Beautiful bar with great interiors, perfect for date night or can be seen as a bar to start the night off. The service was impeccable and staff was chill & humorous. I started the night by ordering a too big and easy which composes of dark liquor coffee and a few other things, the cold brew portion went over my head and I had a chance to swap it for the Whiskey AF which was amazing... thanks for not charging me! I wasn't a huge fan of the food, I ordered the "Lobster Roll" which was misleading because it was basically lobster bites and wasn't anything special (2/5) as well as the fries that were included felt moist almost soggy... I wasn't sure if that's intentional or not. I'll come back here for the happy hour menu to further explore though! read more

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We came here Friday of Memorial Day weekend after 9pm, no reservation and was seated right away. We were very thankful of that! We opted for the back room as the one table available in the front was right by the kitchen, at first we were the only ones there, which was perfect for date night . I had two Jungle Birdies, my man had the smoking palomino and both were good! Small plates, we had the duck, oysters, yuca fries, sticky fried chicken, and the sliders! Everything was very good! Love that we found this place, will definitely be back! read more

I'd rate Altar four and a half stars. Very cool cocktail bar. Vibrant atmosphere. Creative cocktail list. Fun decor and comfortable seating. Can easily spend hours lounging here. We tried a few of their signature drinks including the Holy Smoke, the Muse, and the Inner Clarity. All the drinks were great but our favorite was the Muse. We also Ciabatta Melt. They have a couple restrooms. The one I used was spacious, gender neutral, and handicap accessible. read more

Was looking for a place to eat and saw there was a tapas place closeby. Wanted to check it out and was not disappointed at all. We walked in and was greeted by Troy who offered us many booths to choose to sit down. The place is nicely decorated and had some oldies playing in the background. Really nice atmosphere especially if you want to date. They even have a private room if needed as well. We sat down and ordered some wines to begin. We thennchose to order 4 plates of tapas. We started with the duck and and tuna. The duck had a nice grilled type of flavoring with figs, which was the 1st time I had this combo. Next, I went to the tuna tartar which was so fresh and flavorful. Troy thought it would be nice to order the sticky chicken. He was not wrong at all. Before the chicken arrived, we sampled the lobster roll which was not bad at all, then we dabbled with the boquerones (sardines) with a spicey bite but not overly spicy. It was really good. Troy checked in on us constantly to see if we were enjoying it, and we were!! Picked up a cote du Rhone wine and was feeling easy. The chicken arrived and was worth the wait. We had an excellent dining experience and looking forward to returning for the rest of the menu!!! read more

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Summary: Great place for a drink for date night; skip the food. This is a tapas style cocktail bar with a Mexican take. We came on a Friday during early Fall and it was already quite busy, but there was free seating at the bar. This place has a good ambiance -- the right amount of busy/chic with cocktail bar feels (30% lighting, interesting bar mantle, mirrors + wall motifs. When we went, it was also two PoC femme bartenders, which is a bit of a rarity, so we were happy to support. We ended up trying the Holy Smoke, Femme Fatale, and Sleep No More. Something we noticed was that every drink sounded amazing until the one ingredient that didn't sound appetizing/didn't fit our taste. ex. Dazed & Chartreused: "Tequila, Green Chartreuse, Lemon-Matcha-Coconut avocado"...why did avocado need to be brought into this? Death in the Afternoon: "Absinthe, Creme de Violette, Arrack, Lemon, Glitter & Cava"...I'm not sure I would want to ingest glitter, though I'm sure it would be beautiful. In any event, the Holy Smoke was medium boozyness with a nice smokiness from the Mezcal, but it was a bit too sweet which made it taste unbalanced; I think bitters would have helped balance it out. There were no complaints about the Femme Fatale which came with a burning rosemary sprig. The sleep no more was fine, but didn't really hit the spot. While the drinks were generally good, the food was pretentious without the flavour, textures, or quality to back it up. Having come hungry, we went for the patatas brava (it's potatoe, how can you go wrong?), yucca fries, portabello steak, and tartare. The patatas brava were fingerlings (first odd choice) that tasted boiled and then baked, without the characteristic crispyness you'd expect -- they were pretty soggy. Moreover, the flavour just was not doing it -- none of that nice heat or cream existed, it was heavily crusted with hot paprika, so much so that you couldn't taste anything else. The yucca fries were ok, but for 9$ you got 6 slivers of really tough starch. The tartare came with waffle "fries" which were more like chips -- the beef was tough, despite being tenderloin, and it had no flavour. The garnish were dill pickles, which added a nice acidity, but the meat needed something else -- perhaps a horseradish or yuzu to give it flavour. The only thing we actually enjoyed was the portabello steak which had great flavour with a nice textural and refreshing flavour balance with the watercress atop. Everything else was too "meh" to even finish. read more

