Bar Akariba

77 1/2 North 6th Street
Brooklyn NY, 11211
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718.388.6160

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★
Cards: Cash Only
Hours: Wed-Sun 6pm-Midnight
Price: $$$
Subway: L to Lorimer St.
Food/Menu: Japanese/Oysters
Booze: Full bar (specialized in sake)
Happy Hour: No
Menu: Click Here
Grub Street says:

Shaul Margulies and Motoko Watanabe, the couple that owns Zenkichi, have converted their Williamsburg izakaya’s backyard into Akariba, a 40-seat lounge specializing in what Margulies calls “the deadly combo of sake and oysters.” Once it opens next Thursday, it’ll feature a seasonally rotating ten-item menu of oysters (everything from Blue Points to Kumamotos), small bites such as grilled toro, and within the next weeks, sashimi prepared by Zenkichi’s chef Tetsuya Akikawa, who honed his sushi skills at Jewel Bako. Desserts will come form Zenkichi.

Most of the dishes (excluding the sashimi) will be priced from $5 to $10, and cocktails made from beer, wine, and sake (which will also rotate seasonally) will cost $8 to $11. We’re told Akariba translates to “the glow of a lantern in the dark,” and as you can see in our slideshow, the interior (capped by a glass ceiling) is every bit as sultry as its sister establishment. Reservations won’t be accepted — just find Zenkichi’s hidden door and Akariba’s is a little bit to your right. Listen for the jazz …

Time Out says

Husband-and-wife restaurateurs Shaul Margulies and Motoko Watanabe have added this izakaya-style bar in the backyard of their Williamsburg Japanese restaurant, Zenkichi. The glass-enclosed patio is outfitted with marble tables, cast-iron lanterns and an abundance of leafy plants. The cocktail list will have a Japanese bent, with hand-chipped ice and concoctions like a lavender lychee-tini, made with pureed lychee and shochu. The selection of 10 to 20 seasonally changing sakes, meanwhile, is meant to be paired with oysters, which are offered raw, grilled or sautéed, along with a limited selection of other small bites.

image c/o Flickr

600 Metropolitan Ave.
Brooklyn, NY 11211
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718.599.4440

Rating: ★ ★ ★
Cards: Cash Only
Hours: Mon-Fri, 3pm-4am; Sat-Sun, 1pm-4am
Price: $
Subway: G, L at Metropolitan Ave.-Lorimer St.
Food/Menu: Free pizza when you buy a pint
Booze: Full bar
Happy Hour: No, but they have free pizza!
We say:

The dive meets frat boy decor is nothing to write home about, but the free brick over pizza (which is actually REALLY good) makes it hard to pass up.

NY Mag says:

Inside what was once the Galleria pizza place, this bar’s turquoise walls, pink flamingoes and Romanesque details don’t quite gel, yet one crucial feature remains intact: the arched, wood-burning oven. Because of the owners’ sensational idea of serving free personal pizzas every night until 3:30 a.m., this unremarkable joint has turned into a loveable hangout that’s a great first or last barhop stop. Young and old Williamsburg folk congregate along the bar, in the maroon, open-angle vinyl booths, and around the green pool table. A booming jukebox and Big Buck Hunter Pro game in back provide entertainment. A selection of 10 draft beers complements the delicious crisp-crust pies, which are on the house with every drink; toppings like pepperoni, caramelized onions and flavorful sweet sausage are available for an extra $2.

Anchorred Inn

57 Waterbury Street
(between Meserole St & Scholes St)
Brooklyn, NY 11206
view map
347.881.9095

Rating: ★ ★ ★
Cards: All Major
Price: $$
Subway: L Train to Montrose
Hours: Mon–Fri 1pm–4am; Sat, Sun noon–4am
Food and Drink Menu: Click Here (pdf)
Booze: Full bar
Website: www.theanchoredinn.com
NY Post says:

The new watering hole signals comfort after a long day or night for the world-weary rockers and other tattooed, skinny-jeanswearing locals who people the bar, which mashes up a maritime theme with a dive bar vibe.

