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    The Twisted Spine

    4.8 (14 reviews)
    Open 9:00 am - 8:00 pm
    Updated 3 weeks ago

    The Twisted Spine Photos

    THE TWISTED SPINE ATMOSPHERE

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    Erin A.

    I think this place was made specifically for me. I am a huge horror fan, book lover, and coffee addict, so when I heard there was a horror bookstore/cafe coming to Williamsburg, I had to go ASAP. They have perfectly curated a vibe that gives creepy but also cozy, which I think is a difficult task. The drinks were served in these adorable skull cups and the drinks themselves were very tasty and perfect for the fall/winter season. They also have adorably creepy snacks, and a solid selection of beer. We sat in the outdoor area which had a couple tables and chairs and a cool graveyard mural. I'm really happy my neighborhood now has a spot like this. I'm excited to attend some of their upcoming book events! Yay for Twisted Spine!

    Book event
    Ipsita D.

    Came for a friend's book event here (which, aside from her reading also had a burlesque performance and costume contest, lots of fun and a good engaged audience). The place has such a cozy ambiance--loved the fireplace with the skeleton dog, big cushy armchairs, cute decor. There were coffee and alcoholic drinks available to purchase (though a bit overpriced I felt) and I looooved the skull mug for the coffee! I want one! Cashier & barista were friendly. Bathroom (single one for everyone) was spacious & clean though dimly lit to fit with the vibe (loved the velvet appliqués on the dark blue walls). If I lived nearby I would be there a lot!

    espresso
    Michelle M.

    Such a delightfully dark bookstore for horror lovers. I like how the sub-genres are organized, making it easy to find the type of book you want. This store is predominantly horror, but there are also non-fiction books and fiction books that are dark but not horror (think weird lit fic or thrillers). In addition to a bookstore, The Twisted Spine is also a bar and cafe. I visited during a dark romance fest, so there were themed cocktails.

    Spooky vibes
    Lauren M.

    Very cool bookstore. Lots to choose from and various types of horror. They also have a cafe for drinks and pastries. One of the more unique bookstores you will find in NYC!

    Cafe treats
    Michael C.

    I'd never been to a bookstore that was dedicated to only horror books, so I was super excited to check this out opening weekend! I love that it's a bookstore, cafe, and bar! The interior is dark and moody, but didn't have a ton of character to it other than that. The staff were very kind and helpful across all different areas of the store--floor, cafe, and register. They even had someone greeting people at the door! Although there was a wide selection of books, the shelves were a little empty, but I might attribute that to it being opening weekend. I liked that they still broke the horror books out into separate sections (queer, romance, splatter punk, paranormal, etc) to make it easier to browse. My hope for their future is that they PACK those shelves and lean more heavily into the horror vibes instead of just relying on dark wood and leather chairs to convey the horror theme.

    Alyssa G.

    I heard about this place from my sister who is horror fanatic. I know opening weekend was absolutely crazy so my husband surprised me today bringing me since my birthday is two days away. I was welcomed by the man & woman standing at the cash register. They were absolutely welcoming and answered all my questions. The black decor and gothic but wicked, black theme just had me the second I walked in the store. Each section was labeled by genre. The snack and coffee bar was definitely a must. The "stay mug" was absolutely stunning s handcrafted beautiful skull mug. They had a special area in front with two different jewelers with some of their finest pieces of jewelry that fit the whole horror vibe. They also had some cards, some Wednesday Adams's pieces, some random arts &craft pieces. It's definitely a place you can go for a last minute gift. It definitely a place that is pretty close to home and I will be spending time there much often moving forward. The store definitely lived up to its hype!!! I also got to speak with a nice lady who was interviewing our interest on the store and horror. She was writing a piece about the store. I will recommend this book store to everyone I know. Just a few add ons I forgot** they had a kid section along with a queer section and the bathroom was so goth gorgeous!!! My husband definitely did a great job taking me over! Thank you again to the great staff and barista today! Great vibes, great people, great books and great horror!!

    Beautiful decor
    Peter B.

    We popped in because we thought it would be cute! We were blown away. One of the favorite bookstores and coffee shops over ever been to! Cant recommend the mary shelley latte and the zombie pastry enough! Loved seeing my favorite horror author chuck tingle's books there!

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    Lauren K.

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    8 months ago

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    1 month ago

    The staff is incredibly friendly and knowledgeable. It's also nice they have a welcoming and nonjudgmental attitude towards book choices.

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    Ask the Community - The Twisted Spine

    Review Highlights - The Twisted Spine

    Whether you're looking for Goosebumps, horror classics, non-fiction, or contemporary authors, they've got it all.

