Sample

What a neighborhood gem. Great drinks, great romantic/​fun bar vibe, great bites, nice bartenders, all the stuff you want in a bar. It’s small but that adds to the intimate vibe that Cobble Hill is known for. And the happy hour specials are fantastic!

Small nice place with good drink specials. There is food for snacking too. Like this little spot.

Whomever the bartender was tonight should be in a different line of work. Terrible attitude. Charged full price on well drinks 30 mins before happy hour was finished. Acted oblivious when questioned about the sign in front that clearly stated happy hour was until 8. Never going back.

Sample is a pretty quaint cocktail bar. It’s not very pretentious, the wait staff is nice (once they warm up to you), and they have some pretty interesting cocktails.
And before you crucify me for having a Bloody Mary at night, you have to hear me out… their Bloody Mary is, like, really really good. It has some kick to it due to the jalapeño tequila as well.
I also had the Ginger Rickey (gin based cocktail), which I remember liking as well.
Only complaint was that it got super warm inside (old school pipe heating will do that). But nothing opening the door for a few minutes at a time didn’t fix.

What a nice place. Dark wood, candles, rotating wine selection and cozy. Totally laid back and unpretentious. I sensed none of the bad attitude that one of the reviewers below complained about. There are some light munchies, but none sound particularly thrilled. You just wouldn’t come here to eat, or even nosh (IMHO). The bar isn’t huge or deep, we just happened to stumble upon two great seats towards the back. I can imagine that at happy hour (from 5 to 8). It might be difficult to get a seat. Nice sized pours of wine.

I sometimes wonder if «snobby, rude, and condescending» are on the job description for bartenders at Sample.
Every time I have been here, the bartenders act like its a major inconvenience for them to wait on customers.
I have been there at various points in the night — sometimes early — sometimes late — and it is always the same thing.
Never a welcoming vibe, which is odd for such a small, neighborhood bar. Their drinks are okay, but the attitude and atmosphere are so weird that I would rather spend my time and money elsewhere. There are a lot of new places on Smith that get it right. Maybe this is why Sample is usually empty except for the few regulars who keep the bar stools warm.

At Sample you will find dimly lit candles and excellent cocktails! I would definitely recommend this place for a date night or an after work drink. They have happy hour every day. We ordered 4 drinks and our bill was under $ 20! That is unheard of in the city.
I wished they had more of a selection of food. I asked the bartender what they had to eat — he said that their wasn’t much of a selection since there is not a kitchen. All they had was their toaster oven at the bar.
There are plenty of other places to eat on Smith Street so I would recommend stopping by if your just looking for a nice drink with a romantic ambiance.

I found Sample while walking in Cobble Hill so it was definitely an impulse stop.
OK bar. Typical NYC railroad size space = long and narrow. The ambiance was nice and we got a seat near the window in front.
The beer selection was OK but nothing memorable. As for food, we ordered the meat and cheese plate on special which was not good at all. I thought that the cheese was flavorless and the meats kind of yucky. The $ 12 price was not justified for the low quality.
In the end, I gave it 3 stars because I liked my beer and it was a cool vibe, but do not order the cheese and/​or meats

This was my first time coming to this Bar, it’s right down the block from me!
For Happy hour, it was packed, but Once I sat down. I got two drinks and they were strong. I loved it ;)
Cozy area, nicely lit — I would come back and be happy for happy hour !

This is S’s spot — mentioned this place on a numerous occasion and I finally came out here to check it out with S.
ELDERFLOWER MARTINI
Gin, St. Germaine, Passionfruit — Hellos, this is really good, but I would prefer if it was fresh passionfruit. Oh well.
Their house sangria is well made too.
I definitely would come back here.

I stumbled upon this bar while avoiding showing up at an art opening too early.
Happy hour is 4−8pm. $ 4 beer/​well drinks. Candles, dragon decoration, Polaroids displayed in the back. The music was great and not too loud, nicely lit, exposed brick wall…
I read amongst Friday night chatter. Quite lovely. I hope to return.

In the land of tons of cocktail bars, known as Smith Street, there’s one place that’s cozy, uncrowded, dimly lit and chill.
Welcome to Sample!
I fall more and more in love with Sample every time I step in. There’s always people inside, but I have never had an issue getting a seat.
The front is narrow by the bar but it’s not an issue when it’s not packed like some of the other cocktails bars on Smith. The drinks are a tad smaller, but are still large enough and cheaper (by the amount in the drink as well) compared to other places near by.
My favorite drink is the Latin Manhattan, Bourbon, Tamarind, Lime. Hits the spot every time. They also warm up drinks here too. Perfect for cold nights. A hot old fashioned? Sounds odd, but it’s nice a cold day. The beer selection is great too.
The food is solid as well, they have a great meats and cheese plate which hits the spot. They have an every changing treats menu that the owner keeps rotating. Recently I tried twix inspired cookies. Those were really amazing!
So if you’re looking to try a new place when some of the other might be too crowded, STAY AWAY! Nah I’m kidding, you should check out Sample.

Every time I come to Sample my first thought is «this place is great, why don’t I come here more often?»
Sample is one of the more cozy and inviting bars in the area. Walking in on a cold winter’s day you really feel like you were meant to spend the night drinking at this exact location.
The staff is very friendly, as our your fellow drinkers. There is a nice selection of wines that are affordable and good.

