Sunswick

Great craft beers selection here! The food is delicious as well! This is an awesome place to just chill with your friends.

My boyfriend and I came here during our recent visit to NYC. The hot buffalo wings were the bomb dot com and I am fairly particular about what I consider to be really good wings. My boyfriend got a sandwich, which was basically the size of two sandwiches. He loved it. The bar had some cool craft beers on tap as well, which we appreciated. We did get mozzarella sticks as an appetizer, only to receive them fairly undercooked, but c’est la vie, everything else about this place was great!
Most importantly, we had a super friendly bartender and even chatted a bit with fellow customers. The vibe made the place extra special.

Amazing beer selection on draft with your traditional selection of bar food and then some. Definitely get the buffalo chicken dip. The tortilla chips were extra crispy, which went very well with the chunky dip.
The spicy fried pickles were very large slices. Bigger than any I’ve ever had, not bad. but not the best. The sauce serve with it was good. Buffalo wings were big and very tasty. I love when wings are drenched in sauce. Comes with blue cheese and some carrots & celery. Lots of other dips you can choose from on the menu as well (for an extra cost, but not much).
Prices are good and the place always has a good crowd. Great service at the bar. We noticed the bartender was the only person working, along with a busser/​barback and they did a fantastic job. The bar was filled when we walked in and when we were getting ready to leave. the entire restaurant became filled. Service stayed the same and was great, even though it got very busy.

If you are looking for a casual spot to relax and grab a few beers this will be the spot. There is nothing complicated about the ambience of the place everything is just chilled and DL which I love. The food can improve a little but apart from that you should definitely visit …

They have a great beer selection. I managed to get a seat at the bar where i was greeted and served in great timing. The bartender had a good beer knowledge which helped me pick a good beer to go with my food. The food was pretty good and the plates here are very filling (so expect to ask for a goody bag). It’s a great low key bar. I find this bar best if you’re thinking about a dinner and a movie (where Kaufman theater is a few blocks away).

Great selection of beers! Cool vibe and lots of fun stuff happening all the time. Credit card min is 10 $.

GREAT Beer and GREAT Fried Pickles. As innnn the best Fried Pickles ive ever had. I would come here just for the pickles. The bartender is awesome and always suggests the right IPA (for which they have an abundance of), and lets me sample to make sure im always satisfied. Also a source of happiness (especially when drinking beer) is the vast selection of Fries — shoestring, sweet potato, french and waffle. YES PLEASE ill take all four, thank you.

Past six months I worked down the block from Sunswick so I ate lunch here A LOT! Yes, it’s known for beer and I did have a Lagunitas Citrusinensis beer with orange flavor that was AMAZING but they change beers all the time and this beer was gone so I drifted back to red wine. I’ve had their burgers and fries: regular and sweet potato; salad with chicken; BBQ pulled pork with mexican corn; veggie burger… all really good. The bartenders are all nice. I really like this place and I like eating at the bar.

Definitely my new go-​to burger in Astoria. Burgers are good and filling. Will definitely hit the spot if you’re hungry. Additionally, this place has a great beer selection, so beer nerds like myself will appreciate that. On top of that, they have a fun trivia night as well. Music is good too. Definitely recommend this place if you live nearby or just happen to find yourself in Astoria looking for a fun bar with good beer and food.

There is a great beer selection… tons of craft brews you would hope and dream for. I just wish that there was good music to accompany the drinks. I understand it is a hipster dive bar and not meant for dancing but music is always nice to listen to. They do have a jukebox available, I’m not sure if it is working or not but will probably try it out next time I visit. The staff is very friendly and accommodating which is an added plus! My husband and I tried the food before going to the movies one day and it was okay, he had a burger and I had a salad no real wow factor although I did enjoy the spicy fried pickles! Definitely a nice place to go for a quick drink with friends, a good starter bar to a night out.

