Blackbird

Really cute interior.
Went there on a tuesday night I think. The DJ played a great mix of everything. There was a table of models getting drunk and dancing. Everybody seemed happy.
I heard the food sucks, but can’t verify.

At
Night it
Is a cute
Bar with very
Good views for Bedford Ave people watching.

I had worked in restaurants for years and I never understood waiters and bartenders who would not be nice to people. The bartender girl at Blackbird today was not only «not nice», she was suffering from serving us our drinks!!! Everybody else seemed really friendly and welcoming, but the super-​skinny, manly, scary bartender girl was just ridiculous – she was seriously disturbed by our arrival and very rude all the time we were there (she was also preparing herself a lunch – chopped avocados – and not paying any attention to other people who wanted a drink).
Seriously, if you hate being a bartender that much, find another job!

It’s 10pm. We just got out of a 3+ hour workshop called «Love, Sex, and War» with one of my favorite Buddhist teachers at a local yoga studio. It’s colder out than I’d anticipated. Our minds are still processing.
Blackbird works because a) it’s on the way to the L train, b) I can get a glass of wine and he can get a beer, c) they serve food, and we are tired-​hungry, and d) it’s on the way to the L train. Another cool thing is that it’s really close to the L train.
We do get a glass of wine and a beer, respectively, and share a grilled cheese sandwich (with Manouri, plus 1 star!) that is delicious, as others have said, but come on… it’s a grilled cheese sandwich. And it cost $ 10.50. It takes 10 minutes to get his beer about 15 to get my wine, from when we first order. Okay.
In fact, «okay» kind of sums up Blackbird. Why one would come here as a «destination» is beyond me. But, it’s convenient, there’s (limited) food and (various) beverages, it’s pleasantly dark, and neither insanely crowded nor sceney. So, you know… It works.

Ham & Cheese was presented beyond my expectations. Fantastic bread, creamy dairy and a delightful little side salad.
I’ll definitely be exploring the rest of the menu.

Just speaking for the food element here…
I couldn’t say it better than Unilocal «Meh. I’ve experienced better.»
Rolled in around 1 on a weekday and was told we had to do brunch, none of the dinner fare. Okay fine. The most adventurous brunch item was a salmon on rye. This is New York and if you want to keep things pretty safe that’s going to put you under the curve. Okay fine.
So we got a mushroom omelet and the salmon on rye. I should have realized it was more like lox on rye with cream cheese. Could have been more clearly explained on the menu. Edible but straightforward and lackluster. Like I could have made it at home. The omelet too was really quite plain. They greens had tasty dressing at least.
No reason to eat here period, its just uninspired. Not bad just flat. The interior is okay, they get nice light in there and on the weekends it’s a see and be seen kind of place but in terms of eating. Walk 2 blocks in almost any direction.

This was the first place that I had «brunch» when I moved to the city. I felt so cool and Carrie Bradshaw-​ish. So for nostalgia’s sake alone, I enjoy coming here.
Anything I’ve had on the brunch menu has been delicious. I tend to always order the egg/​cheese baguette thing with home fries. I anxiously await the day when it’s warm enough to pop in here around 11 on a Sunday morning when they have the windows open and the sangria flowing and I can just chill out while watching the Williamsburgers walk by. There’s some serious eye candy in this part of Brooklyn.
A couple friends and I came in here around 9 on a Saturday night and got a table right away, which was nice and lucky. We hung out, downing beers for a couple hours. Brooklyn Lager was only $ 5 a bottle, which was a welcome reprieve from normal Manhattan prices.
I’ll be back, Blackbird!

You know what I like about Williamsburgh?
Unless you live there… no one goes there…
So if you’re looking to hang out «incognito» it is probably one of the best places on the planet to go… and get lost.
Well…that was what I wanted on this snowy night (aren’t they all these days?)
After that short subway ride from Union Square… it was easy to fall into this warm and inviting place. (Reminds me of a place that would be called the «PotBelley Stove».
Very accomodating, letting us sit at a small 3 top, while it was just for two.
Great…having an extra seat for the extra layers of clothing and accessories.
While service was friendly, it was up and down and a little confusing.
2 wait staff continued to duplicate effort.
Not the worst thing in the world, but the burger was of poor quality, lacking taste, and… not how I ordered it. (Medium /​/​No cheese)
Showing up, well, dry and with cheese…
My day was so stressful, that this escape almost made me forget I was going to need to Unilocal this… sooner than later… it’s a good thing I don’t live here. :)

The atmosphere of Blackbird consists of a standard-​issue Williamsburg vintage feel. I have had brunch at Blackbird twice now and it’s been consistently good both times. Neither of the meals really blew me away, but it was okay.
The space is usually rather busy and it generally takes a great deal of time to track down your wait-​staff. I’d be willing to try Blackbird out for a drink at some point; they are open late and the space is sort of cozy.

