Houston Hall, Back Half

Incredible bar with great food. Went here for Super Bowl 59 and what an amazing experience. Been there twice now and will certainly be revisiting and hopefully soon!

This place is a hidden gem of SoHo. No flashy entrance or gimmicks needed. This place has a huge indoor picnic-style seating. Great place for big groups to watch sports. It has a full bar with a simple food menu. Must try their empanadas and chicken wings. Alex, our bartender, was friendly and very helpful.

One hundred years ago, long before craft beer taps and truffle fries, the building at 222 West Houston Street served a grittier, more functional purpose—it was a garage and stable, a vital cog in New York City’s infrastructure at a time when horsepower still referred to actual horses. Built in the early 1900s, the space was designed for practicality: thick brick walls, cavernous ceilings supported by hulking wooden beams, and wide-open floors that could accommodate wagons, carts, and eventually, those newfangled automobiles. You can almost still hear the clatter of hooves and the hiss of steam if you listen hard enough beneath the ambient indie rock and the clink of pint glasses. Today, that same space has been reborn as Houston Hall—a sprawling, high-ceilinged beer hall that still wears its industrial history with pride. The exposed beams and raw brick aren’t decorative; they’re authentic remnants of a New York built on muscle and grit. It’s a transformation Sir Patrick Stewart might call “a most noble repurposing”—and I’d call “a damn smart use of square footage in this part of the Village.” This place really resonates with me. It has that vibe that is rustic but not rough, spacious but still intimate when the crowd hits its rhythm. The beer selection, brewed by Greenpoint Beer Works, leans into approachable craft styles rather than obscure brewing one-upmanship. Think hazy IPAs, crisp lagers, and a rotating seasonal brew that gives the regulars something to look forward to. Food? Solid bar fare with a few flourishes. The truffle grilled cheese gets mentions, as does the soft pretzel with beer cheese. No one's mistaking this for a fine dining establishment, but for a beer hall built in the bones of a turn-of-the-century garage, the kitchen holds its own. Service is brisk and friendly—occasional chaos, but that’s par for the course when you’re dealing with large tables with non-homogeneous diners and pitchers of pale ale. The acoustics, courtesy of that soaring ceiling, can turn raucous quickly, so if you're looking for a quiet conversation, go early or aim for a weekday. Or definitely a weekday later in the evening, it seems to quiet down pretty quickly. In sum: Houston Hall is a celebration of old bones and new brews. A place where the past hasn’t been erased—it’s been repurposed, revitalized, and handed a flight of beer. One could raise a glass and say, in both reverence and delight: make it malty.