Royal Oak
594 Union Ave
(between Frost St & Richardson St)
Brooklyn, NY 11211 (718) 388-3884
- Nearest Transit:
Metropolitan Ave-Lorimer St (G, L)
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Music: DJ
- Best Nights: Fri, Sat
- Happy Hour: Yes
44 reviews
Neighborhood: Manhattan/SoHo
"Foodie heaven! I have a hard time finding anything with harissa spice on it and this place had the best harissa sole I have ever tasted.…" read more »
28 Reviews for Royal Oak
This place is made for the post-Oberlin/Tisch/Sarah Lawrence/Hampshire set. If you're a self-conscious, freshly minted Bburger, you'll probably convince yourself that it's awesome, and that everyone is really attractive. You'll be wrong.
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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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*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.
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The interior is elegant and cool, but that's about the only good thing I really have to say about the place. I only went there once, but I doubt I'll be back again. The staff is as bad as their reputation. I had an Italian ice in my hand and as I tried to enter the churlish bouncer said to me, "You ain't goin' in there with that," to which I replied, "Oh, well is there somewhere I can throw this out?" and he snorted, "Pshh, pshhh," and gave a look like, "What the fuck do I care?" They don't have anything to drink but the most mainstream beers and spirits. The music was very loud--very hard to start a conversation with anyone other than someone you already know sitting right beside you and even then you have to almost scream--and not very good. As far as the people there who you could only see and not talk to, 95% were either white hipster wannabes or black/latino new era cap and air force one sporting "thugs".
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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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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.
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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 don't know what night is what yet, there is no obvious party/DJ schedule and when I was there, the music selection did sound confused. The space is good and unlike Union Pool, there seems to be a much higher chance of a consistent dance party in the large back room. I've only been there on weekend nights, which is probably a mistake on my part. The crowd was trying hard to dance and many people were on the larger side for the neighborhood. I'll try again on weekday nights for more data points to give this review some validity.
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One time I had the worst nightmare ever. There were sirens going off in both of my ears and a disgusting floppy woman with a baby voice screaming and dancing badly on my eyes. This was worse. You can't talk to someone because it's so loud. You can't move around because there are too many dickwads trying to suck face. And you can't even get a $3 beer. Stay at home and bang your head against the wall, maybe punch yourself in the nuts if you were thinking about going here. Or if you're ready to drop some dough, go deaf, and feel stupider at the end of the night then go to Royal Oak.
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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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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.
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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.
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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.
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For prime Saturday night out time in Billyburg, Royal Oak wasn't too bad. There seemed to be a good mix of non-hipsters with the inevitable hipsters, so that was a nice change. The music was a bit on the old school side, but I happen to like that rubbish so it was good. I think coming with a group of friends is key, especially if you're not particularly down with hipsters or, oddly enough, frat boy types wearing button-down Banana Republic-ish shirts a la the Wall Street waterholes. I don't know if it was an off night, but it was a little odd and definitely not what I was expecting. I'd go back a couple more times to make sure it's not a weird Saturday of a holiday weekend anomaly.
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.
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I was really fucking drunk and could not find the bathroom. I stumbled into the back room where a bunch of bearded tools were drawing pictures of some naked woman. I guess Wed. nights are "Drink and Draw." Well, okay.
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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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I've been going to Royal Oak for over a year now. Good looks. Beautiful people. Best bartenders around. Balls out DJs. Love Brigade and Tinypants throw a really fun house party style dance thing on the 2nd Saturday of every month. RECOMMENDED!
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Everything here was... fake. People trying too hard to be "hipsters" ... even the bottles were plastic. Maybe the spot is hoppin' early in the night, but not so much late night. I will say that the booths were comfy though.
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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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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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BRAMBLE. Need I say more? Best drink ever! Even though it kills me the day after. Always a fun place if you're in a good mood and want to get silly and maybe dance a little. Although, their DJs could use some record-shopping tips. Was that too harsh? Good bar atmosphere - love the wallpaper and the darkness. Also, a great place to host a small party, because they have two rooms that have plenty of seating and privacy for big groups. Thank you for the seating!
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first saturday of the month they've got the best all-out goofy-booty-shake fest dj. it's a fun party. plus i love all the space in the bar. good places to chat up front and nice and roomy in the back for making out or dancing or whatever.
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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.
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Huge. I hadn't been to Williamsburg in a while and walking into Royal Oak, the massive size of the bar is what immediately struck me. True, it was a bit early in the night so the emptiness made it bigger but still... it's large, which is a refreshing change from the sardine-in-a-can feeling you get at a lot of other bars in the city. I wasn't paying attention to the music so much but I vaguely remember liking it -- they have a foosball table and you didn't even have to pay quarters so I may or may not have mostly spent my night playing foosball. Also, it's huge. Oh yeah, and the super-powerful AC was awesome for an AC-less apt. dweller like myself.
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The most beautiful bar I've been to in Brooklyn. You can tell the painstaking detail that went into designing it. The wood paneling is gorgeous and the place is so cozy and inviting--you just want to stay there forever. If that weren't enough, sometimes they have great local bands play in the back room. Awesome place.
i really enjoyed this place. me and my friends went there to dance and dance we did. the atmosphere was great and the dj was spinning motown, which was great to dance to.
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