Lake Street

Lake Street has some pretty good happy hours deals. They were offering pints of drafts for $ 4. There were about ten drafts on tap including a mix of macros, popular crafts, and local specials. It’s a good bar, but it’s in an extremely competitive bar market consider there a bars with seemingly endless beer options within a quarter mile.

No food, but decently priced drinks. One of the only bars in the area that plays all the football games. You can bring food from outside in, which is nice.

It was… fine. Not great, not bad. Just OK. Bart and I took two trains from Midtown on our last day in the city because we thought it would be fun to go to a «Minnesota» bar in Brooklyn.
Sadly, there is nothing remotely Minnesota-​like about this bar. No MN beers. No MN nice (even though we Minnesotans know «Minnesota Nice» is really just a euphemism for «passive-​aggressively friendly»), and the bartender was a total mansplainer (sorry for asking if there were any upcoming MN-​themed events, dude). We had a few beers because they were cheap. Also, it was torrentially raining, so we were sort of stuck. A nice stranger with a tiny cactus in a bag recommended a great dinner spot nearby (Greenpoint Fish & Lobster co.!), so it wasn’t a total loss.

This bar used to be a local favorite of mine, but after a TERRIBLE experience with the rude bartenders this past weekend I will never set foot in this place again. The fact they were so rude to my friend (who was visiting from out of town) and I makes me livid. We had no sooner as ordered our first drink when the asshole comes over and makes a snarky comment about how we were sitting 2 inches from each other and didn’t need to be yelling. Oh, I’m sorry sir, but it’s a Friday night in a loud bar. I also hadn’t seen my friend in 6 months and excuse us for being excited. I wasn’t aware this was a library setting. He then proceeded to talk shit about us to every other customer and bartender. We asked those sitting around us if we were bothering them and they all insisted no. I was even talking to one of the girls outside. He rudely gave us our tabs back and said he’d pay our drinks if we would leave. I have NEVER been so insulted. Seems pretty amazing that everywhere else we went over the weekend the bartenders loved us and even had their own similar stories with the rudeness of lake street. One guy compared it to a lame airport bar while a few others said they are all just cocky douches who used to be in shitty bands and think they have the right to be rude. Also, I don’t care if you are the owner, don’t bring your newborn baby to a crowded bar and then snap at people to get away. You’re the idiot my friend.
So if you want to hang out at a mediocre bar with rude bartenders who only care about their friends, then this is the place for you. Or you can try one of the other hundreds of awesome bars in the hood with bartenders who treat you with respect.

Visiting my best friend from out of town so we came in for a beer. Before we even had the first sip of our drink the bartender says «you two are sitting right next to each other just so you know» and walked away. The bar wasn’t very busy and loud already so we were so upset and asked what we did and he basically told us we were talking to loud and offered to buy our drinks in hopes wed leave. I’ve Never been treated so horribly that place was awful. And talking about it around town all weekend we’ve heard other people express similar situations.
Plus baby’s should not be at a bar on a Friday night, owner or not!

Is it really that Minnesota themed if there are no beers from MN? I guess I thought it would be like the Walleye Saloon from How I Met Your Mother (in much the same way as I hope several vaguely Canadian bars will resemble HIMYM’s Hoser Hut).
Other than the lack of Minnesota Nice from the bartender, the ambiance was fine. Well drinks were reasonably priced. This spot is part of the Brooklyn Passport program, so my friends and I were drinking 2-​for-​1. The bar itself was fairly crowded on a Friday night at 8:45pm, but there were still plenty of tables available. Not a bad stop, but not worth going out of the way for.

Unfortunately I don’t have substantial comments to give on the beverage since we just got Guinness, but I really liked the vibes in this place. Intimate ambience (reaally dark), attentive bartender whose conscientious, deadpan patrolling back and forth raised my suspicion at first («what does he want??? oh.»), and fascinating bathroom décor. I seriously regretted bringing my phone with me (which I sometimes do for reasons I’d rather not specify) when i went because I could’ve taken a pic of the wall art, which comprised of scans of some sort of handwritten journal that were embedded — not pasted over — into the tiles. The place had the right level of noise, the type whereby you know you’re in a bar and yet you don’t need to shout over your drinks to talk. Good vibes, would come back again.

