Barbes
Categories: Jazz & Blues, Bars [Edit]
Neighborhood: Brooklyn/Park Slope376 9th St
(between 6th Ave & 7th Ave)
Brooklyn, NY 11215 (347) 422-0248
- Nearest Transit:
7th Ave (F)
9th St-4th Ave (F, M, R)
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Music: Live
- Alcohol: Full Bar
- Smoking: Outdoor Area/Patio Only
31 Reviews for Barbes
Greatest ever. I happen to love this drink from about 5 decades ago that no one knows how to make, except for the people who google it for me in the bar. I asked for it at Barbes, which they weren't able to make the drink without cherry brandy. The reason why I love them is because they promised me they would order it so when I come in next time I could have that drink, and they remembered!! That's why they get 4 stars from me!!
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This place is amazing!
A friend who lives in Park Slope introduced me to Barbes over the weekend and I was instantly in love with it. We saw Smokey's roundup -- which was fun -- and I reaaaallly want to go back to see Slavic Soul Party.
The atmosphere is great and the beers are actually reasonably priced! I had some sort of Ommegang beer that was $5 (which I'm way happier about than, say, a $5 Heineken).
Plus I like that the music takes donations, no cover.
This is a nice local neighborhood bar. It has a very relaxed laid back atmosphere which I like. And on some Monday nights they show free independent movies in the back.
The reviews amaze me. Oh, the art. Oh, the eastern European music. Oh, the ambiance.
Oh, it's a bar next to a coffee shop and below a tanning salon in Park Slope on a busy street.
If you can't afford Manhattan rent, then don't act like you can.
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It is unarguably the best bar in the area. If it were nestled in a more gothic, harder-edged area of the city, it might get more compellingly chaotic as opposed to just busy with fit-ins, meaning the clientele tends to be earnest and normal, which is a bit of a pity since I'm freakish and like it weird. But I gotta give it the five stars because the booker is just brilliant and the back room really transports me (reminds me of a spot in Budapest I loved).
The only bartender by whom I've been served is a consummate professional (if a little all-business, but not offensively so). His drinks grow hair on your chest (ladies, you might need to give your boobs a perm! i told you i was a freak).
barbes is the best thing about park slope! beautiful little bar, with some awesome artwork chilling in the back area. nice selection of beers on tap. basically everytime ive been there, there is a band playing eastern european music in the back room. but my best friend is friends with eveyrone in slavic soul party, so maybe thats why?
im like down tho, the musics usually really good. like delilah said, the crowd is not as cool as the bar itself a lot of the time, but jazz musicians are surprisingly dorky (which is why there are so many of them in park slope). on the flip side, everyone is extremely friendly... u ask urself, how did i get here? is this new york? o god what have i done?
if u feel like everyone at barbes just moved to new york from boston like a year ago, its cause they did.
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Have you been looking for a place where, on any given night, you can hear:
*Bulgarian wedding music
*Turkish calgija
*Serbian Gypsy tunes
*Klezmer mandolin
*Accordionists who do covers of both Stephen Foster *and* Led Zeppelin
*Surf guitar-inflected Peruvian pop music
And more?
While at the same time getting snockered on quality scotches, bourbons, wines and draft beers?
Alright, well, when you consider looking for such a place please try Barbes.
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My favorite local bar...really comfy, pours a proper pint of Guinness, nice wine/booze choices too...cool bands,...free muffins sometimes!
yay barbes.
It is a little musty/humid/funky in there in the summer...but hey, it's the French Ambience I guess.
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I'm jealous. I want one of these in San Francisco.
Located in a gorgeous little neighborhood. Tree lined streets and beautiful architecture surrounds. I almost missed this place as we were walking here. Very nondescript from the outside. But inside, pretty memorable. Beautiful little place. Deep red walls. Neighborhood bar feel. Surprisingly clean bathrooms. Not terribly loud. Get there a little early to get a seat in the performance space in the back. The bartender was fairly attentive and got my drink within 10 seconds of me approaching the bar. Though the waitress was a bit on the unfriendly side. The live music was AWESOME - saw Stephane Wrembel. They do have a suggested donation, with all proceeds going to the artist. Really a gem of a place.
