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Metropolitan Ave-Lorimer St (G, L)
About the only person giving me compliments these days is Yelp. "Looking good, Brett." "You're looking smart today, Brett." Thanks, boo. If it weren't for you, I might be stuck in a corner, crying, like a baby, listening to "Hungry Eyes" on repeat all night.*
But since Yelp and I aren't monogamous**, I decided to go out and maybe, just maybe, impress something other than my computer for once.
Royal Oak, as it turns out, is really just a lot of white people dancing. I don't have anything against either of the two, but it can be an interesting combo. Unfortunately, I still haven't learned the value of pre-gaming, so I arrived as the Sober Sister, and I don't dance without being heavily intoxicated.***
After downing a beer as quickly as I could, I was ready to at least move my hips a little. The backroom was extremely crowded (Friday night), so I barely had room to show off my moves. Worse, I was stuck. No, literally, I was stuck. My feet had the misfortune of meeting the floor right in a spot where someone had clearly spilled a drink. I could barely lift my shoes!
But nobody puts Baby in a corner, so I fought through and grooved a little. I became just another white person dancing. Not bad, Royal Oak, not bad.
__________
* Too soon?
** Yelp's been around the block (EVERY block) a few times.
*** Anyone watch True Blood? I sort of dance like Andy, that is, like I'm having an epileptic seizure. I could also be compared to Elaine on Seinfeld. It's not pretty.
People thought this was:
Went the night Michael Jackson died.
It was off the hook, the floor was so filled with people with fake IDs that I couldn't move anything but my head. Got my butt pinched, but I was drunk so it was all good.
After about an hour or so my date insisted we leave... I obliged like a true lady. Something about the vibe was rubbing him the wrong way--- the people here were just acting, "too cool" or just rather douchechill.
I had fun but the crowd was a little too young for me and I'm 21... no bueno.
People thought this was:
Gorgeous and spacious place in Williamsburg, named after a hip, gay neighborhood in the Motor City. Lots of fun dj nights (Monday karaoke) and inexpensive drinks: beers from Germany, England and Belgium and their specialty the Bramble: made from fresh berries. The place attracts plenty of locals. Shih, the owner tends bar. Local hipsters (originally from Ohio and other midwest states) like it here cause it doesn't get too touristy.
Cash Only
Read more at my blog:
http://iheartnycbars.w...
Went for a friend's show. Was put off by the mediocre beer selection, but even more put off that the bartender refused to explain what "Sweet Ups" was and where it came from.
It's cute that they try to make their cheap beer offering more appealing to the hipster crowd by giving it a cutesy name, but that means less than nothing to someone who actually appreciates good beer. Friends later pointed out that it's likely a domestic light beer (Miller or Bud Light) but I don't see why the bartender couldn't just say so when asked.
I opted not to get anything. The show was good, and the decor is cool, but if I go back for future shows I'll be sure to stop by Mugs Alehouse for drinks before and after.
People thought this was:
I heard a rumor from the cashier guy at Trader Joe's that this place has a $1 pitcher special in the afternoons.. if this is true my rating might go up a lot higher.
Otherwise, this bar struck me as nothing special. Not sure what I was imagining, but it's just a typical overcrowded, kinda cheap, slightly trashy bar. A place for the young and hip, without much to offer on its own other than to check people out. It's nice that they have booths. The bartenders are pretty attentive.
People thought this was:
Fan for the best Manhattan cocktail in town, served by Christina. And if there is no cherry left, a blackberry is a sweet change in taste.
Then a good place to dance also!
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Clean, relaxed, fun. good bartenders and good prices... and just 10 feet from my apartment!
just -1 star for the abundance of hipsters, but i knew that I would have to put up with those asses when I moved here.
Pfft. The crowd sucks and the DJ sucks. There's really no reason to come here.
That is, unless you're trying to pick up a lonely self esteem challenged female. My friends and I tolerated a DJ that doesn't know how to transition and a ton of wasted hipsters so that our newly single buddy could try his luck. While it wasn't the most painful experience EVER, my night was far from ideal.
If this had been my first bad experience here I would cut the place some slack, but it has consistently been shitty. Unless you are a single male. Good luck!
