Monthly Archives: January 2015

A review of Barleycorn in Lower Manhattan

Located at 23 Park Place in Manhattan (on the Tribeca/Financial District border), Barleycorn is a gastropub/beer & whiskey bar.  Barleycorn offers 70 tap beers, along with 50 whiskeys. The spot is long and spacious (runs the full block from Park pl north to Murray Street). Barleycorn’ layout features a long bar and two areas for seating.  Think mainly bistro fare for food (a bar menu offers 12 bar apps for sharing); there’s also a raw bar and pizza.  Because it straddles both Tribeca and FiDi, this is a good starting point for a NYC beer bar crawl through either nabe. We look forward to returning here!

Barleycorn 1

Barleycorn Taps

A review of The Waylon in Manhattan's Hell's Kitchen

Located at 736 Tenth Avenue in Manhattan’s Hell’s Kitchen, The Waylon is a country saloon bar. Taking over from the Druids spot, The Waylon has a large bar area and some seating opposite the bar. Other amenities include a jukebox, 2 TVs for sports and an outdoor area for good weather seating. For drinks, The Waylon offers 12 tap beers (some quality, some standard), 12 standard bottled-beers and six canned beers. Twenty choices of American and Irish whiskey and numerous tequilas are also featured.  Food menu can best be described as Southwestern U.S. fare.  The Waylon is a good spot for any Hell’s Kitchen 10th Ave NYC bar crawl.

The Waylon NYC

Bars visited recently in Manhattan

Over the past few weeks, we’ve had a chance to visit such recently-opened spots as Midtown’s Sixty Five, Hell’s Kitchen’s The Waylon and Upper East Side’s Shorty’s.  All three are very different from one another in vibe and draw.  And, all three are worth a visit when you’re bar hopping through those respective areas of Manhattan.  We’ll have reviews of these and other Manhattan spots over the next several days.

A review of Old Stanley's in Bushwick, Brooklyn

Located at 226 Wyckoff Avenue in Bushwick, Brooklyn, Old Stanley’s offers 8 tap beers, 15 bottled beers and 9 canned beers. We found the layout of the spot interesting.  Semicircle bar takes up about half the space.  In the other half, patrons will find a few booths.  By the windows, there are several bar stools situated for prime people watching along Wyckoff Ave.  Buckhunter, pinball, and a photo booth, among other distractions round out the offerings at Old Stanley’s.  A few bar snacks available. We found an overall good vibe here.

Old Stanley

A review of Onderdonk & Sons in Ridgewood, Queens

Located off the beaten path at 566 Onderdonk Avenue in Ridgewood, Queens, Onderdonk & Sons is a solid beer bar by the same owners as Greenpoint, Brooklyn’s Pencil Factory Tavern. O&S offers 12 quality taps, which include some local Brooklyn and Queens breweries. Along the wall opposite bar is booth-style seating. There’s also a small outdoor space near the entrance for warm weather seating. Add in the Juke box and friendly staff, this spot is a must visit!

O&S 1

O&S 2

A review of Gottscheer Hall in Ridgewood, Queens

Located at 657 Fairview Avenue in Ridgewood, Queens, Gottscheer Hall is an old-school German beer hall and restaurant. Dating back to 1924, Gottscheer just celebrated its 90th anniversary. Friendly staff. Gottscheer offers five tap beers, including German offerings such as Spaten, Hofbrau and Franzisksaner. Food menu at the bar is a limited menu of mostly German-American fare. Gottscheer is worth a visit next time you’re pub crawling through Ridgewood!

Gottscheer Hall

Bar hopping in Ridgewood, Queens

Recently, we had a chance to do some pub crawling around the Ridgewood section of Queens.  We had the chance to visit some old neighborhood stand-by’s and some recently-opened spots.  Later this week, we will have brief reviews of Gottscheer Hall, an old-school German beer hall and restaurant, and Onderdonk & Sons, a solid craft-beer bar.  We look forward to a return visit to both spots on our next bar crawl through Ridgewood.

A review of Bourgeois Pig in Manhattan's Greenwich Village

Located at 127 Bleecker Street, Bourgeois Pig has a new location, moving from its East Village location on East 7th Street (coincidentally or not, this new Greenwich Village location is just a few steps from their former west village annex). Even though this location of Bourgeois Pig recently opened, the space feels as though it’s been here a while. Bourgeois Pig offers fifteen wines by bottle/glass. For food, small plates and fondue are available. Bourgeois Pig is a nice addition to any Greenwich Village wine bar crawl.Bourgeois Pig Village