109 South 6th Street
Brooklyn, NY 11211
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718.599.9109

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★
Cards: All Major
Price: $$
Hours:  Mon-Tue 4 pm-3am, Wed-Thu Noon-3am, Fri Noon-4am, Sat 11am-4am, Sun 11am-3am (Kitchen is open until 2am)
Subway: J,M,Z to Marcy Ave.
Food/Menu: Click Here
Booze: Full bar
Happy Hour: Daily 5pm-7pm: $3 well, domestic drafts
NY Mag says:

Plaster and dark wood walls stretch high to the sky at Gordon Bennett, dampening music and conversation. A slate floor and soft candlelight create a subterranean ambience akin to a monk’s cheese cave. Softly illuminated in the room’s center is a system of taps that spans half the length of the large bar; the spouts dispense liquid communion in the form of flowery Czech Staropramen and Belhaven Scottish Stout that’s milkshake-thick. The owners (one of whom runs the nearby Iona) have scrubbed the address clean of Vinas, a chic Latin American restaurant that recently closed, replacing seviche on the menu with pub grub like bangers and mash, fish and chips, and Cheddar toasties (Irish grilled-cheese sandwiches). Free pencil-thin breadsticks provide fuel for drinking long into the night.

Metromix says:

Pub & Grub Located in the heart of the Southside, this Old World bar is the perfect new spot to come together and meet old friends, make new ones & enjoy a cold pint & a hearty meal in a friendly neighborhood pub atmosphere.

Lucky Dog

303 Bedford Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11211
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212.555.1212

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★
Cards: All Major
Hours: Mon-Fri 2pm-4am, Sat-Sun Noon-4am
Subway: L to Bedford Ave.
Food/Menu: Bar Snacks
Booze: Full bar
Happy Hour: Mon-Fri 2pm-7pm: $1 off draughts, $2 cans of PBR and Schaefer, $3 cans of Miller High Life
Sun, noon-7pm: $1 off draughts, $2 cans of PBR and Schaefer, $3 cans of Miller High Life
NY Mag says:

There’s truth in advertising at this breezy neighborhood beer bar (formerly Lenora’s Way, double-formerly Wells Ales)—dogs are always welcome, leashes are optional, and there’s even a bubble-gum machine in the corner that dispenses dog treats for free. There’s plenty on hand for the humans as well, including a small deck in the front, a shuffleboard table, and a sweet back deck featuring wooden tables, low-hanging trees, and high, city-concealing fences. Oh, and twenty beers on tap—including the likes of Dogfish Head, Ommegang, Troegs, and Reissdorf—ten more bottled options, and a cask-beer engine. The staff is beer-knowledgeable and willing to give up samples if you’re really torn. There are bar snacks served, but you can also bring your own eats, and as far as that goes, there’s plenty of solid options on this stretch of Bedford Ave. And if you happen to meet a friendly bear of a man named Moonshine behind the bar, ask him to chug a pint—he’ll do it as quick as you can down a shot.

Metromix says:

Taking up residence in the former beer bar Lenora’s Way, LuckyDog keeps the focus on brew with 20 on tap, from high end to low (like a 24-ounce pour of Genesee Cream Ale for $4). If everyone behaves themselves, the pretty backyard—all strung with lights and filled with rustic-style benches and such—will stay open until 11 p.m. in the summer, although the interior is just as pleasant, with an artsy-industrial slapdash vibe, lots of bar stools and a kooky doggie painting directly on the exposed-brick wall (LuckyDog himself). A vintage shuffleboard table offers hours of fun for anyone who knows or pretends they know how to play. (There’s no food, but you’re encouraged to bring your own.)

c/o NY Mag

462 Union Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11211
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718.599.4999

Rating: ★ ★ ★
Cards: All Major
Hours: Mon-Thu 3pm-4am, Fri-Sun Noon-4am
Subway: L to Lorimer St.
Food/Menu: None
Booze: Full bar
Happy Hour: Daily 3pm-9pm: $4 drafts, $3 well drinks
NY Mag says:

