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Finback LIC

4.5 (32 reviews)
ModerateBars
Closed • 3:00 pm - 10:00 PM

Finback LIC Photos

FINBACK LIC ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Casual
Trendy
Good for groups

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Recommended Reviews - Finback LIC

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Jedsada Y.

I've been drinking Finback beers since the OG Factory days almost a decade ago, so seeing them open a dedicated taproom right here in LIC is honestly a dream come true. And wow--Finback LIC absolutely delivers. And then... DUMPLING UP LIC. Whoever decided to pair Finback's beers with Asian comfort food deserves a medal. Wontons, noodles, rice bowls--everything hits that warm, savory, comforting spot. It's the perfect complement to their bright, expressive beers. We came around 130pm when the taproom was not too crowded, which made the whole experience even better--laid-back, spacious, and relaxed. Naturally, we ordered a lot of beer and food, and everything was excellent: Spicy Cucumber, Woodear Mushroom, Pork + Shrimp Chili Wontons, Mushroom + Veggie Chili Wontons, Ginger Scallion Chicken, Pork Gia Jiang Mien, and an amazing lineup of Finback beers from Seafoam to Katabasis, from crispy lagers to their more experimental mixed-culture selections. Finback has always held a special place for me, and this new LIC taproom just reinforces why. Exceptional beer, great food, chilled vibes, and the kind of creativity and craft you can only get from Finback. Can't wait to go back again--and again.

Basically half of the entire food menu
Carla H.

This place rocks. Finback LIC is what happens when the venn diagram between a legit NYC brewery and a Queens Chinese food microkitchen comes to life and smashes it out of the park. The ambiance there is fantastic with a big airy space and friendly bartenders. They got Ween on the radio and Mets games on TV, what more do you need? If you were thinking .. hm how about draft beer (or cocktails) and Chinese snacks, you're in luck. Beers are excellent of course (I had a sour and a stout, both great), with about 20 drafts to choose from. Onto the food... there's a chef in the back just absolutely cooking. The spicy cucumbers were crisp and had a Korean Gochujang zing to go along with the Sichuan style prep. The Pork zhajiangmian was savory, oily, and delicious. The wontons had big chunks of shrimp in it, nested in a hearty broth. The sticky rice was fantastic, with mushrooms and sausages. All FIRE - bold flavors, big portions, and incredibly authentic for what is technically "bar food." The noodles and wontons in particular are must-orders IMO. It's one of those spots I almost want to gatekeep, but also, it deserves hype. Come for a game or trivia, and leave wondering why every brewery doesn't have a pop-up kitchen in the back.

Lauren S.

What a nice little discovery in the neighborhood! This place could be just a brewery but it offers great cocktails and wine too. But they also serve some great food at affordable prices. The shrimp dumplings with the added noodles, it had no business being this good. It was on par with places I have had in Chinatown. Chicken and rice was also good. Cucumbers and the funghi were a great addition to balance out the meal. This is a great spot for a quick drink or a quick dinner!

Esther R.

Good space, good bear, good vibes! Would recommend checking this place out. Lots of seating & drinks were decently priced.

Bar area
Erin H.

I visited Finback Brewery for a happy hour with coworkers. I'm not a beer drinker, but most of the menu was focused on IPAs and stouts. I ordered the Paper Tiger, a gin-based cocktail with aperol and amaro. The glass was small, but the flavor was good and it was pretty generous with gin. The kitchen wasn't open during our visit, so no food this time. Service is bar-order style. The atmosphere was lively with lots of people hanging out after work. The space has high ceilings and a cool industrial look. We were able to find tables to sit, and the place was clean and well-maintained. Prices were average with no happy hour specials or discounts. Overall, maybe I'd visit again. It's a solid spot for drinks after work, but nothing too standout.

Jillian B.

Was pleased to see Finback while walking around the neighborhood with my husband- they have great stouts! The stouts were consistently good, though it's worth noting they don't do flights and I couldn't see the prices of each beer posted anywhere. Each glass was around $10ish (within a few dollars here and there).

Kristina N.

Really appreciate having a brewery like Finback on this side of LIC. The menu has plenty of beers, cocktails, coffee and even dumplings to choose from. Service was friendly although the bar was a little backed up. The place was busy on a Saturday, but it was still a chill spot to catch up with friends. I had a couple of DIPAs and they were good. I'll be back!

Ryna D.

Really nice brewery and space in LIC! We were meeting some friends in Queens and I was coming from a nearby gallery so this was a convenient spot to get together. Loved the beer! Great space and friendly staff! They didn't have food at the time but they do let you bring in any outside food so we had tacos delivered and it was a great night!

Wontons and pork gia jiang mein
Gab G.

