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The Levee

levee.jpg
image c/o Flickr

212 Berry Street, Williamsburg, Brooklyn 11211
PHONE: 718.218.8787
HOURS: Daily, noon-4am
CARDS: American Express, MasterCard, Visa
HAPPY HOUR: 5 pm - 8pm daily, $1.00 off all drinks & beer, SPORTSMAN SPECIAL - $4.00 Evan Williams shot with PBR chaser
DIRECTIONS: Walk south on Bedford Avenue several blocks and make a right onto North 3rd Street. Walk one block and The Levee will be on your left at the corner of Berry.
MAP: Click Here
SUBWAY: L train to Bedford Avenue
WEBSITE: www.theleveenyc.com
WE SAY: Most people stumble into this newish Williamsburg establishment looking for cheap coke since it was once better known as Kokie's. Though fond memories of a more seedy Williamsburg linger, The Levee is a perfectly nice place to have a drink. Loungey. Mellow. Affordable. We miss the sketchy cokeheads staring at our girlfriends and the jacked-up hipsters dancing to salsa.

From NY MAG

Formerly Antique Lounge (and before that, rumor has it, a cocaine bar called Kokie's), this well-apportioned space has finally been put to good use by The Levee, an old-fashioned bar with Southern roots and a comfortable, homey atmosphere. High-gravity microbrews and melted cheese are now the drugs of choice here: From behind the bar, Texan owner Howard serves up white-trash staples like Frito pie and chili dogs, which are best washed down with a Beam Cream (Jim Beam and cream soda--two great tastes that really do taste great together) or any of the 35 bottled or six tap beers. The clean, lamplit back room has pool, pinball, cozy couches, and the kind of inclusive, no-bullshit vibe that attracts dedicated regulars. Given the changes this space has seen, it's almost eerie how much The Levee feels like a tried-and-true local. Notable specials include the Sportsman (Carling Black Label and Evan Williams shot, $4) and the Texas 2-Step (Lone Star and tequila shot, $5).

From Village Voice

If the cool kids with asymmetrical haircuts have been keeping you from making Billyburg a drinking destination, then the Levee will convince you to give the neighborhood a chance. The owners of this unpretentious bar welcome everyone with their famous Texan hospitality. On a recent visit, hard-drinking middle-aged men sang along to an Iron Maiden song from the jukebox near the dark wood bar, while a crowd of locals in black-rimmed glasses and hooded sweatshirts played Battleship on the thrift store sofas in the other room. Under a sign declaring "Beware Pickpockets & Loose Women," the friendly bartender chatted with diverse patrons, suggesting beers from the long list of unusual brands ($4 to $7) that includes options like Chimay Blue and Delirium Tremens, or one of the delicious specialty drinks ($6), like a Creamsicle (Stoli Vanil and Sunkist orange soda) or a Beam Cream (Jim Beam and cream soda). Food was proffered, and though the menu is simple, cheap (under $5), and decidedly Texan, everything--from the chili-soaked Frito pie to the hot dogs--can be made vegetarian. This is a bar where PBR swillers sit side by side with Hefeweisen sippers while the jukebox plays Modest Mouse songs and Dio rockers. So drive your Chevy to this Levee (or just hop on the L train)--it never runs dry.

Comments

I totally love the levee for many many reasons. My one gripe would have to be how cold it always is in there though, always freezing. Good specials, and always open Til 4am though which is refreshing. The cats outta the bag though as it is always a madhouse.

The Levee is an awesome bar. Not sure what the guy Phil is talking about. Everytime I go in there I'm treated with the utmost respect by the staff. Sounds to me like there is more to the story. I find that most of the time when you are treated poorly at an establishment you most likely deserve it. But anyway if you want to go to a bar with great drink specials, a cool crowd of people, kick ass music, pool, darts, and tons of board games then the Levee is the place for you. As far as Phil goes, I hope someday you can break the shackles of your post upper east/westside trauma and realize that you most likely haven't been around this hood long enough to shed your douchebaggin' ways. cheers! :)

Times are hard for people like Phil. It is not easy to have such an inflated sense of self-importance and find a welcoming establishment. Seems Phil spends a lot of time rehashing old college memories and hasn't quite gotten over those horrible fraternity pranksters. How difficult it must be to find a place to drink where everyone is exactly like him and lives up to his standards. It also isn't easy to be told that one isn't memorable enough to be known on a first-name basis on his first time in a crowded, extremely busy bar on a Friday night. We also shouldn't forget that Phil has a tough job in making lots of effort to pad his reviews with fake stories about generic vodka (maybe Phil also has the burden of carrying around dead rats to restaurants!!) But rest assured, we can have hope that Phil will one day be freed of this terrible curse and learn that to get respect, you have to give respect. Good Luck, Phil! For the rest of us, we'll find some way to go on, knowing that even though someone told us once that we were the most special person in the world, sometimes we have to help out the little people who serve us with a little compassion, and know that sometimes, when a person orders an item and disappears, one MIGHT think at first that the possibly intoxicated person mightily wasted his or her time, after all its happened before. Cheers.

