Long Island Bar has been on Atlantic Avenue since 1951 — originally as a working class diner bar serving the dock workers. Joel Tompkins and Toby Maloney took it over in 2013, kept the 1950s neon, formica, and red leather banquettes intact, and added a serious cocktail programme.
The cocktails are simple and unfussy. The Frozen Daiquiri is the signature — the 1950s frozen Daiquiri done with serious technique. The Old Fashioned is built without ceremony but executed perfectly. The food menu is a tight diner offering — burger, fries, salad — also done well.
The crowd is Cobble Hill locals, mid-thirties Brooklyn families, and visiting cocktail enthusiasts. Pair with Clover Club two blocks away for a Cobble Hill + Carroll Gardens evening.