The Narrows

Ok cocktail, ok food. I had a drink that was supposed to be spicy and it wasn’t even remotely spicy. Cash only, which is ridiculous.

I love this place.
I live nearby in one of the big converted loft boxes, and wanted something that wasn’t yet more Edison bulbs, reclaimed wood tables, chalkboards, and other such annoying prattles of contemporary conformity.
At the Narrows, I got what I had always asked about, which is to say, the 30s American modernism-​esque style made true. Nice sconces, good atmospheric lighting, good strong classic drinks (Not really super experimental), more than decent food.
The fries in particular are probably some of the best in the area.
Hearts!

Now these are unique
Cocktails and well-​crafted too
The space is gorgeous

I like the cocktails here, which are well made and delicious. I especially liked the Caulfield’s Dream, which was a great drink made with mezcal.
But skip eating in the restaurant back room, which is typical hipster New American nonsense. Think of a child’s size portion of $ 10 chicken fingers that takes forty minutes to reach your table, and you’ve got the idea.

These drinks are above and beyond. The only drawback will be your own compulsion to not drink your drink faster than it took the bartender to muddle together it’s ingredients whilst never breaking eye contact with you.

Fantastic cocktails. Love the patio outside during the summer! Service is usually pretty amazing too. Fresh oysters are a major plus. It can get very busy so try to get there earlier especially if you have a big crew and want a seat.

DOLLAR OYSTERS 5 – 7 ALERT ALERT!
And they are damn good too.
As expected with Bushwick bars, the prices of drinks are a little high but this is no dive bar so I can’t complain.

It was my first bar in Bushwick when i moved in the area back in 2010 even though it was only 6years ago but there weren’t as much bar option like now. They didn’t have sign outside at that moment so i had to open random door sometimes — this place always has been hidden cute bar for me. they always has tasty cocktail and good beer with reasonable price. And cute out door.

This is a really good #Veggie Burger. I don’t know why I ordered the #Veggie Burger. I never order a #Veggie Burger. But I did. Then I was regretting it right after I ordered it. But then it came and I was oh, this looks a little different than what I was thinking (i.e. #Boca Burger). And tasted really good. Not like a #Boca Burger. Great tasting #Veggie Burger!

The patio in the back is great, but the inside isn’t anything special, as far as design and décor. The bar area is black and white, and I actually don’t really like the shiny black paneling they have in the front part. It looks shoddy and cheap to me. It’s also so narrow that it can be annoying to stand and wait for a drink while others are trying to pass by. I’ve never sat in the booth/​table service section, so I don’t have anything to say about that. Still, it’s a solid bar, the bartenders are friendly, and it’s a good place for a casual drink. It’s not obnoxiously loud and you don’t feel the need to dress a certain way or anything. It’s also nice that it’s not overly romantic. People are just there to hang and have a good time.
I like the fact that it feels super unpretentious and chill, especially in the enclosed back area. They could use a few more stools over there, but it’s a nice open space. It’s also heated, which is great during the winter. The patio is obviously awesome. Lots of seating and super relaxed feel.

Warning: This is a cash only bar.

I think this place has great food and a good atmosphere but honestly I have had bad service here most of the times I come in.
1. When it is slow and I sit in the siding area they server typically is facing us, while on her phone and we have to flag her down every time we need anything.
2. One time I went there and sat in the dining room with no one acknowledging us. The server walked past us many times until we finally went to the bar. We were told you had to order at the bar and take a number. I had been here many times and never encountered this and were really confused as to why the server wouldn’t have communicated it when she saw us waiting at the table with nothing on it.
3. Last night we went there and went up to the bar and attempted to order chicken fingers and fries. The bartender told us there was a server and to have a seat. We sat for 15 mins without anyone saying anything to us. Total lack of communication. The bartender could have told the server «some people just sat outside they’re ready to order» the server could have said «I’ll be right with you»… So I go in and walk up to her and say «hi I am sitting outside I would like to order chicken tenders and fries». I really feel like I had a kind demeanor but she responded in a rude tone and was like «well… I have to come and take your order… Bc I have to see where you’re sitting» ok… I go back to my seat. The server comes over still being rude and asked to see our Ids for just food. Maybe it was that other people were not doing their job properly but, I have never been carded there not even to drink. I am 25 and come here often and didn’t think to bring my wallet so we had to leave. I understand the policy but I felt like we had waited so long to order and it felt like this all could have been avoided. I felt that the sever was really rude and her asking for my ID felt like more of a reason to not serve me than to follow policy.
I really like this place and hope that the FOH staff gets their act together and learns how to communicate with their patrons effectively and make them feel comfortable. Good food and drinks are nothing if people don’t feel good while being there. I just don’t feel comfortable spending my money and tipping people who are not very nice or helpful. PLEASE I love ur food and would like to return.
Thank u.