This is the neighborhood spot for sure. They have a big projection screen for games too.

Considering this spot is one of the closest bars to my apartment, I should come more often. There are a few reasons that I don’t.
Their beer selection is okay. I’ve noticed an improvement since they’ve opened and appreciate a wider selection of great beers, although they’re mixed with some rather terrible ones. I have trouble respecting a bar that highlights microbrews next to InBev. I know bars have to accommodate to their patron’s crappy tastes… but come on. Are you really going to drink Coors (which isn’t InBev, I know) over Bells?
Anyhoo, their staff is usually good although I find they have a tendency to ignore me when I’m trying to get a drink right before the end of Happy Hour at 8pm. I’m short, their bar is tall, and they tend to chat with their friends. I’m often struggling to get a beer and that’s just annoying.
Their backyard is super cute and I would come here just to enjoy this if there weren’t so many people smoking regardless of the fact that there are No Smoking signs everywhere. The staff doesn’t enforce this rule and I’m not going to be the asshole who says something to all the tables when they’re capable of being decent and abiding by the rules to begin with.
In the end Lake Street is just okay. I don’t love it, and I don’t hate it. It’s the spot I come to when I want a drink and all other joints have stopped happy hour. I would love to take advantage of their back area to watch sports, but it’s too small of a spot to deal with their inconsiderate smokers.

Beer Selection: a pretty good array of beers offered. Full disclosure: for me as long you have Bell’s seasonals (Oberon just came back!) everything else is gravy. I also appreciate having cheap domestic cans available as well as shot & a beer specials.
Atmosphere: I’ve only ever been to Lake Street to watch games. There are a good number of TVs and a good number of sports fans in the bar that have the right amount of passion for their teams. The backyard seems pleasant but I cannot report on the late night scene.
Food: there are a few snacks available at the bar, a local Minneapolis brand of chips and Nut Rolls which is a little bit more savory pay day — give it a shot. You are also welcome to bring in food from outside — there are many nearby good options.
Location: very near the north entrance of the Nassau G train stop and right on Greenpoint’s major commercial artery: Manhattan Ave.
Recommendation: This is a great place to watch a game in Greenpoint.

Solid, down-​to-​earth spot. Dim, casual but classy interior. Patio. Decent beer list.

People tend to write online reviews in a state of either extreme euphoria or anger. This often gives an unfair shake to the casual spots: places who don’t strive for buzz but quietly occupy more weekends than places that top a Unilocal search.
Such is the unfortunate fate of Lake Street, probably the best «normal bar» in all of Greenpoint. It doesn’t serve Fernet cocktails or shishito peppers, but does have a great atmosphere, plenty of places to sit, and clean bathrooms (which really does matter).
Lake Street isn’t a «wow» spot, but it doesn’t aspire to be. It’s simply the best and most unpretentious place to meet local friends for a beer. If that’s what you need, look no further.

As far as local bars go, this is the best within a solid 3-​block radius. It has this feeling of a 30-​something Bushwick haunt, too respectable to be a true dive, but with just enough grit to give you that Cheers feeling.
There are a few great stories I could tell you about this place, but somehow they don’t seem appropriate for Unilocal.Also, if I posted them here it might lure more people and I kinda like Lake Street the way it is.

Coming to visit my brother in NYC, he told me about this bar in Brooklyn that is Minneapolis-​owned and Minneapolis-​themed. The way he pitched it, it sounded like a dream come true. «You mean that I can travel to visit family in amazing cities, but can still drink in wonderfully casual bars like I am accustomed to in Minneapolis?!» He said skip it – it’s not that great.
…but. What does he know? I’m the older sister.
We went, it sucked, my brother was completely right.
AND
They were having what appeared to be a baby’s birthday party there on a Saturday late afternoon. What? Babies don’t belong in bars. Parties belong in bars. Babies’ parties DEFINITELY don’t below in bars.
ANDANDAND
The bartender had on Green Bay Packers hat. (???)
Nope.