    Mentioned in 10 reviews

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    4.4(463 reviews)
    0.8 miGreenpoint
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    Cuisine: 7 Service: 7…read moreDecor: 7 Value: 7 Overall: 7 This bar has been around for a while now and I can see why. Over 20 beers on tap and a good selection of other alcoholic beverages too. However, my friends and I were here for the food, so that's what this review is based on. She-wolf Sourdough (7/10) - It was good bread, but nothing really special. Hot Crab Dip (7/10) - Very veggie forward flavors, but you do taste crab. Not bad. Btw, this dish comes with a few pieces of the She-Wolf Sourdough. Danish Dog (7.5/10) - Great snap to the bite of the dog itself. Bread was great. Pickles are interesting, but the curry mayo should be stronger and more bold. Simple mustard would have been better. Old Bay Chicken Wings (8/10) - Nice plump and juicy wings with that dusting of Old Bay seasoning. Yum! Fried Chicken Sandwich (5/10) - Chicken was fried well and bread was fine. However, the chili miso honey was way too much for me. Too sweet, not spicy at all, and just didn't work well. Dry Aged Burger (7/10) - Beef patty needs more seasoning and a better crust. No real char at all, though a decent beef flavor was present. Not into the sprouts, but the tomato jam was good. From what I heard, I had high hopes for the food here. In the end, it was a satisfying meal, but nothing special something I travel so far for again.

    I had heard about Torst as being a neighborhood wine bar with great food to order before arriving…read morein Brooklyn, so I knew it had to be one of the first places I visit! *Spoiler Alert*... I was not disappointed AT ALL!! First impressions: it's a bit of a compact space, but there's also plenty of tables/seating to choose from....although it does fill in fast!! We came relatively early around 4pm, so we were able to take advantage of some of their Happy Hour prices, including: $14 Fried Chicken Sandwich $10 Cocktails, including the Frozen Espresso Martini I also got the Smash Burger and the Yuzu Sake, which weren't included in the Happy Hour. You order your food & drinks at the bar, but they bring the food out to wherever you're sitting once it's ready. As for the cocktails, they were both great!! The Frozen Espresso Martini was very creatively presented and I enjoyed the look and taste of it. The Yuzu Sake was strong and great quality! For the food, both the Fried Chicken Sandwich and Smash Burger were delicious!! The Fried Chicken Sandwich especially tasted so unique and creative with the sauce on it, but I also just really loved the solid burger and could tell it had excellent quality. Needless to say, I thoroughly enjoyed our visit to Torst, and I highly recommend stopping by to grab some of their food and drinks!

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    TØRST - The back room - dining area

    The back room - dining area

    TØRST - Dry Aged Burger

    Dry Aged Burger

    TØRST - Dry-Aged Burger (Smoked Tomato Jam, Gruyère, Sprouts, Red Onion, Toasted Brioche Bun)

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    Dry-Aged Burger (Smoked Tomato Jam, Gruyère, Sprouts, Red Onion, Toasted Brioche Bun)

    Brouwerij Lane - Interior

    Brouwerij Lane

    4.5(133 reviews)
    1.2 miGreenpoint
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    A variety of wonderful beers on tap stretching from all over the world. Good service and…read moreknowledgeable on all the beers they have here. I usually go here to get my growler filled with a variety of the IPAs. Great neighborhood spot to stop in for a drink or to bring something to a party.

    Brouwerij Lane is a craft beer bar and bottle shop that opened in Brooklyn, New York in March 2009…read more It was founded by Ed Raven. He started out as a salesman for Brooklyn Brewery during the 1980s. Eventually he founded his own beer imports company called Raven Importing Company. Raven ultimately wanted to open his own craft beer bar and bottle shop where he could offer consumers microbrews and high quality European brews. The new business, dubbed Brouwerij Lane, was the first of its kind in Brooklyn's Greenpoint neighborhood. Brouwerij Lane has 19 rotating draught lines as well as 150+ cans and bottles of local, imported, rare and unique craft brews. Raven also teamed up with brewmaster Chris Prout to open the Dirck the Norseman restaurant and brewpub in 2014. It later evolved into Greenpoint Beer & Ale Company, but it sadly closed its doors in 2024. I recently visited Brouwerij Lane while I was in Brooklyn to see a concert. I arrived early in the day so I could explore some beer bars and shops throughout Williamsburg and Greenpoint. Both neighborhoods have bustling craft beer scenes. Brouwerij Lane has been on my list of places to explore for a while. The interior is small but cozy. There were maybe six other customers enjoying beers when I arrived. I grabbed a table and then looked over the impressive draught menu. I decided to start off with a pour of Mighty Squirrel Brewing's "Volare" (Italian Pilsner). Italian Pilsners are my favorite variety of pilsners, and this one was excellent. Dry-hopped with noble hops, "Volare" (Italian for 'to fly') was crisp and delicious with a nice blend of citrusy notes and hints of freshly baked bread. I also had a look at the shop's impressive can/bottle selection and purchased a can of Brown Girl's Brew's "Lemon Pound Cake" (Lager) to take home. Before leaving, I enjoyed a pour of Brouwerij Van Steenberge's "Tripel De Garre" (Belgian Tripel). This was an AMAZING Belgian beer that had some excellent spice notes. I had an excellent experience at Brouwerij Lane and I highly recommend them to craft beer aficionados or those who want to learn about craft beer!

