The Freak Bar

I’m hesitant to review this place so that it stays chill. After an afternoon walking around the craziness of Coney Island, and the passing the crazy jam packed bars near the pier, we wandered into Freak Bar. There were maybe 12 people inside, and most seemed like locals. They serve just beer and other non alcoholic drinks like juice, soda etc. We grabbed a couple of Coney Island beers and escaped the heat for awhile. Inside the bar are some really awesome decorations. Old freak show memorabilia, and circus themed items. The bar is located at the same place that you enter to see the Freak Show, so not that many people know it’s there. Such a nice haven from some of the other hot mess bars in the area.

This was a very unique bar. I love the side show/​circus theme. The people were super friendly! me and my pals saw the freak show after, I had such a great time! this place was just down right rad.

Super sweet people, very nice and unique ambience, and great place to drink local Coney Island beer. More unique: impossible.

What more to say. five stars, awesome service, good prices and a fun time. everytime! Go. just put your freak clothes on and go!

This bar is super cool. Very cool crowd that I was not expecting in such a touristy area. Reasonable prices. Nice music. Don’t go to Coney Island without visiting this place (unless you don’t drink booze).

After swimming in the ocean, my friend and I wanted some food and beer. The boardwalk food it pretty lame so when «Freak Bar» came up in my Unilocal search we migrated over to Surf Ave to cure our curiosity.
This place is like a circus-​surf bar. Chill open windows and couches with creepy decorations and old artifacts from back in the day. I loved it.
We were able to grab counter seats and were served by a chill bartender with impressive tats.
They do not serve food here but you are welcome to bring take out. Cue Grimaldi’s.

Came here after the mermaid parade.
Ambience: Well because it was the day of the Mermaid parade there were a lot of people dressed up fitting in with the atmosphere. The décor reminded me of pirate of the Caribbean meets dive bar.
Music: Although I know they were playing music the crowd was loud I couldn’t hear much but it sounded like rock.
Drinks: Beers were $ 6 – 7. I had the Coney Island lager and my friend had Magners cider.
This is an interesting place and I would not object to returning here if I was ever in the area.

Two words, 1 name: RAY VALENZ. Oh dear lord. Hostess with the absolute mostest. Still dreaming about this dude. Yes and I’m married and yea hubby is ok with it because he was pretty entertained by him too. A quote we saw in an article we looked up after the show describing Ray hits it dead on, «Every girl wants to be with him. Every guy wants to be him». Hubs definitely considered learning to eat some fire after his performance. The MC and in my opinion star of the show. He is magnetic and apparently the 15^th top freak performers in the world. He and his sword swallowing sister, Betty Blommerz rocked it. Side note for any music fans, they are Great niece and nephew of La Bamba famed, Ritchie Valens. Unfortunately, we didn’t learn that until afterwards. I wish I snapped a pic with him as we chatted with him for a bit after the show.
We didn’t know what we were getting ourselves into. We actually only wound up paying $ 5 each (instead of $ 10) to get it last minute. Sweet! Not sure if they do this all of the time but we were there not during peak season. It’s was pretty lengthy (I believe almost an hour) for that price. We were pretty impressed. A little sword swallowing as I mentioned, a nail and hammer to the head, a snake charmer, electric chair stunts with audience participation, waking on broken glass and contortion. Some freaky. Some gross some funny. Some super cool. It looks that we missed some burlesque type acts on the day we went. Bummer. Very entertaining. Lots of interaction with the crowd. We stayed and had some drinks after and there were opportunities to take photos with some of the performers. Bring some ones for tips and to see the secret «thing». The bar was actually out of Coney Island classic beers but did have some local lagers that were delish. Very chill place. Definitely will be returning. If not just for Ray alone. Damn.
I’m not usually into this «type» of thing but it was definitely the best $ 10 we have ever spent. We are still talking about it.
*if you are a fan of «American Horror Story» I say it’s a must.
*they run the shows continually all day and if you come in half way through, you are invited to stay for the other show until the part you haven’t see yet.
*no pics allowed although I don’t like rules very much. DON’T USE FLASH! Especially during the fire!

We didn’t go to the bar but we did go see the show just out of extreme curiosity. It was much better than we expected! Very intimate and fun, lots of interaction with the audience… a surprising highlight of our day-​trip to Coney Island!

Just one of those stops you have to make when you come to Coney Island.
Every year I come to the Rumblers show and never get to get in there. Leave it to me in the winter time to make the pitz stop.
Great group of people, good beers!

