Speakeasy in the rear of upside pizza. Never knowing it was here, made it all the more special. Small and intimate space, food serviced through a small window accessing upside pizza... definitely a vibe. Visited under the premise of a private event and was able to try a couple signature cocktails. Bartender was friendly, super accommodating and friendly... not to mention his shaking drinks to the beat of the music was a welcome sound versus the typical bar noise. Loved the space, the dj was playing well and genre diverse. Not sure what a typical night looks like here but loved the dark and cozy vibe. Pretty nice space in central Greenpoint, recommend d a visit at least once! read more

Ask For Janice - Margarita cheers! - Bars Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

See all

Bday Tings! Ask for Janice is a super chill speakeasy/bar located in the Greenpoint section of Brooklyn. Reservations are accepted but extremely limited. As you approach you'll see Upside Pizza, walk in and straight to the back is where you'll see the entrance for Ask For Janice. We went on a Thursday night around 11pm. We were able to snag a booth. Although there are tables you still have to place your drink orders at the bar. I went with the Love Like Honey which was sooo good! Perfectly balanced not being too strong or too sweet. I also got a Pepperoni slice which wasn't my vibe. Burnt on the sides and crust, too hard... not for me. There was a DJ playing throwback Hip Hop, R&B and reggae. Total vibe! Ask for Janice is a very cozy space. Only 3 booths available with 3 high tables, plus additional seats at the bar. I love a good cocktail so I would definitely come back! read more

See all

Ask For Janice is a vibey speakeasy located in the back of Upside Pizza. My friends and I came on a Saturday night after a concert and while Upside Pizza was busy and crowded, Ask For Janice was quieter and not as busy as I thought it'd be. For drinks we got the blood orange, starburster, and strawberry swing. The drinks were sweet and strong; great cocktails for a little hangout. I didn't particularly love any of the drinks, but the pizza was absolutely amazing. I love that they still serve pizza slices at the bar. We got the sausage & pickled peppers slice, pepperoni slice, and mushroom slice, and each one was so delicious! My favorite was the mushroom, and even my boyfriend who doesn't like mushroom loved it. They played a lot of throwbacks when I went and it's dimly lit. You should definitely go if you're looking for a chill place to get drinks and good food. read more

See all

I came here with my friend for the space's first DJ party. It is located behind Upside Pizza and has a cool speakeasy vibe. Because it is attached to the pizza shop you can order pizza from the bar and eat there which is very convenient. The space itself is pretty small and it did get crowded quickly the night we went. The drinks are very creative and unique and I enjoyed trying different ones from the specialty and core menus. I'd go back on a chill night for a cute intimate date night vibe. read more

Ask For Janice - Bars Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

Great speakeasy inside Upside Pizza. My boyfriend and I walked in at 7:45 PM on a Friday and managed to grab bar seats. The sweetest taboo cocktail was amazing, and the spiceworld cocktail was also great. They also have a food menu, which is great because we needed a snack and the pizza rolls really hit. read more

See all

Speakeasy and chill vibe here 100% I did not have any actual alcohol drinks or food but great space to enjoy with friends and have a nice time out. I came from the BX and would go again just because it was chill and great R&B music vibe when I went on a Thursday all night ! read more

Hidden behind a pizzeria in Williamsburg is asked for Janice. I heard of the spot a few times and I just happened to stumble upon it while I ventured out in Williamsburg. I saw the pizzeria and I immediately knew that there was a speakeasy in the back and so I headed back there and honestly, it was such a hidden gem. I love the drinks, but I will have to say that the cheesy breadsticks were so good. I got the, three sauces as a sampler, but the spicy vodka stole the show. They are playing such great music in the background and place was dimly lit. It was such a great scene. Definitely worth checking out read more

Very cute place . I only stopped in but I really loved the drink menu . It had some nice options for non alcohol/ alcohol alike . The bathrooms were horrific . I can't really comment on much being that I just chilled for a little with friends . But I'll be back to enjoy . read more

It's a cool concept to have a bar behind a pizza shop, but no AC and stuffy, playing Fantastic Planet on the project was a strange choice, and the drinks were just not good. Not really tasty, too warm. It's not supposed to be a fancy place but I left most of my cocktail untouched. read more