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Found out about DJ Full Time Fun, through a friend. Turns out he DJ's there often and was throwing a huge Valentine's Day dance party at Royal Oak with tunes including Michael Jackson, Prince, MGMT, Madonna, Journey - good time throw down dance party tracks and fun mashups. My brother was in town and this was just what we were looking for, not to mention they were offering FREE cocktail hour featuring Raspberry Berets, FREE gift bags, FREE photo opp area from Brooklyn Royalty.. I was like is this really too good to be true? I called the bar to see if there was a cover, and they said there is never a cover - Oh Snap indeed!
So a bunch of us piled in, danced our pants off, met some new friends, got some fun photos taken and had a very lovely Valentine's day.
Check their myspace page for the real deal party updates: http://www.myspace.com...
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I went the other night with a friend. Definitely a great spot. I felt like most of the people there looked identical, but that's okay. No cover, great music and SPACIOUS. There are 3 rooms... one with the bar, one with foosball tables/chairs and a dance area... the lighting was perfect in each room.
As for the bathrooms... I felt like I waited an eternity, but while I was waiting online I met a nice chick to have a conversation with... about fetuses? I guess that was because the bathroom was embryo-yellow... Hey, any place where I can talk about fetuses with a random stranger is A-Okay in my book.
Okay, back to the music... Michael Jackson, Madonna, Marilyn Manson, Orgy... fun to dance to. The DJ also looked like Borat... haha... I had a good time, I'd go back definitely...
People thought this was:
I'm a fan of this place. There's a little something for almost everyone. You can dance, you can play foosball, sit in a little booth, etc etc. I had my birthday here and it seemed like everyone was genuinely having a good time. Sure, there are some really young kids here but for the most part, if you're with a good group of people, you barely notice (alcohol also helps).
The bartenders were really friendly and also generous with the birthday drinks.
The DJ played a bunch of awesome 90s hip hop/rap music.
Drinks were cheap.
No cover.
I really don't think I have anything to complain about. Awesometown.
If you want to feel like your in an old speak easy and you can deal with the hipster aesthetic, this is the place for you,
Well maintained.
People thought this was:
I loathe this douchey hellhole. It's always packed with Williamsburg's finest (sarcasm), always pitch black inside and too hot. There's usually a corny dance party in the back with a terrible DJ . VETO!
People thought this was:
oh, royal oak
always drunk
always (most of the time) good music
always dancing
always decent priced drinks
even if i always don't remember it
i always have fun
People thought this was:
Was here for a friend's birthday. The place was really spacious. Bar in the front, bathrooms, foosball table, and dance area. Tons of seating, which I love. Nice bartenders. Cheap drinks! Great beats. I liked that it wasn't overcrowded, but it was also a summer holiday weekend - not sure if it was better than usual.
Did you ever live in Boston? If so, just show up and you're GUARANTEED to know someone from your past here. Or some 2343 people from your past. It's kind of like an episode of Three's Company where you walk in like Jack Tripper and fall on your ass because you're so overwhelmed on how cliché you feel. But hey, such is Brooklyn.
However, it is a cool space, lots of neat nooks, and people moving their bodies around in a fashion not too unlike dancing.
People thought this was:
Great North Billville/almost-Greenpoint dance bar! I can count on one hand the number of occasions I've been this far north in Billville, but I was definitely glad to get the chance to check this place out at the end of a night of fun restaurant and bar-hopping around the nabe.
By the time we made it to Royal Oak, it was already after 2am, as we'd been sampling the high-end cocktails around Billville. As such, we really didn't need much in the way of EtOH. Instead, we chose to drop our coats and hit the dance floor straightaway. The music was great, varying between light house, dance rock, and some 80s electro. Really, really fun DJ, even if the friend-of-a-friend who was meant to be the night's DJ was nowhere to be found.
When we stumbled out after 4, tired and happy, we discovered the drawbacks of hanging out in a place like this: if you don't live in the nabe, you're faced with the daunting task of taking a subway that requires a transfer (unless you happen to live along 14th Street) or finding a cab in the wasteland of McCarren Park. Finally, luckily, as the snow began to fall, we succeeded in the latter course of action.
Really fun place. I'd recommend, especially if you have reliable means of transport out of the nabe, or if you happen to live there.