Finback is a great addition to this area of LIC! No issues finding seating at around 5:30 on a Friday. Beers are fantastic (duh) and the food is really solid. I tried the pork gia jiang mein, pork and shrimp chili wontons and mushroom and veggie chili wontons, with the pork gia jiang mein being the top highlight. I need to return one afternoon to try their cold brew!

Marilu S.

Finback LIC is such a vibe. It was a great first time checking out this brewery. I came here after dinner with my boyfriend and we shared a bottle. I happen to go on their trivia night and it was pretty entertaining seeing the people around me playing together and answering some tough questions. 10/10 rec and I would recommend coming to this brewery in LIC

Jan P.

Soft opening. Friends and family. New beers. New merch. Just as amazing as the other 2 locations (Glendale and Brooklyn). Czech-style dark lager (4.2%) is amazing. Beautiful color, smooth from start to finish. Apricot fresh (close to a sour, but not) a saison with apricot and chamomile (5.8%). The house blend coffee stout (7%) is made with their own Invisible force coffee. There are 4 different BQEs to choose from. So hard to decide which is better so why not have them all? Only drawback is limited street parking but the R train is right here and there's a parking garage across the street. For their actual opening they will include wine (yum) and cocktails with their house-made gin, vodka and tequila (not sure they make it, but it's super). Happy to have another Finback for the FinFam to hang out in!!!! Thanks guys.

Beer Menu
Matthew L.

Finback Brewery is a craft brewery that opened in Queens, New York in January 2014. It was founded by business partners Basil Lee and Kevin Stafford. Lee is a licensed professional architect, but he had a passion for drinking craft beer. He home-brewed for a few years with his friend and fellow craft beer aficionado Stafford (a graphic artist), and then the two decided to pursue their dream of opening a craft brewery in New York City. They first tried to find a location in Brooklyn, but multiple deals fell through. Finally they were able to secure a location in the Glendale section of Queens. Originally they were going to call their brewery 'Narwhal' until Sierra Nevada Brewing Company released a beer with the same name. Then the partners were inspired to name their brewery 'Finback' after a real finback whale became beached and died in Queens in 2012. Lee and Stafford struggled for so long to secure their location that they too sometimes felt like a "beached whale". In spite of the fact that the brewery was a solid 30-minute walk from the nearest subway station, lines soon began to form around the block for their can releases. Finback's mission is to brew a variety of different beer styles with great flavor and complexity from quality ingredients and small batch artisanal brewing. A second location opened in Brooklyn in March 2020 and a third opened in Long Island City in December 2023. I recently visited Finback's new Long Island City location while I was cycling around NYC. I was trying out a number of Brooklyn and Queens breweries and pizzerias and Finback was my sixth and final stop of the day. Finback is one of my favorite breweries and I've already visited their other two locations. Located on the ground floor of a luxury apartment complex, the LIC taproom is somewhat hidden. You're likely to walk right by it if you don't know that it's there. The only signage is a modest neon sign depicting the outline of a finback whale. The interior, designed by Lee himself, was very nice. To differentiate it from the other two locations, Finback LIC aims to put a focus on the production of mixed-culture beers highlighting New York State fruits and other local ingredients. I grabbed a seat at the bar and ordered a sampler flight consisting of "Whale Watching" (Double Dry-Hopped Double IPA), "Decade Caviar" (Triple New England IPA), "Barrel-Aged Red Velvet 2021" (Barrel-Aged Imperial Pastry Stout; collaboration with Mikerphone Brewing), and "Decade: Coconut" (Bourbon Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout). I loved all of them, but the stouts were my favorites! Overall, I had a really nice experience at Finback LIC. I'll continue to drink their offerings for years to come.

Warren A.

I love beer and we came here because they also have a cocktail selection for my wife who does not drink beer. The service was amazing and we will definitely be back to try more. Of your not sure of what you like they give samples as well.

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2 years ago

Good beer and pleasant environment. Bartender was very nice as well. Good spot we found by the hotel.

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2 years ago

Great staff, great service, great product!! The taproom is in a nice location, very good ambiance and vibe.

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2 years ago

Fantastic beer and lovely humans --great addition to the neighborhood!! Pop up food is a treat

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2 years ago

We had a great time with our friends here along with great beer, I highly recommend it :).

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Review Highlights - Finback LIC

“We came around 130pm when the taproom was not too crowded, which made the whole experience even better--laid-back, spacious, and relaxed.”

Mentioned in 3 reviews

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56709

56709

4.5(41 reviews)
0.2 mi•Long Island City

I always love myself a good Japanese-themed speakeasy bar, and the drinks here are also really…read moregood. I came with a friend and got seated quickly. Staff was also friendly and happy to recommend drinks to first-timers (me). I would definitely take more friends here if we wanted to chill to city pop and sip on drinks.

