Liberty Tavern — Restaurant in Union

My manbun chum and I have been trying to find a home to watch our one March Madness game every year, and I think we found it for the foreseeable future. In fact, this time it looks to be a literal home.

We stopped by last night to watch my beloved Gonzaga Bulldogs end their tournament run against Purdue. I could go into quite a bit of detail about some very shady calls in the paint and what I think should have been a taunting foul on Purdue's future proctologist Fletcher Loyer, but I digress. As soon as I walked in, I could tell I was going to like it. Prior years have been marred by loud sports bar atmospheres where you have to battle tooth and nail to convince someone to change the channel to something that isn't a mediocre NYC-area sports team (I say this as a Mets fan as well). Liberty was significantly quieter, definitely had an older crowd but also had numerous TVs throughout. The best of all worlds. I walked maybe 10 feet from the entrance, asked the bartender if she could switch the TV to the Zags on TBS, and that was that. Aside from a weird moment in the second half when the TV mysteriously changed to ESPN for a few minutes (we never confirmed the culprit), we had primo viewing of the game. Somehow we also managed to sit down next to a couple whose son was currently at Purdue. What a world.

Vibe is everything with a place like this. I did a mild double-take when I realized the bar was located in a literal residential neighborhood in what may be someone's actual house (or at least upstairs). There's a parking lot on the side that had plenty of spots, and overall this was one of the most conveniently located establishments I've ever been to - it's about 30 seconds from Route 78 both ways. Initially I felt bad for the neighbors, but as bars go this is not exactly one that's going to be hosting raucous throwdowns outside or anything. You may actually be able to go to bed at 9pm living next door, which is my personal dream.

The interior has a lot of tchotchkes behind the bar, and is surprisingly comfortable/spacious. The game started a little after 7:30pm on a Friday, but there were seats available right in front of the TVs and most of the patrons seemed to be in the back area playing pool. It did get a little more crowded throughout the game, but never to a point where it felt claustrophobic. The clientele demo skewed all over the place - several older codgers looked like they'd been rejected from Rock of Love Charm School (I thought one in particular was a dead ringer for Poison's CC DeVille), but there was also a few young men roaming around and middle-aged couples/singles throughout the establishment as well. Pretty much anyone who would theoretically come into a bar, did.

We had a good bartender, who not only accommodated my TV request, but was friendly and accessible throughout our stay. I was in a sweet palate mood, and she offered to make a Hawaiian Volcano, apparently a drink pilfered from her days at TGI Friday's years ago. It's not something I'd necessarily get on a regular basis, but it definitely brought me back to my early legal drinking years for sure. I could taste some Malibu and juice, and sipped them throughout the game. We also got mozzy sticks and a pepperoni bar pie. Both were really decent for what they were, especially the mozzy sticks, which were fried perfectly. I thought the pizza tasted like a giant Bagel Bite, which is not an insult. But let's be clear - this is a dive bar, so it's not like you're wandering into the kitchen and stumbling across Jeremy Allen White from The Bear. You want something fairly tasty to munch on, and we got it.

Strong recommend. I think expectations for a dive bar should be pretty simple - comfortable and pleasant. This was certainly that, minus the March...

Local watering hole wins out over a generally dingy bar.

It may very well be clean, but almost no effort goes into the appearance. The building is a split house that only looks marginally nicer than the inside. Parking is either in the lot or on the street in a neighborhood that is nice enough, though it’s located right next to route 78.

Locals are definitely comfortable, but I would be surprised if anyone else is. The lighting is very dark, and the school cafeteria tiles look dirty. It can get crowded towards the end of the week at night. Events are held with some frequency and can take place inside or out in the back. The bathroom was renovated recently, but still has an awful smell.

The staff is pretty indifferent, and has a limited selection of beer and alcohol.

I generally try to avoid having food here, but a friend who works in the bar assures us the kitchen is clean.

Prices for food and drinks are average to low.

Judging by the rest of the reviews, I seem to be the minority, but I only come in when an event is happening, or by request of a friend. It could be worse, but not sure...

So...I hate to give bad reviews but as a restaurant owner myself, I'd like to think someone would complain if our service was bad.

I'm from NYC and stopped in today (as I was hungry after work and wanted a beer).

The bartender (girl) immediately looks like she was pissed off that I was there. No smile, no "hi how are you?' Nothing..I then asked if they had any fish items in menu since it was Friday during lent. Again, she was rude, unprofessional and super short. I can't believe someone like that would work there.

I decided not to leave...it was tempting...but stayed. Guy next to me confirmed she's rude and she's not a regular....lol

Food was good. I left no tip.

Unfortunately I will never be back there.

If you're looking for a friendly bar with history...this isn't...