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There are many reasons why this is one of my favorite bars, and why I usually end every Williamsburg night here. (And why I can show up at 3am and still manage to salvage any less than fantastic night)
First of all, thank god for this bar, because I can actually convince my Manhattan friends to come out around my area. And trust me, that's no easy task.
Another big advantage is that Royal Oak is so large that it never feels overly crowded. As in you can actually stand around without being shoved. There are 3 sections to the bar.. when you first walk in, there are booths and people can hang out and talk. The next room houses a foosball table and there is a tiny room with a table that is pretty much not worth even mentioning, because it's doubtful you'll ever get it. And finally, a large room with DJ in the back where the dancing happens. So there's something for everyone.
Foosball is awesome because it's one of those bar games that doesn't take forever to play, so you can claim next game and have your turn pretty quickly. And it's free! The only other foosball tables I know of in the city take quarters and are at awful frat bars, so Royal Oak wins just for this.
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As a person of advancing years, I feel the need to qualify my presence in this bistro: I was there for a friend of a friend's thirtieth birthday party (I being quite a few years beyond this landmark myself.) So, under semi-legitimate pretense, I was able to view the establishment from a removed, sociological experiment point of view.
The Royal has a rather cavernous floor space with ample interior room for mulling around. At ten pm it still seemed open enough to run pass patterns with a Nerf football, but a few hours later if felt as though eight bus loads of high school seniors had been escorted in, fresh from their field trip at a thrift shop. Plenty of consciously unconscious facial hair and jaunty, stingy brimmed pork pie hats. Actually, I've been in several bars where the hipster mystique was more tangible. This one had more of an air of hipsters in training and junior varsity footballers looking for a little action. A place where even the younger crowd likely feels a little old.
There's a big "B" in the tile of the mosaic floor .. either for Brooklyn, or the owner's name, or the raspberry bramble drink they serve here .. but definitely not for "Bring a legitimate ID." Seems like a neat place to go if you happen upon it on an uncrowded weeknight. Or, as another reviewer noted upon seeing his 32 year old pal hook up with a 17 year old girl "this place is pretty dope." I suppose all's fair in love and underaged hipster bars, as long as he had her in her civics class the next Monday.
If, like me, you're slanting toward the "should probably be married and have a family by now" demographic, this would be a fine place to pop in and reassure yourself that you're not missing much.
People thought this was:
This is a very hipster Brooklyn area. The music was very good, i just wish a) the the DJ would transition the songs a little better and b) that the music was louder. Since this bar has 3 rooms, I could barely hear the music sometimes because there was so much noise from the other rooms. Overall, I had a fun time getting buzzed on semi-cheap drinks and watching uncoordinated hipsters dance. Ha. I've never seen moshing to hip-hop music! The middle room had a foos stable and the front was bar area. The best pro: no Cover! Can't beat that.
People thought this was:
My boy hooked up with a 17 year-old the night we were here.
My boy is 32.
With a little first-grade math, it's not hard to figure out that this place is pretty dope.
People thought this was:
Walking through the wasteland between Lorimer Street subway and the Royal Oak, one could be forgiven for thinking they'd got their instructions wrong. The streets are vacated and quiet, the factories lay closed or abandoned and traffic is minimal. Even standing out the front of the Royal Oak the first time I went there, I didn't know it was there!
Inside however, is a superbly appointed uber-bar. The scale of the establishment is one thing but it's also dark, with rich wood features adding to the character of the place. Drinks are reasonable and the crowd seems to be a healthy mix of locals and "tourists" from surrounding areas.
There's been a genuinely easy-going attitude amongst the patrons the few times I've been and that in itself is very appealing. Heck, I even recall seeing a guy bring his dog in who seemed quite happy to stand up at the bar and be patted by his new-found human lackeys.
A very good spot to meet new people or tuck yourself away in a corner for a drink. Comfortable booth seating, a long bar and roomy dancefloor make this a must for your next Williamsburg crawl.
People thought this was:
5 stars for Zombie A-Go-Go, the best (and only) Zombie experience I've ever had.
It was right around halloween, but I forgot to review it until now. I think they're having a Bloody Valentine zombie event as well. I will see you there!
Pro makeup artists (Robbin, I love you) plus awesome people equals best night ever.
I got too drunk, but I have great photos of myself as a sexy zombie.