I’ve been organizing a trivia «world tour» of NYC establishments, and Sunswick has always been a solid pick. Trivia-​wise competition is always lively (15 times last time I went), and the question master is one of the better ones that NYC Trivia League has to offer. But because the establishment is smaller than many other trivia places, team sizes are restricted to four (usually the cap is six) and you can’t get reservations. So sometimes this leads to awkward seating arrangements, and occasionally times when there are illegal team sizes. (They were eligible for the prizes one time I went, and ineligible the other time.) Prizes include a lot of beer (a box for first place, and a round for second), but no bar tab like other trivia places.
But aside from the reservations and smaller establishment size, the bar itself is a standout. We’ve always enjoyed the food (the sweet potato fries are amazing), drink selection, and prices. That and the Astoria location results in this being our go-​to backup trivia place whenever most of our team regulars are unavailable for the week. The only warning I’d give is that the service was slightly understaffed since the packed bar had only one (very diligent) waitress.
As a random side note: the Steel City sandwich is a beast of an order. I’d challenge anyone to finish the entire thing.

I’m not sure how I feel about this place… First of all, the computerized bar menu is a total showstopper (integrated with social media and Untappd, for all you beer geeks!). The beer selection is good, and they have cool looking growlers. However, the service was pretty bad, and the ambience was wack. If you’re gonna be a dive, go full dive. Unfortunately, Sunswick is having an identity crisis somewhere in the middle: IPA tastes w/​Bud Light décor.

Awesome beer menu with lots of local brews. This is inviting bar to hang out and relax in with friends. The food looked great, but we didn’t try any.

My mind is just under that third star threshold, but my heart must go the little extra to avoid the dreaded two stars. See explanation below.
Walking inside on a Sunday afternoon with not much to do but sample a few beers and take down a plate or two of pub grub I took a stool at the far end of the beautiful bar to decipher the craft beer menu. The bar area is sparkling clean, the open seating area behind was equally well kept, both furnished with attractive deep brown wood tables and chairs.
Most all beers are NY based which is a bit limiting, but I get the concept. The first order was unavailable due to menu changes, the pilsner to follow didn’t really piqué my interest. Heavy Load was my second choice, which was a hint more toward my liking. (Note: if any names are incorrect or incomplete, which I believe will occur, a full specifically exact edit will soon follow)
My friend finally arrived and the food selections were made as I wet my beak on a Young’s Chocolate stout. The third selection from the top of the brunch menu was a Mexican dish I’ve never heard of, consisting of triangularly cut corn tortillas, served wet over salsa Verde topped with a sunny side egg and a few chincy avocado strips. For an up charge you can add chicken or steak, unfortunately neither could have rescued this pasty dish from the depths of the worst Mexican meal I’ve ever been served. The wet tortillas really did not go over well and sadly I have to consider this menu item a complete and utter flop. The flavor was missing a lot of something’s, and revealed nothing as the forkfuls continued as did the increasing mushy texture.
The signature burger looked amazing once plated in front of me, but my medium rare cook temp came out very close to well done which broke my foodie heart. The meat was destroyed. It was like eating crumbly shoe leather, this really disappointed me. Ya can’t nail your signature dish, missing it by three cook temps? Here’s a quick rendition of cooked meat choices for all of those of you keeping score at home:
Rare— Medium Rare — Medium — Medium Well — Freakin’ Destroyed, which is exactly what I was served.
Our bartender, a bright eyed and engaging young lady did a good job to quell my disappointed verbally, but what really could be done? Offering to send the burger – better yet– send both back to the kitchen? Perhaps, offering up a buy back after four beers and two mixed drinks and trying to endure the meals from hell with a pleasant smile? Perhaps. But unfortunately neither happened, whether or not I took the offer or not isn’t the point, truthfully, I really could not have partaken due to time constraints, it would have been nice to know efforts were put forth to remedy disappointments, but again – Perhaps not.

No trip to Astoria would be complete without a stop at 35×35. Awesome craft beer selection, and they know their beer. The handles change with such frequency, they have the menu up on a flat screen. Food always looks great, but… have always had other reservations. Will make a trip for lunch here at the end of Aug when i’m back. I can’t say enough good about the staff. I don’t know if they were owners, managers or what… but they all felt like owners. That much pride in their work.

