Mary's Bar Bar

PARK SLOPE, NEW YORK –

The jury is still out on Mary’s Bar, the place that might be a neighborhood dive cool enough to appeal to hipsters, or a hipster bar with enough local character to draw a crowd of happening Park Slope regulars.

Either way, this plain venue, with its mismatched furniture, laid-back vibe, and sparse décor, manages to neatly straddle the line between unpretentious barroom and shabby chic watering hole.

Curiosity shop clutter and a pressed tin ceiling complete the rather nondescript look, which goes largely unnoticed by the trendy young patrons who belly up to the dark wood bar to swig everything from canned Tecate to Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale.

Although the drinking den prides itself on its no-frills, no-gimmicks approach, it does allow each of its barkeeps a chalkboard on which they can express serving preferences (“No mixed drinks!”) or personal opinions (“Smile – just because!”).

Groups of young partiers take over the rows of tables and banquettes to down cocktails and groove to iPod mixes that run the gamut from Tom Waits to Social Distortion, but as the night gets into full swing and the bar overflows, the open pool table area in back turns into a standing-room-only scene of chill rockers and seasoned barhoppers.

A place that never tries to impress but is unrelentingly cool, Mary’s Bar serves up the hipster aesthetic without the gnawing cynicism common among many of Brooklyn’s popular dives.