After a second round of renovations, this open-air bar offers a relatively pedestrian drinking experience inside a cavernous, undulating interior. A slatted ceiling ripples over sleek black booths and slants down to meet velvet wallpaper, while acoustic-foam walls strips all surfaces of their angles. Meet-thy-neighbor seating at the bowed bar or on boxy couches leaves just enough space on a strip of concrete floor for intermittent dancing. A backyard dotted with angular booths and tables-for-two it is big enough to swallow crowds whole—but on slow nights, the place is a womb of dreamy lighting and comfortably-low expectations. The sights and sounds of the BQE can be quietly absorbed—while the Union Pool mayhem raging next door can be all together ignored.

Blackbook Mag says:

Away from the overcrowded main drag of Bedford (but next to the main drag that is Union Pool), Macri Park is a bar for conversations and contemplations. Shiny black booths and velvet wallpaper lend some veneer of class to the proceedings, but on slower nights (more often than not) it’s mostly a quiet place for the meditative drinker. Backyard brings extra business in the summer, and keeps the front sidewalk clear of smokers.

c/o Paper Mag

559 Grand St
Brooklyn, NY 11211
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718.384.2835

Rating: ★ ★ ★
Cards: All Major
Hours: Daily 5pm-4am
Subway: L to Lorimer St.
Food/Menu: None
Booze: Full bar
Happy Hour: Daily 5pm-8pm: $3 beers and well drinks
NY Mag says:

Ontario Bar is a joint project from Andrew Benedict and Scott Frederick of Buttermilk, Boat, and Great Lakes. When Frederick was growing up in Michigan, he’d make beer runs across the border to Windsor, Ontario, where the drinking age was just 18. He discovered the joys of Herr’s ketchup-flavored potato chips, Molson on draft, and Moosehead and Labatt Blue in bottles, and he’s now serving them at Ontario Bar, along with ten varieties of Canadian whiskey (like the beers, which go for $4 a pop, they’re reasonably priced). The bar is simply decorated — you’re looking at old booths salvaged from an upstate Shriners club, a tabletop Pac-Man/Galaga machine, and, of course, a jukebox stocked with Canadian tunes from Metric, Great Lakes Swimmers, Arcade Fire, and Neil Young (there will also be D.J.’s spinning indie rock).

Time Out New York says:

There are a few persistent clichés about Canada, and for the most part, they’re true. One: Canadians are polite. Another: Canucks are touchy when it comes to defending their relevance (how many have reminded you that Mike Myers, Pamela Anderson and Anakin Skywalker are all from the Great White North?). A third: The national pastimes are hockey and beer. Ontario Bar, a new addition to Williamsburg from the owner of Brooklyn dives Great Lakes, Buttermilk and Boat, was conceived as a tribute to our genteel neighbors…which in this instance isn’t much of a compliment.

Located on a stretch of Grand Street in Williamsburg where there are already plenty of good dives (Clem’s, the Bushwick Country Club) and more civilized bars (Huckleberry, Iona), Ontario’s negligible edge lies in its cheap drinks (most beers and whiskey shots cost $5, $3 during happy hour) and that Maple Leaf gimmick. But it’s awfully similar to the others in its franchise (indie-rock jukebox, wood paneling, video games), and the nominal “Canadian” touches hardly set it apart. Deer heads are tacked to the walls, the bar hosts weekly Trailer Park Boys screenings, and there are more Canadian songsters on the juke than usual (Neil Young, Arcade Fire, a “[John] Candy approved” mix called CanFuckingDa). On the food-and-drink front, we found $4 shots of Black Velvet (one of nine Canadian whiskeys), ketchup chips (Herr’s, a Pennsylvania brand—strike one) and a slew of mediocre Canadian beers—Molson, Labatt and Moosehead—that were outshined by the Bluepoint, Brooklyn Lager and Sixpoint on tap. (Though a follow-up call revealed that the owners are working on expanding their Candian beer options, don’t expect any of Quebec’s yummy craft beers here.)

