Neighborhood Guide: Greenpoint Nightlife

by Justine Goodman - Citysearch Editor - 34 Reviews - 38 Lists

Updated: August 28, 2009

As one of Brooklyn's hottest up-and-coming 'hoods, Greenpoint has one thing down pat: a great bar scene. Check out our list of the best Greenpoint bars, from old-school pubs to new-school clubs and everything in between.

'Point of No Return

  1. 1 3.5 Star Rating: Average Enid's
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    560 Manhattan Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11222 (map)

    Kick it in style at this hipster HQ, located near McCarren Park. On weeknights, there's plenty of room to wiggle around; on weekends the crowd will keep your wiggling to a minimum. The flea-market couches and scattered tables and chairs complete the understated decor, though a big wall-hanging camel made out of gold sequins adds flair.

  2. 2 Matchless
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    557 Manhattan Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11222 (map)

    Housed in a former auto repair shop and beside a fully functional motorcycle shop, this simple but artfully decorated bar attracts Hell's Angels and hipsters alike. Working hard to lure patrons from wildly popular neighboring bar Enid's, Matchless ups the ante with darts, foosball, billiards and a wide selection of rotating beers on tap and by the bottle.

  3. 3 3.5 Star Rating: Average Coco 66
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    66 Greenpoint Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11222 (map)

    Standing out from the neighborhood's pubbier joints, this industrial bar boasts a construction of completely recovered materials--the zinc bar, skylights, and walls of distressed white pressed-tin, plus dark wood banquettes and inset birch panels, which help ground both front and back rooms. Chocolates from the Brooklyn Chocolate & Cocoa Co. next door accompany wines and Armagnacs, and infuse cocktails as well. In back, the pool table sees some action, and a dart board is ready and waiting.

  4. 4 4 Star Rating: Recommended Studio B
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    259 Banker St, Brooklyn, NY 11222 (map)

    The nightlife mavens behind the Delancey hatch an indie nightclub out of a Brooklyn warehouse, transforming this 9,500-square-foot space into a sort of music oasis. Whether the hot pink marquee and fluorescent lights are leftovers from its Polish nightclub days or meant to be ironically hip is up for debate. But either way, somehow it works.

  5. 5 Boulevard Taverns
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    575 Meeker Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11222 (map)

    How to restore life to a long-shuttered watering hole in the shadow of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway? The owners of Boulevard have taken a "keep what looks good" approach, uncovering original stained glass and sanding the long mahogany bar. The refurbished, comfortably worn-in space has been a hit with growing crowds of Greenpoint locals, but the main anchor is a no-nonsense 12-beer draft selection.

  6. 6 5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended Tommys Tavern
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    1041 Manhattan Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11222 (map)

    This local dive bar wavers between an old-timers' drinking den and all-out underground rock scene. On weeknights, worn-thin Polish men toss back cheap beers and stiff well drinks while basking in the glow of neon beer signs and a television. Come Friday, a week's worth of dust is stirred up as young Brooklyn hipsters march en mass into the small and stageless back room, which transforms into an up-and-coming, word-of-mouth rock spot.

  7. 7 4 Star Rating: Recommended Pencil Factory
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    142 Franklin St, Brooklyn, NY 11222 (map)

    Huge windows provide an impressive corner view at this youthful neighborhood hangout, which features an oak bar, wooden floor beams and a pressed-tin ceiling, as well as a sidewalk cafe. In addition to an extensive selection of rotating brews on draft, wines by the glass and single malts, the menu also offers a limited variety of pressed sandwiches to sate your boozy cravings.

  8. 8 5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended Mark Bar
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    1025 Manhattan Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11222 (map)

    Among the many dive bars in the still primarily Polish neighborhood, this quaint tavern distinguishes itself with a selection of 50 bottled and 15 tap beers, sourced from Germany to Japan, as well as a classic cocktail menu that includes caipirinhas and mint juleps. The bathrooms are noticeably clean, and, fun fact: The ladies room has a bidet.

  9. 9 3 Star Rating: Average Black Rabbit
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    91 Greenpoint Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11222 (map)

    Discretely blending high- and low-brow, this cozy pub boasts a speakeasy-style charm. The diverse beer menu vies for attention, as does the wine list and a revolving cast of cocktails. A selection of grub helps to quell the pangs of hungry drinkers. The novelty quotient is also satisfied: A push of the "service" button in each tall, dimly lit booth beckons an attentive barback to the table.

  10. 10 5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended Diamond
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    43 Franklin St, Brooklyn, NY 11222 (map)

    This beer-focused bar recognizes that great brew doesn't necessarily have to be high in alcohol. Hence the emphasis on "session beers," that is, beer that one can drink multiples of and still win at the shuffleboard table. So, strong ales like the dark bottled Oerbier from Belguim are on the menu alongside lighter tastes like the Harviestoun Bitter and Twisted from Scotland. Sure beats staying home and nursing a pint of O'Doul's.

  11. 11 5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended Palace Cafe Inc
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    206 Nassau Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11222 (map)

    That it's the lone Irish holdout in Greenpoint is distinguishing enough, but Palace Cafe is still probably better known as a metal bar. Franzia boxed wine festooned with plastic American flags steers patrons toward the free-flowing Killian's Red. Zeppelin blasts from the jukebox, and the brothers tending bar have Ozzie-like haircuts styled for optimum headbanging. Rock on.

  12. 12 3 Star Rating: Average Europa
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    98 Meserole Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11222 (map)

    The famed Polish nightclub now books serious rock gigs, but it hasn't lost its sense of over-the-top fun. The bi-level club plays hosts to acts like Sebadoh and the Mountain Goats performing on a stage framed in a red velvet curtain. Once the amps come unplugged, the floor quickly gives way to pre-gentrified crowd of young Polish locals, getting down to the DJs remixes of Kool & the Gang anthems set to neon strobe lights, while the unmistakable smell of a smoke machine wafts in the air.