Huckleberry Bar

I had my birthday party here, and the staff was so accommodating and the drinks were delicious. The back patio was a treat as well.

Came here on a Monday night all the way from Queens by train with my boyfriend to watch the movie they do on a screen. We found the event on the Fever app. We walked in, it’s a nice, clean looking place with little tables and candles, a decent sized bar. Not packed.
We walked up to the bar and right off the bat I knew I didn’t want to stay. We asked the female bartender who was washing a cup about the movie they were playing and she was just like «Oh, yeah, um, yeah I think» like she had no idea that they do movies on Mondays and like she had better things to do than greet us. I’m a bartender. If someone new walks into my bar asking a question… it’s my job to greet them, answer it and and offer them a drink. She didn’t even ask us if we wanted a menu. She just looked at a male bartender on the other side so we asked him about the movie, he said yeah and once again we weren’t offered anything or asked if we wanted a drink. We weren’t told about the 2 for 1 drink specials during the film.
So we grabbed a table, my boyfriend had to go ask for menus. The cocktail list looked good, a little expensive for the size I saw but it’s a specialty bar so I guess that’s normal. Food menu: very overpriced, not a lot to choose from and nothing really stood out.
We waited about 15 minutes and no one came over to us. Then the female bartender walks to 2 other tables, asks them if they need another round or more food and returns to the bar! At that moment we put our coats on and walked out. The snotty atmosphere was enough but that was ridiculous.
We took a cab home, popped a movie in the player and ordered food, much better. What a waste of time coming here.

This is the best cocktail bar in Williamsburg.
Okay, that might be debatable, but what is certainly not up for dispute is how well their staff, and in particular their manager Stephanie, treated my family and our guests for a private party.
My wife’s friends wanted to throw us a baby shower. I’m not really someone that would want to go to such a thing, let alone help plan one, but as our guest list started to bloat, we realized that it might be better to shift venues to a place that could accommodate a fairly diverse group of friends — which is to say both kid-​friendly and «get hammered because I’m about to have a kid in a month» friendly.
I emailed the bar and got a response within two days, which is more than I can say for the other bars I tried on Grand Street, one of which didn’t reply with the other unable to accommodate a private party on a Saturday. I was told that reserving the bar from 3−5pm (the two hours before opening) was no charge, so I figured out a head count and Stephanie helped make sure we ordered enough food.
Unfortunately, an open bar wasn’t in my budget, but they didn’t raise any objections. In fact, they went ahead and made a custom drink menu (it was three of their specialty cocktails and a beer/​wine list — but they MADE US A HEADER on the menu which was a super extra posh touch that was not something we even had for our wedding), put a sign out front closing the bar to the public, and set up some tables for presents and pizzas I ordered for the kids. It was unseasonably warm outside for December, so the seven or eight kids that came were able to play outside and just generally keep everything calm and easy.
Speaking of kids, our smartass nine-​year-​old (my stepson) has a little band that played a four song set. There was room for a small drum kit, two microphones, and a power strip for good audio, even though it’s obviously not a live music venue. So even with 30 – 40 guests, there was enough room for live music, with the place large enough to go have a conversation if you didn’t want to deal with pop song covers reworded to be about Minecraft.
It was a short, simple party, but we had guests from the ages of 15 months to 65, and it was a really classy, casual, affair for everybody involved. All of our friends were very complimentary of the bar (I do hope those ingrates tipped well), and the entire experience was very, very easy.
The cocktails were amazing — the Sampogna in particular might be a new go-​to — and the finger foods were excellent. I’ve had their charcuterie many times before, but that and the cheese plate went so fast that I couldn’t really comment on how well they tasted, but they looked delicious, and hey — if it’s not plated well, who the hell wants to eat it? I also got three orders of pigs in a blanket and bacon-​wrapped dates, which were what you’d expect: old standbys, but Brooklynified to have a bit more of gourmet twist. Those were both delicious and I probably ate more than my share, given that I was a host, but screw everybody, I was paying for it so I can do whatever I want.
I suppose this fairly long review is an explicit endorsement, if not actual and intentional direct advertising for Huckleberry, but I don’t care: GO HERE. If you want to just have good snacks and cocktails on a date, go here. If you want to throw a private party, go here. If you want to just enjoy yourself in silence and try weird combinations of absinthe and hot sauce that miraculously work, yes… go here.
The funny thing is our baby shower was a year to the date from the last time we reserved space at the bar (just tables, not a big production), which was our City Hall wedding day. I suppose we keep going back for a reason, and if their business continues to thrive, maybe I can have an old-​fashioned Irish wake there when I perish or pretend perish, kind of how they did for McNulty in The Wire.