Why bother with the theme if it’s not going to up your game? Particularly un-Canadian was the bartender’s crappy attitude. After pouring us the kind of watery rye-and-ginger that reminded us of our college days in Montreal—ginger ale from a gun, Canadian Club and wispy ice chips—he clammed up when we asked him to extol the bar’s Canadian virtues: “This bar is named after Lake Ontario, it’s not supposed to be Canadian,” he sputtered (incorrectly). That explains a lot. This time, we won’t blame Canada.

c/o NY Mag

263 N. 6th Street
Brooklyn NY, 11211
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718.782.7171

Rating: ★★★★
Cards: All Major
Hours: Tues-Sun 5pm-2am
Subway: L to Bedford Ave. or Lorimer St.
Food/Menu: Bar Snacks (Cheese Plate + Olives)
Booze: Full bar
Happy Hour: One Red Wine, One White Wine, and One Bottled Beer on special for 1/2 price
We say:

Pinkerton is our favorite new wine bar in Williamsburg. Serving New World wines by the glass as well as a half-dozen local and West Coast microbrews, owner Thomas Hudson is concentrating on “interesting, fun, good wines that are affordable,” with a focus on wines from Washington, Oregon, California, and Australia. The space is cozy and is great for a date, or a large group of friends-you can actually hear each other speak, which is a welcome change to most places in Williamsburg.

Metromix says:

When Weezer released their second album, could they have guessed it would inspire this Williamsburg wine bar? Does Rivers Cuomo even drink wine? Formerly N. 6, Pinkerton is now dishing out new world wines by the glass. The list is small, there’s around a dozen options for $7 – 10 a glass. The drink menu also contains a selection of microbrews, like the Riverhorse Tripel ($8) from a small brew house in New Jersey. A menu of small plates is promised, the owner is consulting with chefs to bring in goodies like cheese and hummus platters. The bar may have a new rock ‘n roll-inspired name, but most of the easygoing bistro décor was kept intact. Expect a crowd of writerly types, drawn by the journalist who decided to open the spot. They can discuss the tomes of the day at the cushy orange bar stools, or debate the merits of this week’s New Yorker as they sip a Californian craft beer at one of the outdoor tables. With an alt-rock inspired name, the discussions will no doubt trend to the stuff of the glory days: songs about sweaters.

Tabaré

221 South 1st Street
Brooklyn, NY 11211
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347.335.0187

Cuisine: South American
Our Rating: ★★★★
Cards: Cash Only
Price: $$$
Hours: Mon-Thu 5pm-11pm; Fri 5pm-Midnight; Sat Noon-Midnight; Sun Noon-11pm
Booze: None
Subway: L to Bedford Ave. or Lorimer St., J,M,Z to Marcy Ave.
Menu: Click Here
Delivery: No
We say:

With the explosion of South American restaurants popping up in Williamsburg, it can be hard to truly stand out. But the recently opened Uruguayan eatery Tabaré on the South Side will have no problem gaining attention.

The interior of Tabaré is intimate and cozy, with concrete floors and soft lighting. The walls are covered in wood planks of various sizes, which the owners found and collected via Craigslist. The shelving above the tables in the restaurant is filled with vintage wine bottles and tea kettles. The tables are concrete, which is a nice contrast to the colorful handmade knitted banquettes. For the warmer months, there is a cute, small outdoor patio filled with tropical plants and tea lights.

Tabaré’s menu is varied with Mediterranean and Italian influences, with pasta dishes aplenty-I’m told it’s a staple of the Uruguayan diet. The owners said they wanted to serve what would be offered at a typical restaurant in Uruguay.

Tabaré uses as many organic and locally farmed foods as possible. The chef buys all the vegetables used in the food from the Union Square Farmers Market. The chicken is organic, and the beef is grass fed from Upstate NY.