This bar is the epitome of ‘faking it’ in «williamsburg».
Why do you have paintings of mountains on the wall?
Why are all the bands the owners were in so bad?
Why do you not sell any MN craft beer? I mean, I know WHY, but it just makes you look lazy to not even have Surly cans that you can stock up on and drive out here.
Bar staff sucks in a way that almost makes you pity them that this is the job they wake up for. Nice tats, brah!
Any bar that counts Sean Tillman as a regular is not a place you want to go.
Looking forward to the day this spot closes. Maybe they’ll put a real bar in?

I wont be going back, but that said, not totally the worst place. My first time going as Im new to area & checking out local haunts. Checked them out as saw they were close & had a Happy Hour. Enjoyed my first 2 draft beers with $ 2 off for HH, making them each $ 4 — Brooklyn Summer Ale and Founders All Day IPA. Not many people there and bartender decently attentive. Things went south during my 3^rd beer and meeting the owner. The beer was good — Bell’s 2 Hearted Ale, $ 5 with HH. Meeting the owner ruined the vibe and night.
I usually relish interactions with owners as it’s usually fun & gives insight into the bar. This time it gave a rather strong sour note to experience. Frankly severely marring a decent first impression of the bar. I left before finishing my 3^rd beer to be any where else but there. I’m not one to patronize a place where my hard earned $$ goes to an owner who does not care about my experience, much less one that personally makes it worse.
As I said, I wont be back. But if you dont meet the owner or, if you do meeet him & dont mind a souring component in your night, then Lake Street is somewhat cheap during HH and might not ruin your time.
Best of luck. ‘May the odds ever be in your favour’!
(yes I did just quote Hunger Games)

Minnesota themed but not a single Minnesota beer on tap… is it just me or is that kinda weird? They do have Bells, Michigan’s finest, which is close but not the same. I’m pretty sure Minnesota has some decent beers, eh.
They do have some in bottle so guess that’s how they’re trying to suffice. Atmosphere is chill.

I was a passenger on this trip, going along with the crowd. Not that I wouldn’t have gone in the first place, but when I go out around dinner time, I really want to go to a place that has food.
And yes, yes, I could have walked across the street and bought food, but I was REALLY into my book and mostly waiting for the guys to do their thing so we could leave.
Nothing against the bar. It’s a chill little spot with a decent selection (BTW: CASH ONLY), and nice bathrooms.
But the décor is hyper-​conceptual, and it reads much more hipster than down home-​Minnesota. Whatever. It’s A-​OK, and if I find myself in Greenpoint for whatever reason, maybe I’ll go back. Maybe not. I’m not sure. I’m usually hungry.

Alas, I didn’t notice that the battery level on my iPad ran dangerously low until it turned off («WHAT THE, oh»). So here I am, procrastinating from studying by spending the wee hours of morning on Unilocal.Yay.
We dropped in here at the conclusion of a sick (in a good way) EP release party nearby. The Beloved was packed that night so he brought us to «this unmarked new place» instead. For a couple of hipster musicians (HA, excluding myself), this was their jam. Funny, this place was opened by a bunch of Minnesotan musicians. Hence, the Midwestern/​music theme.
Saunter in, grab a drink at the bar, sit at the bar or wherever you like; they don’t have a host/​hostess to limit your seating choices (at least not that night). They have about a dozen taps as well as a full liquor bar, including wines and ciders, and a selection of Midwestern brews of course. Compared to the other bars in the area, Lake Street was fairly empty, but it was perfect for our large group to take over the nook by the front windows. And surprise surprise, they played great music (wasn’t too loud!). I’ll certainly be back to sit in on their live music nights (check their FB to see who’s playing).
With $ 2 Old Dutch Traditional chips (apparently that’s very Midwestern) as their only nibbles, we sadly had to leave to find more substantial grub elsewhere. Not too difficult in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.
Now getting home was another issue. G/​Ghost train? No thanks.

Chill
Bar by
Rock stars with
Midwestern theme
(Means more Chi-​town beers with your exposed bricks).