Great spot of for a pint or three, as well as grabbing some higher quality pub grub. The burgers are good here, and the place is never packed. This is kind of interesting when you consider there’s a museum, movie studio, movie theater, and shopping nearby.
It’s only a few blocks from other bustling streets with multiple pub options, but this is an old reliable when I’m in the area. I usually reserve a visit here for afternoon or evening, and if I’m eating, lunch or dinner.
Depending on who you’re with, this will fit the bill perfectly for an easy laid back food and drink option. It’s not fancy, but it’s not dingey either. Solid option all around.

*PROS*
Karaōke night was very entertaining
Great music selection
Food was very large portions and quite delicious for bar food!
Wide selection of food on their menu
BEER FLAVORS ARE DELICIOUS AND UNIQUE

Went here w a friend after going to Snowdonia and realizing that there dinner menu doesn’t start til 4:30pm (I really wanted their Mac and cheese). IT WAS A BIG MISTAKE!
My friend got the house burger w waffles fries and I got hot wings!
Almost everything was inedible.
The burger was soooo dry, we gulped down our drinks to get it past our throats.
The wings were def frozen and cold inside.
My friend got a soda that was more water then soda and my Long Island iced tea was strong but def not a Long Island iced tea (trust me; it’s my fave drink and I have friends who R bartenders).
Only highlight were the waffle fries
So sad that I didn’t just have brunch at Snowdonia!
What a waste of time and a meal!
P. S. They def gotta have more worker then just a bartender and one waited; esp on a Sunday

Too many times I’ve been wandering around this part of Astoria late at night, only to find Sunswick open. Whether it’s simply a late night get together, a midnight west coast sports viewing, or just inclement weather and no rush to head home, this is my spot for beers, food, and good company.
Not too divey and not too big, there isn’t much room to mingle and move around sans the bar itself. There are quite a few tables, with waitress service to boot. It’s good place to sit and drink while grabbing a bite of food with friends and/​or dates. There are plenty of taps to satisfy most beer lovers and a very impressive selection of craft beers. The bartenders know what they’re doing when it comes to whipping up a stiff cocktail. Don’t be afraid to ask for more pour action.
On the food front, it’s pseudo mix of American pub fare with café style execution. There are going to be nachos, wings, and quesadillas, but there is also a decent selection of salads (big ups to the beet salad!), soups, and sandwiches with a semi-​gourmet edge. If one orders the signature burger ($ 14), just know the fries ($ 4) are an additional charge. The menu admittedly feels pricey for the area, but then again most nearby drinking holes aren’t the Sunswick either.
The crowds are never much of an issue and the corner they’re located at (35^th & 35^th) is sleepy enough to consider this an ideal neighborhood bar. Stay for the live bands and be sure to bring fun people.

Practically perfect low-​key bar!
Sunswick is the kind of spot where there are more people sitting at the bar than at the tables around it. It’s small without being too cozy, and would have more of a sports pub feel if not for the exposed brick walls and general cleanliness. They’re in a section of Astoria that’s seen relatively less yuppie invasion, and have never been too crowded. Some TV’s are scattered around the room but are by no means the main event.
Here’s the main event: the beer list, which always features 20-​odd things on tap. If you’re lucky, you’ll find Ithaca Flower Power IPA, Other Half Hup! Hup! Hup! Pale Ale, Brooklyn Defender red IPA (apparently only released during Comic Con every year!), and maybe several pumpkin beers if you get in touch with your inner self and acknowledge that pumpkin beers are great. The tap list completely changes seasonally but you’re sure to discover crafty dafty beers that you love, none of which come in pretentious snifters at $ 15 for 9 oz. I’m sure the bartenders can «talk beer» if they want, but I’ve got my fingers crossed that if someone continually engages them in that tedious conversation, s/he’ll get kicked out.* All drafts here are $ 6 (mostly pints, but the list specifies what a serving is).
I adore this spot, and it’s a great place to mull over the crazy film/​exhibit you just saw at the Museum of the Moving Image nearby. Over beer, of course.
*Fingers crossed or not, I know that wouldn’t happen — the bartenders here are always actually genuinely friendly.