Upon being seated, a small baguette from nearby Bakeri Brooklyn was served with a homemade olive oil and olive tapenade. For an appetizer, we ordered the homemade Empanadas Caseras ($7). We had one of each of the two choices offered: the first was filled with caramelized onions, gruyere & fontina cheese, while the second offered Spanish tuna & black olives. Both were amazing, and were small enough to not spoil your dinner. The empanadas were served with two sauces, a traditional chimmichurri and a spicier olive oil based sauce with peppers. Although we didn’t try it, the Ensalada Fresca with romaine, string beans, parsley, chives, & grapefruit salad ($9) sounded amazing.

There were many daily specials to choose from; including handmade potato gnocchi of the day ($14), and Raviolis Caseros (handmade ravioli with chicken and Roquefort cheese). We tried the Pescado Al Papel (fish of the day), tilapia baked in parchment paper served with string beans, carrots in a citrus herb sauce, grapefruit & baked potatoes; along with the Chivito Completo (traditional Uruguayan filet mignon steak sandwich) with bacon, mozzarella, onions, green olives, tomato, lettuce & a fried egg. The tilapia was extremely flavorful and tasty. There were more than enough vegetables, a nice change from the for sad carrots typically offered with fish at most places. The Chivito Completo was served with home fried potatoes, which tasted like homemade French fries. It offered an amazing array of flavors, complimented by the sweet brioche it was served on.

The desserts offer a nice compliment to the dinner. We had the Torta De Chocolate Negro (flourless dark chocolate cake) served with whipped cream and fresh fruit. It was so rich we couldn’t finish the whole piece, but is a great item to share. We also ordered the Manjar Del Cielo (dulce de leche flan). In contrast to most flan I’ve had in the past, this was thicker and less custard like. I actually preferred it.

Tabaré also serves brunch on the weekends. Many of the items offered are the same as during dinner, with the addition of several Brunch specific dishes such as Torreja (Uruguayan “French” toast) served with fruits and organic maple syrup ($7), Huevos horneados (baked eggs) with wild mushrooms ($10), and Revuelto gramajo (scrambled eggs) green peas, julienne fries & Serrano ham ($11).

Like visiting South America, Tabaré is a bit further south than most would venture out in Williamsburg, but it’s well worth the trip. Trust me.

c/o NY Mag

108 Bedford Avenue.
Brooklyn, NY 11211
view map
718.387.6296

Rating: ★ ★ ★
Cards: All Major
Hours: Daily 5pm-4am
Subway: L to Bedford Ave., G to Nassau Ave.
Food/Menu: None
Booze: Full bar
Happy Hour: Mon-Fri 3pm-8pm: $1 off drinks
NY Mag says:

The Gibson takes over the space of Triple Crown, a contentious hip-hop lounge whose sound system once shook irate neighbors’ floors for blocks. In bargaining for a liquor license, new owner Geoff Weber pledged a mild-mannered watering hole, sans live music or rowdy happy hour. He’s kept these promises. Softly lit and tasteful, with earth-tone walls and rich wooden accents, the Gibson ranges from low-key to lifeless; regulars have at least a decade on the L-train set further south, and the 1,200-square-foot space dwarfs even its modest weekend crowds. But service is friendly, and an eclectic soundtrack doesn’t overwhelm conversation. With eight beers on tap, competent classic cocktails, and more-than-ample seating, it succeeds as a welcoming, unpretentious neighborhood bar—a rare thing on Bedford Avenue.

Metromix says:

With an extensive array of libations, comfy seats and low lighting, The Gibson is an excellent under-the-radar joint for after-work drinks or late night fun. It’s also been the default venue for many a successful birthday party, being one of only a few NYC venues that adheres to all the following criteria: lots of room, not too expensive, good-looking and not too far away. A thoughtful handful of local and craft beers are on tap (and written up on the mirror behind the bar), while a strong selection of bourbon and Scotch is front and center.