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Wed., Fri-Sat. 8:00 p.m. - 4:00 a.m.
Walking around Red Hook, I get the strange pre-epiphonic feeling of a Pynchon novel (especially walking past the Waste Nought store), where everything seems infused with cryptic meaning. The neighborhood's nighttime character has something insidious and Wasteland-ish, but also playful and absurd, like a video game of Who Framed Roger Rabbit, complete with shadowy figures smoking in foggy alleys...
That said, Sunny's is a magical oasis of maritime love. Everything about the place, like most everything about Red Hook, has a sightly askew, boozy, water-warped feel that makes me love it all the more: the hardwood floors slant down toward the bar; the springs and stuffings inside the booths splay out in all directions; the back room is junk-full of ropes and old crates of beer from the once-functional kitchen. Nautical artwork is everywhere you look (some of it by Sunny hisself) - even the bartender has a kindly merman charm. Maybe it's the bourbon talking, but it's hard to leave Sunny's without falling in love: be it with the bar itself, the neighborhood, the amazing Wednesday night band or the Saturday bluegrass sessions. I even love the soap in the bathroom.
If you can't stomach the trek out here, then stay in Park Slope! It's off-the-grid-ness is part of the charming reward of the place; it wouldn't be such an oasis if it were easy to access, or open normal hours. I am going to come right out and say that this is my favorite bar in all the land. I can't imagine a more perfect evening than heading to Sunny's before sundown with a handsome man, sticking around for the Western swing, then riding through the rain on the back of a bicycle over to Bait & Tackle for a beer and a pork sandwich from the Ice House next door. Swoon.
Bluegrass, Budweiser & Brooklyn - my 3 favorite B's. This is the kind of bar that other bars should kneel down to. A place where you can really relax and drink BEER - you know - the kind that comes in bottles with red labels that say 'Budweiser'. The bluegrass jam sessions are awesome. I think I'm going to bring a mandolin next time I head down there...
Freddy's, you see, is just the second-greatest bar in Brooklyn.
I think Sunny's is the best bar in the world. It's at its best on a cold night, when there are fewer patrons of the noisome variety. Still, the location discourages cab warriors, which is good. Because people who have traveled a long way to be somewhere often feel obliged to be, or worse, to make, a scene.
It's in a beautiful space, and it's been allowed to age attractively. And once in a while, you might get a stiff drink in a teacup because that's closest at hand.
I always feel like I walk back in time when I drink at Sunny's. I love the art work and the warm lights. The live music is good. I wish I had seen Black Velvet but I was out of town. The drinks are good and Tim Sultan, one of the bartenders, is a cool dude.
Sunny's is the bar that you wish existed closer to you, or at least closer to the subway. Only problem is, if that were the case, it wouldn't exist at all.
WHOA!!!!!! Did I just blow your mind with my crazy philosophizing or WHAT??
Seriously, though---the reality is that Sunny's would never be the magical place that it is were it more easily accessible to the masses, and those willing to make the trek from the F train or--gasp!--get on a bus are rewarded for it.
Like everyone else has said, walking into Sunny's is like walking into a bar in another time, in another city. The walls are covered with string lights, old photos, nautical-themed items and assorted bric-a-brac--and I don't mean carefully-curated-at-the-Chelsea-Flea-Market bric-a-brac a la Rusty Knot, but bric-a-brac that's actually accumulated over decades. Our favorite pieces were a set of foot-high dolls made in the likeness of old famous people, like Mark Twain, Humphrey Bogart and Louis Armstrong. Creepy, but creepy-cool, not creepy-get-me-out-of-here.
The crowd is laid back, demographically varied and thankfully not achingly hip. Drinks are affordable and strong, and in the back room anyone with an instrument can join the bluegrass jamboree! We saw about 3 guitars, an accordion, a piano, a mandolin and a drum set, as well as several instruments I couldn't name. How does everyone know the words? The whole scene is just spectacular, and unlike any experience you'll have at any other bar, anywhere. Trust me, it's worth the trip!
First off I have to say that to get to this place you practically have to be air lifted over there!! If you look on the map, it is literally at the end of the street, right at the water in Red Hook. But once there, it is cozy enough to be worth the trip. Reasonably priced drinks, friendly bartender, strangely earthy vibe, and live music. A bit too hipster-ish for my taste, but I would certainly go back if ever in the area again.
There is plenty of parking for your bike, and I suggest riding to get out here as it is difficult almost any other way but cab.
No bar can compete with the experience that a night at Sunny's provides.
The unique space has at least 4 areas for drinking and revelry. The room where you walk in has bar stools and tables which are private yet in the mix. The younger people generally hang out to the front and at the tables, while the 10+ year regulars take the rear of the bar. The best way to characterize the clientèle is that they look like The Band when they had 12 members and Dylan joined in and stuff.
The second room is an abandoned kitchen with a long table to sit at and get in the way of people going to the rear music room. The adjacent outside area has benches, tables for smoking and windows to the inside so you don't miss any action. A common theme: even the outside feels private, yet inclusive.