This place is expensive, rightfully so, because they are a specialty cocktail bar. The interior is great and the atmosphere is really upscale. However, I had stumbled in here on my birthday weekend and was probably a bit tipsy. I felt pretty out of place upon walking in here (even in my dress and heels), and it just kind of had a snotty vibe in the whole environment. The service was okay. They seemed impatient and I took forever to decide what I wanted to order, which seemed to upset the bartender. It wasn’t super crowded, which was nice for a Saturday night since many of the other bars in that area were filled to the brim. But that’s also probably not a great sign, considering they are in a prime location.
Take a date here or stop in after work or when you are dressed a little nicer than usual, because you will probably feel weird or get some weird looks from the other customers if you’re not. Definitely not a place that you are trying to party super hard in, but an okay place to start out your night if you are into that expensive cocktail kind of thing.

I just wanted to say thank you to John and all staff that helped make my 30^th birthday celebration the best it could possibly be! My best friends and family enjoyed the delicious drinks, beautiful décor, and friendly staff. They thank you for allowing my husband and his friend to DJ the party. My husband has been DJing for over 10 years and enjoyed your sound system and equipment. Thank you for allowing me to decorate the area allotted to me at the bar which gave me a chance to truly make the party my own. I am elated over the turnout and wish you much success in your business! Thank you a million times over!!!

Bartenders are sweet, the food is pretty good (who doesn’t love cheese?!), and the cocktails are amazing. I’m in love with their back patio, and 2 for 1 wine specials on Wednesday nights after 8. Just watch out for tools, that’s all!

I’ve been here a couple of times and the cocktails are always delicious and plentiful. what more can a person want when going to a bar? oh yea, pricing, good with pricing too.

Came here for my birthday, great spot to start the night! Beautiful, classy, fun place, great drinks, friendly staff, nice mix of people and music. We had a great time!

This place was cool. I went for the first time with my friend. It was for their Monday Movie Night (Dazed and Confused). They had a 2 for 1 drink special during the movie for beer and house wine and the food was pretty good — I had the short rib sandwich.
Two issues:
1) They advertised free popcorn but between the two of us, we were given a small bowl full of stale, cold popcorn — no refills.
2) The bartender. I don’t know his name — he was white, with glasses, and tattoos on his arms. He provided poor customer service. I arrived at 8:40pm — 20 minutes before the start of the movie. When I asked the bartender when I should order drinks to get the 2 for 1 special, he said sarcastically «I don’t know, you tell me». So I waited until about 5 minutes before the movie started to order my beer but the bartender still doesn’t give me the ticket that allows me to participate in the special — he never gives me a head’s up that I still need to wait. My friend orders literally THREE MINUTES later and gets the ticket for the special. My friend and I both work in the restaurant business and we were really turned off. We stayed the entire movie, too. It was ridiculous.

