"a neighborhood bar worth traveling to"
Brooklyn Social is the original Smith Street cocktail bar, in the heart of Downtown Brooklyn.
Serving up classic drinks and a vintage vibe to the discerning denizens of Carroll Gardens, Gowanus, Park Slope, Cobble Hill, and Red Hook, BK Social celebrates the history of South Brooklyn and its Italian American Roots.
Located in the former Society Riposto, a private Sicilian Club, we opened the doors to the public in 2004, and have been a great place for cocktails, beer, and panini nightly ever since.
Behind a nondescript facade step into a preserved vintage club, where members only used to sip grappa, play cards, socialize.
Many pictures of the original members, dating back to the 1920's, still line the walls, and their antique clock still hangs above the curved deco bar, ticking away the hours till closing time.
Our delicious cocktails are simple twists on classics, like the Brooklyn, the Ginger Old Fashioned, the Fellini.
Or, belly up to the wood and our expert barmen can craft you anything you like.
We also have cold beer on draught, Peroni in a bottle, and a selection of Italian wines.
Tuck into a cozy corner booth, enjoy our outdoor patio, shoot some pool in our back room, or spin some old gems on our jukebox. If you're hungry, order up a hot pressed sandwich.
QUALITY, our motto. Courtesy, our hobby.
Phone
(718) 858 - 7758
Location
335 Smith Street
Brooklyn, NY 11231
Hours
Sun-Thurs 4pm–12am
Fri 4pm-2am
Sat 4pm-2am
PRESS
A Glass of Grappa? The Door's Open. - The New York Times "...the romantic Brooklyn ideal...The bartender wears a sharp dark shirt and tie, and he makes old-style cocktails..."
Best Brooklyn Bar - NewYork Magazine "Once an Italian social club, the bar gets the throwback formula right, from the front door marked “non-members welcome” to the slowly revolving ceiling fans, red pressed-tin ceiling, and strains of Duke Ellington. Bartenders dress the part, donning ties and expertly mixing cocktails..."
Critic's Pick: Matt's Ginger Old Fashioned" - Time Out NY Barkeeps clad in aprons, ties and button-down shirts will muddle maraschino cherries, orange wedges, simple syrup, bitters and a cube of raw ginger before adding a hearty measure of Jim Beam and tiles of ice. The shaken result is ambrosial: It’s faintly sweet but strong as an ox, a stomach-warming zinger with nuanced layers of zest, fruit and liquor unfolding with every sip. Want another? Go ahead."
Best of Awards: Best Former Italian Social Club Now Open to Nonmembers - The Village Voice "The best new bar in the Carroll Gardens/Cobble Hill area is indubitably BROOKLYN SOCIAL, a former old-man's club in a largely Italian neighborhood, where charming, ancient photos of gaggles of club dudes line the elegantly adorned walls, and one may sip cocktails in dim haze with low lighting. Plus, the Social serves grilled cheese at all hours."
City style: New York - The Times Magazine (London) This old-style cocktail joint is the coolest bar in Brooklyn, and that's saying something when there's a hip haunt on every corner. Louche gentlemen's club, whirring ceiling fans, bartenders in jaunty fedoras and Rat Pack outfits, and the best ginger old-fashioned for miles"
Brooklyn Bound - Travel & Leisure "With its pressed-tin ceiling and faded Deco mirrors, this Carroll Gardens bar is an uncanny simulacrum of an Italian-American men’s club. That’s because for 70-odd years it was one: the Società Riposto, whose tuxedo-clad members gaze out ghostlike from framed photos on the wall...Whatever it is, Brooklyn Social works. Of course it wouldn’t mean jack if the drinks weren’t so good."