Toad Hall

If ever an award was given to "Best Pool Bar in New York" then Toad Hall would be a serious contender. One thing I really like about it is that, in addition to the pool table being way in the back, it's in its own room that is elevated a few steps. So you can look in from outside and still see whether anybody's playing. I've dug up about as much as I can online regarding the bar. Although little was said about the pool table in particular, I couldn't find a single negative comment anywhere:

"Best bar on earth, friends."
"Good old-styled bar."
"Can I have a neighborhood bar in Manhattan while living 220 miles away? Apparently I can."
"You don’t have to be here every day (or even every other week) to be recognized & welcomed as a regular."
"A haven from SoHo's fashionista set."
"A mixture of youthful pub-crawlers and older stool-warmers."
"One of the last righteous bars that still exist in Soho."
"Local stalwart."
"Hip but not too hip."
"Not fancy & not seedy, either."
"Capacious but cozy all at once."
"Organic."

Regarding the pool table, Shecky's writes: "We don’t know what the owners of Toad Hall are more obsessed with, frogs or pool. But it doesn’t really matter, because we’re obsessed with Toad Hall. Trophies are posted in large quantities around the huge cushion-lined back room’s pool table, while Kermit look-alikes are tagged on any empty space available." A little blurb in Zagat's mentions "great late-night pool games." I agree with this last one. I got utterly annihilated late one night by a man who I could've sworn was working with a backer. Another time I played a woman who I suspect was holding back her speed. She put me in this stranglehold stalemate situation where she froze my solid to the 8 ball in the jaws of a corner pocket and made it so I couldn't break them apart without sinking the 8. The 8 was sinkable from a certain angle, and she of course got it. We had been chatting during the game and after she won she nonchalantly asked me "Do you do headshots?" In hindsight, her question reminded me of this. Most of my pool-playing experiences have been afternoon practice sessions, when the place is quiet. Playing during the day is a very pleasant experience, as the table is bathed in daylight coming down from an overhead window.