Altar - The interior - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

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Everything was phenomenal- food, service, vibe. Love love love. Will return next time we visit.

I tell everyone I know so I decided I might as well also tell Yelp: I love Altar. This bar has been such an amazing addition to the neighborhood since it opened fairly recently. I have been in several times, always in hopes to try at least one new cocktail on their menu, but instead almost always starting off with Inner Clarity. Oh, Inner Clarity. I think about this drink a LOT. Sometimes I'm at another bar and I'm drinking some meh cocktail and I'm just wishing I had an Inner Clarity. Admittedly, I'm a sucker for anything sesame, but there's something really special about the clarified sesame horchata in the drink. I smell this drink in my dreams! Seriously, it's fantastic and I highly recommend if your taste sounds similar to mine. Outside of this particular drink, I also love their other options. I almost always grab a second drink here so I can still try something new. Most recently, I had the Harajuku Girl - also recommend if you like the idea of a spiked Thai iced tea. Best of all, each time I've come, Altar's menu has always featured at least a handful of new drinks to the menu. Keepin it fun! Food wise, I don't usually eat here, so I can speak too much to that. The patatas bravas are good and the tartare looks beautiful, but I tend to keep my cocktail bar experiences strictly to drinks (so I can try another new spot for dinner, of course). If you're in the neighborhood, you need to check this place out. Or even if you aren't, it's definitely worth a trip out of your way. read more

Altar - Burukkurin and Harajuku Girl - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

Altar is one of my friends' favorite local spot. The customer service is great and the ambiance is classy yet edgy. We had the patatas brava, yucca fries, lobster roll, spicy fried chicken, and tuna and toast. I'm neither a lobster nor tuna fan but both were incredible. My friends enjoyed the fried chicken, the yucca fries were pretty good, and the patatas weren't crispy. The food was overall satisfying and we had a pleasant experience. read more

Why I did not check this out sooner is a mystery! This place is definitely in my top 5 cocktail spots. Great neighborhood cocktail place with indoor and outdoor seating. I sat outside on an early Thursday evening, mid-July. The drinks were so delicious, I forgot how I was complaining minutes earlier about the humidity. There were so many fantastic options, I couldn't decide, so, of course asked for recs from the team that night, and they steered me in the right direction based on my preferred flavor profiles. I ordered a cocktail that tasted just like Thai Icea Tea!! My friend ordered a drink with pop rocks. Full on nostalgia with that drink. My friend also ordered the Inner Clarity cocktail (horchata included!). I also ordered the Cheeky Baby Martini that had pickled watermelon in it. Highly, highly recommend. I will be going back to try different drinks and their food. read more

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Stopped in for drinks. Great service and really cool ambiance. The drinks we got were interesting and we were pretty pleased with them in the end. Would recommend to friends looking for a pre-dinner drink spot. read more

What a beautiful place :) delicious cocktails, Fabiola, Jimmy and Naomi are the best ! They always make you feel like home :) Romantic and cozy place, Perfect for any occasion. read more