Came here late at night for some drinks. They didn’t have food at that time, just drinks. I ordered a huge pitcher of red sangria (you can choose between red and white) for $ 20. A glass costs you $ 6/​$ 8 after all, might as well get a pitcher and split it among 3 friends. Oh wait… one of my friends barely drunk, so it was split between one guy friend and me.
By pitcher, I thought I would get a small carafe. But no… they actually brought me a huge pitcher of sangria! NICE! The sangria wasn’t bad at all. I would like it a bit sweeter and fruitier though. Maybe I should bring my own splenda next time.
The DJ played old records all night with actual old record disks. Music was from the 1930s and all those old times. It was really fun!

If you want stereotypical, pretentious, hipster assholes waiting on you when they feel like it, then Blackbird is for you!
Last night some friends decided to go to this generic shithole for dinner and drinks and it was a huge mistake. The food was cold and flavorless and the wine and beer tasted like it had been sitting out for a month. Couple that with the scowls on the ugly hipster waiters and our waitress’ Britney Spears wanabee janky weave, and you have the worst bar/​restaurant experience in Williamsburg ever. This place is what scares me about the neighborhood – forget the Duane Reade.
Do yourself a favor and try one of the other spots around Beford!

I was starving for eggs and that’s just what I got. The mushroom and tomato omelette needed a serious dose of tabasco in order to perk it up – but the accompanying salad was delicious. We couldn’t pass up two for one mimosas either.
The timing of service wasn’t the best — we were seated right away, but waited a long while to place our order — and again for the check. However the waitress was super nice and pleasant. (It seemed like maybe she was the only one on duty)
I like the looks of this place, and they were playing excellent music. It was quite right for Sunday brunch.

I have been using Unilocal for sometime now but never bothered to make an account or write a review.
I just made this one for the sole purpose of warning people not to eat here.
I went here for brunch with my girlfriend and roommate and I had the worst dining experience I have had since I moved to the city about 6 months ago.
I ate the worst and most over priced cheeseburger that I have ever had. It was about the size of a white castle slider and was cooked through like meatloaf, in spite of me odering it medium rare. All for the low price of $ 15. Not to mention the potatoes that came on he side were cold.
I liked the décor and atmosphere so I gave it 2 stars. Bottom line, don’t eat here. ever.

The Blackbird Burger was one of the best burgers I have ever had. The beef was so moist and well-​seasoned, I really thought it was lamb. Topped off with tzatziki and red pepper, the flavors were just fantastic. Accompanied by very good home fries.
Also had the macaroni, which was delicious. Ended the night with a slice of coconut cake (vegan) and a decaf with Bailey’s. All-​in-​all, pretty perfect.
The key, of course, to this Parlour is the low-​light and dark-​wood atmosphere. Books on the shelves and classic tunes on the speaker all combined for a delightful evening.

Ah williamsburg… where I feel my clothes and my looks get judged more than usual — _​-. But hey, one of my close friends lives in Williamsburg so I end up going here ever so often and enjoy looking back at the people and the stores. After getting out of the subway, my friends and I took our starved selves down Bedford. Suddenly a dude wearing a pittsburgh shirt started badgering us about the art market nearby. In the midst of the confusion, my friend noticed Blackbird, which had a rustic, old woody antiqueish feel. Of course we book it and head into the restaurant. It was pretty crowded but not overwhelming which I like. The maitre d was no where to be found so being my forward self I grab the closest waitress and ask to be seated. The waitress pretty much asked me oh okay how about bar and then walked away before I could answer. Annoyed I waved her down again and said YES BAR — _​-. So half star off for the weird waitress too cool for school and then half star off for the mumbling male waiter who was like omg blahblahblah annoying blahblahblah.
After that encounter, everything went fine from there. We ordered our food, had great conversation and got our food. AWESOME grilled cheese sandwich. Anyone who uses truffle oil is ingenious because I love it sooooo! :) My friend got her grilled cheese with bacon and loved it just as much. They give you the choice of salad or potatoes and I decided to go the healthy route and go with salad. Mm still good. My cucumber lemonade was a little cayenne pepper tasting without the kick so I was a little taken aback but got used to the taste and drank the rest happily.
Overall, good food, good atmosphere, weird staff. Will come here again and just seat myself.

