Brooklyn’s dive bar situation mirrors Manhattan’s: the rents that have risen throughout the borough have pushed out the bars that couldn’t charge enough for drinks to survive. What’s left is a smaller, more precious set of places that have survived through some combination of fortunate real estate situations, longtime relationships between owners and landlords, and the particular stubbornness of people who don’t want to run anything other than the bar they’ve always run.
Sunny’s Bar (Red Hook): The Best in Brooklyn
Sunny’s Bar at 253 Conover Street in Red Hook has been operating in some form since the 1890s. Sunny Balzano, whose family ran the bar for generations, built its current reputation around Saturday night bluegrass sessions that have become one of Brooklyn’s great musical traditions. He died in 2016, and the bar has continued with the same character — cheap drinks, no pretension, the bluegrass on Saturday nights, and the particular atmosphere of a bar that has absorbed decades of the neighborhood’s waterfront culture.
Getting to Red Hook requires a real trip (no direct subway), but Sunny’s is worth the planning. The Saturday bluegrass session typically starts around 10pm and runs until 2am. Free, no cover. One of the genuinely irreplaceable bars in New York.
The Levee (Williamsburg): The Survivor
The Levee at 212 Berry Street has survived the transformation of Williamsburg from art neighborhood to expensive lifestyle destination by being genuinely cheap and genuinely unpretentious. The drinks are among the least expensive in the neighborhood. The room is small and has the worn quality of a bar that has been loved by regulars rather than renovated for them. Pool table, jukebox, no cover. The Williamsburg dive bar that actually feels like one.
Hank’s Saloon (Boerum Hill): The Country Bar
Hank’s Saloon at 46 Third Avenue in Boerum Hill is the Brooklyn country bar — cash only, cheap drinks, regular live country and roots music, and a clientele that skews toward people who came to the neighborhood before it became expensive and stayed. The drinks are the cheapest in the area. The music programming is consistent. The bar has maintained its character through neighborhood changes that would have converted most comparable establishments into something more profitable.
Bar Great Harry (Carroll Gardens): The Beer Dive
Bar Great Harry at 280 Smith Street in Carroll Gardens is the most careful of the dive-adjacent bars on this list — the beer selection is genuinely thoughtful (a rotating tap list of mostly craft and imported options at dive bar prices), the room is comfortable without being polished, and the staff knows the beer they’re serving. The dive bar designation is loose here but the prices and atmosphere qualify.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best dive bar in Brooklyn?
Sunny’s Bar in Red Hook — open since the 1890s, live bluegrass on Saturday nights, genuinely unpretentious. The Levee in Williamsburg for the cheap drinks and the particular energy of a bar that’s been there through the neighborhood’s transformation. Hank’s Saloon in Boerum Hill for the country music and the cash-only policy.
Do dive bars still exist in Brooklyn?
Yes, though they’re rarer than they used to be — the same rent pressures that have reduced Manhattan’s dive bar count have affected Brooklyn. The ones that remain have survived through some combination of rent control, longtime owner-landlord relationships, or locations far enough from the gentrification wave to remain affordable.
What makes a bar a dive bar?
Cheap drinks, no pretension, a room that looks used rather than designed, clientele who are there because they like the specific bar rather than because it appeared on a list. The best dive bars have been there long enough that they’ve become part of the neighborhood’s identity.
Is Sunny’s Bar worth the trip to Red Hook?
Yes — Sunny’s is one of the great bars in New York, full stop. The Saturday night bluegrass session has been a neighborhood institution for decades. The bar itself is a remnant of the Red Hook waterfront culture that has otherwise largely disappeared. The trip to Red Hook (no direct subway) is part of the experience.
Also see: our best Williamsburg bars guide
Also see: our Brooklyn on $50 guide
