at Fat Cat, trust me).
  4. The bartenders have great suggestions for their beers or wines.
  5. Staff is very friendly, good music, but who the hell makes a mean Manhattan?
value
100.0% positive
  1. Major bummer they don't have spirits but the live jazz and over all cheap entertainment makes this one of the best hangouts in the city.
  2. REALLY great find for some GREAT music and an AMAZINGLY cheap price.
  3. They have everything you could want to do and all for a great price.
3 Star Rating: Average

10/17/11

Always a good time at Fat Cat Billiards

by Shasha522 at Citysearch

Billiard, shuffleboard, ping pong, scrabble, chess + cheap beer and wine. Just one of those places where you need to go to at least once in your life.

5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

11/10/09

Great date night location!

by NYCcrazy at Citysearch

Fat Cat is so much fun! I love going here with my friends or on a date. They have pool, ping pong, shuffleboard, and all sorts of board games, plus beer & wine. I do wish they had a full bar, though.

5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

03/16/09

Chill out 24x7

by btour at Citysearch

This underground place depicts NYC in steroids. You get there, there is a bar that only serves beer and label-less wine, and then to your right a live jazz band, a lounge, ahead of you pool tables, then ping-pong on the back, scrabble to your left, people making out to your right, this place is just great, it's where you feel home and nobody judges you. You will meet interesting people, from the B&T that came because of this review to the local millionaire that spits on Bagatelle/1OAK, the gold diggers and the spoiled cute girls (saw many cute girls at Fat Cat, trust me). If your girl likes this place, marry her, she is good sports. Don't forget to bring a Lysol spray though...

  • Pros: Location, friendly staff, large area, diversity, music
  • Cons: Pretty dirty, but oh well...
5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

02/11/09

A RARE FIND FOR GREAT JAZZ IN A FUNKY GAME ROOM

by b9bf08b at Citysearch

Fat Cat is mainly a game room. BUT you go down the stairs, pay only 3 bucks, and you go past the bar to the right, and THERE is the music. Nice comfortable sofas and chairs in a comfortable FUNKY setting, but interestingly enough, you can't hear any of the noise from the games going on in the rest of the place. You get your drinks, beer or soft drinks only, from the bar, and bring them to where you are sitting. A REALLY great find for some GREAT music and an AMAZINGLY cheap price. What a bargain!

Some really great musicians play here and you get to sit within a few feet of the band on a comfortable couch and hang out all night. Can't beat this in NYC.

  • Pros: GREAT MUSIC at a VERY cheap price. If you don't mind funky, this is the place to go.
  • Cons: none
4 Star Rating: Recommended

02/07/09

More basementy than divey... but fun for groups

by drink_club1 at Citysearch

A ton of us shoved ourselves into a corner on a couch that looked like it had been dumpster dived. We were surrounded by other furniture that looked like all the stuff someone couldn't get rid of on eBay. The lightbulb above the table didn't work. After half an hour, I complained to the doorman who was collecting the $3 cover. An hour latter, somebody from the bar came to look at it, gave the ON switch a pull. When nothing happened he shrugged... twice... and walked away. "Food" was a notebook filled with take-out menus of nearby restaurants. Booze was order at the bar.

This basement club packed with pool tables, ping pong tables, chess board tables, you name it. A CitySearch review called it Granddad's basement. I'd say that... times 10. We had a great pool game with no discernible rules. Just enjoy yourself and aim for a hole! (A good philosophy of life, I'd say!)

It's a dive, but if you're with a lot of people, is as fun as you wanna make it. --Drink Club NYC is a roving group of NYC drinkers

  • Pros: lots of things to do
  • Cons: You need to do them all yourself

The Details on Fat Cat Billiards

Place Categories:

  • good only place
  • fun spot
  • open late chesscheckers
  • great amazingly cheap price
  • great bartenders
  • nice chairs
  • great jazz
  • horrible spelling
  • very friendly staff
  • great suggestions
  • order booze
  • great pool game
  • excellent jazz scene
  • loved joint
  • best hangouts
  • comfortable setting
  • comfortable couch
  • good philosophy
  • much fun fat cat
  • great location
  • great music
  • great pint
  • full bar
  • dirty pool tables
  • really great musicians
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