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Metropolitan Ave-Lorimer St (G, L)
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Sweet lord, why didn't I go here earlier? My maiden voyage was last night (a Monday!) and I had one of the best nights of my life. At first, I was wary of a douchey hipster vibe, but everyone was so attractive and friendly, I quickly dropped my preconceived notions and just soaked up the boozy atmosphere. The outdoor patio wasn't crowded, so my roommate and I scored some sweet chaise lounges, which were promptly surrounded by chatty strangers -- who became our best friends by the end of the night. (Seriously, we're on the same bowling team now.)
The taco truck served up sumptuous snacks to line our stomachs -- and eating the bits of tomatoe that spilled onto our laps was just part of the fun. Overall -- great crowd, good eats, cheap drinks and you can SMOKE IN PEACE. I found my new neighborhood bar!
If the court will allow it, I'll proceed to curmudgeon for a moment:
This place gets worse and worse as I get older. There are too many f'n people in here, all the time, so if you're not with a big group / looking to bang you ought go elsewhere.
Last time I was there, oh, a month or two ago, my buddy and I looked around (outdoors, in the back) and realized everyone around us was about five feet tall. There were hundreds of people in the crowd and I could see clear across the place. Could've sworn I spotted a miniaturized Jeremy Piven. It made me feel funny, so we left. That's my story.
But look its not their fault, necessarily, particularly about everyone being short-statured. Its just a young crowd. Not an upsetting crowd, but young. You will meet people if you go here, which is good or bad depending on mood.
Oh, update: if you live in Williamsburg odds are you will end up making out with someone in the photobooth. Its worth it to say you've done it. The booth stole my thunder by printing a blank piece of paper where photos should have been, but, whatever, that's happened now and I'm not worse off for it. Can we go home now?
People thought this was:
Met some friends here for some PBR and small talk. There's a huge patio area that was filled with cigarette smokers. I wish I knew about this place when I smoked. There's a cool taco truck in the outside area- I didn't try the food but the people eating looked happy. It might have been better if there was something to do. Pool/Music/Darts.....entertainment would be nice.
Had a couple of beers and walked out spending 11$ I love the pabst option!
I'm shifting between 3 and 4 stars. I'll go with 4.
-- -- -- -- --
It's a very fun bar filled with lots of fun people and lots of eye candy. The bartenders are hit or miss in service. I found a great one whose name I wish I remembered for shoutout purposes, but I don't.
I definitely recommend experiencing this bar at least once. Be prepared for a really fun night. It's known for some "things", but it doesn't have to be that way. It's definitely what you make of it.
Also, it's got an awesome bonfire pit in the back that just adds to the overall awesome experience.
-- --
Go! You'll see.
People thought this was:
Forget about the millions of people in here, forget that its filled with hipsters. It doesent matter. Its the staff who you will hate in this place, from the bartenders down to the security. Yeah they have an annoying drunk crowd to deal with but, everytime I've been here its always a problem I dont know if its a race or culture thing, If someone mentions this place I say absolutly not, unless you want to start a brawl. This place is not cool. The straight ignorent shit I've heard out of the bartenders and security mouths, asking me for a tip and put your hand out after they've handed my money back, thats after you skip over me and all of my friends over and over again , I almost lost my mind in this place, never has anyone asked me something like that, what latinos dont tip, security follows you around, you can't even enjoy yourself.
I fear getting an STD merely by walking near this place, let alone going in.
I think the bar would be great if it wasn't so crowded with young hipsters. The outdoor section is huge and really nice.
The size of this bar allows the scenery to fill up the horizon. The women here don't necessarily conform to the waif hipster type that predominates farther west, around the Bedford L stop. I see this as a good thing.
There's something in the air at this place. Everyone is eying everyone else and you're just as likely to strike up a conversation in the bathroom line as you are while waiting for your taco.
The bouncers will even let you go find your conversation partner to inform them you're being asked to leave, if you ask them politely.
People thought this was:
Been twice, once at peak hours on one of the last warm (ish) Sat. nights of summer and once last Sat. in the middle of the afternoon (ahem). Loved it! Especially being from Portland, I felt right at home. So yes, quite hipster, but not in an annoying way (if you can believe that). No, somehow, it manages to walk that line and lean on the side of awesome--maybe it's the 2 PBRs for $5, or the BEST bloody mary of my entire life EVER, or maybe just that everyone was really really friendly, even in a crazy crush of people! Thumbs up!