The first time my friend and I came in here, it was late in the afternoon and we caught the bartender (or owner, who knows) pouring a generic vodka into an Absolut and Stolichanaya bottle. Clearly this was just plain fraud, but we didnt care, as we were getting beer that day. The other times I came were on account of some friends, and everything was pretty decent except for the conspicuous number of ex-frat types there that were trying to break into the hipster scene. Last night, however, was my final straw. My brother, who had opened a tab, left for 5 minutes to give directions to his girlfriend (it was too loud inside). I took his space at the bar, and when the bartender delivered us a frito chip pie my brother had ordered earlier, he asked me where my brother was. I responded that he was my brother and that he stepped outside to make a phone call. To that, the bartender (some pseudo cool character with a tight shirt and glasses) responded "what a #$%^ douche bag!" I explained that it was OK because we had set up a tab several drinks ago. He still was furious, claiming that "it doesnt matter". Immediately thereafter, his female counterpart, in the same frat-sorority like mentality that characterizes the whole establishment, came in and yelled "you can't expect us to just keep up with you". Im sorry, but that is exactly what the job description of a BARTENDER entails. I have been a bartender for 6 years and know that this was the most pathetic demonstration of professionalism in the history of Williamsburg bars. This place is just a joke. Dont bother. The sportsman $4 deal is actually decent, but other than that one particular beverage special, this place makes me cringe for the future of bars. It gets unlimited crowds, but lacks substance. It is the classic case of image without quality. BTW, that guy named Jonathan is full of crap. Based on the stolichnaya incident, I bet he is the owner.

I like it big time. The staff IS friendly, they have sweet games, and the music is inoffensive.

I just bet my roomate that he couldn't get coke there.

Userful blog. Thanks!

we miss Cokie's.

We love The Levee just the way it is. Howard and Susan have gone above and beyond to provide us connoisseurs with what we love-great atmosphere, beer, booze, food, jukebox and most importantly the staff. Because of their attention to detail and their warm, caring and genuine friendliness we have made The Levee our home away from home.

well what can i say- Howard and Susan have cultivated such a little gem in an otherwise sparse neighborhood. You can guarantee on this bar for friends, relaxed chill evenings with good people, amazing bar-tenders who know all of the many choices of beers and cocktails, great bar-food, relaxed seating in the back. There's a certain quality that makes a bar special and this has it- it doesn't come in any of the trappings, it comes down from the owners and the owners truely rock. P.S. the spiteful e-mail about The Levy being a coke bar is complete bullshit, most people who are looking for that behaviour are engaging in it- the person who wrote that ovbiously was thown out for that very reason, the owners have a zero tolerance for that kind of crap...

The Levee fucking rocks.

This place is my home away from home.Everyone that works here is friendly, they have decent prices and a good pour. Good Beer as well as the cheap stuff. I've met a lot of cool laid-back people here. It's a great neighborhood bar with solid service, awesome frito pie, and the pool table is great - no short stick needed. Finally a cool spot in williamsburg.

don't be fooled. there's just as much coke in that place now as there was when it was kokie's. it can take forever just to take a piss because the bathrooms have two or three people in in them all doing blow. there's even a handy puerto rican coke dealer on site. cheap beer though.

This bar is a little pocket of magic in Williamsburg... low key but vibrant and filled with colorful people. I have enjoyed so many wonderful evenings in this bar, it has become a haven for me during a very stressful period in my life. Please support this bar and hopefully you wll find what I have found... new friends, support, fun, and bloody good drinks in a non pretentious environment... LOVE THE LEVEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Levee is hopefully the last bar I will ever work in and I am not saying this to be negative. My experience as a bartender takes me from the south to the north with many notches in my belt. But I can honestly say that the owners along with the patrons I have met at the levee made such amazing impressions on me and filled me with good humor and honesty that I am so spoiled and could never work in another bar/resturant again. Sorry if that sounds close-minded and if there any of you who can compare let me know.. As I take the long road to a far away place, L.A. I will always feel very close to the people i have met and I will never feel as far away because of all the great times I have had there.

There is a bartender named Tonya that has eyes that belong in LA with me, but until then..tip her well.

The Levee is a fun neighborhood bar, no gimmicks, no bs, just a real bar without pretension. The staff is congenial and lacks (thank you!) what has become standard bartender/server behavior this area over the last ten years; self-conscious hippness that borders on megalomania tinged with bitterness, the complete inability speak any human language and a total lack of knowledge regarding product/place/their job. These people are just the opposite, friendly without being fake, attentive without being overbearing. Thanks for a good time The Levee. The curse of Kokies has been lifted!

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