Angry Wade’s Gets Dressed For The Holiday Season

If you judge bars by their covers, you might think 's is not only angry — but scary. The darkened watering hole on the corner of Smith and Butler Streets bears iron window bars, a deep red stucco façade and the bust of a menacing beast caught mid-roar hanging over its entrance. Not exactly the stuff of three heel clicks.

But come holiday time, tulle-bowed wreaths, greenery and lights are hung outside the bar with care, festive hints at what is true inside the bar year-round: Angry Wade's is not actually angry. It's welcoming, upbeat and, in December, downright jolly.        

Angry Wade's is the best-dressed-for-the-season dive bar in the neighborhood. An entire Christmas tree farm's worth of garland snakes behind the bar, along the windows and across the mantle of a fireplace — complete with crackling fire.

The fire is a regular, popular attraction here, but a coveted seat near the warm orange flames feels even merrier in a month counted by rosy cheeks and roasted chestnuts. There are cheery holiday figurines, ball-shaped ornaments, miniature stockings and a surplus of twinkling lights icing the garlands.

"These decorations all went up last week," said bartender Devon Mikolas. Mikolas, 35, lives on the Lower East Side, but has been commuting to Carroll Gardens to bartend at Angry Wade's for the last several years.

"Regardless of the season, though, there's a real energy here," he said.

Twenty-something-year-old Katie Rice agreed.

"This place is not pretentious. People are friendly." Rice lives around the corner and said she comes to Angry Wade's "for the pool table."

Billiards is a big draw for the bar, with good-natured sharks swimming around the single pool table throughout the night. Barflies are also encouraged to cultivate and curate their own fun by ruling the bar's Big Buck Hunter arcade game, diving into a stack of available board games to Pass Go with beer in hand, watching the game (you know, The Game) on one of several flat-panel television screens behind the bar or commanding the jukebox to hand-select the evening's soundtrack.

One note: Regulars seem to choose Willa Ford over Wilco every time, so don't set foot in here if you're in a Sufjan Stevens kind of mood. 

"I'm here for the free popcorn," said Rob, 32, who didn't want to disclose his last name, but was eager to share his enthusiasm for Angry Wade's unlimited, free popcorn.

"You can't go wrong with free popcorn," he said. "It's free. And it's popcorn!"    

If you've had your fill of said free popcorn, the bar offers traditional bar food like chicken fingers and waffle fries. Drinks-wise, it's fully stocked with a variety of draft beers and traditional spirits. Angry Wade's has been in the neighborhood for 10 years and offers some of the best Happy Hour deals in the area, year-round. On Monday through Friday (3 pm – 6 pm) and Saturday and Sunday (noon – 3 pm) draft beers and well drinks are 50 percent off.

But really, regardless of the hour or the season, it feels pretty easy to be happy here.