Co-owners Adrienne Dowd and Carmen Mello dreamed up the nauticaldive fusion while working together as bartenders at The Half King, and opened the doors to their Brooklyn joint in February. A golden mermaid and a wood sign emblazoned with an ornate anchor and the bar’s old-timey logo (which Dowd, who’s an artist, created) mark the entrance. Inside, Mello’s collection of kitschy velvet paintings lines the walls, and true to the bar’s seafaring focus, one depicting a whale and a giant squid in a oceanic death match hangs over the bar, while a vintage deep-sea diving suit suspended from the ceiling hovers nearby. Cushioned red vinyl booths, salvaged from a pizza parlor Dowd frequented in her youth, offer spots to kick back and enjoy the suds and tipples on hand.

On a recent night, the beer selection was ample and reasonably priced enough to meet the needs of those with only a little cash to spare as well as those with money to burn, and happy hour brought a $1 discount for all drafts. Six taps rotate seasonally, and recent drafts included a standard low-priced lager, Yuengling ($4) and craft brews from local breweries, such as Sixpoint’s Brownstone ($6) and Bluepoint’s Toasted Lager ($6), as well as some further afield, including Left Hand Milk Stout ($6) from Colorado. The cans and bottles covered a wide range, from the ever-popular, low-budget drink of the effortlessly cool, Pabst Blue Ribbon in a can ($3), to the bottled microbrew Dreamweaver Wheat ($7) from Tregs Brewery in Pennsylvania.

The Anchored Inn’s cocktail list steered away from the oceangoing theme and into the realm of divey rock ‘n’ roll with a menu of drinks inspired by the local bands that tend to make up the majority of The Anchored Inn’s crowd. The Mutante Supremo ($9), named after the death metal band Mutant Supremacy, was a Tecate Michelada with a shot of chipotleinfused mezcal, and The Bad Dream ($7), created in honor of the grime metal band Bad Dream, mixed stout with Stoli Vanil. Simpler well cocktails go for $6, and several fine liquors, including Woodford Reserve bourbon ($9), Whistlepig Rye whiskey ($10) and Ron Zacapa rum ($9) were available. And cheap shot possibilities abounded. Any canned beer paired with any well shot costs $5, and the ubiquitous pickle back shot, with well whiskey and pickle juice, was also a mere $5.

But despite all its welcoming qualities, The Anchored Inn’s intense noise level sometimes made it hard to relax. On a recent night, the sound of the hardcore band playing at The Acheron next door was so loud that The Anchored Inn’s bartender had to blast the Black Sabbath blaring from the bar’s speakers just to make it audible above the din.

TimeOut says:

Adrienne Dowd and Carmen Mello, longtime bartenders at the Half King, break out on their own with a nautically themed drinkery in Williamsburg. The bar features a golden mermaid bust outside and a hanging Russian metal diving suit indoors, plus 20 black-velvet paintings, including a squid-versus-whale rendering. Tip back one of six draft beers (Left Hand Milk Stout, Sixpoint Sweet Action) or opt for a sipping liquor (Woodford Reserve bourbon, Flor de Cana rum). Overboard boozers can counteract the night’s tippling with salty bar snacks, including nachos, boiled peanuts and an intriguing combo of pickles with whipped pork fat.

c/o NY Mag

20 Skillman Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11211
view map
718.218.7272

Cuisine: Comfort food
Our Rating: ★ ★
Cards: All Major
Price: $
Hours: Sun-Thurs 4pm-2am; Fri-Sat 4pm-5am
Booze: Full Bar
Subway: L to Graham Ave.
Menu: Click Here
Delivery: Yes
Citysearch says:

On the same stretch of blocks as Galapagos, Northsix and Sweet Water Tavern, Anytime appeases streams of bargoers with its round-the-clock eats. Its small industrial space is painted in white, gray and orange, and holds a takeout counter with a couple of suspended wooden-beam tables. The best thing about the space, though, is skipping it and getting snacks delivered to your door.Grilled sandwiches, soups and toasts (such as smoked mozzarella and roasted peppers) provide the primary sustenance, along with appetizers in the jalapeno popper/buffalo wing family. The eight-ounce burger arrives well-done on a shiny bun–comforting stuff, especially when accompanied by tater tots. Potato leek and scallion soup is green and flavorful, and the balanced fruit yogurt shake satisfies. Anytime’s menu shifts with the seasons, offering chilled soups and sophisticated salads in the summer.