One of the main reasons I took a day off and went to Coney was to see where the Warriors inspiration/​background came from, the second reason was this Freak Bar/​Show!
We arrived pretty much when they opened and were treated to a cool little gift shop (wish I had bought something now), and a bunch of nice people and a cute little bar.
The show was nothing short of great, sadly since we got there so early the audience only reached 10 people at it’s highest point. But I guess what do you expect for 1pm on a Friday =).
We got the treat of seeing Ray Valenz shove things into his nostrils, Alejandro Dubois eat fire and escape from a straight jacket, and Betty Bloom swallows many swords/​knives, and even a TMNT style sai!
My favorite parts was the crowd interaction. I must have one of those faces because I got called on stage twice. Once to walk on Nati the Patchwork girl as she laid on a bed of nails. And, also to jump on the back of Princess Pat as she walked across broken glass. I felt bad throwing 190 lbs on both of these women as they did these stunts, but I guess they asked for it? LOL. Luckily no one got hurt and everyone had a great time!
The prices were reasonable, the length of the show was good, and the characters were excellent. I would definitely go back!

I purposely came here in hopes of having some Coney Island beer. Well, they didn’t have any :-(
Actually, none of the bars I stopped by in Coney Island had any of the Coney Island craft beers, which I thought was really really strange.
The Freak Bar though is pretty appealing to the eye and would definitely be a cool place to hang out. Its a 5 – 10 min walk from the Boardwalk

Nice place it’s not on the boardwalk but with the side show and the friendly staff it’s a great place to chill and meet some cool people so if you are near by try them out and support them

I went to the Freak Bar after the after the Mermaid Parade in 2013, and it was just one big open somewhat crowded space with a few chairs around the edges for people to sit.
The Freak Bar serves one thing and one thing only: BEER. But they have quite a few different varieties (all in bottles), so I suppose it’s not that bad. Standard prices, standard beer along with all of the Coney Island Brewery beers. But I don’t really like beer so… I guess it’s good for what it is.
HOWEVER, the reason my friends and I went there was to see the FREAK SHOW. Now that was not awesome, but pretty damn good. People nailing 6-​inch (15 cm) nails into their noses, swallowing some pretty effing long swords, contorting themselves, and spitting fire. Definitely worth the $ 10 we paid. Got nothing better to do on a Friday night? Make you’re way out here and see a show. :)

Great name, great beer, great bar.
Specifically, Coney Island Craft Lagers, the great tasting, award winning and coolest looking bottles of beer you’ll find around New York. Coney Island Lager, Mermaid Pilsner, Sword Swallower, Albino Python or Human Blockhead… take your pick.
While you’re enjoying a cold one, consider buying a ticket to the Freak Show right next door. Although I didn’t get to see the show, I did take a break and enjoy a refreshing Albino Python before heading over the boardwalk.
This is just a unique and cool spot to check out. If you’re visiting Coney Island, make sure to stop by and get your freak on.

They have an excellent selection of the local beer! Try anything made by Coney Island!
The interior is really unique and the staff is super friendly! Worth a stop by!

This place is the TITS. It is the quintessential Coney Island bar, where you will find a freakshow in the back, midgets in the front, amazing art on the walls, affordable and delicious beers, and a GREAT crowd.
This bar is the reason I live in Coney Island, and it’s the reason why I love it here.

Good beer! I just love the Freak Show and Bar when visiting Coney Island.
They have a good selection of beer. The staff is nice and you never know who you might run into. A bearded lady? Seal boy? Just check this place out!
You can also take home bottles of beer too!

With affordable beers, an eclectic selection of live music, and a circus sideshow right next to the bar, The Freak Bar is a unique spectacle that you’d only find on Coney Island. Through friends, I had heard a ton of good things about this place but I still wasn’t sure what to expect here. After all, I’m something of a novice with the whole circus sideshow deal.
A group of about 10 of us arrived around 6:00 PM on a Saturday and picked up tickets to the sideshow then headed to the bar. The bar itself has no entry fee but, trust me, you’ll want to pay the $ 10 to see the sideshow. As for the bar, it’s spacious and while they don’t carry a wide selection of beers, they carry all of the Coney Island Brewery beers along with a selection of domestics. Service was friendly and efficient and, as we were leaving, a band began playing that described themselves as psychedelic jazz/​folk or something like that. While that type of music isn’t typically my scene, it was just unique and strange enough to feel perfect here.
Seriously, this is one of the best spots I’ve visited in NYC. It’s stands absolutely alone and without compare and is worth a trip to Coney Island just to drop in here.

I cannot believe there are no reviews for Freak bar yet! I discovered this place by accident. I was looking fort things to do on a Friday night and came across a mermaid burlesque show in the freak bar. Went all the way from Manhattan to Coney island with my friends. It is right across the end station. 15 $ admission FOR the burlesque show NOT the bar. The show started at 10pm. Fantastic show, beautiful girls and a guy. The place was PACKED. There is a bar in the front and a room in the back which can hold unto 80 people. There were about 9 – 10 shows, all of them very very good. When I spoke to the people there, they said that almost every friday there is something or the other going on there and burlesque is quite famous.
If you are in Coney island on a Friday evening, you must check out this place.
The beers are $ 6