This is where Williamsburg's finest flock to any night of the week. Go to http://www.latfh.com, and you'll know what I mean.
That's it.
People thought this was:
Oh shiznit.
A bar that has a built in taco truck waiting to fill you up with yummies in the outdoor area... too good to be true!!!
I couldn't have felt more my age at this place. Whiskey and sodas, grinding on the dance floor, making out in the photobooth. Ooooh, yes. And at the end of the rainbow, there were fucking tacos.
Best of all, while I was ordering my fifth little Mexican treat a bouncer tapped me on the shoulder and asked me if I had a boyfriend named ----.
"Uhhhh, yeah!" I replied excitedly, wasted as all hell in mid-inhale of my vegetarian taco.
"Well, he's been kicked out, I'll walk you to the exit." He stated.
Awesome! Talk about excellent service!
I would've been stumbling around drunkenly asking people if they were my boyfriend if the security guard didn't escort me personally back to my crazy boo.
I fucking love this place.
People thought this was:
Their taco truck is fueled by Satan, they play old timey music (sometimes) in the back room, bar service is decent (and slow at other times.... like REALLY slow) and they have a HUGE outdoor area.
It's a solid 3. Preferred over yuppie-filled establishments but I've certainly been overwhelmed elsewhere. Just call me lukewarm.
People thought this was:
Union pool is a great bar...but there are just too many people. Getting a drink can be a chore. Part of what makes this bar cool is all the different folks u get to meet...but when you can barely move or dance because of it...kind of lame. if you can catch it at a time when its not over filled...five stars!
People thought this was:
If quantity and not quality is your thing - that is, in terms of who you go home with - this is your kind of place.
Look...you know what kind of crowd hangs out in Williamsburg....so logically if the hipster/indie scene is not your bag don't come to this bar and if you do don't whine about the crowd.
Now me personally I would rather be at this bar then in manhattan with a bunch of yuppies and bridge and tunnel types. Great beer selection, a fucking kick ass taco truck in the back, fire pit on cold nights, great music selection, fun people who get your semi trivial quotes, and usually a band or dj in the backroom. My favorite bar when I was living in NYC, I miss it. Call me a hipster if you want, but I am what I am and like my life and my favorite bar.
People thought this was:
I read a review about a RODNEY, twisting a girls arm and throwing them out.
The same experience I had on my birthday, long grey haired fellow grabbed a friend of mine for no reason, when someone stepped in he took her and put her arms behind her back and escorted her out.
I went to the bar to ask for a manager and they said to send an e-mail.
NOTE TO BAR...fire the douchebag older guy who is a bar-back!
People thought this was:
Going to Union Pool is a hipster rite of passage. It must be done. Maybe it's the photobooth, the taco stand, or the most vile and disgusting bathrooms I have ever witnessed (and the line is ages long). It's a cool place, but it's not all that it's hyped up to be. I think the only time I've ever had fun here was on Halloween and it was because when dressed in costume, and this crowd is generally more interesting than the mainstream. It was fun to see some of the ridiculous get-ups, speak to an Olsen twin, try to steal a sombrero, and laugh at the DJ who was having some issues with his Macbook that evening.
The bartenders can have an attitude and drink are not cheap...I think 2 PBRs are close to $10? I'll never forget when I gave the bartender a $50 and he gave me $10 change. I literally had a 5 minute discussion trying to get my change back. Maybe he was confused because 1) he can't do math or 2) true hipsters usually live paycheck to paycheck. There goes my street cred.
People thought this was:
Taco truck - Meh, I've had much better.
Bartenders - Dismissive and rude. Unnecessary.
Drinks - OK, but a little pricey.
The outside deck is nice and that is why there is a second star.
People thought this was:
ok. They have a taco cart in the backyard. Need I say more?
Really I needn't, but I shall nonetheless...
Lets just say that I have frequented this dingy, dark establishment several times, mostly after stumbling off the L at 1:30 AM several drinks in and no where to go but down.
I've met everyone here from 22-year-old starving mixed-media artists, to 43 year-old Long island divorcées- and even one madras wearing kid who claimed to be named Bobby Kennedy.
And for all these reasons, I love union pool. Yes it is extremely raw. Yes, it is extremely crowded, and yes, you should not go there if you want to do more with your night then drink $2 beers at the bar. But, if you have a special love for sweaty hipsters and cheap drinks in the wee hours of the morning, then by all means, go go go.
