The Richardson

This is a great spot that I frequent far too often. Never too loud or too crowded. The bartenders are knowledgeable and friendly and able to help you find a drink based on your tastes or will know how to make a solid version of a drink you love.
The wine selection is small but quality and rotates often.

I love this local spot! Bartenders are always super friendly. Sandwiches are good and the cocktails are awesome! I always look forward to going back.

Lots of seating at the bar plus plenty of tables. Looked like a young neighborhood crowd on a Sunday afternoon. Not a sports bar. Lots of loud conversation. I don’t recall if they had any background music. Bartender made a nice Jack Rose cocktail, friendly, professional.

Solid drinks and friendly, knowledgeable bartender. Cheese plate was good, too.

Really nice bartender and a really good Old Fashion.

The bartender was so friendly! and the cocktails were great! Can’t wait to come back.

I was really excited to come here and enjoy sitting outside, but let me just say that the chairs are so terribly uncomfortable it is hard to enjoy more than one drink here, and you will likely leave with a sore back. The drink list is nice. We ordered a cheese plate, which was not very well conceived, as all 3 cheeses were very similar, small portions, and overpriced.

After almost eight years in NY I’m kind of over Manhattan and decided to have my birthday party in Brooklyn, so chose the Richardson to kick off the bday party in what would become a day long pub crawl through wburg and greenpoint. And so glad I did because the staff, the space, and the drinks at Richardson were all perfect for the occasion. Lauren the event manager was a pleasure to deal with (genuinely tries to help and suggest ideas but without ever pressuring you into anything) and the bartenders fixed up mean cocktails and great American craft beer options for everyone. Some reviewers here have complained about having to order drinks at the bar but personally I love that, because it means everyone can pay for their own drinks as they get them instead of having to deal with a monster bill at the end of the party. Would definitely recommend the Richardson for parties and day drinking adventures generally, and look forward to coming back soon.

If you want a dark romantic spot to go on a date I bet this place would be awesome on the weekend. I went casually on a Tuesday around 8−9pm bc I was in the hood and someone at work said it was their favorite bar. I had the beer plate which seemed like the best value for food and a cocktail. We sat outside which was nice but it felt very minimal no music or lights or anything. You order at the bar and someone brings it out to you. Could see this being the move for a big group on a bday bc it’s a larger space without furniture but for a Tuesday night drink, meh

Nice and big. Dark ambiance. Love the crowd. Would go back.

Live this place. Our guy BEN was super attentive and took great care f us. Patio was fantastic and loved the parlor for parties. Can’t recommend this any higher. We’ll run, first class all the way

This is a great place for cocktails. The bartenders are very friendly and knowledgable. They’ll help you navigate the menu.
The place is rather dark and spacious-​good place for a date.

Whenever I find myself wandering about in Williamsburg, I’m either eating something wonderful or drinking something stiff. When it comes to cocktails, the drinks don’t get any stiffer than The Richardson. Away from the action of Bedford with the feel of a speakeasy, this is a place to get away without actually getting away.
A good way to start is with any of their classic cocktails ($ 11). I can always depend on a quality Manhattan here, doused in 81 proof whiskey. An Old Fashioned is also recommended, but the Brooklyn (dry vermouth, amer torani, maraschino liqueur, whiskey) has been slowly winning me over. There is no doubt that these drinks are some of the most consistently well made in the house.
The house cocktails ($ 12) deserve some mention as well. Even though I’m not really a fan of Polish Rye Vodka, the Dandy is surprisingly refreshing with its cucumber and lime juice base. The tequila (reposado) based Borderlands is an awesome choice, with just enough kick and bitters to keep you from falling asleep at the table. The potency of each drink leaves lots of potential for quality intoxication.
That is especially true for the $ 16 Barrel 69 Old Fashioned, made with a 110 proof bourbon that supposedly can only be found at The Richardson. It is smooth, very strong, and is unlike most Manhattans one can find in the borough. Beware, 1 or 2 rounds may result in the room spinning a bit. Sip slowly and accordingly.
Where the drinks thrive, the food disappoints somewhat. A $ 10 Hummus and Egg sandwich was less than satisfying and the El Royale ($ 12) is skimping a tad on the speck. I’m still not sure what to make of the salads or the cheese /​meat plates, but I haven’t particularly enjoyed them given the price tag or portion. I’ll stick with the drinks for now.

This is probably the best bar in Williamsburg. Intimate setting, but not over the top. Not divey, not pretentious… just right. The bartenders are friendly and super knowledgeable about their craft – always good conversation. The drinks are beautiful and strong. Nice selection of quality brew on tap. Great small eats. Just an all around sweet little spot to unwind or bring a date.

This place is pretty cool. I love the décor and the bartender was friendly enough. The drinks weren’t half bad either. I mean it was kind of a pain for me to get to though, yet again I got lost and was in a rush, so it probably wasn’t that hard to find in actuality. The only thing is I didn’t love it, I just liked it. So, I’m not exactly sure if I would in fact go back again. Maybe I should go on a more upbeat night, I went on a Tuesday and it was kind of dead.

A cool vibe but nothing spectacular or ground breaking with the cocktails. I’d gone with the Brooklyn and the Manhattan, solid cocktails but that’s about it.

I had been here before, but I never quite realized just how brilliant the cocktails are in this place. It’s an oasis of culture in the quasi-​industrial wasteland that this neighborhood is.
I highly recommend the Autumn Equinox, and highly recommend that you stay away from the Black Hand (unless you like drinking cough syrupy drinks).
As other reviewers before me have said, this place is full of young, healthy hipsters. The combination of the classy cocktail environment with the sexy clientele has led me to coin a new word, one that combines nobility and nubile: nubility.
Enjoy.

It is so sad when you can’t remember a beautiful place like this until perhaps a year later, you accidentally stumble in and desperate to answer nature’s call and all of a sudden, the memories flood back in.
I do remember it was one of those nights where we ventured into Brooklyn and spent the whole time bouncing from bar to bar, but a lot of it is a blur. I remember my head was swimming.
I do remember ordering a few snacks and it was way too much food. Deviled eggs was good. And also sardines on toast wasn’t a bad choice either. We also ordered up 3 more plates, but couldn’t finish anything.
I remember having one strong cocktail, but can’t recall the name. I remember wandering outside to get some fresh air because my mind was so foggy. But I also remember the interior being very sexy, with handsome waitstaff, all in suspenders. Lots of candles everywhere, sure to put everyone in a good mood.
I also remember falling asleep on the subway with my head on your shoulder. And for a brief moment, I thought I could do this with you. But then in the morning, I realized it was all a dream that was conjured up from the Whiskey the night before…

Old school Italian mixology place, they don’t try to cater to vegans or GF, (my one friend who brought me here.) However, they have lots of great little dips hummus, olive spread, just no veggies instead of bread.
I really liked the blue fish pâté. The prices were reasonable, I just wish the waitress had brought my bill instead of automatically charging the card I used to open the tab. I was planning to pay cash.

Love this dark but roomy ‘burg bar for its awesomely crafted cocktails — try the Millionaire, don’t be scared by the many spirits, it was exactly as described: deep and not sweet red berries.
Sitting at the bar you will get things done faster, since the tables along the side do not have table service, it’s just bar service. Skip the lackluster charcuterie for some of the yummy cheeses. Very friendly bartenders. Just wish they had a waitress or two. But I’ll surely be back. Great spot to bookmark and would work for groups, since there’s a lot of room.