* 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
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
they have a diaper changing station in the bathroom...this place rocks if you are a baby and you just pooped your pants.
Posted by: big baby | August 24, 2005 02:17 AM
Too expesive...worst dirty martinis EVER...awesome fucking music AND YOU CAN SMOKE!!!
Posted by: lola | August 17, 2005 08:56 PM
the owner is such is a loss...the place is great, he find every way to get in the way of it
Posted by: jm | July 20, 2005 05:04 AM
I think the owner is a total snob. I will be dead before I step another foot in there.
Posted by: missk | July 17, 2005 05:15 AM