A tipster passed on to us the tip that long awaited Draft Barn has finally opened up on 3rd Avenue between 12th & 13th Streets in South Slope. And of course we have to put it out there for all who read here to know–beer is here! Apparently 200 different kinds to chose from.
As he put it:
It’s the sister bar of a place down near Bay Ridge [317 Avenue X] and is owned by the same guys. It just opened Sunday (my friend and I happened to be walking by, taking bets on when in 2009 it would finally open) and it’s great. Nice, oak interior with a general ‘draft haus’ style. They also have food (which isn’t blowing the doors off anything) and the owner told us he’d be opening for brunch soon.
We think it’s time to stop working for the day and head over for a pint or two… or three… or nine.
—Vaduz Uvuvnt
10 responses so far ↓
1 br // Nov 13, 2008 at 1:02 pm
it looks like it could be a decent place but that is a really tricky location. from what i remember, the only other businesses near there are a gas station, a pizzeria, and taco bell.
by the way, 317 ave x is nowhere near bay ridge.
2 KyleH // Nov 13, 2008 at 5:11 pm
I love the location.
3 Lauren // Nov 13, 2008 at 11:57 pm
I’ll say, I live near there and I was happy to see it opened. A really nice bar and great prices. I’m hoping to bring people there this weekend.
4 Jack Krohn // Nov 14, 2008 at 11:33 am
I don’t live anywhere near this place, but will still try it based on the broad selection of beers. Thanks for the tip!
5 Josh // Nov 14, 2008 at 11:45 am
I’m thrilled that Draft Barn opened up (finally) as I live around the corner. It brings some much needed life to this soon to be thriving area.
I like the place; it’s spacious, got a great drink menu, and the staff is friendly. However, it does have a bit of an identity crisis. It has a bit of an Austrian-Hungarian theme going on (huge Austrian-Hungarian empire map on the wall to start with), yet their staff and a lot of their crowd to date are Russian, and they seem to want to attract a hipster/over the whole Park Slope scene crowd. When I asked if the place was going for a Central European vibe or a Russian vibe, one of the bartender emphatic told me that they “are just a bar” implying that they didn’t want their new patrons to feel like they were simply an Avenue X transplant. If they can strike the right balance on the influences going on that doesn’t prove confusing or off-putting, they could have lots of success.
It is bold of them to stake out this location and something that should be rewarded with your patronage. So, come on folks, check them and the neighborhood of Gowanus out.
6 Anonymous // Nov 14, 2008 at 12:40 pm
I hope to be the first 3rd ave resident hipster there. I love drinking with Russians.
7 Myau // Nov 18, 2008 at 4:18 pm
Simply love that place….the atmosphere , the setting, food is great and of course the unbelivable selection of beer……. Great spot to hang out with your frinds…
8 Sergie // Nov 20, 2008 at 2:49 am
Hey Josh. You are right about the hipster vibe. Its easy to explain, we used to be clubheads. :)All Emplyees are friends for a long time. We still trying to figure out Neighborhood vibe but with variety of people that come its hard to adjust. Afterall we are open less then a month. We will figure out just like we did with bar on AVe X to get it filled up with people even on weekdays 🙂 In short run we will have heavy liquor lisence and hipster vibe should work out then. Anyways, Thank you all for visiting our bar and we hope to see you again. You can catch me behind the bar or on the floor, even you can catch me in the booth sippin on 6 point (during the weekday) 🙂
9 Anonymous // Jan 10, 2009 at 9:18 am
I had dinner at Draught Barn last night and was not impressed. The place was practically empty but for some reason it took a waiter 15 minutes to acknowledge us. My friend and I each ordered the Hungarian sausage entree, which is one of the worst things I’ve ever eaten. I was so oily and smokey I only ate one bite. Please no one order this. Also, the much acclaimed beer croutons were not so great and were kind of burned and came after our meal instead of before. Although the beers are good. I don’ t think this place is going to last. It needs a lot work especially with service and the food.
10 Hungarian Guy // Jun 6, 2009 at 1:45 pm
Anonymous must not be much a sausage hound, because the sausage selection at Draft Barn is among the best you can find in Brooklyn, New York or America for that matter. These are not processed, pre-packaged or frozen links with additives or filler. These are home-made by the owners following eastern-European traditions and methods. These things are a treat you can’t find anywhere else. “Oily and smokey” is sausage praise and if that’s not what you’re into, try there’s great healthy food at Second Helpings on 9th and 7th. I’ve been to Draft Barn regularly since I found it–its the real deal. By the way, the 200 or so bottled beers, each with its rightful stein and the other 30 or so on tap do the sausages nice.