Altar - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

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Instantly fell in love with this hidden gem speakeasy when I walked in through the double doors. The dark chapel theme that they curated really gave it a sanctuary feel. Its like they excavated a church and kept the ornate masonry. The bar, the main centerpiece, is so gorgeous and appropriately looks like an altar. This place certainly has date night written all over it. The laid back modern R&B music they played in the background was very soothing. You could easily get lost inside here for hours, which we did. We arrived around 10pm during the holiday weekend and all the good seats were taken in the booths and by the bar. We had settled for the tables in the aisle until we spotted some people leaving. Our waitress, Fabiola was very cheerful and patient with us as we had many questions regarding the menu. Their cocktails here are thoughtfully crafted. We easily had 3 round of drinks. Started out with the Holy Smoke (earl grey infused mezcal, peche, l'orgeat, lime) and Boxing Day Punch (bourbon, marzipan, guiness, egg, spices. Out of the two, the Holy Smoke was my favorite. I'm already a fan of mezcal and I could sip on that drink everyday, that's how classy and smooth it was. Not to be discounted, the boxing day punch arrived with all the bells and whistles. But it was doing too much with the flavors in my opinion. Our 2nd round of drinks included the Mariahhhh (mulled rose wine, absinthe, rose pet nat, grapefruit) which tasted like a medium body complex rose to me and the Bolivian Snow (Singani, rum, matcha, pistachio, cocao, egg white, lemon). Not a big fan of the latter, it felt like a green light smoothie. Last but not least, we finished with two great drinks if you are a rum drinker : the Faith Healer (Rum, green tea, spiced pear, coconut water, lemon, egg white) and the Sterling Nutcracker (151 rum, Oaxacan rum, fruit punch cider, L'orgeat, lemon). The nutcracker was stronger but these were both good choices to end with. 3 drinks in, I had a nice buzz going by the time we had to leave but I was not overly drunk. I also didn't wake up the following day with a bad headache. Even without the spectacular cocktail menu, the food here could stand on its own. Their menu consisted of small plates. We sampled about 5 dishes. Let me get this out the way quick, get the duck magret!!! Amazing seared duck breast in merlot reduction & served with black mission figs & gooseberries. They ran out of the ciabatta melt which my husband was pining for when we arrived (he said it was delish last time he came here), so that's another gem we missed. If you want to construct a full meal, the duck went perfectly with the Forage and Farm (mushroom, whipped goat cheese, arugula, chives, olive oil, toast). They also happened to have an oyster sampler special the night we went in (6 for $14). The poke arrived in a beautiful presentation. I loved the super light rice crisp and the artic char with ginger vinaigrette and avo pure. Overall, solid dish but I felt it contained too much wasabi. Lastly, my husband wanted the patatas bravas, which I thought were a tad overly seasoned with that garlic saffron aioli. All in all, if I could, I would worship here every Sunday! When you find a good cocktail bar, it really is nourishing for the soul. Already planning another visit. read more

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First thing is the decor when you walk in. It's lovely, It's warm and accompanied by some easy house music to give you a lil social bounce Cocktails are unique and full of quality. I had the muse and the sloe flow. I'm usually a old fashion type of guy and I love being able to step out my comfort zine This is easily added to my new list of cocktail bars and i will frequent here for the new year. read more

Altar - Muse Cocktail Looks Like The Emoji And Taste Great. - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

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I love the ambiance here, we came just to the bar so this review is based solely on drinks, which are really good. The bartenders are super nice, the low lights give it a romantic vibe. I really enjoyed having drinks here, can't wait to come back and try their food. They're the same owners of Chavela's down the block but I hope they don't have the same chef bc I heavily disliked the food at chavelas. I plan to ask about the food next time and if it's the same then just sticking to drinks again! read more

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Beautiful bar with a classy speakeasy vibe but very welcoming and laidback. Small food menu with tapas and snacks, really nice varied cocktail menu. Sterling Nutcracker was solid with 151 proof rum, and they're not cheap with the rum either. Stopped by on a weeknight, handful of booths and bar seats available without a wait. Would make a nice date spot. Service was friendly and consistent despite 1 primary person working both the bar and tables. Definitely enjoyed my bday week celebrations here! read more

Altar - Sterling nutcracker - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

- fantastic service - awesome cozy ambiance - old school, speakeasy feel - cool rnb soundtrack on a Saturday night - patient wait staff - superb drinks - food until roughly 1am - the Ciabatta Melt is one of the best sandwiches I ever had - superb drinks read more

The dim lighting and ambiance really gives an elevated, intimate atmosphere. The drinks were delicious as well as great presentation. Our bartender was knowledgeable on their menu as well as overall mixing, flavors and combinations. Absolutely recommend and will return read more

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Great ambiance, customer service and happy hour. This is a place you keep coming back to.