    Photos
    Brouwerij Lane - Brouwerij Van Steenberge's "Tripel De Garre" (Belgian Tripel)

    Brouwerij Van Steenberge's "Tripel De Garre" (Belgian Tripel)

    Brouwerij Lane
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    Keg & Lantern - Special: catnitas

    Keg & Lantern

    3.9(332 reviews)
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    Came to New York on holiday from the UK, my wife and I are avid pub goers and really value ambiance…read moreand vibes in bars. They have a great range of beers and a good cocktail list. However the bartender, David, we were not impressed; he was arrogant, rude, seemed short tempered making it awkward for everybody. Great bar, bad service.

    My new favorite brewery…read more I've been here a few times now --- by myself, with a friend, and with a group. Each and every single time has been awesome. This place has everything, attentive service, great beer, and great food. I find that sometimes the beer offerings at various breweries get a bit stale --- it's almost always the same stuff. Keg & Lantern is going to have all your favorite, but they just seem better executed. My go-to first beer is the Soprano. A great crisp Italian pilsner After that, it's off to the races with a high abv hazy ipa. The food here is also great. In particular, I love their fish and chips. After having it multiple times, it seems unbelievably consistent. It's always delicious. My wife loves the blackened fish. Finally, the service is great. They're attentive, always seem to swing by at the right time, and are super friendly. K&L seems to do everything all the other breweries do, but just a little bit better. For sure stop in here. Oh, also they've got some great happy hour specials!

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    Keg & Lantern - Table near window entrance on Nassau

    Table near window entrance on Nassau

    Keg & Lantern
    Keg & Lantern

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    Beer Karma - Draught pour of Threes Brewing's "Endless Plane" (Wine Barrel-Aged Saison)

    Beer Karma

    4.6(31 reviews)
    0.3 miWilliamsburg - North Side
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    Beer Karma is a craft beer bar and bottle shop that opened in Brooklyn, New York in March 2017. It…read morewas founded by Dan Lamonaca. The bar is located on the ground floor of a building at the corner of Union Avenue and Conselyea Street in Brooklyn's Williamsburg neighborhood. The building has been owned by the Lamonaca family for multiple generations. Beginning in the 1950s, the storefront served as a pharmacy that was run by Lamonaca's great-grandfather. In the 1970s and '80s, it was a gift shop run by his grandfather. Most recently it was an architecture firm. Lamonaca's grandmother still owns the building and even lives in the upstairs apartment. After spending six years at JP Morgan, Lamonca decided to leave the finance world. Although he was interested in finance, it was never his passion. He really loved craft beer though and wanted to open his own place where he could teach people about it. At Beer Karma, Lamonaca has curated a fine selection of beer from local NYC breweries as well as other breweries around the world. I recently visited Beer Karma while I was in Williamsburg to see a concert. Williamsburg is one of my favorite Brooklyn neighborhoods because in addition to the locals being very friendly, there is also a bustling craft beer scene. I was on the lookout for cans by Brooklyn-based Back Home Beer; they're not available in my home state of Connecticut. Beer Karma was cozy and inviting. They had an excellent selection of cans and bottles. I was happy to see that they indeed had cans of Back Home Beer (which I purchased to go). Since I was there, I decided to pull up a seat by the bar and order a draught beer. After looking over the chalkboard menu, I decided to go with Threes Brewing's "Endless Plane" (Wine Barrel-Aged Saison). It was a fantastic beer with delicious notes of white grape and stone fruit; I was very happy with my choice. Everyone at the bar was also very friendly. I had a nice chat with some people about pizza and beer. I had an excellent experience at Beer Karma and I highly recommend them to craft beer aficionados or those who want to learn about craft beer!

    Walked into this place and was completely ignored by the bartender. No greeting, no acknowledgment…read more I sat at the breakfast bar and waited while the bartender spoke to a white customer and then proceeded to scroll on his phone, actively ignoring me and my friend as we patiently waited for him to acknowledge us. We're both Black women. He refused to look at us. We left, all we wanted was a quick drink and what we got was a reminder that not all customers are welcome everywhere. I didn't want to add a star but Yelp forces you to add one.

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    Beer Karma - The draught menu

    The draught menu

    Beer Karma - Interior

    Interior

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    The beer fridge

    The Twisted Spine - bookstores - Updated May 2026

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