Draft Barn

Walking into Draft Barn reminded me of the beginning of an episode of Bar Rescue. It was empty. The staff was preoccupied on their phones. There were pitchers right next to the taps filled with what I could only presume as leftover head. Only about half the taps were available. I anticipatedJohn Tafford to barge in and start berating everyone.
On a positive note, Draft Barn does carry a very extensive selection of bottled beers. They also have TVs well placed throughout the bar giving most spots good visibility.

Pros:
Huge beer and food menu
Some traditional Russian dishes
Beer from all over the world
Large space
Booths could hold six people easily
Fire pit (not sure if it works though)
Cons:
Horrible service just horrible
Brought us food we didn’t order, didn’t bring food we did order
Our beers were finished for ages before anyone paid attention on an extremely empty night (maybe one other table)
Ordered:
Ribs– deep fried and dry– pass in these
Bacon– very good, take left overs home!!!
Fried bread– addictive but sooooo salty
Crêpe cake– large, creamy slice

Hard to find. Was there more then 10 times because of the location. Unprofessional service. Looks like one young guy working there. Service charge 17% even if you come by yourself .
Completely disappointed !!!
Never again.

Coming here all depends on what you are looking for. If you are looking for a great selection of beers even if you don’t happen to be a beer drinker (which is me) then this place has anything and everything you could ask for. If you are looking for a cool place to hang out with your friends and watch UFC fights, this is definitely the place, BUT if you are looking for good food, you’d be better off eating from the garbage cans outside. The food here is TERRIBLE! Everything is over-​cooked. The last time I went there I ordered chicken wings and they were these puny pathetic shriveled up nuggets that I wouldn’t serve to dogs. The menu is Russian food but it doesn’t compare anywhere close to what good Russian food actually is. It’s sloppy and oily and under-​seasoned and over-​cooked. But the beer is good, so pick your battles.

Draft Barn is excellent for its ample beer selection. Sadly most of them are bottled. There selection of beers on tap is limited and kind of upsetting. The food is mostly Eastern European, if you are looking for a quiet place to sit with friends to enjoy a few beers and have a nice conversation it is a great spot. Just be careful of beer prices they add up quickly and tips are included.

So a little update. A party of 4 bill $ 208.00. They add 17% service charge. So be aware they will add service charge for crappy service.

Haven’t been to this place in couple of months. Came back to find out they changed the way they bill you. Came in with a buddy, ordered several drinks and some food. In the end got the bill that also slapped 17% «service» fee on our bill before tax, thus making us pay taxes on the service fee. Furthermore, nowhere on the menu or anywhere else in the restaurant does it say that 17% service fee will be included on every check. even when we’re the only two people in the empty place. Won’t be coming back here again.

Very disappointing especially since the place seems to have some potential. The service was horrible, but why would they care since a 17% tip is automatically added to the bill no matter what size the party is. There was one employee (forget about bartenders or waiters) servicing the entire establishment who was completely apathetic to our experience and treated us as more of a nuisance than paying customers. It took him approx 15 minutes to even come up to our table to take drink orders after we sat down. One of the entrees that we ordered was never brought to us. The food was bland, pre-​Cooked and not appetizing. Having visited at the peak of march madness one would expect to see basketball games on the numerous tv screens sprawled throughout the place, much to my disappointment the tv’s only showed tacky pop music videos that appeared to be totally out of place at this establishment. I had previously gone to this place over a year ago and my trip back made me remember why I would rather drive out to park slope or Williamsburg to visit a real beer garden.
In short if you want to go to a great bar in sheepshead bay with great service and great food (no sushi), Wheelers is the place to go.