The back room is a pick-up game of bluegrass. It is the guarded jewel of Red Hook's wharf. Inside are mostly musicians, and when the area gets popular enough everyone in the back room is playing an instrument of some sorts. Last time I went, a man was playing the aluminum can with a fly swatter - he was pretty good at it too! Here, they play for themselves and I'm sure they'd be happy for you to join in too.
On a fortunate night, you may be witness to a party boat docking, with clusters of tuxedos and beautiful dresses floating inside Sunny's. You are truly transported back, with a juxtoposition of the golden age.
Have I said too much? Is the secret out? The trek to Sunny's is a filter for their patronage. I would not recommend the fearful walking from the distant subway, east of Van Brunt can get a little too quiet... It's out of the way and will always be more neighborhood than tourist. I don't see velvet ropes blocking the entrance anytime soon.
One of my favorite bars in history. See you again, Sunny.
Places like this seem like they don't exist in NYC anymore, when every week you seem to lose another favorite bar or restaurant to another chain store or over-priced boutique that sells like, 5 useless items. And yet, here, at the end of a desolate block in one of the furthest points west that you can reach in Brooklyn, it exists. And it's wonderful.
It also has more character in one antique, unused cash register that sits by it's lonesome at the end of the bar than just about every single bar in Brooklyn combined. This is the type of place that you could never get tired of looking at...it seems like there would always be something "new" to catch your eye, every time you went. And by new I mean something that's probably been in this bar longer than you've been alive.
It's also a great bar to get drunk in...I could picture myself as a regular here, getting sloshingly drunk at the bar, telling my life's secrets and woes to the bartender who I've now befriended because I've probably stopped in here every day after work for a drink or two...if only I lived in the neighborhood. And even though I don't, you can be sure that I'll make my way back here in very near future.
Oh and the space is massive, the bartenders are warm and friendly and it was one of the most interesting crowds I've been a part of in a long time. Lovely.
Went to Sunny's last night to see the western swing band they sometimes have on Wednesdays. They were terrific - but why am I always the only one dancing?!
Sunny's is the reason I don't want to live anywhere other than Brooklyn. It's tucked away on a back street, open only a few days a week at Sunny's whim. Longshoremen, bohemians, the odd dog - everyone congregates in this sepia-toned space, where time seems to stand still. It's my notion of a perfect bar: completely un-sceney but full of charm and character; never too crowded but filled with friendly Red Hook regulars. Friends of the management have their birthday parties here on nights when the bar's closed to the public.
There's a little porch for smoking and old-fashioned bathrooms. We spent last night sipping PBR and chatting with old friends and new; when the band went off, my boyfriend and I played along to the 20's soundtrack on an old upright in the back room, improvising jazz parts for four hands. No one minded. It's that kind of place. So special - so Red Hook - so Brooklyn!
They had a killer jazz band playing the night we were there (Wed) and the place was packed. The bar is really small so they had to squeeze the band into the back corner but believe me it worked.
Sunny himself welcomed us and made sure we had a good Italian beer when we arrived. Remember to either drive down or be ready to take a car back at the end of the night (no cabs). Great place, can't wait to go back next time I'm in Brooklyn. Thanks Sunny and Bill!
I'm getting teary thinking about all of the times I went to Sunny's.
One time, the husband and I walked down there, got some drinks, settled down in the back room, and within 30 minutes, a bluegrass jam session had materialized around us. Four mandolins, a bunch of guitars, bass, accordion, and probably some more that I'm not remembering, and we got to sit there and soak up what was essentially a private concert.
Then there was the time the husband and I walked in, Sunny gave my husband a full-on kiss, served him a gin and tonic, turned to his bartender, and said, "What am I charging for my top-shelf liquor these days?"
Then there was the time the future husband and I walked in, had a couple of drinks, and watched a spectacular storm roll in over the water. There was a band playing "Dark as a Dungeon," and there had just been news of a mine cave-in somewhere in West Virginia, and the husband got all teary-eyed, as did I.
Then there was our last night in town, when all of our friends made the trek out to celebrate with us, even though for some it was out of the way. Every time, this place is about as perfect as a bar can get. My heart hurts that it's no longer a walk away.
Hix:
Sunny began hosting people in his living room over 2 decades ago and has been going strong since. You know the party where is seems like your guests will never leave, well this ACTUALLY happened. He is such the consummate host that he put in a bar...then he opened up his kitchen and developed a 'chit sheet' system of payment (although last i heard this was dead) so that he could get around the legalities for a liquor license - fantastic place and thank god there is no train that goes within miles - cause it does not need any more people.....
*shakes fist* you kids get off my lawn
Sunny's isn't just a quaint little fisherman's bar in the Redhook section of Brooklyn, it's an original fisherman's bar in the Redhook section of Brooklyn. When Brooklyn had fish... Fish you could eat.