And my friend Roman rocks the turntables every Monday night (without zombie makeup artists).
He has amazing taste in music.
I heart him forever.
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My only memory of this place:
Pissing in the urinal at 4am while water spilled out onto my shoes and into the rest of the bathroom, which was already holding a few inches of piss water. While I was going this dude in the stall kept bugging me to come snort some cane.
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*sigh*
This place is ranked really high for a place where I believe the theme is "YO, I AM DIRTY, THEREFORE I AM COOL!"
Someone once labeled me as a Hipster in my face but I don't consider myself Hipster.
Sure I have that messy hair - it's because I don't like to brush my hair and I am obsessed with BIG HAIR. But my hair is always CLEAN and no matter what the state of condition of my hair appears to be - it's NOT DIRTY.
Since I am not a Hipster - I did not enjoy this crowd. I don't like to get dirty and nor do I enjoy places where it super duper dark.
Super dark room + alcohol = You're F'ed! (Worse than having beer goggle vision!)
I came here because it was somebody's bright idea to come here and since I didn't know where we were going - I didn't object to this newfound idea.
This place looks like an abandon apartment from the outside and the place inside doesn't look any better.
I believe people will give a high rank to any place as long as they get cheap booze. (i.e Kenka - nasty food but cheap booze, and Akina - again nasty food but BYOB!)
Hmm I am sure Rocky P. would enjoy a place like this since he loves them Hipsters.
People thought this was:
Hipster-pop anthems rule as another spot with a lot of potential can be somewhat of a hit but also big time miss on a given night, which seems to be about as good as it gets at most of the night spots around the city that don't tout big name DJs.
I find this to be a divine tragedy, yet for recent residents of the city, into hipster-pop culture (and I am actually a self-defined supporter of hipster culture) that have recently graduated college, and like 80s (sometimes the most cheesy) pop, late 90's hip-hop, M.I.A., J.U.S.T.I.C.E. and Diplo then this may be a place you dig.
Sometimes it works for me, and if you're really desperate for a place to shake your booty whilst in Williamsburg it can serve such late night cravings, but it gets old after a while. I was there recently, and the two DJ's were pretty generic in their music selection. The fact that mobile/wedding DJing has become the staple of DJ "culture" in NYC clubs/lounges is quite saddening. I swear the place used to be better, but I think demographics changes in the city are really hitting the "underground" spots hard, and turning them pop.
I'd like to see the standards for "underground" to be raised at least above the level of pop, even if it's for those who identify themselves as "outsiders." I believe that we as a city have to do a better job of supporting DJs who actually play dance-able songs we can't all sing along to the lyrics with!
People thought this was:
This place was really cool. I remember getting trashed and dancing into walls. Roomy and played rad music. One of the venues that really stuck in my mind when thinking back on my trip to New York...
People thought this was:
gross. cliche. gross cliche.
you just sort of feel like you are trying to be cool by being there... even if you are cool... you will feel the opposite of cool when you walk into this joint.
People thought this was:
I do not like the whole hipster crowd and definitely do not enjoy most of the hipster bars that are around, yet still find myself sometimes attending them, where my friends and I stick out like sore thumbs and look more like rowdy frat guys. Oh well. Royal Oak is one of the few that I actually enjoy. I never have high hopes for it, which I guess makes me actually have a better time in retrospect. The music is usually pretty good and the drinks tend to be on the cheap side. I always tend to get wrecked here and ruin everybodys time that im with so it works for me.
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It's such a pretty bar, but sadly, that's about all.
Everytime I've gone I've been miserbaly disappointed, and ended up somewhere else down the street.
The most recent example was last Friday night. I'd heard that there was some dancing to be had at Royal Oak, so some friends and I went to check it out. The DJ was totally confused, playing a bunch of house music, and then throwing in a random Pixies song. I tried so hard to get with it, but just couldn't.
I'm taking it as a huge sign that every time I go, I end up leaving after 30 minutes. In fact, I don't think I've ever even finished an entire drink here.
(Also, the dirty, little secret is true: the girls are all in the bathroom throwing up.)
Boo, Royal Oak. Boo.