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If only it wasn't so difficult to find - and I live only 5 blocks away!
Even so, what a great vibe! Atmosphere is perfect, definitely top of the list as far as local bars are concerned. Sunday night Stephane Wrembel is amazing. Django style gypsy guitar.
Fantastic to be able to have a conversation without shouting. Great scene.
Usually pronounced Bar Bess, in case you're wondering. Really great place. Old world intimacy, authenticity. One of the best bars in New York.
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I really don't believe there is any other music venue like this in New York--at least not that I've seen. Maybe Joes Pub, but it has obscene cover charges and drinks to match.
But at Barbes, on any given night you can find klezmer music, dixieland, 1930's Hawaiian tunes, old-timey jugbands, desperado folk, or django-tinged jazz playing in the extremely cozy back room, usually for nothing more than tips.
If it's too crowded back there, you can try finding a spot in the sumptuous room up front, drinking a glass of French wine, and pretend you're in pre-Vichy Marseille with Ingrid Bergman.
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This is everything a bar can be. What more can I say?
barbes::bars
pope::catholics
everest::mountains
new york::cities
It can get crowded. Go on a Monday.
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I dreamt that this place was 3 times the size it actually is. I was pretty happy. And then I realized that even if it was 3 times the size it actually is, it'd be about as fat as Mary Kate Olsen. She big.
Anywho, the candlelit, moody, earthy aura with the small space in the back for perfs, as well as the window to look into it, its a long, skinny, blue moon pint size place with moderate conversation during the weekday and the smallest chairs and tables imaginable for adults. A couple of slopers I know say its one of their favorite places to go, and I believe them with all my brain.
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I'm a Balkan music junkie and we searched this place out. We saw Slavic Soul Party and the place is madness. It's just perfect in size and location. I wish they served some stuff to munch on though.
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We met with friends here after a Thursday night show. At first I wasn't really feeling it, but then I realized that I could actually hear the ongoing conversation. The candlelight and small, scarred tables offer a rather charming and intimate atmosphere for hanging out and chatting. Barbes has this kind of divey, old school feel that I really dig.
The crowd was an interesting mix of local regulars, indie kids, hipsters, and middle-aged scenesters still trying to be cool. The service was fast and friendly even though the bar was slammed. Prices were very reasonable.
The bathrooms weren't too scary and the beers tasted clean. When I'm already tipsy, that's all I really need in a bar.
I love this bar's ambiance, music and intimacy. I wish it were just 14% larger.
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I think Chinku G. went to another place. There's no food here that I know of. But there is a Slavic Soul Dance Party! Which I've actually never been to. I've heard a ton about it but mostly I like the upfront room and the ability to grab a glass of wine with a friend in a comfy environment. It also is a really great place to meet people, what type of person I will refrain from. But it's an eclectic mix and if you're just not feeling the more down and out rock vibe that park slope has to offer for bars this place bridges the gap between wine bar and bar slob.
Another great neighborhood bar hidden between a tanning salon and a bakery. It is candelight with dark red decor, catering to a laidback crowd. They also have various different shows throughout the week worth checking out. The scene can be spotty at times. It is known in Park Slope as the bar inhabited by the "nerdy" crowd but that is up to your discretion. Perfect bar for when you want to have a drink alone.
Like most of the reviews here, I'll mention that it's a small space -- but I don't find that to be a detriment. Rather, it's what gives this bar an intimate and immediate feel. The music pours from the backroom while the patrons mill and mingle at the bar. Yes, it can get as packed as a slave ship on weekend nights, but I would recommend trying it out on a week night (Sun-Wed). Let's face it, any bar this size that's any good at all is going to be effen nutz on a Thurs-Sat after 10pm -- this is New York, not Cincinnati.