Things did not start out well. My date was an hour late. So I got stuck into the drinks. Not knowing I was going to be waiting an hour, I just kept drinking and not eating and thinking, whoa, I am going to be trashed. But I wasn’t. The drinks tasted really weak and so I asked the waitress if there were any decent options.
«Oh, we don’t get our liquor licence until tomorrow so all these cocktails are non-​alcoholic.» Wtf??? The prices were not non-​alcoholic. And I am not non-​alcoholic.
It didn’t make any sense, since I had started drinking beer. And then beer with a chaser. And then 2 drinks from the «cocktail» menu. Anyway, the good news was it was 2-​for-​1 all day (which is not advertised on any signs or the menus) so hey, in the end, I only felt half ripped off.

It was hotter than hell when I went in to Blackbird for lunch the other day. The rustic interior of old books and charred, stained wood was quite charming.
After looking around for someone to seat us, we awkwardly stood in the center of everything trying to decide if we seat ourselves or not. Take note: it was not terribly large or crowded. Eventually, we went to the bar and asked a waitress who proceeded to seat us. She brought us water and seemed nice enough.
I was ready to forget about the awkward introduction to the place and move on to eating. Five minutes passed. Ten minutes passed. I can not believe I was put in a position where I had to signal the waitress to come take our order. How embarrassing.
A short while after ordering, our waitress dropped off our food. That would be the last we saw of her. My grilled cheese was good, although not terribly filling, and just a tad over-​priced.
Since it was so hot outside, we devoured our water and wanted some more. That never happened. We kept trying to eye wait staff to come over, but I wasn’t about to signal them again.
About thirty minutes after we had already finished our food, a waiter came to us and asked if we needed anything else… THE CHECK.
If you go here, you should probably sit at the bar. If not, they may forget about you.

On our way from Tacu Tacu we stopped here. Saturday Night
Went inside was greeted by a great bartender «Trevor» he was good he gave my friend didn’t want to drink some how Trevor convinced him to get a drink and gave us samples of the beer. Very Knowledgeable atmosphere was cool
The DJ was playing 80s hits wearing a «coney island» tank top which i think is suppose to «droop» to show like her boobs or something not sure but she was more into the music than anyone jumping up and down .to every song
Now the Crowd this is the way the Convo went:
Wburg Girl: I like your Bow Tie, is it clip on or you tied it?
Andre: Well Thank you, I…
Wburg Girl: What your Saying Means Nothing to me! (she walks away)
Andre: WTF? —Confusion and Laughter — -
In all Good Night Trevor told us when he worked and we should come back for brunch .good bartender. good dj… weird people .must be williamsburg

This whole cozy «speakeasy-​ish 1930’s» interior design trend is seriously about to be overplayed, but Blackbird has still done a lovely job of transforming the space into a faux antiqued café. We got a seat pretty fast considering it was a packed Saturday, but the space cadet waitress brought us the tiniest glasses (more like shots) of water and disappeared forever. When she finally showed up we asked her to recommend one of the vegan cakes and she enthusiastically recommended the coconut one ($ 6). Slowly our food began showing up… except for the coconut cake. After reminding her, she brought us the thickest densest sweetest slice of cake but the 4 of us could barely (didn’t want to) put a dent into.
Personally, I liked my simple meal of country toast with butter, honey, and thyme. The toast was sliced from a perfectly crusty chewy loaf and the 4-​piece portion was fairly priced at $ 3.5. But my friend’s apple crumble tasted like «dishwater» and the cookies got no comment at all… and no one ever came back around to refill our water shot glasses…
NEXT VISIT: The Grilled Cheese Fontina manouri, radicchio, herbs on sliced pullman is a total rip off! $ 8.5 for this sad sandwich:

This is a moderately pleasant place to sit and have a cup of tea. It has a nice, mellow vibe, and I appreciated that they played nothing but Beck the entire time I was there. I like Beck.
However, $ 4 for a cup of tea is just too much. If this was the greatest tea I’ve ever had, it might be OK. But it wasn’t. (And the greatest tea I’ve ever had was $ 2.50.)
I like tea. But let’s be serious… it’s just water and leaves. It’s not like one of those involved coffee drinks that requires a lot of work. All you need is hot water, and the leaves.
Sure, they give you a nice tiny pot, but I don’t get to keep it. Or maybe I do? Damn it! Do I get to keep that little pot?! That would’ve justified the price of the tea. In fact, that’s a damn good deal.
Well, either Blackbird owes me a teapot, or their tea is drastically overpriced. Either way, I’m not happy.