Spuyten Duyvil

More than a regular beer bar, this joint is jumpin' with wine and some vittles, too. If you love your beer, but your amigos drink vino, you will get a fine selection of all, as well as a refined snack menu. Bartenders are smart as hell about the consumables, and won't hesitate to spout out adjectives to describe your beverage as well as a taste sampling before you imbibe. Just don't drink so much that you try and take the vintage bike off the wall and ride it. Do go and scout around for the note my friends and I left in the vintage table drawer towards the front of the bar, and if you miss it, drop the next lucky patron a mysterious and happy note in our place (ours would be signed Vanessa and will hopefully inspire good cheer). The entire bar is a romp through casual sophistication, without the pedantic airs of lost souls swimming around the bottom of a bad beer mug. The beer menu requires time to savor and the ambiance encourages it. Don't overlook the wine menu which is not nearly as extensive as the beer menu, but seasonal wines are well chosen and delicious, and you can couple it all up with some cheese and meat boards. In the summer, the garden is open, but usually closes down 11ish or midnight to keep the noise down and the neighbors happy. This Williamsburg bar is another hotspot, perfect for a date or gathering of friends around a table. Go ahead. Celebrate!

We took a party bus here for my friend's birthday! We had a great time, even though we were such a big group! The doorman was even laid back - I forgot my ID and explained my situation (don't worry, I am of age!) and he let me slip in - THANK YOU! The beers were delicious, and my group of friends distribute beer, so they were already familiar with many of the beers available. The bartenders loved that we were so "knowledgable" and "hooked" us up with some samples! I got a little too "tipsy" but that shows how much fun we had!

Spuyten Duyvil is, with lack of better terms, totally rad. Its interior is a hodge podge of vintage furniture and medical diagrams set up in a wood shack-like bar which serves some of the more esoteric beers and wines that this reviewer has ever consumed, as well as a rotating menu of charcuterie that is ever-pleasing to discerning palates. The backyard's vast ivy-clad and pebble-paved patio is a fun and laid-back outdoor space that, weather permitting, houses some of the more fun, if sophisticated, evenings in Williamsburg. Total party animals should steer clear, but the discerning drinker should make a point of rolling through.