Bank Shot Billiards

Mention the words "pool hall" to someone and it likely conjures up images of a dim, smoky dive peppered by bikers with self-applied tattoos filled with misspellings.

So when somebody invited me to visit Bank Shot Billiards, the cleverly named joint located in an old bank on Market Street, I already had my mental image … and it was wrong.

Bank Shots is large and spacious, with 10 spread-out pool tables on the ground-level floor and five more downstairs.

The place is clean and well-lit, and the denizens -- at least on our mid-week, early evening visit -- weren't your archetypal pool hall dwellers. There was even one table with a kid who couldn't have been more than 14 years old playing pool with a guy I assumed is his dad.

Patrons in Bank Shot pay for the tables by the hour, a $4/hour per person rate, which, although maybe a bit steep, eliminates the annoyance of getting change from the bar every half hour.

Maybe the most interesting thing about the décor of the place was the bank vault, which still had a massive, 6-foot metal door on its hinges. Inside the vault is a cool little lounge with three leather couches and a couple tables.

Bank Shot has a small selection of sandwiches to curb your appetite. The "menu" is a simple piece of paper with a build-it-yourself list of meats, cheeses and sandwich dressings; just circle your choices and someone behind the old teller's counter whips up your meal.

For my visit, I snagged a turkey sandwich on a wheat sub roll with Swiss cheese and Dijon mustard ($4). The sandwich came with pretzels and was quite tasty -- nothing too special, but a fine treat nonetheless.

For those seeking a frothy beverage, Bank Shots also has a decent selection of bottled beer. The usual domestic suspects were there, along with a few microbrew choices, including two from the BBC. My buddy and I each grabbed a Nut Brown ($3) and hit the felt.

What followed were the worst three games of pool I've ever played. I'm usually fairly decent behind the cue, but I was embarrassingly horrible on this particular Wednesday evening. Good thing, then, that conversation is easy at Bank Shot. It wasn't library quiet, but calm chatter and classic rock from the speakers were the only thing breaking the silence. We were also positioned in clear view of the only TV in the place, tuned on our visit to the Reds-Blue Jays game.

Atrocious pool exhibition aside, I had a great time. The interesting, inviting atmosphere, decent grub and friendly staff make this an ideal place for someone looking to shoot a game without the hassle of a crowded bar.

Bank Shot Billiards is open 11 to 2 a.m. Monday through Friday and 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Add a comment