A charming little bar in downtown BK. And I don’t use «little» lightly in the previous statement. This bar is tiny, with barely enough room to walk past the bar if people the girth of Kate Moss are seated at it. Luckily for this writer, I came in to start off my happy hour at 5:00 on a Friday, making it manageable to take over the back with our party of 15 (I didn’t book the place, I swear I would’ve found something bigger!)! The couple who had monopolized the seating in the back was not too happy to have their moment of intimacy disrupted by the crew I had rolled in with, and I could sympathize.
The drink specials during happy hour are pretty swell, $ 4 for a well drink you say? I’ll take one of those then. They were also serving Asian inspired offerings (e.g. bao buns) to celebrate the New Year of our Chinese masters, a head scratcher to be honest… but points for creativity!
Not the location I would personally choose for a Friday all-​you-​can-​drink-​athon… but definitely has a speakeasy-​esque quality to it. Atmospheric lighting and intimate small space make for great romantic vibes, but I’m not so sure all the alcoholic lawyers (the place is situated by the courthouses and has great happy hour deals) make for the best crowd if you want to whisper sweet nothings to that lovely lady sitting next to you. My advice, go during a weeknight that’s not a Friday with your date, or be a lawyer without a date and go whenever!

I’ve been going to Sample since its opened, and its really a solid choice for the all important drinks catch-​up. Unlike other Smith Street offerings, you can actually sit (YAY!), and chat (DOUBLE YAY!), and drink affordable drinks (TRIPLE YAY!)
The place is warm, welcoming, thin, with a long bar and tables in the back. Super tiny outside area too. If you get hungry, get some cheese or meats or the crazy delish eggplant tapenade… mmm.
Great place to catch up with a friend or have a drink on a date… er with someone you actually like though!

I’ve really come to like this place for casual cocktail dates as I don’t always need my concoctions made with angel tears bitters by a dude in suspenders and a Finneas Bartleby beard which is pretty much the standard in Brooklyn now. They have about six signature cocktails, my favorite being the El Guapo for its tequila and subtle fruitiness but if you’re in a wine mood their list is also plentiful. If you’re in the mood for some tangy bar snacks get the feta-​stuffed peppers or one of their charcuterie plates.

The Snow Blossom basically tastes like lemon flavored saki. Or salad dressing. Not sure which.
On top of that the place is really small, but not in a cozy type of way. And the service was only so-​so. .. although there were not many people there we waited for a while just to be asked what we wanted to drink.

Just had drinks here with my friend. The restaurant is cozy, dimly lit with tables beyond the bar. There is a great happy hour with $ 4 sangrias!!! They also offer a small tapas menu. We had the peppers stuffed with feta and artichokes.
There were only 2 women working at the bar and the place was packed = service was a little slow but I won’t hold this against them.
This is a great spot to go to after a date.

Small cozy candle lit bar with an artsy vibe. Soft music playing. Last night Julia B recommended this spot for us to go get a drink and chat after the recent Unilocal event. Narrow and dark it was close to closing but we took a few seats at the bar and looked over the drink list which is printed on these small strips of paper on a stand. Very «shabby chic». She pointed to one and told me how good it was when she was here last time. Hey, when in Rome, do as the Romans do. Or, do as Julia directs you to!
Good call and the cocktail she recommended was right on the money. The «El Guapo» was surprisingly refreshing for a tequila based drink with a mix of ingredients that put together somehow all works in unison to make a heck of a delicious tasting libation. Tequila, honey, lemon, grapefruit & mole bitters — a quality cocktail for $ 7. If the bar was not closing we would have ordered a second round.
Impressive little draft beer list and all at $ 6 a pint. Blue Point, Weihenstephan Weiss, Jever Pilsner, Smuttynose IPA, Stoudt’s Scarlet Lady ESB, Abita Amber, and Victory Donnybrook Stout. Around ten different house cocktails in the $ 6-​$ 8 range. All things considered and this being NY the prices here are cheap for the solid selection.
One day I need to come back here to try some bar nosh-​food and sample the wine list. It’s definitely a good spot if you want to have a relaxed drink over quiet conversation in a more mellow atmosphere with a friend or a date. Being that it is so narrow I can suspect it can be a bit cramped on weekends and happy hour.
In the meantime just order the El Guapo and drink your worries away.

Coming to Sample for a second time has proven that this place is probably my favorite bar on Smith Street!
My friend and I came here on a late Friday night, to find it not overly packed and we scored a table in the front. This table gave us a nice sense of privacy as it was tucked in a nook. The only annoyance was the breeze that would hit us each time the door opened but fortunately, it wasn’t dead of winter so that breeze was a refreshing burst of air.
This time around, I decided to try their cocktails and I fell in love with their El Guapo (tequila, honey, lemon, grapefruit & mole bitters)! I’m not a massive fan of tequila cocktails but the description sounded amazing so I had to give it a go. Somehow, this concoction came together superbly! It was so good that my friend switched from having margaritas to El Guapo once he had a taste of mine.
Again, I ordered the feta stuffed peppers — still amazing. He then went on to order the Humboldt Fog cheese, which was drizzled with honey I think. A great thick slice of cheese with crusty slices of bread — another winner.
Sample, je t’aime.