OH MY GOD THESE OYSTERS. I’ve never had such meaty, juicy $ 1 oysters in my life. They are perfectly shucked, and are so tasty, they don’t even warrant cocktail sauce on the side. This place is also such a cute hole in the wall. Don’t come here expecting brunch, but the cocktails, beer offerings, and OYSTAS are so worth the visit.

So, disclaimer: my review is biased because one of my most wonderful pals was bartending here for about a hundred years until last week. So we won’t talk about how Will Hutnick is an amazing artist AND bartender who always made me a new and exciting drink because he’s a creative genius, because Will has left. So we’ll just talk about how nice the rest of the staff is, and how I would slap your mother (yes, yours) to get to their french fries.
Protip– the back garden is adorbz but my 8 423 642 mosquito bites warn you that there are at least 8 423 642 mosquitoes up in there gunning for your sweet, sweet blood.

The Narrows is and will always be a neighborhood bar. The bartenders are awesome, the drinks are crafted with style, and the backyard is epic. If you’re hungry, grab the patty melt. Just do it! Also, bring cash or be prepared to use the atm.
Random fact but they have the best bar bathrooms too.

1 star for a $ 5 beer and shot special
1 star for the enormous portion of delicious skinny fries
1 star for amazing employees (especially Karina!)
1 star for perfectly dim indoor ambiance
1 star for beautiful back & outdoor areas

Great ambiance, but the bar didn’t stick out much in any other way. The bartender was friendly and made a good drink. The entry and the main bar are a bit clinical and non descript, but the back room with the big world map and the terrace are pretty awesome. The drinks were good, but didn’t stand out much and were a bit pricy for the locale.

Some amazing cocktails — check
Great food — check
A Backyard for summer drinks — check
Wonderful people — check
Bushwick vibe — check
One thing that keeps it from being 5 stars — check**
**The Narrows has by far the worst bar stools in all of Brooklyn. Yup I said it. Now they are pretty, they look wonderful with the backdrop of the space, but they are so so wrong. Well unless you are over 6’4 in which case you might be ok with them. They have no backs, are super high and have no footrests. Even my tall man friend had his legs dangling like a 3-​years old. They have a slight dip in them as well. You can’t adjust how you sit what so ever… like I said worst bar stools in Brooklyn. So for that they lose a star, that’s seriously how terrible they are.

I really want to like The Narrows more than I do. I appreciate what they’re trying to do; decent food, good cocktails, nice space. But there’s always something holding me back from putting it into my regular Bushwick rotation.
As many have mentioned before, the cash-​only thing is a big drawback for me. This isn’t some dive bar with $ 3 beers or sketchy chinese take-​out joint where no one speaks English; you’re charging double digits for cocktails and offering food and can’t be bothered to accept credit cards? Hell, I would rather even download some stupid mobile payment app than have to go pay some rip-​off in-​house ATM surcharge if you are really going to tell me that the credit card processing fee is such a big deal. Cash-​only always feels like an aggressive «eff you» to the customer. (Sidenote: I once dated someone who sold/​leased ATMs on the side in high school in the city. Apparently it doesn’t take long for those babies to pay for themselves.)
But even if I can remember to bring along a few stripper bucks, The Narrows still manages to fail its potential. On the few occasions I was there over the summer/​early fall and there was space in the back patio available, I still didn’t want to sit out there because there was always some group chainsmoking their hearts out. (I’m not full-​on anti-​smoking – if that’s your thing, so be it – but I definitely don’t want to smell like it for the rest of the night.) And service has always been hit-​or-​miss when we don’t sit in the main room. There’s supposed to be waitress service everywhere, but I could’ve written the sequel to Nathaniel P. in the time it took the waitress to come back to us on the most recent attempt. (The boy eventually just gave up and helped himself at the bar, leaving me to stare at my phone solo and eat the string cheese I randomly found in my bag.)
In the end, I’m not going to object to The Narrows if someone else suggests it; I do enjoy myself a $ 6 beer + (not horrible) tequila special. But I’m not going to go out of my way to go back there, either.

Love this bar. Only thing I dislike is that you never know when it will be full or empty. The backyard is nice in the warmer weather. It’s a bit more upscale of a bar, they actually take their cocktails somewhat seriously, so if you want to drink vodka crans, seabreezes, and pound PBR’s all night you might as well skip it. (They have none of those — no fruit juice, and their beers are all actually good beer.)
Why am I seeing a photo of buttermilk fried chicken!!! I want that! I thought their menu only had a patty melt, a grilled cheese, chicken strips and like, olives or something… Anyway, the patty melt is great if you are hungry.

Un bar pas comme les autres, cocktails pointus et staff accueillant.
J’ai commandé le Lion’s tail, à base de Bourbon, de Pimento et de jus de citron vert. C’était frais et épicé à la fois, un mélange surprenant mais diablement bien dosé. On adore.