Came to support a friend whose drink just got added to the menu! It's been a year since my last…read morevisit + the menu changed quite a bit. My favorites are still on the menu, but I know a crowd one (Pika Pika) was lost. One I saw there was no crowd (on a Sunday night ~8PM) + they started playing "First Love" by Hikaru Utada, I knew it was gonna be a good night. The place did fill up starting at 9:30PM until almost closing at 11:30PM. *recommended What we ordered: - Agumon (Hojicha version): not quite an espresso martini, but similar vibe with slight sweetness, nuttiness (according to my other friend) + the orange garnish gave great balance - Agumon (off-menu matcha version): the matcha's astringency added more acidity + with no garnish the whiskey was much more prominent - Tokyo Banana*: genuinely tastes like banana + not in the artificial banana milk way - Yurie*: refreshing balance of sweet + sour - Strawberry Daifuku*: love a sweet drink, misleading name tho (only strawberry in the daifuku garnish) - Mala Fries: super crispy + not overly spicy, pricey for fries tho

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56709 - Vintage sound system and city pop record collection

Vintage sound system and city pop record collection

56709 - Usagi (sailor moon inspired)

Usagi (sailor moon inspired)

56709

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The Infamous - Inside

The Infamous

4.6(63 reviews)
0.7 mi•Hunters Point, Long Island City

LIC...yours speakeasy game has been on POINT. Imagine, a swanky men's boutique, and in the boutique…read morethere's a hidden door that leads to the most boss bar. I did a side glance while walking through the store, but too be honest this stuff looked too cool for hubs (no offense to him), but I definitely need to get a better look next time. I had time to kill before a networking event so I tried to find this tiny bar that had such rave reviews (literally 4.5 stars). I popped my head into Extra Butter, the aforementioned store, and I asked where I can find this spot. They lead me through a door on the side of the store and there I was. A very tiny spot with a super sleek bar. You can maybe fit 25 people in the whole spot, but not mad about it. It makes it a very intimate bar and I like that. Its so much more exclusive. Like I'm in on a secret spot. Shoot, I just let the secret out! You know your girl loves bourbon drank. And after some back and forth I decided to do the Rebirth of Slick. It was kind of like a refreshing old fashioned with turmeric syrup, bitters and lemon. I could have sat there and drank them all night. I convinced my friend to come early and meet me before the event, and when she finally arrived she had just as much as fun as I did. Finally, PJ was the most gracious host. Being there right when the bar first opened and having to wait on my friend, he chatted with me about the bar itself and food around the Queens area. He also informed me that some of the cocktails are his creation. They are fun and unique cocktails and I can't wait to come by and try others.

I'm between 3 and 4 but I always round up. For all the hubbub LIC gets for its restaurant, food,…read moreand nightlife scene, with a few exceptions I have found the average bar lacking. They are the sort of spots one would find exciting in 2010 NYC, or perhaps 2025 Asheville. There's certainly a scene, but the green neon sign that reads "We Be the Infamous," and their commitment to their speakeasy hidden behind another business bit makes me immediately want to run the other way. But I ordered a couple of drinks for the full experience. I got a cocktail with mezcal and pineapple syrup and an espresso martini because no other drinks really called to me. One great thing about Queens bars is that places are still inexpensive, so I'm not mad at only spending $17 on these drinks, but the creativity isn't matching the likes of Dutch Kills or 56709 up the avenue. It's totally serviceable and it seems others have a great time here, but I found the experience wholly forgettable.

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The Infamous
The Infamous - Bar

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The Infamous - Carrots by Anwar Carrots × Extra Butter x K -Swiss Happy Hour Event  - 9/5/25

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Carrots by Anwar Carrots × Extra Butter x K -Swiss Happy Hour Event - 9/5/25

THE HUNTRESS whiskey n' wings - Wings

THE HUNTRESS whiskey n' wings

3.8(266 reviews)
0.3 mi•Long Island City
•$$

This place is a gem for sure. It sits in an old prewar building on the 1st floor. I had no idea…read morethis place existed to be honest. I don't know why I thought it was closer to astoria. As soon as you walk in you get that speak easy vibe with hip hop, real hip hop. The lights are so fun with hanging candles. It was giving Harry potter vibes. :::bathroom alert::: Look as soon as I went into the elden ring bathroom I lost my mind. If you're a gamer you know what I am talking about. Fans of game of thrones, boy oh boy do they have a treat for you! A throne toliet, geeze I wish I had to poop at that point, lol. I went to the second bano to see what it was, I was not disappointed. For the wings, I wasnt too impressed to he honest. Very bready with white sauce, I've had better. The service was really fast, very pleased with that. My friends indulged the whiskey flight, it looked really fun. I wanted to partake but thats too much whiskey for me. The peach and cream sour was delicious! I could see myself coming back. Had a great time and loved the space.