People thought this was:
Good to know, that after a few dreary years, Royal Oak is back on its game. Sure the space needs updating, but hard to grouse when slurping down the $7 house drink - The Bramble. A concoction of gin, blackberry brandy and more, this cocktail is not only a deal, it's tasty as hell. Fridays are fun for ever-so-slightly retro electro with plenty of dancing . . . and after one too many Brambles, retire to the excellent choice of reasonably priced beers on tap.
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heh. reviewing royal oak.... that's kind of like trying to review williamsburg circa 2008.
we'll give it a four since I've been here semi-regularly in such disparate periods of my time in new york to date and and since i've kissed so many different people here (or more specifically, such a high percentage of the relatively small number of people i've kissed). i always end up buying cigarettes when i stay here till closing, even though i don't smoke and you have to walk SO far to get them... and occasionally i get made fun of by girls. ah well. that's williamsburg.
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Best margarita of my life. hands down. The crowd tho? Seriously? Full of many many losers, its really too bad b/c the place is beautiful and seemingly underground, but hardly anyone of interest was there. I did enjoy talking to the bartenders about their attending of the Dark Knight drunk (which I would never dare) but hey, it was funny. Besides decor and atmosphere, the place isn't really worth a stop unless you are in B'burg and dying for the best margarita of your life.
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Welcome to the Hipster Haven that is Royal Oak. Last saturday I decided to hit this happening spot with a buddy of mine. The night started out with a bang. The L Train was completely shut down for an hour or more. Just as we were about to give up and go home a random German dude named Peter proposed we take a cab, as he was going to Williamsburg as well. This bar is completely hidden amongst the industrial ruins. That's Brooklyn for you I guess. Inside they were giving out free shots of absinthe which of course made the night that much better. The drinks were cheap and the music was incredible. Props to the DJ for an incredible mix of 90s and contemporary music. High marks for an awesome dance party with loads of cute hipster girls. The only downer of the night was that no green fairy appeared after the absinthe. Oh well.
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i've been here 3 times, but i only remember one of those visits. obviously, this is a good sign.
i think they have foosball, and i am pretty sure they make strong drinks.
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This is one of the most gorgeous bars I have ever seen in my life. Its cozy and dark and has huge booths and beautiful wallpaper and a giant dark-stained wood bar. Just lovely.
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Don't know why I hadn't been here before, but on a recent Friday night, ended up there quite late. Was impressed by its vastness! Really big space with lots of hidden dark nooks - actually the whole place is pretty dark. But not so dark that you don't notice that the interior is really quite pretty. Sort of old-school members only club meets hipster land. Really nice bartenders and people. Good place to go for a quiet, romantic drink if it's early, or a loud, non romantic drink later on.
People thought this was:
Cosy place with incredible fleur-des-lys faux wallpaper, good music (sometimes live, sometimes mariachi dj's from Harlem), and nice deals on drinks. The bar is just down the street from Union Picnic which makes for very handy snacking. The place used to be packed every night of the week until they got in trouble for no dance license (the idea that you need to have a license to let people dance makes me crazy...). Now it's more like a cosy down-home type of joint. The wallpaper makes it very good for party pictures, so bring your camera.
People thought this was:
I may or may not have found my new "Popscene." I've only been here once, but this place was definitely a highlight of my night in Brooklyn. In case you don't know, Popscene is a kick ass club in San Francisco (which I miss very much) that specializes in live indie music. Now, Royal Oak certainly doesn't specialize in Indie, but the vibe that the place gives reminds me of my nights in SF. The DJ that was there a few days ago didn't really stick to one genre of music; in the same night I danced to Lady GaGa, The Killers, Queen, Soft Cell, Chubby Checkers just to name a few. For some reason that night the bartender told me that the only mixed drink they had was their Bramble (the place's "signature drink"), which is this sugary, raspberry flavored drink with not nearly enough vodka. It's okay, though, that I was able to forget that I spent $7 on a practically non alcoholic drink and still have fun is a testament to how fun this place is. Definitely plan on coming back again.
A GREAT bar to go to if you are bringing along all of your friends -- really, this place could hold five hundred and still make fire code. It's huge! I was amazed, honestly. I went the other night early on, to discover it sort of dead but really nice all the same -- candles, velvet walls, nice music and a hot bartender. I went back later that night to find the back room blaring good music, wall-to-wall with drunken fun. I will be back.
People thought this was:
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