I really really want to give this place a higher rating. I’ve been here a handful of times for drinks and GOT showings and I absolutely love the décor/​atmosphere/​set-​up of the place. Drinks are made well, food is good, and outdoor space is dope– I just had a few experiences with service that rubbed me the wrong way.
My friends and I came here Game of Thrones showing twice. First time, we showed up too late– couldn’t see the screen and had no options for seating for food/​drinks. Second time we went, we were appalled by the blatant disrespect of a few of the staff members. They were very openly making fun of everyone who showed up about 2hrs early for the showing (even though when you call ahead, they advise you to show up around 7pm). Now, I would understand if we were just sitting there taking up space and time without ordering a thing, but we were looking to have dinner and a good buzz before the show. Plus, half of our party work serving/​managing jobs at bars/​restaurants, so we understand how not to be horrible patrons. at the end of the night our bill was definitely heavy and could booze up a small army.
Would be much better if on GOT nights/​movie nights they took reservations and set a minimum for each table– especially if the servers feel that people are just taking advantage of the space and not really ordering/​tipping. Other than that, the space is amazing so I’ll most likely be in for drinks/​a bite soon. and I may even give the GOT showing a try again next year.

On June 7, 2015 four friends and I were searching for a bar that would show the 9^th episode of Game of Thrones. It took us a while to find a place because every bar was showing the NBA Finals and Professor Thom’s bar only reserved the upstairs for the viewing and it was mad packed. We called Huckleberry Bar to check if they were still showing Game of Thrones and after hearing from the waitress that the place was pretty empty, we hopped on the L and headed on over.
The bar is pretty dark and has nice mood lighting. The fancy cocktails list definitely gives the place a date-​y vibe. The tables are small and so would be a nice place for small parties. I headed over to the bar to order a couple drinks, which took longer than expected. There was only one bartender and, even though it took forever, you could tell that he was paying attention to every detail. I ordered the Blood and Sand for myself and the Gold Rush for my gf. We ended up liking each other’s drinks more so we switched. A bit pricey, but I thought they were fine drinks. One of my friends later ordered some peanut butter cookies and chocolate chip cookies. THEY WERE AMAZING. The peanut butter was extremely soft and melted in your mouth. The cc cookies were very fluffy, almost cake-​like, and were little delectable pillows on your tastebuds. We also ordered pigs-​in-​a-​blanket, which also tasted very good.
The Game of Thrones viewing was great — they pulled down a screen and had a projector going. The sound wasn’t the best, but they turned on subtitles. Also, the screen was a bit blurry so I think watching it on a TV would be better. Overall, the place wasn’t crowded and I had a great time!

The tyranny of the dreaded Department of Buildings is a ceaseless iron fist crushing the throat of outdoor drinking. Forlornly, I sat gazing out of a glass sliding door secured by a padlock; a nearby sign informed me that the outside was too dangerous to drink in, a judgment made by the aforementioned Department.
Fuck this earth. I never asked for this.
Beer was good.

Great cocktails, great bartenders, sometimes douchey clientele. Always fun, cuz your friends are what make the night. Cute for a date too.

My husband and I did a day trip to Brooklyn and came here for the Happy Hour based on all the positive Unilocal reviews.
Nothing was bad and the pours were good for the price, but nothing was memorable. I ordered a drink with cucumber since it sounded very refreshing. However, it just tasted of booze. I was hoping for a more well-​balanced cocktail. My husband’s drink was whiskey based and also super boozy, but flavor-​wise nothing special.
Also, the place smelled strongly of pork. That could be a bonus for a lot of people who are bacon lovers out there, but it wasn’t for me as I hate the smell, taste, and texture of pork.
If I was in the area I might stop in here again because they certainly aren’t stingy with the liquor. However, I wouldn’t go out of my way to find it like I did last time.

The cocktails are extremely good. You can’t go wrong.
The place is darker than most lounges.
The staff is nice.