Don't really go out to bars that often but this was a great one. Loved the decor here although the music was a tad loud. They offer some really unique, delicious cocktails at reasonable (for NYC) prices. I was honestly pretty impressed by the depth and layering of flavors they managed. I ordered the holy smokes which begins with a strong citrus flavor and ends with a smoky aftertaste, which was pretty cool. Also, unlike many bars, they actually serve good food! Ordered the potatoes, steak tartare, and duck-- all prepared well, but the duck was definitely the favorite. read more

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Great place with awesome drinks. Happy hour deals are good and the food is fun. Perfect spot for a date night!

This is a great, intimate bar with interesting cocktails (with offbeat ingredients). The ambiance is chill, relaxing, and cool. Last time I was here they were playing Sade, who I love. It does get crowded though and I sometimes feel rushed to go to a less hopping bar, which there are plenty of down Franklin. All in all great bar to visit if you want a cool and unique experience. read more

Altar - Bar - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

Food : 8/10 Ambiance: 9/10 Service : 2/10 Walked in and greeted which is always great and got seated. After that it was just downhill. Unfortunately piss poor service can not makeup for decent bites and drinks. Where in NY so endless options. We get our drinks and some of our food comes out, but where exploring the menu as one does, and put in for more stuff which never comes out and drink service slows down significantly. Heard other tables bring up the lack of attention to them so I can only imagine how people where feeling. Needless to say probably 1st and last time :( read more

Ambiance is chill and great for a late night cocktail .. or glass of wine - wish they still carried the cheese /charcuterie board on the menu . Digging the disco ball !! good variety of music played at a nice level and one could still have a conversation comfortably without having to speak over ppl Service was pretty good too with a steady flow of customers at the bar read more

We held our wedding reception in the back lounge area at Altar on July 17, 2023. We negotiated a very fair arrangement for the catering, and the manager and server we got were very pleasant, efficient, and helpful. The small plates we chose went over very well with guests, the drinks were creative and tasty, and all the guests had a great time. We had about 25 there, and it would be crowded for more than 30 or 35, I think. read more

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FOOD 4/5 they have small plates think appetizers we ordered the The wings - normal wings with some sauce on them but good! The lobster rolls - extremely cute and more like a open faced lobster dumplings. The taste was off to me not nasty just not what MY taste buds like ... I couldn't put my finger on it but I like my lobster rolls to taste like lobster rolls it had maybe a tid bit too much celery I can't put my finger on it ... it was good but I might not order this again The papatas bravas (small potatoes with a spiced aioli on top) these were delicious The sliders they were good too. We also had fries which were normal waffle fries they were just a bit too done but overall good as well DRINKS All the little foods were good (except the taste of the lobster roll) SERVICE 10/10 there was one guys working Tom I think his name was and he was making drinks taking orders bussing tables etc and I never felt unattended to! He was awesome AMBIANCE was really low key but nice! It's a sultry burlesque type of vibe nice for drinks and a small bite They were playing good music too (disclosure the group type of music) I would def come back! And I love that they're open late since covid it's so hard to find late night eats in the Brooklyn unless it's take out so this was NIOOOCE read more

I LOVE this bar! went here tonight and they were all decked out for the holidays with a super cozy and festive vibe and a special holiday menu that featured so many fun drinks. every drink we had was delicious and unique, full of so many interesting ingredients and flavors that for $15 each, it was a great deal. also the service is above and beyond the regular bar. i had an amazing time and can't wait to come back! read more