(Note: This February 2012 review moved from Draft Barn Gravesend location, where it incorrectly resided. Thanks to Ariella T for catching.)
Draft Barn’s Russian branch occupies one of the most obscure spots in Sheepshead Bay (on a side street with «luxury» coop buildings, the only other business there being a Hot Yoga studio… at least that’s what it says it is). It took me many months to actually locate this place. Once I finally found it, though, I was overjoyed to see a flawed but welcome foray into beer culture for the normally conservative/​suspicious Russian-​speaking community.
That being said, prepare yourself to have a pimply Russian teenager (possibly one with a mullet) take your order/​offer his beer-​tasting notes in that very annoying Brooklyn-​Russian-​American male accent. I came on a holiday and the place was dead, which was actually kind of nice, but it would be interesting to check it out during peak times or come to watch sports.
Even after the wall came down, Russians usually lag behind cultural/​economic trends and it’s no different at Draft Barn: either they’ve yet to uncover America’s domestic brewing scene or they’re practicing the standard business model grounded in the comfort of Euro-​snobbery. Whatever the case may be, they’re serious about Belgians and you’ll find a very respectable selection of European bottles. But guys, if you’re going to call yourself «Draft Barn» you might want to shift the focus to actual drafts.
Hopefully this is only the first seed in a beer Renaissance for South Brooklyn. One can dream!

Not a bad place — it’s more laid back and low key compared to the other places around the area. They have a HUGE selection of beer (obviously). I tried to order calamari, but they were out, so I skipped on any food. I was there on a Saturday around 9pm and the place wasn’t very crowded — actually, it was a major sausage fest! There were about 25 people in there and 21 of them were guys.

I’ve never seen this place get crowded, probably because no one can find it. It’s located right by an Assisted Living Facility and the corner of the Belt Parkway service road. Anyway, parking was a hassle on a Saturday night but then again, parking is always a hassle if you’re near Emmons Ave.
Extensive beer menu and they have sausages to pair with your booze. My only problem is that they’re a bit sketchy w/​pricing. Going by menu prices our bill should’ve been $ 30 plus tax but it came out to $ 39. My boyfriend didn’t have the patience to argue with the server (I was already outside, otherwise I would have said something) so he just paid it.
Aside from that minor hiccup– it’s a good place to come with a large group. If you get bored, you can play the boxing arcade game they have or watch Eastern European music videos playing on the tvs.

I really enjoy coming here. It’s a nice little spot to hang out with a few friends. It’s a fantastic beer selection which I will sometimes experiment with, although I usually get the Delirium. Food is pretty good and the salted baked croutons (sukhariki) are addictive. Best for a drink or two and some light fare.
The décor is pretty nice — not anything mind blowing but fitting. The booths are large and spacious. They have a few TVs playing various sporting events, fights, etc. — not really the main attraction but a nice side note. It’s pretty quiet and hasn’t been packed when I’ve gone so you can actually have conversation and catch up with your friends.

Its not very easy to find but it is worth the journey. I’ve been here a few times and I must say the beer selection is excellent. It really opened my eyes to the large world of beer. They even have beer that they serve hot (don’t knock it til you tried it). The décor reminds me of a typical beer garden. Wooden booths, benches, stone floor. The selection is very impressive, however you really need to keep track of what you get because the bill can and WILL add up. The servers/​bartenders were helpful when it came to selecting our beers. The food is typical bar food. I’ve only really had the beer croutons. The saltiness of the croutons is a great complement for the beers. At the end the bill includes gratuity and food service charge (if you order food obviously). I WILL be going back again after I save some money.
Pros:
Great décor
Great selection
Helpful staff
Cons:
Can be pricey if you are not prepared

Been here a few times now and can’t say enough. Fantastic beer selection! Light to dark & everything in between. Beers from like $ 5 to $ 400! The staff is great and has never disappointed in recommending a beer when we’ve described what we were looking for. 250 beers means something for everyone — incuding my non-​beer drinking sister. Then there’s the food! I wouldn’t call it German exactly but whatever it is it is delicious. Even their chicken wings are delicious. Make sure you ask for their croutons — lovely salty crispy bread to go with your beer! Now I’m hungry…
P. S. They automatically add a service charge so check your receipt. I prefer leaving tips as cash when I pay my bill with a credit card so I asked if it could be done separately but they said no. Not a problem — just left a couple extra $s in cash.