We came here for a cocktail making class last night, and when I told my friend about it he was like «I bet they’re gonna use the word ‘mixology’, right?» And I was like yeah, dude, what kind of bar do you go to? The kind with ‘bartenders’? You peasant. God. He’s from New Jersey, so, y’know, that explains that. If I go to a bar and they don’t carve their own ice cubes I’m gonna order my Long Island Iced Tea somewhere else.
Anyway, this is a modified version of their employee training, and you get the sense they were just kinda like hey, we’re doing a good job at this, let’s see if civilians are interested. And we were, and we totally learned stuff. Stuff like:
— How to build a cocktail like a house;
— whether you want it shaken or stirred;
— why shaking a cocktail is not all muscle;
— what the orange peel in your drink is for;
— why you should pour 151 on top of your cocktail (answer: you should not);
— why there is no vodka on your fancy cocktail list.
It was well-​organized, interesting, well-​attended — about 15 people there, which is the Goldilocks number — and also they made us a couple drinks that were terrific.
It’s a great bar anyway, so you should definitely come here and get loaded — but if you have a chance to check out the mixology class, I recommend you go for that too.

Love this place!!! Fantastic drinks, and most importantly the bartenders know what they are doing and if you think of a drink off the menu they make it for you– Very knowledgeable which is amazing since most bars don’t have that.
Very nice décor, and the climate of the place is just right– Not too much of décor but not too little either.
Love there Happy Hour– Great prices. The have cheese plates which is great if you don’t want food but you can munch on crackers and cheese.
The other fascinating thing I love about the place is the memorable drink names they have; for example: — Ugly sweater, drinking at the gym, the Hitman, all day all night, and many more– I can’t remember most of them. I went in the beginning of Jan and I think they are doing some kind of theme thing– I was there for a Wine Lover day. Love the fact that they are creative like that.
Great place to go with friends– Def. will go back.

Came here last night for New Years Eve celebrating with some friends. Never heard about Huckleberry Bar prior and not into the whole Williamsburg scene like that so didn’t know what to really expect here…
The bar is okay, as for a neighborhood spot. Didn’t really do much for me though. Not that I had a necessary issue with anything there but for me there really wasn’t that much diversity and there was just one big TV in the back and not any over the bar itself to really watch the ball drop, so that kind of took away from the moment. Drinks are of average NYC prices…$ 9 for vodka and pineapple, $ 9 for whiskey on the rocks.
Would I come here again as just a spot to go to? Ehhh… probably not, maybe on just some spur of the moment thing if I happened to just be hanging out in Williamsburg on a random day but that is very few and far between. But I would recommend going if you are a resident in the neighborhood or just like the area itself.

Great music, beautiful space, wonderful garden area, great cocktails, friendly bartenders and good food. I’m rarely in the neighborhood, but stop here when I am.

It’s rare that I go to a non dive bar so I may be easily impressed but this place is gorgous. From the spacious interior with the comfortable backed bar stools and lounge seating to the backyard patio. The outdoor space has a great layout and design with plenty of plants and seperate nooks that make it seem like you’re in your own special area of the yard. My only slight complains about the patio is that the AC unit for the bar is in the back of the patio and the hum of the fan is too loud to get a silent and serene garden experience, and the misquito situation out there is pretty horrible, they really need to put out citronella candles/​torches. I was out there for 20 minutes and ended up with like 8 bites.
As mentioned, this isn’t a dive, is a classy yet down to earth establishment, really an ideal date spot. They do have a great looking menu of food but it’s limited as this isn’t a restaurant. The beer, especially on tap is also a bit limited as well though the craft beers were interesting. Huckleberry is really a cocktail bar.
The average price for beer is $ 6 – 7, cocktails $ 11 – 12, and wine $ 8 – 11. They have a very good happy hour which runs from 4−8pm Mon-​Fri and 2−4pm on weekends. It’s $ 3 off cocktails, $ 2 off draft beers, well drinks, and house wines. They also have a special going right now where the wine is 2 for 1 on Wednesdays after 8pm. In the summer they even screen movies.
I’m more of a cheap beer and dive bar kind of guy but I love that I now know a great place to get a more quiet, comfortable, and higher class drink without paying too much or feeling out of place.