Altar - cocktail with a show! - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

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Good spot for a date or to socialize with friends! We walked in without reservations (party of 4) on a rainy Saturday night and we were thankfully able to snag a booth even though there was quite a bit of people. The server was very friendly and the drinks were good as well. We went after dinner so we only had the truffle fries for food but they were crispy and had a great sauce as well. I would go back and try the other mezcal drink on their menu! read more

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I loved this cocktail bar! It was dim lit at night, perfect for a date / nice night out with friends, and none of the cocktails missed. I walked in with my friend on a Thursday night, and there was no wait. Service was great - I'd go back 100%! read more

Altar - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

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Nice little place to grab some drinks with friends or with a date. This isn't your avg bar, it's elevated with fancy cocktails and small plates. If you're looking for fruity drinks or drinks where you can down, this isn't the place for you. It's more of a refined palate to cocktails and sipping it while chatting. The ambiance is nice, there's a lot of seating and back room as well. My only complaint is our waiter failed to give me and another person a glass of water when EVERYONE else at the table had water. When I came with a group of almost 10 we all trickled in over a period of 15 minutes. I'm thinking like after we order the waiter would give us water. Hmm not the case... we ordered got the drinks and still didn't bring us any water. Yeah that's fine, then the waiter comes around and fills everyone's glasses of water looks over at me and another person and sees we don't have any glasses and did a quick pause and thought about it. In my head I'm thinking he's going to bring back water cups for us, nope. Then he comes around again 10 mins later to fill water and does the same exact thing, looks over and sees we don't have to glasses of water. Another 10 mins later he does the same thing then asks if we want to order more drinks. We order more then he comes fills everyone water and looks and still doesn't see glasses to fill in front of us. Then after 30 mins I asked for water because I honestly thought he would've asked or brought it to us after staring at us with out water cups as he awkwardly filled everyone's cup around us. Kind of strange I had to ask for water when everyone else had water at the table already and we just needed 2 extra cups. (Keep in mind 4 of us showed up at the same time and there was water at the table for ppl already and we were just short 2 cups) Also it's room temp tap water.. lol Not a big deal, just thought it was strange. I mean I could've asked for water but as a waiter I thought he'd ask when he walked past 3+ times and awkwardly stared when we didn't have glasses of water while he filled everyone else's cup 4/5 stars, ambiance was chill and drinks were not bad. Drinks are around $15 , avg for cocktails. Didn't try any foods this time, maybe next time. read more

Altar - Mezcal mule - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

Love this bar. It has such a romantic feel to it. The attention to detail in design is phenomenal. Just the coasters are beautiful. They have a back small room where you can get table service, they burn sage through the entire place, and they have a bartender whom I saw three days in a row after falling in love with this place; who is just amazing. She is a black woman with amazing curly hair. She remembered my wife and I's drink each day and always greeted us with a smile. I mean ALL the workers are polite, the bathrooms are gendered but clean, and theyre right next door to my favorite restaurant chavelas. This place is a hidden gem, Ive passed it so many times but I am so glad my wife convinced us to go in. If you're looking for a great speakeasy with good clean spiritual energy while you drink, this is the spot! read more