However, beware. The low price of drinks might lead to high levels of drunken ridiculousness. Last time I was here I met a Chilean man in the bathroom (co-ed by the way) who asked to borrow my eyeliner. (hmm, yes) So after talking to him for 5 min I asked if he would give me a ride to hell's kitchen. Yes, I got into the car of an eyeliner-wearing, six foot three, ssssstranger. And oddly enough, I did not end up dead in a gutter somewhere, but made it safely to my friends apt by 2 AM. The next morning I woke up slightly dazed, with visions of Ted Bundy drifting through my head.
Sooo, the moral is: Enjoy Union Pool. Enjoy the bevy of cheap alcohol, the taco truck, and the dual sex bathrooms- but, do not accept rides home from large foreign men, no matter how harmless their use of eyeliner may make them seem...
People thought this was:
Extremely rude door man. I do enjoy the back patio of this bar, but it's not worth the hassle of the tough guys doorman.
Wonder why everyone else in the world thinks Williamsburg is a joke? Well go to this bar on a Friday or Saturday night. Sure, the taco truck is awesome, but to get to it you'll have to wade through a sea of some of the most ridiculous-looking trustafarians you've ever witnessed in your life--seriously there must be a sewer grate someone left open next door to this place where these monsters can catch a waft of PBR.
In other words if you feel like mingling with the silt at the bottom of the gene pool, have a blast--but if you're looking for a bar in the area with character I'd suggest Brooklyn Ale House, the Levee or anywhere else that doesn't play music by Dan Deacon and Animal Collective. Ugh.
People thought this was:
oh, union pool...you're starting to grow on me.
you're still a meat market, and the bartenders don't put enough liquor in my gin sprites...but during the week, you aren't a horrible place to be.
guess UP is a grower and not a shower.
the patio is the best in williamsburg.
the drinks are decent.
the dancing is pretty good, actually.
the…
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I'm semi-surprised this place hasn't been shut down by the health dept. Their bathrooms are the roughest and smelliest I have come across in quite some time. It smells like rot (as someone mentioned earlier) and I have walked in twice to people having sex- not even in the bathroom stall but in the hallway! Union Pool is really dirty. The other annoying thing is most of the bartenders are total, total assholes. I remember half of them from when I lived in Boston. Just a bunch of unfriendly fucks. There's a girl that works there that is really sweet- she is totally out of place.
$3 Yuengling is nice on the patio in the back if you get there super early before any gross people arrive, and that taco truck makes awesome guacamole. I feel bad for them they are stuck in the back of yucky Union Pool.
People thought this was:
I usually don't make plans to come here, but whenever I end up here, something noteworthy always happens. So, for that, you get 4 stars, U.P.
Sure, you got the creeps. But you also get some innocent well-rounded conversations. Sure, you regrettably end up going home with strangers. But you also bump into people you do know, which is nice.
It's a place to hang with friends and it's a place to hang with people who will never be your friends.
People thought this was:
Don't like the taco bar? Not digging the fire pit? Go crawl in a hole and die. I l'd like to see yourself come up with a better concept.
Grilled corn- smothered in mayo, and funking red cheesy spices? Cheap PBRs? This is best place to spend your non-recession proof dollars. Screw the nice places.
It's true, it does smell like fart. However, the fart is a great reason to come here. It's from the taco truck in the back. There should be a fart indicator. The stinkier this shit, the better the bar.
If you're dude, good luck. If you're chick, get the fuck out of here
People thought this was:
It really comes down to what you are into. (who knew?) If you dig raw dives, tight jeans, deep v-necks and chest hair, you are home. If the notion of filthy bathrooms and eccentric hipsters makes you squirm...not sure what in the mother you are doing here in the first place.
To all you fratty boys out there: this place will totally threaten your insecure sense of masculinity.
This place is what it is and it's fucking fun, and a great neighborhood bar. Yeah it gets crowded on the weekend, that's what happens. The best nights are early, middle of the week to sit out back have some tacos that rule and some good strong drinks.
Eh, I've been to worse, I've been to better. When we got there it was still fairly early so it wasn't too crowded yet. They offer a wide range of not particularly good beer including a $5 Presidente (What?! $5?!), but a lot of the other not-so-good beer like PBR and Yuengling are reasonably priced. There is an outdoor space which gets ridiculously crowded at night. Conveniently this outdoor space is home to a taco truck so if you feel that you need some food to balance out all of the not-so-good beer you drank, you can get some decent tacos for a few bucks a piece.