New York Mag says:

Can a late-night restaurant with offerings that run the gamut from low-brow mozzarella sticks to ambitious pan-seared salmon actually be any good? Yes. And happily, this establishment on Williamsburg’s North Side succeeds in being most things to most people. Your image-conscious friends will dig its hipness: banquets swathed in nubby orange upholstery cradle Diesel- and Seven-sheathed behinds on a regular basis. Cash-strapped pals will appreciate the excellent value. After a couple of drinks, even you’ll be pleased with the availability of cheap, greasy tater tots and chicken fingers at post-last call hours. And once you’ve sobered up enough to have your culinary wits about you, try the silky and tangy hummus with a garlicky bite—a point of pride with the Israeli owner.

c/o NY Mag

104 S. 4th St.
Brooklyn, NY 11211
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718.237.7828

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★
Cards: All Major
Hours: Tue-Thu, Sun, 6pm-midnight; Fri-Sat, 6pm-2am
Subway: L to Bedford Ave.
Food/Menu: Tapas
Booze: Full bar
Happy Hour: Tue-Thurs 6-pm buy one cocktail, get one free
NY Mag says:

Every so often, an establishment lands in a certain neighborhood like a flying saucer — and what Kurve was to the East Village, the tapas bar Bar Celona undoubtedly is to Williamsburg’s South Side. Cynthia Diaz, the 27-year-old owner, has worked with her mother (a designer) to turn a former glue factory into something vaguely akin to the meatpacking’s APT. What really shines here are the drinks by Tad Carducci and Paul Tanguay of the Tippling Bros., who also put together the list at Mercadito Cantina. There are two commendable savory options: savory options: a “gazpacho” spiked with Akvavit, sherry, and yellow Chartreuse; and a Paellarhinha that contains cachaça and sherry, but tastes mostly like a fresh pepper thanks to red-pepper saffron syrup. Also interesting, if you don’t mind a bitter take on the old fashioned: a version of the drink made with grapefruit and non-aged whiskey (if you haven’t tried whiskey before it has been aged in the barrel, it’s as clear as white tequila and tastes vaguely like oyster).

Blackbook Mag says:

Owner and former fashionista Cynthia Diaz’s stylistic prowess informs unabashed, swanky décor. Crystal chandeliers, benches suspended from gold chains, animal print lounge chairs, glittery marble bar, and fireplace. Artisanal cocktails complement Spanish tapas with a Latin twist. Ideal spot to impress a first date or spice up a long-standing relationship. Ultra sexy drinks Muy Sucio, Missionary’s Position, and Murcielago sure to ignite fiery passion. Romance over delectables like shrimp al ajillo, braised oxtail, and mushroom and morcilla tostones.

Barcade

388 Union Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11211
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718.302.6464

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★
Cards: All Major
Hours: Mon-Fri 5pm-4am; Sat-Sun 2pm-4am
Subway: L to Lorimer St.
Food/Menu: No food available
Booze: Full Bar
Happy Hour: Mon-Fri 5pm-8pm & Fri-Sat 2pm-8pm ; $1 off tap beers, $1 off well drinks, $6 Fisherman’s Brew and shot of Jim Bean
We say:

A fabulous bar with tons of classic arcade games like Moon Patrol, Centipede, Frogger, and Donkey Kong,and Zaxxon. Plus, there are a dozen beers on tap and its spacious. Barcade rules.