I live next door, so I thought I'd give this place a try. The fries and burger came out and they…read morelooked great, but to my dismay the fries were WAY too salty. I thought it was just one a one off thing, but it turns out their burger is insanely salty too. It seems like they pre-salt their burger patties since the texture is kind of gummy? The alternative is to salt the patties during cooking to retain the structure and feel of a beef patty. The overall meal was a disappointment. I'll have to try it again the future. Maybe theres a different cook in the back. For the value of $18, it's not bad, but not great on the tastebuds.

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THE HUNTRESS whiskey n' wings - Inside

Inside

THE HUNTRESS whiskey n' wings - Purple Rain, Purple Rain!

Purple Rain, Purple Rain!

THE HUNTRESS whiskey n' wings

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W XYZ Bar

W XYZ Bar

4.4(8 reviews)
0.2 mi•Long Island City

I had a pretty good time here. At 10:30pm they were packing up. Then stopped serving hard liquor at…read more10:45pm. The tap didn't wanna work. We had no choice but to use the bottles. Love the bar stools at this place tho, they have backs and the chair is cushioned! I appreciate a good back to a barstool. I ended up coming a few days later and the vibe was much better. The bartenders must have just been tired from their previous shift that one Thursday. They were really great on a Saturday. The happy hour is pretty nice $5 for shot and $10 for a marg. ::bathroom alert::: Very inconvenient when you're at the bar. It's like a maze getting down there. The bathroom is clear tho, I'll give them that. They were playing live music for like 90 minutes. There was literally no one at this bar on a Thursday night, so much for thirsty Thursday. Theres a section off to the left that has a pool table and connect four. On a Saturday night they are playing Spanish music, most people know Spanish music and drinking is super fun!! I can totally see why this place doesn't have a lot of pictures. I don't see how a lot of people wouldn't it is cozy. At the end of the day this places prices are reasonable for this area. They get the five stars because the music was good and the prices were good. $7 for an ipa isn't so bad.

Small bar inside aloft hotel. Friendly servers. Convenient after a day of exploring NYC.read more

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W XYZ Bar
W XYZ Bar
W XYZ Bar

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Soothr - Dara Citrine

Soothr

4.3(175 reviews)
0.3 mi•Long Island City
•$$$

Came back and ordered the chicken Khao soi and the panang Duck curry again. These will be two…read morestaples moving forward here. We also tried the chu chee shrimp, and it was decent but too little meat for my liking. They are big but wasn't good enough to justify the price although I appreciated that the sauce was good and different from the other two dishes. The tom yum seafood Hotspot was a nice refreshing dish, less salty and spicy compared to the others. We did get this medium vs spicy. Not a must-do but a good offset. The kana kana veggies dish was very good, with the sauce being savory. I'd get this as a good side.

Disappointing service from the start…read more Came here for a friend's birthday dinner. We had a 6:30 reservation for 5 and I got there early to drop off the cake. The host said, "But your party is at 6:30," and I said, "I know, I'm just here to drop off the cake." About 15 minutes later we were still in the area and hungry, so we went back to see if we could get seated early. The second she saw me her face changed and she just looked down at her iPad and ignored me. I waited and asked if we could join the waitlist. She said no, the whole party has to be here. I asked, the whole party has to be here just to get on the waitlist? And she just said there are tables available right now. While we waited I watched her say "hi, welcome" to every other customer who walked in, and honestly it made me uncomfortable because she didn't greet me either time I came in. When everyone got there, I saw my cake bag sitting behind the counter, not in the fridge. Before I even said anything she gave me that same look again. I asked if the cake was in the fridge and she said yes, it's already in the fridge. Then as we were walking to our table I saw someone carrying my cake to the back. Once we sat down we felt rushed the whole time. Our server checked on us every few minutes and hovered nearby, watching to see if we were ready to order while we were still reading the menu. I understand the restaurant was busy and the cake may have been overlooked. But lying about it is not acceptable. If I hadn't noticed, that cake could have sat out for an hour and a half. And the host's attitude seemed directed specifically at me, since she greeted every guest behind me with a friendly "Hi, welcome." If the restaurant didn't have time for us because of later reservations, they shouldn't have seated us early.

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Soothr - Dining area

Dining area

Soothr - Duck Rolls

Duck Rolls

Soothr - Prawn Khao Soi

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Prawn Khao Soi

Finback LIC - bars - Updated October 2026

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