Thrillist recently published suggestions on spots to hit on Bedford Avenue in Brooklyn’s Williamsburg for each block between South 5th and North 12th Streets. It’s a great piece by Thrillist. Although it wasn’t specifically a bar crawl Thrillist describes in their piece, they do recommend several bars. For the block between N.10 and N.11th, Thrillist recommends The Bedford. This is the one block recommendation with which we disagree. We would have picked Mugs Ale House for this block. With a great beer selection, Mugs Ale House has been around for nearly 20 years and was the first bar we ever visited in Williamsburg. And Mugs is a bar we try to include on any NYC pub crawl through Williamsburg.
A review of Dear Irving near Manhattan's Union Square
Located at 55 Irving Place in Manhattan, Dear Irving is another gem of an artisanal cocktail bar/lounge from the same owners as Chelsea’s Raines Law Room. It’s recommended that you make a reservation via their website. A friendly staff and delicious cocktails make this a good spot for any NYC cocktail bar crawl.
A review of Owl Farm Bar in Brooklyn's Park Slope
Located at 297 Fifth Avenue in Brooklyn’s Park Slope, Owl Farm is a craftbeer bar from the same owners as Bar Great Harry in Brooklyn’s Carroll Gardens. The friendly and knowledgeable staff makes this a solid spot for any Park Slope NYC craft-beer bar crawl.
A review of City View Lounge in Manhattan's Chinatown
Located at 93 Bowery (at Hester), the City View Lounge is a rooftop spot atop the Wyndham hotel. The spot is bi-level with the indoor section located on the 18th floor and a seasonal outdoor space one story above. The view is north to Midtown and it offers an unobstructed view of Midtown. There are not too many bars in that immediate section of NYC, so City View Lounge fills a bit of a void. We look forward to a return visit here on our next pub crawl through the area.
A review of Spyglass, atop the Archer Hotel in Midtown Manhattan
Located at 45 West 38th Street, this is yet another rooftop bar in Midtown South with an up close view of the Empire State Building. The relatively space is split between indoor and outdoor area. It probably gets crowded pretty quickly here.
July 26 marks New York State's Birthday
It was 226 years ago on this date that New York State ratified the United States Constitution, becoming the 11th state to do so. Therefore, July 26th is a great day to drink some New York State beer and eat some New York State food. A great beer bar for the occasion is Little Town NYC in Union Square, which focuses on NY beer and food. Today is also a great day for a NYC pub crawl!
Williamsburg bars we look forward to visiting
It’s been a little while since we last pub crawled through Williamsburg, Brooklyn. On our radar for our next bar crawl through the area are two beer bars, JackBar and Randolph Brooklyn, both of which are located on the South Side. We’ve been to the original Randolph location in Manhattan’s NoLita. We hope Randolph Brooklyn is similar to the original spot. Further east, a Brooklyn location of the East Village’s Blind Barber has opened recently. Blind Barber is a speakeasy, located behind a barbershop. We will have reviews of these and other spots shortly after our visits.
A review of Sky 31 in Manhattan's Chelsea
Located atop the Holiday Inn at 30 West 31st Street, Sky 31 is another stop for the Empire State Building view rooftop NYC bar crawl. The space is outdoor only, so we imagine that Sky 31 has to be a seasonal operation of sorts. Still, the space has spectacular views both north to Midtown and south to Lower Manhattan. Sky 31 is worth a visit this summer.
Bushwick bars we look forward to visiting
It’s been a long while since our last bar crawl through Bushwick, Brooklyn. During that time, numerous spots have opened up that we look forward to visiting. Among others we hope to visit sooner rather than later are Left Hand Path, Three Diamond Door and The Rookery. We’ve heard good things about each of the three places. We will provide our take on these spots in forthcoming posts.
A review of The Ship in Manhattan's Soho
Located at 158 Lafayette Street, The Ship is a new artisanal cocktail spot, opened by a one of the folks from Little Branch (in Manhattan’s West Village). The Ship is a bit hard to find because, unless you know the exact address, you may walk right by the front entrance (the name of the bar is on the front door, but the entrance is somewhat obscured). After entering, visitors walk down a hallway, past the restrooms and then descend a flight of stairs, into the main bar section. There’s bar seating at the back wall and then tables available for parties of 2-6 in the rest of the area. Friendly staff and delicious cocktails make this place worth another visit!