NY Mag says:

Some people’s idea of a romantic nightspot involves candles, slow jams, and a heart-shaped box of candy. But for girls on the hunt for that elusive small-torsoed, tight-jeaned, floppy-haired species known as the Emoboyis Williamsburgus, there’s no better pick-up spot than Barcade. Here, finding and chatting up prime specimens is as easy as shooting fish in a barrel–or, more accurately, as easy as shooting aliens in Moon Patrol, one of almost thirty vintage arcade games that give Barcade its name. The airy, loft-like space never feels crowded, and there’s plenty of room to sit and watch Union Avenue’s finest compete for high scores of all varieties. Most importantly, the rotating list of more than 20 microbrews includes many local beers on tap. The heavyweight ones, with names like Sixpoint Diesel and higher-than-usual alcohol contents, may be just what’s needed to seal the deal with that dude in the faded Smiths T-shirt–or to sabotage your opponent at two-player Tetris.

c/o Zagat

323 Graham Ave.
Brooklyn, NY 11211
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347.899.7599

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★
Cards: All Major
Hours: Mon.-Wed. 4pm.-2am; Thu.-Fri. 4pm.-4am.; Sat. 12pm-4am; Sun. 12pm-2am
Price: Moderately Priced
Subway: L to Graham Ave.
Food/Menu: Healthy Bar Snacks
Booze: Full bar
Happy Hour: No
Time Out New York says:

Gather a group for the 40-ounce cocktails, like a pisco-pineapple punch, at this Williamsburg tavern, from alums of the Breslin and Gallery Bar. You can also order individual-sized tipples—like the Poppa’s Pride (bourbon, ginger, mint, lemon, soda, Angostura bitters) or the Mea Culpa (tequila, Punt e Mes, Velvet Falernum, lime)—at the butcher-block bar. Dishes made with seasonal ingredients, including a roasted beet salad with Greek yogurt and a Wisconsin dog with house-made mustard and aged cheddar, form the menu of elevated comfort food.

Metromix says:

The owners of this Williamsburg watering hole stick to the basics: wine, beer and small plates. Oh, and there are also those giant cocktails meant to share, but drinking far too much is the status quo for this bar-laden ‘hood. The no-frills bar has taken over the space that used to house Phoebe’s Café, and if you’re part of a big group (or a really strong liver), you can booze it up with one of the giant beverages like a pineapple punch. There is also a list of affordable international wines and small plates that will go well with all that booze in your belly. A few of those frankfurters with housemade mustard before bed, and you’re bound to minimize the after-effects of your bender.

Beauty Bar

921 Broadway
Brooklyn NY 11206
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347.529.0370

Rating: ★ ★
Cards: All Major
Hours: 6pm-4am Daily
Subway: J,M,Z to Myrtle Ave.
Food/Menu: Small Bar Snacks
Booze: Full Bar
Happy Hour: Martini and Manicure Happy Hour ($10) is offered Wed-Fri 7pm-11PM & Sat 9-12.
NY Mag says:

In order to build his seventh location including outposts in L.A., Vegas, and Austin, owner Paul Devitt acquired the fixtures of a Lancaster, Pennsylvania, beauty salon for $1,500 (including the crucial dryer chairs) and hauled them back here, along with some finds from a local flea market. Devitt describes the feel of this larger space (about 1,500 square feet compared to 900 square feet in the East Village) as “more seventies soul, Super Fly.” The prices, funny enough, are more in line with the 1996 ones at Beauty Bar’s original location (think $3 to $5 beers, $5 to $7 mixed drinks), and another difference is that “retro finger foods” such as pigs in a blanket are served. Also: Manicures start at 6 p.m.