The Upside Pizza crew partnered with Eavesdrop, a nearby bar in Greenpoint, to open this new bar in the back of the Greenpoint location of Upside. I don't drink but the food is good enough to come here just to eat. The food comes from the pizza ovens up front, which means lots of amazing bread, including the great Cheese Y Bread, Stracciatella with perfect Sicilian Sourdough, Rotollos with sausage & mushroom, and the Calzone with chicory, ricotta and basil. Even the vegetables are all worth ordering, so get the Chilled Romaine Wedge Salad and the Spicy Broccolini too. Don't be fooled by the location being in a slice joint, once you go through the door in the back, the vibes are just what you want them to be if you're trying to go to a cool new bar. read more

See all

My partner and I were having a date night and we're planning on going to Eavesdrop (down the block), but when we got there, we were told it was an hour wait and the hostess recommended that we try their new sister bar (Ask For Janice) down the street while we wait, so we figured why not. Probably one of the best decisions we made all night! Ask For Janice is tucked away in the back of Upside Pizza (speakeasy-esque) and it has a fun tune-forward theme (similar to Eavesdrop). Probably due to being in the back of a pizza joint, the menus (both cocktail and food) lean Italian, and from what we had, executed very well! Drink-wise my partner got the campfire martini (think espresso martini variant with whipped foam on top) and I got the A4J Martini, which was very unique and one of the best savory martinis I've ever had. It is made with sopressata and olive washed gin - and you can definitely taste it - and garnished with mozz, olive, and salami. If you like sopressata - get this! Food-wise we ended up ordering the sausage and mushroom rolls (forget the proper name), but they were like sausage rolls and cooked perfectly- keep in mind the food comes from upside pizza and I think many of the dishes are specially made for A4J. Def don't sleep on the food! All in all we had a great time (potentially even better than at Eavesdrop), the service was friendly, the vibe was fun, prices were reasonable for the area, and libations + food were unique and satisfying. We will be back again! read more

See all

RATING: 6.6 PRO TIP: Get the calzone, and the breadsticks. Speakeasy inside Upside pizza. CALZONE: This was the best thing we ate, which was very cheesy and lots of filling. It was creamy inside, too, which was pleasantly surprising and gave it even more heaviness to kind of fill you up. A good savory bite! BREADSTICKS The bread was quite fluffy and the marinara sauce with ample cheese sprinkled on top - you can't go wrong. It has a sharp umami-ness that takes it from a basic breadstick to a good, maybe even great one. DRINKS - they were pretty interesting, but nothing really blew me away or was too memorable. I hate to compare mine to a spiked blue kool-aid but in a way, that's what it was giving (it was the one with pineapple juice and blue curacao). CANNOLI - not sure that the sprinkles really add much besides child-like fun which I can't hate on, and it was good as far as canollis go. I would say this is a great neighborhood spot and if you're in the area check it out but if you don't live nearby it's not necessarily a destination spot yet. FINAL CATEGORY: OK (terrible / bad / OK / good / great / excellent) read more

See all

Randomly came here one Friday evening. It was poppin, luckily they had room for 3 pretty quickly. I love the retro diner feel. They had a dope sound system around the main bar, with a cassette tape setup as well. All the staff reminded me of people back in Seattle, without the Seattle freeze (in line with the music setup haha). Some of the drinks are pretty cool! Campfire martini was a treat, basically like dessert. The Cozy Up came with a lit cigar. It was cool in theory, but IMO the smoke conflicted with the bright profile of the drink. I'm glad we got seated, but the seating in the middle was pretty cramped. I had to get up multiple times to allow their food cart to pass (no big deal, but it happened a few times). If you can get a reservation, the bar or the booths are the way to go. read more

See all

What a cute addition to Greenpoint! I loved the vibes in the bar and it was perfect for a little date night. We tried to get in on a Friday night as a walk-in because the online reservations were full. We left our name and they got back to us probably within 30 minutes. I got the jam & juice and the green light. Both drinks were yummy and tasted like juice. Neither drink tasted strongly like alcohol. read more

Ask For Janice - jam & juice - Bars Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