I cannot say enough good things about this place. With family in town, I decided last minute to cancel our drag queen brunch that was planned... And we decided to offer a more chill approach after a long time of looking at restaurants that had a good vibe for brunch, on Sunday, we stumbled upon this little jewel tucked away in the back of Sterling Street. Sadly, there was no wait when we walked in so was a bit nervous as it wasn't very busy. BOY WERE WE LUCKY! This atmosphere is Stunningggggg with a capital S! The architecture of the entire place from the faux marble/mirror walls to the detailed backdrop behind the bar reminded me of eating inside a cathedral. The doors and windows were open so it wasn't overly dark and left a very open feel. This would be a perfect spot for a date night and the evening menu looked to be pretty good variety as well! So I may have to come back in the evening for an evening update Tom was our bartender and was super accommodating and VERY sweet! He ended up getting busy but still was on it with our girly table full of little requests that we tried to keep to a minimum ! From the minute we walked in until the fare-thee-well little surprise we left with, he was an 11/10! Very polished, very inviting, and just adorable. The drinks are THE ONLY reason I am leaving 4 instead of 5 stars. If I could even leave like 4.7, I would! Everyone enjoyed their drink choices, and the options were a solid variety for all types of liquor drinkers! The *ONLY* beef I had with my Bloody Mary was that there wasn't a slightly more elaborate option that came with like... Celery, Shrimp Skewers, or a mini doughnut or a slice of bacon or some kind of pizazz that may have cost $1 or so more than an original Bloody Mary. I'd also recommend that they use some additional garnish on the standard Bloody Mary either a piece of celery and display the olives more or something similar. The food was such a surprise to be honest - we weren't sure what to expect! It was AMAZING. We ordered the truffle corn and spicy potatoes to start, lemon ricotta pan cakes for the table, and we each got an egg dish from the menu. We each finished our dishes which is rare because they were SO damn good!! The flavoring on everything is on point pretty much. I'd perhaps add a bit more salt and pepper to the home fries, but it's hard for me to dig for bad things when the entire experience from start to finish was just unforgettable. We will definitely be back for more!! read more

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5 STARS ALL AROUND. First, the service is immediately inviting. I celebrated a birthday here last fall. The tapas were really great and matched the cocktails. Even more perfect is it's cute inside and they have reversed happy hour most days the week. read more

Who knew that this place was here!? We recently had our bachelorette party in the back room at this restaurant and it was beautiful actually. The only con was that the air wasn't flowing properly in the back and on a 90° night that's nothing nice. But the food was flowing the rosé was flowing the white wine was flowing and all handled by an efficient and on time staff. The back room halls about 30 people maybe give or take and I would definitely have another event here! read more

Such a beautiful addition to Crown Heights! The ambiance, food and cocktails were great!

I have been meaning to post my review for a few months but I'm now just getting around to it! What can I not say about Altar? The decor, ambiance, service and drinks -shout-out to the amazing Fabiola Juarez! - are all superb. The couple of bites I've had, specifically the Ciabatta Melt and Patatas Bravas, were fresh and flavorful. It seems they change up their food/drink menu to keep things interesting but I believe they keep their best sellers on -- I remember Queen of All Souls and Inner Clarity being there since my first visit in October 2021. I've been on weeknights and Saturday evenings and the venue was enjoyable regardless of how busy it was. I don't often return to a spot repeatedly since NYC has so much to offer but Altar is the one place that I find myself coming back to. read more

How do I even begin to explain this place? I had the duck magret, the tartare, and the holy smoke mezcal cocktail. All were perfect--beautifully prepared, complex and elevated but comfortable, delicious af. I just kinda can't believe this exists and that it's in my neighborhood. read more

Altar - Steak tartare - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

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Come for the cocktails (and food), stay for the food (and cocktails). They're beautifully focused on the details here, with diverse drinks, platters, and decorations. It's the kind of place you bring someone you want to impress. read more

Altar - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

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Update your website and provide a phone contact so that people planning for a group outing can know that you don't serve a full menu any longer. It is irresponsible and callous to think that people would not want a brunch which your website promises but that you no longer deliver. In addition the yucca fries were extremely under cooked and the burrata option was not well executed. The only thing going for this place is the decor. read more

Sexy date or late night spot. This place feels like something you'd find in a cool, trendy Manhattan neighborhood vs. Crown Heights. It's a very welcomed addition to the neighborhood and conveniently located right next to my favorite neighborhood Mexican restaurant Chavela's. While the drinks and apps are spendy, the excellent service, speakeasy vibe, and insta-friendly, good food and unique craft cocktails make up for it. read more

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GREAT date night or ladies night out spot in Crown Heights. Good ambience. We got the sliders and burrata to share, both portions were great and tasty. We went toward the end of happy hour and our waiter still accommodated us. The drinks were tasty and refreshing. Would definitely consider making this a regular spot. read more