More than just a pool hall
Pattaya is blessed with plenty of places devoted to the art of potting pool and snooker balls, but arguably the finest place in town is Legends. Even so, it is not ‘just’ a pool hall.
Situated in the by-pass lane almost at the junction of Third Road and Pattaya Klang, Legends opened to great fanfare earlier this year. The word on the street was that this was a truly special sports bar and it has well and truly lived up to the claims; there’s nothing of the standard Pattaya hubris in the street talk.
As with any sports bars worth the name, Legends makes sure to have plenty to interest those who may not want to indulge in a few games of pool. With 14 satellite boxes they are able to broadcast any live sporting event from around the globe through their 17 51-inch plasma screen TVs.
They also pride themselves on offering above-standard coffee, not the usual one teaspoon of sludge masquerading as coffee that so many places seem to provide. Produced via their state-of-the-art coffee machine, it’s the kind of touch especially appreciated by those who come before midday to watch whatever sporting event happens to have taken their fancy. There are also plenty who come for a coffee and to thumb through the English newspapers which are available each day.
Although not a restaurant, Legends do offer a pretty extensive food menu which covers the gamut of standard bar fare from pies to pizzas, burgers to kebabs, and Indian curries. For the English, especially, they stock a wonderful array of imported ‘crisps’ like Quavers, Wotsits, Bacon Fries, Scampi Fries, Monster Munch and the like.
However, Legends really does concentrate on the reason for its existence: catering to the many Pattaya residents and regular visitors whose sporting religion is the game of pool.
Aficionados can avail themselves of a 3,000 baht per month membership which allows them to play for free Monday to Friday between 11:00am and 6:00pm, and includes one free soft drink on those days as well.
Of the 11 Brunswick 9-foot pool tables, three are classified as Tournament edition, which basically means they have smaller pockets than the regular tables and so attract the more experienced players who demand more of a challenge and are looking to improve their overall game.
Legends welcomes groups of friends or couples, and even the single player who will always have friendly member of staff available to play a game or three. For the more serious player there is always a match available.
On 12 and 13 December one player who will be showing off his skills on these Tournament tables will be Thorsten ‘The Hitman’ Hohmann, who is currently the number one ranked 9-ball pool player in the world. He will be showing off his skills to the many people certain to come and see a world number one perform live, and he’ll be playing alongside what Legends management say is ‘a very special guest’.
On 24 December Legends will be hosting a Christmas Eve party, starting at 8:00pm. There’ll be a Christmas-themed buffet, of course, plus a free raffle with some terrific prizes up for grabs. And entry is free.
There is ample parking for motorbikes and a free car park behind Legends, so there’s no excuse not get down and check out this ‘legendary’ pool hall.
