The best bars williamsburg brooklyn has to offer are spread across 8 distinct blocks on either side of Bedford Ave, and getting to know them requires a willingness to walk. We have been making that walk regularly for years. Williamsburg has been pronounced dead by trend-watchers on at least 3 separate occasions, and it has outlasted all of them. These 10 bars are why.
Best Bars Williamsburg Bedford Ave and North Side
North Williamsburg remains the core of the neighborhood's bar scene. Bedford Ave has more options per block than almost anywhere else in Brooklyn, and the quality has held up better than the neighborhood's critics would admit.
01
Hotel Delmano
Berry St
$$$
Art Deco / Classic Cocktails
An Art Deco cocktail bar that has been one of the best places to drink in Brooklyn since it opened. The bar cart service is the most civilized thing happening in the neighborhood. Marble tables, velvet banquettes, and bartenders who can make a proper daiquiri without having to look it up. The absinthe selection runs to 14 expressions. Quiet enough for a real conversation.
Order: Clover Club or the daiquiri, both are exemplary
02
Maison Premiere
Bedford Ave
$$$$
Absinthe and Oysters / Upscale
The best New Orleans-inspired bar in New York, which is a significant claim and one that holds. The absinthe ritual here is done correctly and without theater. The oyster program is outstanding. The garden fills in summer with people who look like they have nowhere else to be. This is the Williamsburg bar to bring someone from out of town to. Book ahead.
Order: Absinthe drip with a half-dozen Wellfleets on the side
03
Skinny Dennis
Berry St
$$
Country / Honky-Tonk
A genuine honky-tonk bar in Brooklyn, which should not work but absolutely does. Live country music most nights, cheap Lone Star, and a crowd that commits to the premise. The jukebox is excellent when the band is not playing. Williamsburg at its best: something that only makes sense in this neighborhood, done with complete conviction. No cover, no attitude.
Order: Lone Star tallboy and a shot of Jameson
New York craft beer bars, our complete guide
The best places to drink craft beer in New York, from Brooklyn taprooms to Manhattan beer halls.
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Williamsburg Craft Beer and Hidden Gems
Williamsburg built its bar culture on craft beer, and that foundation holds. The neighborhood has more genuinely good taprooms per square mile than anywhere else in New York. These are the ones that have earned their place.
04
Radegast Hall
N 3rd St
$$
Bierhall / Groups
A Central European bierhall that handles large groups better than anywhere else in Williamsburg. Long communal tables, 20 German and Czech taps, and a kitchen serving sausages and schnitzel until late. The garden opens in warmer months and becomes one of the better outdoor drinking spots in Brooklyn. Loud and unapologetic about it. Good for groups of 8 or more.
Order: Pilsner Urquell on draft, the sausage board alongside
05
Spuyten Duyvil
Metropolitan Ave
$$
Belgian-Heavy / Connoisseur
The craft beer bar that Brooklyn beer culture was built on. The bottle selection runs to 300 labels with a serious Belgian emphasis, and the rotating tap list rewards people who come back regularly. Small, dark, and packed with regulars who know what they are doing. A back garden adds capacity in summer. The cheese plate is an unexpected strength. No TVs.
Order: Ask for the most interesting thing on tap right now
06
Westlight
Wythe Ave
$$$
Rooftop / Manhattan Views
The rooftop bar at the William Vale Hotel sits high enough to give you unobstructed views of the Manhattan skyline, and the drinks program does not embarrass the setting. The cocktails are well-executed, the terrace is designed properly, and the overall experience justifies the prices. Reservations available. The best sunset bar in Brooklyn, with almost no competition.
Order: The house spritz at golden hour with the skyline behind it
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South Williamsburg and Late-Night Options
South Williamsburg operates differently from the Bedford Ave strip. It runs later, feels less curated, and has some of the best late-night bars in Brooklyn. These four are the ones to know.
07
Donna
Broadway
$$$
Tropical Cocktails / Dark
A South Williamsburg cocktail bar that makes serious tropical drinks without the tiki theater. The rum selection is the best in Brooklyn, running to over 80 expressions, and the house cocktails are built around it. Low lighting, booth seating, and a playlist that runs from 8pm until whenever. The bartenders know their way around a daiquiri better than anywhere else in the borough.
Order: Ti Punch or the house daiquiri variation with aged agricole
08
Union Pool
Union Ave
$$
Late-Night / Outdoor / Music
The bar that helped define what a Brooklyn night out looked like for a generation of transplants, and it still delivers. The outdoor area with the taco truck is the main event. Live music in the back room most nights. Cheap drinks, a reliable crowd, and a staying-open-late policy that the neighborhood depends on. Best on warm weeknight evenings when the crowd thins out slightly.
Order: Whatever is cheapest on tap, then a taco from the truck
09
Nitehawk Cinema Bar
Wythe Ave
$$$
Cinema Bar / Curated
The bar at Nitehawk operates independently from the cinema and is worth visiting without a film ticket. The cocktail menu rotates with the programming and the kitchen turns out genuinely good food. A civilized alternative to the more crowded bars on Bedford Ave. The clientele includes people who came for a movie and people who just needed a quiet drink, and both are welcome.
Order: The current film-inspired cocktail and the fried chicken sandwich
10
Bozu
Metropolitan Ave
$$
Japanese-Inspired / Late
A Japanese-influenced bar that runs late and keeps it relaxed. The whisky selection leans Japanese with a few Scottish surprises, and the cocktails are cleaner and more precise than anything else in this price bracket in the neighborhood. The izakaya-style snacks are the right thing to order alongside. A neighborhood bar for the neighborhood, not for the Instagram.
Order: Nikka From the Barrel highball and the edamame with chili oil
Hidden gem bars in New York
The bars that do not appear in guidebooks. Our picks for New York's most under-the-radar drinking spots.
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Our Verdict on Williamsburg Bars
Williamsburg delivers more consistently than its reputation suggests. The neighborhood has grown past its craft beer roots into something more interesting: a mix of serious cocktail bars, great rooftops, and late-night spots that keep the borough honest. Maison Premiere is the non-negotiable for anyone who has not been. Hotel Delmano is where you go when you want to feel like an adult. Westlight is how you end a good night.
Walk from the Williamsburg Bridge, stay on or near Bedford Ave, and do not plan past midnight. Everything worth finding is within 8 blocks. If you want to continue south into Park Slope, the bar culture shifts noticeably — more neighbourhood pub, less scene. For the more experimental end of the Brooklyn spectrum, Bushwick is what Williamsburg looked like before it polished itself.
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