Williamsburg Brooklyn Bar Guide: * Sweet Ups

image c/o Flickr

277 Graham Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11211
between Powers & Grand St.
PHONE: 718.384.3886
HOURS: Daily, 5pm-4am
CARDS: Cash Only
GAMES: None
HAPPY HOUR: Buy one get one free until 7pm, daily
DIRECTIONS: L to Graham
MAP: Click Here
SUBWAY: From Graham Street L Station - Go east on Graham (C Town will be on your left) 3 blocks and Sweet Ups will be on your right, just before you reach Grand Street.
WE SAY: Not to be missed.... this is one of our favorite Graham stop bars. Reasonable drink prices, a friendly staff and lovely red velvet wallpaper that gives the place a shadowy French noir feel. Plus, it's always very dark for those of you who want to pretend you're in an Amsterdam hash den. Their specialties are sweet, yummy cocktails like the blackberry bramble.

From New York Magazine
"Williamsburg's Sweet Ups seems like a typical cozy neighborhood joint: red-velvet walls, Karaoke Tuesdays, and low-key, indie-rock regulars who seem old enough to be living in Manhattan but, for the sake of their art, still reside a few stops in on the L train. But the bar's precious secret is its drink menu (scrawled out in a notebook with amusing illustrations) which features unusual cocktails-like an old-fashioned sake stinger with Israeli mint-all for around $6. They plan to publish the past year's worth of recipes as a book."

From Village Voice
"The red, fuzzy wallpaper and minimal lighting of Sweet Ups draws people inside, and patrons keep going back once they realize the warm, dark atmosphere makes them look sexy, masking unwashed hair, mussed-up clothes and puffy eyes. The bar's specialty drink, the Gin Bramble, is a sweet number made with gin, blackberry liqueur, lemonade, and fresh blackberries. Neighborhood aficionados will notice the similarity between the Gin Bramble and Royal Oak's Blackberry Ramble. Good guess -- the bars have the same owners."

From CITY SEARCH: Perpetually dim lighting, glossy bar stools and banquettes popping against the deep-red velvet-flocked walls, lend a cleanly retro look with an of-the-moment polish. Casually sexy, the Williamsburg bar is a natural for the couples and groups who have become regulars. Decorative photos of the parents of people who helped open the bar (taken in their 20s and 30s), add a witty, soulful touch. Owner Benjamin Shih has built a loyal following as a neighborhood bartender, and his flavorful drinks are part of the reason why. Cocktails such as the pomegranate margarita and berry-flavored gin Bramble, topped with raspberries and other seasonal garnishes, win fans. Shih usually has a special based on fresh ingredients of the day, so be sure to ask what's on tap.

Comments

this bar sucks if you're a grown man (25+). it lacks substance and character. the bartenders are way young and inexperienced. five pints and no buyback one night, then too many offers of free shots to share with a bartender another. aren't you workin, son? sure, the girl-to-guy ratio is great, but most of the girls aren't even 21. i chatted up a girl months back and found out she was 19, with her schoolfriends in tow. the hell you doin here girls? oh, you know the bartender. the same bartender who rolled a joint on the bar in full view of the customers. i'm no narc, but how bout a little discretion and professionalism, kid? the kicker... a friend saw a small blurb about sweet ups in NYM. it had a girl raving about her fav bar, sweet ups. her age was listed as twenty.

dudewise: if you're young and horny and could care less about drinking crap beer, this is your spot!! if not, find yourself a grown folks bar.

PS, the music is good.

Posted by: mike e | February 25, 2009 02:40 PM

Are the bartenders still really hot Polish chicks?

Posted by: nsfw | October 31, 2008 08:40 PM

this bar was filled with cliquey obnoxious people,and i rarely get disgusted with the williamswick crowd (surprising,yes).my friends and i felt extremely uncomfortable as the bartender was sneery and only interested in his friends (the rest of the crowd, about 10 people).then a giant bug decided to come out and crawl on our shoulders! the lighting was also way too bright for any kind of fun social drinking experience.one redeeming quality: the music was GREAT,dance-y psych stuff. i'd been here a few years ago and the drinks and the staff were stellar.not sure what happened.

Posted by: Allioop | October 31, 2008 12:45 AM

Three words: douche bag central.

Posted by: Jean | October 21, 2008 08:55 PM

Worst bar in Brooklyn! It's always empty, and the bar owner/bartenders are extremely rude and pretentious.

Posted by: Lisette | April 23, 2008 05:18 PM

The owner is a total jerk. I urge everyone not to patronize this bar. he has no care in the world for anything except your money. there's plenty of other bars that deserve business.

Posted by: rachel | April 20, 2008 08:48 PM

The "Steve McQueen" (with Maker's Mark) and "Bramble" (Gin, maybe Sapphire? Can't remember) are amazing cocktails for $7. Northside they'd be $8-9, Manhattan they'd be $12.

My only complaint is that sometimes a bartender won't make a Steve McQueen (No eggs maybe?).

Overall, Sweet Ups is a great bar, often full of beautiful women.

Posted by: NOJHF | April 4, 2008 03:01 PM

Userful blog. Thanks!

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Posted by: 2001 town country for sale | September 21, 2007 09:43 AM

I HAD A GOOD TIME.
THE DIRTY MARTINIS WERE GOOD
THE BARTENDER WAS FRIENDLY
IGNORE THE MEATHEAD WHO SAYS OTHERWISE

Posted by: Toto | April 3, 2006 02:46 PM

decent atmosphere, worst fucking asshead bartender you'll ever meet.

Posted by: ryan | March 31, 2006 03:53 AM