This place ain't pastiche and kitsch, no fabrication for the newly relocated hipsters, this is the real f-in deal. Sunny is the long haired guy behind the bar and he serves the drinks. It's his real name and he is cool to tell you about the bar, if you ask him. It's real old as are the murals on the wall.
The truth is, the greatest thing about Sunny's is that it just is what it is. It isn't trying at all to impress. It's a place where regulars sit by the bar and their huge grey dog, eyes you with mild suspicion, booths are filled with the kind of people you would love to have as friends, and the music playing from an undisclosed juke plays music you haven't heard in a while.
It's got that homey feel that only really old bars posses, booths provide an invaluable oasis for good conversation, and all conversations run long. If I was to pick a nightcap bar in NYC, this would be it. Only problem, it's far away from just about every mode of transportation in the metropolitan area... unless you have a boat... then it's really close.
TIP: Sonny's haas strange hours - Call ahead :)
Am I in New York??
Fun isolated bar with live bluegrass if you ever wanna trek to Red Hook.
See Ben's review; it's quite accurate.
This fantastic bar occasionally features live bluegrass music provided by a group of talented and adorable men. oh sunny's musicians, won't you be my valentines?
its open Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Which is why Wednesday night is when my household goes to Fairway and then to this bar.
If you don't love this bar, then you probably should move back to Long Island and crack open a cold one at the Olive Garden.
I'm a cooler person for having gone here.
Sunny's is a consistently good bar. Nice people, nice vibe and it deserves the compliments. It's nice to see that a simple down to earth bar is rated higher than bars that have had big budget make-overs.. but don't rush to Sunny's if that's what you're expecting.. It's just a simple local bar with a good vibe.
so what if it smells like the inside of a purse filled with armpits, sunny's is dope. red hook may be one of those areas locals moan about in a deauthentic transition (ikea! gasp), but this place still feels secret, inviting, and filled with people that can hold conversations about art and life.
next time someone says "your mom hangs out at dockside bars", say "thank you" before stabbing them.
I used to go here alot about four (five?) years ago, but haven't been in a while, and now wonder if it's still the David Lynchian fantasy bar I loved then. I guess more people have moved to the 'hood, what with bakeries and Fairway now a destination. Before they cleaned up the park across the street it always seemed like you were riding in a car service to the end of the world, stumbling on some forgotten chapter in a Hubert Selby Jr. novel, complete with humungous dead piers, steel towers of nothing, kudzu-encrusted Time Warner satellite dishes down the street, wet cobblestones, and all that romantic dead maritime crapola. God bless.
this is one of the best bars i've been to. The drinks are strong and not expensive. I enjoyed the music as well...all the different instruments make for a very interesting sound. I think its worth the trip.
This makes me a bad Yelper but I'll go ahead and admit that I PURPOSELY did not review Sunny's because I wanted it to keep it to myself. Looks like the word is out so I'll chime in...simply put this is how drinking is done people. Give me a Bud, and a shot of Jameson's, on one of the days that Sunny decides to open shop early, and chat with the mish-mosh of neighborhood folks....there is no better way to spend the day. Not a destination for velvet ropers or fancy cocktailians but hey, that's pretty much why I go in the first place.
I just have to say, Sunny's is a magical place. It's like entering another zone or universe that exists somewhere in Brooklyn's past or distant future, alright I 'll stop with the mystical shit. I just can't quite explain the evenings spent there. For one thing, it's super friendly. You get the feeling with whoever happens to be in the bar when your there, that your all in this together or your here for the long hall. This is probably due to the fact that Sunny's is not that easy to get to at least without a car. The nearest subway stop is quite a hike but well worth it. It's old and has an amazing sordid history and Sunny himself can tell you many tales. Oh and Sunny is a beautiful man. You just have to go there to really understand.
I love Sunny's. It seems to be changing in terms of the people who frequent it. I'm a bit sad about that, but that always happens in NYC. It seems to have "caught on" which is both good and bad. I love the music and the crooked atmosphere and the light of Red Hook.
one of the last great bastions of bars in new york city, sunny's has a time-warp feel and is one of the most relaxing places to get a drink. there is often live music from talented people and the fellow patrons you meet are nearly guaranteed to be people you'd enjoy talking to.
the owners are lovely people, sweet and eager to conversate.
this place is light years away from the clangor of brooklyn's many generic bars with their pricey, stupidly-named cocktails and louche barflies talking too loudly.
hooha! tip the furry bartender well.
Awesome neighborhood bar. Decent and reasonably priced (for NY) beer selection, great music in the front (some obscure soul/motown was playing when I was there), and informal live bluegrass in the back area which is more like a side room at a cafe than a music venue stage but still very cool.
i'm glad to see sunny's rated in the top five bars in new york. this place is a gem! awesome atmosphere, interesting characters, friendly staff and reasonable priced drinks make it a top spot. sadly its a little out of the way.. but despite that - it's worth the journey! five stars!
This place sets the bar for coolness in brooklyn without even trying. This is the real red hook, way out there on the newly revitalized waterfront. stop by and plop down some hard earned cash at this place, they deserve it!
hellhole
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