One feature that I didn't see mentioned is that these bands/events are on a suggested donation basis of $8. What's great about that is you have the opportunity to see/support the bands you want to while also randomly finding new ones just by occasionally popping into the bar -- I heard an alt-country band the other night that was more like an Appalachian ensemble that had a bus accident with a college marching band -- and while my description of their music may not rock, the band sure as hell did.
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I am a huge fan of Barbes. They have some of the best live music anywhere in the city and I only wish that the space could somehow be larger because sometimes it is INCREDIBLY crowded. I like the diversity of musical performances and the crowd here is very mixed. Good beer choices, but really the draw here is the live music.
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this place is fantastic. i'm a huge fan. excellent and eccentric jazz music is played in a tiny room in the back of the bar. the room is small and intimate. the front room has only a bar and a few tables against a wall, great for a date. i had an excellent glass of wine. they have a calendar of their musical guests and you could really get an education in music by coming here for awhile!
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a(nother) haiku:
music delightful
hope waitress less of a fright
come slavic dance night
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This place just happens to match my current personal tastes to a tee: 30-40s pop, traditional country, avant garde jazz, all presented for free in a tiny little room. Some of the best downtown players in the city hit barbes on a regular basis. There is also a record label and a stable of musicians based around it as well. A great little community of people that are serious about music.
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really like this place and i wonder why i haven't been back. great live music the time i did go and their calendar always looks interesting. cute and eclectic.
Barbes is a cozy, neighborhoodish live music venue and bar with a very specific flavor. It's a fine place but I don't like it because it's not my cup of tea. The back room is an extremely intimate place to see a live act; Tuesday nights they have a Balkan brass band, which is fun. You can enjoy the distant sound of the music in the separate bar. The two times I've been there, both rooms were very crowded. The thing I don't like about it is that the crowd is very unmixed -- it's a very specific Park Slope demographic; you may already know what that means; if you don't, Barbes is the perfect place to figure it out.
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A very friendly little place. I was there on a tuesday night and there was a clesmer jam. It was great.A very cool bar with a French name. Its nice atmosphere and great entertainment with all types of music performed
Do not let the velvet rope decieve you, this place is not what the reviews make it out to be. The service was poor- we waited 15 minutes for WATER. The food mediocre and overpriced. The only thing decent are the tagines. The atmosphere is nice at first but superficial.
Barbes is a very unique establishment, from its location across the street from a Public Library, to the small room in the back, to the congeniality of the patrons. I'm definitely partial to the bar because I grew up in the neighborhood, but still think it's a place to enjoy as a destination. I especially reccommend Tuesday nights for Slavic Soul Party, a fire-breathing eight-piece brass band that plays Serbian, Macedonian, Romanian and other danceable tunes. Order some shots of Slivovitz or Reka, and you're set for an early week party night. Also great is the band Las Rubias Del Norte, which is backed by one of the bar's co-owners on small guitar known as a Cuatro. They play great-sounding Latin music, with beautiful harmonies by the two lead singers. If you're into jazz, ethnic music, old swing or other world music, you'll love the vibe. I agree that the crowd can sometimes veer towards a specific demographic, but I've also gone there enough to see a real mix of people. If you're looking for a very cozy neighborhood atmosphere, and enjoy checking out local unknown musicians, this is the place for you. It did used to be less crowded, but has gotten more attention lately from the music scene in New York. Thus, the crowds that are sometimes three-people thick. But all music must stop at Barbes by 12am due to the neighborhood, so stop by before and you'll find a seat for sure.
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A very cool bar with a French name. It has nice atmosphere and great entertainment with all types of music performed, sometimes filmstrips -- Monday nights are international film, Tuesdays readings. Also, they offer a real Irish session, a ragtime band or rumba later in the week. I love taking my friends over there -- they really enjoy it. Whenever I go I always meet very interesting and well-traveled and -learned people.
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