Metromix says:

The divey and much-loved booze-and-parties-and-manicures chain extends its family tree to Brooklyn, planting a Beauty Bar branch deep in the heart of Bushwick. Larger than its East Village sister, the Brooklyn branch has a ’70s vibe, plenty of beauty-parlor fixtures, super-low drink prices and lovable, old-school bar bites—as well as, duh, dirt-cheap manicures and martinis at happy hour (6-11 p.m., same as always).

c/o Brownstoner

45 Richardson Street
Brooklyn NY,11211
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718.599.1645

Cuisine: Brazilian
Our Rating: ★ ★ ★
Cards: Cash Only
Price: $
Hours: Tue-Thurs 5:30pm-12am, Fri 3pm-1am, Sat 10am-1am, Sun 10am-11pm. Brunch Sat-Sun 10am-4pm. Closed Mondays.
Booze: Full bar
Subway: L to Bedford Ave
Menu: Click Here
Delivery: No
NY Mag says:

Williamsburg’s Beco is located in a sort of Williamsburg-Greenpoint netherland, and the owners kept the place a neighborhood secret while getting it off the ground. Rather than a full-blown restaurant like Miss Favela, David Giddings says he and his partners envisioned it as a modest Sao Paolo boteco, where you can laze about while popping made-to-order pao de queijo and sip cocktails made with fresh passion fruit and pressed sugar cane. As Giddings describes it, the decor harks back to the days of Pele, and “doesn’t scream ‘Brazil’ in your face, but it’s more like what a boteco is — a real hangout.” You can hang there during brunch that includes acai and granola, omelettes, bife a cavalo (Brazilians refer to their steak and eggs as “steak on horseback”), and a feijoada that’s prepared over the course of two days by a Carioca chef, Casia Steinberg (Fabiane Lima, the Brazilian owner of Fabiane’s, also consulted on the menu).

(more…)

c/o Thrillist

594 Union Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11211
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347.529.4906

Cuisine: American Nouveau
Our Rating: ★ ★ ★
Cards: All major
Price: Fairly Expensive
Hours: Daily 5pm-2am
Booze: Full Bar
Subway: L to Lorimer St.
Delivery: No
Menu: Click Here
Time Out New York says:

Josh Cohen and Blair Papagni—the husband-and-wife team behind Anella, Calyer and Saint Vitus—expand their North Brooklyn holdings with this fifth venue. Teak Danish modern tables and upholstered teal banquettes decorate the 100-seat eatery, which also doubles as a late-night DJ lounge. In the evening, diners can order off the eclectic New American menu featuring raw-bar platters and dishes like baby artichokes with picholine olives and bottarga, tripe mole poblano with cracklings, and a BBQ black bass with cherry-tomato jam. Later at night, local DJs, like No Ordinary Monkey, take over decks, spinning a mix of roots, reggae, house and disco.

Thrillist says:

As you know from virtually every chips commercial ever, if your party spread sucks, your guests will harshly ditch you for whichever of your otherwise pathetic neighbors was thoughtful enough to stock Bugles. For a hard-partying place with optimal eats, get to The Bellwether, soft-opening this weekend, aiming to get hard on the 14th.

From the team behind Anella and Saint Vitus, Bellwether is aiming to be part restaurant, part successor to McCarren Park Pool Parties, a dual mission manifested in a “big, nice bar” that plays host to both iced bivalves and a DJ station (they feel compelled to tell you that the DJs will be clothed, but there’ll surely be oyster wardrobe malfunctions). Other locally purveyed nosh hits on NY’s various cultural flavors, and stretches from crackling-sided tripe mole poblano, to BBQ’d, cherry tomato-jammed black bass, a far more manageable meal than the white Baas’ 312lbs. Assisted by a booming back room, bashes kick off this weekend with Sat’s friends/family starring No Ordinary Monkey — whose promo materials involving sharks, rainbows, asses, and other asses make regular monkeys look even less cool — and Sun’s open Save Us Williamsburg shindig, the first of a bi-monthly which this time’ll feature Ron Like Hell & Ryan Smith’s mellow dinner tunes, followed by dancing and “Balearic Sunday jams”.

You’ll get fueled by “natural wines”, micro- and “uniquely brewed” suds, and the Sierra Nevada Righteous Rye/Dickel house boilermaker, because if anybody knows how to lay out an effective spread, it’s… Joe Tiller!