Speakeasy bar located inside the Upside Pizza location. As soon as You enter the bar You immediately get a vibe and there's great music playing. Made a reservation through Resy before going and were seated promptly by the hostess. The cocktail menu is not too long and there's various selections of drinks, wines, food etc. One of the hosts came with complimentary glasses of Rose and Pomegranate infused Gin which was lovely and aromatic. We also ordered Rum and Gin based cocktails with some Meatballs, Cheesy Bread, Olives and such The Service was VERY GOOD, such kind and polite people and very hospitable. Made the who experience so comfortable and nice. Definitely recommend this place.... read more

Ask For Janice - Bars Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

See all

This summer, I went on a Vinyl Bar tour in Brooklyn, and unfortunately, this was my least favorite place I've been. The concept is cute--it's a speakeasy tucked inside a pizza shop. I ended up here after not being able to get into Eavesdrop, as they suggested this spot since it's owned by the same people. We were immediately seated here. I really wanted to love this place, but it just didn't do it for me. First, the service was awful. Our server seemed completely uninterested in being there, which I get...everyone has their off days, but that energy shouldn't spill over to the customers. We ordered drinks, and despite the place being far from packed, it took about 20 minutes for them to arrive. When they finally did, my friends and I were super disappointed. We ordered espresso martinis, and they were easily some of the worst I've ever had. The music was another letdown. They played Karrahboo the entire night. Don't get me wrong, she has a couple of good songs, but not enough to be on repeat all night. She's a newer artist under Lil Yachty's label--not exactly Beyoncé or Michael Jackson. The vibes just felt completely off. Overall, I love the concept, but between the service, drinks, and music, this place missed the mark for me. read more

Have been hearing about Ask For Janice for the past few weeks and impromptu walked in this week for a drink. I heard that reservations were fully booked for the foreseeable future, so was pretty surprised to see that it was pretty empty on a Thursday around 10 pm. The vibe is very cute, classy and moody decor. I did feel that the seating was a tad too spaced out for my liking? There were some tables, booths, and also a few seats at the bar. Maybe it was because there weren't a ton of people but I felt like I wanted it to be more cozy inside, it gave a bit of sterile energy. If I rated this place solely for the cocktail though, I'd probably give it 3 stars. I got the martini and it was...bland ? Not a ton of flavors going on there and it felt very flat to me. Perhaps other cocktails would be better though! read more

The hidden bar trend continues in Greenpoint. In the back of Upside Down pizza, is not quite a speakeasy, but a sleek fun bar with an underlit cassette collection. Their *thing* which both works and doesn't work, is that it's a cocktail bar with a pizzeria twist. My martini had pork-infused gin and a tiny mozzerella ball stuck on the toothpick. Gross? Maybe. But I had three of them. Their small plates of food are excellent. Definitely get the cheesy bread with the ranch sauce. Don't sleep on the calzone either. The guy behind the bar was sweet and efficient. The unnecessary bouncer out front seemed confused by the concept of reservations, which the restaurant smartly acceps, and which you should make. It's a popular place. But why warn people away? He was saying to everyone they were so crowded, people with reservations were going to be waiting a while. Uh, no we won't be? "Maybe you should go inside and talk to the hostess?" he finally suggested. And there she was, smiling, waiting for us, a reserved sign on our table. Besides the communication flaws, I would describe ASK FOR JANICE as a really nice surprise. read more

They charge a mixtape fee for playing normal music. I had a pretty good experience. Good wine, decent food, okay atmosphere, good service. Then... when the bill came there was a charge for mixtape curation. What? Places that have DJs don't even charge you. read more

Ask For Janice - Mixtape curation fee. - Bars Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

Cute, low key, romantic spot with great music and drinks. I love that it's tucked away and bc it was quiet when we went, service was quick. Make a reservation to secure a seat, and order at the bar. read more

the whole bar team was absolutely remarkable. they handled a situation with a frustrating party so kindly and did whatever they could to accommodate their preferences (i was a bystander). i really wish this place had more signs or something. it's an awesome hidden spot but maybe a little too hidden. awesome service awesome food awesome vibes. also the pizza attached to here is fire. read more