The Fifth Estate

Great local spot with a good vibe and selection.

Came in for a concert of a friend of a friend’s last night. I hate paying $ 10 cover, especially for someone I don’t know, but the space was pretty good and not too crowded, the bands were all decent, and the beers were relatively cheap ($ 6 for good IPAs), so it wasn’t a total rip off. I’d go back for events for sure.

One of my favorite bars in the south slope. A lot of pinball machines, cool zebra wall paper, and no attitude. All the bartenders are friendly and usually pretty good music playing.

A friend and I came to The Fifth Estate to listen to another friend’s jazz quartet, and I’m a fan! The layout was ideal for enjoying the music while chatting, as the stage is at the back of the second room, and the bar lines the first. So mixed with friendly service and reasonable prices, how could I not be a fan!

Great atmosphere. Great bartenders. Great prices. Overall wonderful neighborhood spot to be.

The Fifth Estate is a cool place to stop in for a drink and hear live music. Tonight was my first time coming here. I stopped by to see the band «Downtown Equipment» play and the show was awesome! The bar is in the front which leads to a small room in the back. The place looks newly remodeled and has a nice selection of beers. I had the crispy apple cider on tap and it was delicious! The bathrooms were very clean, which is a definite plus in my book. And it’s also only a few short blocks from the Prospect Avenue train station.

Awesome music, nice bartenders, good draft selection, pinball machines, never too crowded. I don’t know why it took me so long to stop in. I will be in here often especially since I live around the corner.

Has potential but I feel the climate is subpar. Kindly speaking, friendliness and enthusiasm goes a long way. This can’t happen when management is unfriendly, moody and possesses low energy. Straight up.

I walked by this place last night, and «Say It Ain’t So» by Weezer was playing on the jukebox, and the only two customers in the place were two average-​looking chicks making out. This is my kind of place.

I love the bar and all the staff that work to keep the place going. Always a great selection of beer on tap. As a musician, I wish they had a backline with more working parts and a soundguy that knows what they’re doing.

I love this bar for the great bartenders, great pinball machines, good music (when the bartenders are playing it) and totally unpretentious vibe. It is a really weird spot. Either totally empty, or when there are people there it’s because they are having an event in the back room — usually open mics, jazz nights, and comedy nights. I get it that that’s their only way they really bring in business but also I always feel bummed when I walk in and they’re having something in that back room because it means I can’t really play my precious Scared Stiff and Lord Of The Rings pinball machines without feeling like I’m disturbing people. At least there’s always Star Trek up front…

Went there for a buddy’s birthday. Bartender makes a Great Old Fashioned. No band that night. Liked the football and pinball. Usually go to Commonwealth across the street, which has a great jukebox but usually a little noisier. Like this place.

Awesome bar, live music a lot of nights, good strong drinks and cheap beers. Pinball machine and the zebra décor round it out to make it a must-​go for any Park Slope resident.

Only been here twice but my new favorite bar. Real good live music, great bartenders, $ 3 rolling rocks, Narragansett pints $ 4, pinball.

The staff here is so friendly and helpful that if I lived close I would be a number one regular. We are talking wifi, cheap drink specials, beautiful vibes, and an awesome space for live music. I am a sucker for live music yes, but other than Freddy’s, you don’t get this kind of live space in the neighborhood. Totally worth my hang time.

Low-​key but super fun. The bartender makes excellent strong drinks and there is zebra paraphernalia on the walls. Only downside is that the area is otherwise calm and the bar seemed to dwindle down early.

I love this local neighborhood dive. Friendly and cheap with great pinball machines. Good neighborhood vibe. Happy Hour specials.

This bar used to be not that bad. Before it was the ‘Fifth Estate’ it was called Royale. It was very divey with a burlesque old-​timey hole in the wall kind of vibe. They also had tekken 3 and my roommate and I would run over after work and play to our heart’s content. Coming back two or three years ago to the new name and owners I was pleasantly surprised. The bar was updated with sleak white panels and the walls painted red with zebras! They also had a fun and inventive cocktail menu. I remember this because I ordered something called ‘The Hemingway’ and I thought I was being all clever and shit. Came back for the first time in at least a year. It’s gone down hill. Way down hill. People were smoking weed in the bar. And not just a little. It reeeeeked. Also, some of the guests that night seemed a little shady. I didn’t even finish my rolling rock is how annoyed I was that this fine place turned ghetto. Also, any drink menu is long gone. Though, they seemed to have a decent list of beers. I’d move on to another bar though in the neighborhood. We can do better.

Don’t be selfish. Residents of 5^th Ave shouldn’t have to hear your music from their apartments after 10pm.
Commercial establishments that play music must limit the level of
unreasonable or disturbing noise that escapes into the streets or
nearby residences.
The noise code restricts the decibel levels generated by music
coming from these businesses.
Sound levels:
* may not exceed 42 decibels as measured from within nearby
residences,
OR
* may not exceed 7 decibels over the ambient sound level, as
measured on a street or public right-​of-​way 15 feet or more
from the source, between 10:00 p.m. and 7 a.m.

The Fifth Estate is a throwback to 1970’s New York. It’s got sex appeal, zebra wallpaper, a pinball machine, and complimentary popcorn. And not to mention, some serious cocktails.
A sweeter take on the traditional Manhattan, their signature Kings County counterpart, affectionately named Our Brooklyn, packs quite the punch. Four Roses bourbon, Martini & Rossi Bianco, a few dashes of Agnostics and Regan’s Orange Bitters No. 6, with a flaming orange peel, this drink is the real deal.
When it comes to beer, their draught selection is exclusively from New York breweries, ranging from staples like Kelso Pilsner and Ommegang Witte to more elusive brands such as Genesee Cream Ale and Ithaca Brewing Flower Power IPA.
Their bartenders know how to make a mean drink, even if they are occasionally too busy dancing with flirtatious patrons. The Fifth Estate also hosts daily live entertainment in the back room, whether it be trendy house-​rock bands or indie-​dance DJs. Either way, this spot is just warming up. It’s certainly held a respectable crowd with each visit here and it’s slowly but surely become a personal destination drinking establishment in the hood. No one’s asked for it, but The Fifth Estate may just be that missing jigsaw piece in the ever-​evolving Park Slope puzzle.