People thought this was:
9 dollars for a makers on the rocks... you've gotta be joking. I have been to more expensive places in NYC and gotten this drink for less. Maybe if I was there for meat-market-ing I would not mind as much but jeeeez.
People thought this was:
Alright.... this is where you go to crazy hipster dance.
We all love to do it.. but no one will…
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The beer selection here is middling, a bit overpriced, and the bar gets way too crowded. Out on the patio, its nice to sit around the fire with some tacos from the truck. I got annoyed by all the hipsters, milling about in their tight pants and awful haircuts, drinking PBR ironically & expressing contempt for everything which is not as cool as thou. But, this is Brooklyn, so there's not much I could do about the situation, except feel superior in my own way by having contempt for their false sense of superiority.
As for the music area, its a bit cramped, no larger than your average dive bar--I saw Akron/Family here last night and a band like that could do for some additional room to groove. To call it an "intimate venue" would be generous. I would, however, probably come here again to see a show.
People thought this was:
After almost 3 years of living in this hood, I still can't feel this place. My roomie on the other hand, loves it here and tends to drag me here from time to time. He loves it while I'm eh and I heart Macri nearby which he feels is eh. To each their own, I guess.
Each time I come here I smell FART. Yeah, that's one of the reasons I don't care for this spot and that the bartenders are snobbish. My roomie digs their asshole-ish vibe where I don't. I like neighborhood bartenders who remember the locals. I'm not a freaking BT-er passing through, I live here. So a little common courtesy and a little less 'tude please especially when I had a conversation with you the previous week. The bouncers on the other hand are surprisingly friendly and don't have fatty attie's even when the line is wrapped around the corner.
Best thing about this place is the taco truck in the back. That's why I return here. Those tacos are pretty awesome.
I hate it but I know I'll come in here eventually via dragged by my drunken roomie. Thank goodness for those tacos. Mmmm. . .
Smell you later UP.
People thought this was:
I'm not a big an of hipsters or being around hipsters, but I must say Union Pool is a great find. The bartenders are attentive, especially the cute rockabilly chick. The drinks are strong, and you'll have a good time. The music is great, the ambiance is lovely. They have a spacious patio where even the taco truck looks fitting.
The bald tattooed doorman is rude and disrespectful. He won't even let you take TEN seconds to get your umbrella out before stepping out into the rain. Instead he'll scream at you to get out of the way. But ignore the ego trip and you're bound to have a great time!!!
People thought this was:
call it what you will. the night was flowing. i rather be around a bunch of "hipsters" than a crowd of yuppie dingbats. it was a Tuesday and i danced, drank, loved, ate a second dinner ( delicious vegetarian tacos) and saw a band play. in which i had no idea were even playing until half way through the evening. surprise! i had fun at union pool. also, the joy of conversational comics, a speaker series sponsored by the comic book legal defense fund on some Saturday afternoons is awesome!!
People thought this was:
Uh oh, somebody call the wahmbulance.
Personally I don't let the appearances of surrounding strangers dictate whether I'm going to enjoy myself on any given night so I find it funny that so many of these reviews complain about Union Pool featuring too many "hipsters". It's fucking Williamsburg, you didn't get the memo? This has been the stomping grounds of goofy looking white kids kicking awkward game since the late 90s. Were you expecting Park Slope when you got off at Metro-Lorimer?
Anyways, yeah it does get pretty crowded, and by no means is it a "destination spot" but the back patio is great if you're looking for a night cap
People thought this was:
Ugh.
Best word to describe the overrated bar that I have been excited to go to since moving to Williamsburg. We arrived Friday night around 11, and the bar was packed with pretentious scenesters. I have heard from friends that I must have gone on an off night, but I was not digging the overall environment and crowd. Case in point: in my love for eavesdropping, I overheard a group of three sitting at the bar saying this:
Female scenester 1: "Who wants to go to brunch with me tomorrow?"
Male scenester 2: "I don't dooo brunch, I maakkkkeee brunch."
Give me an f-ing break. I was sickened with disgust. If you don't like brunch, you have business being in the same bar as me.
People thought this was:
i have no use for this place. i went for a party in the back room and it was ok, but the overall vibe of union pool left me feeling unamused, a little nauseated and ready to leave and never come back! i felt like i was at a local bar next to a college campus...the "too cool for school" vibe was not on par with the people actually there. taco truck...cool, whatever. music in the front room, annoying. the outdoor seating space, fine, i'll give it that.
i came, i saw, i left, i won't go back.
I never go here at night, so I can't really say much about that. But for a late afternoon beer in the Spring or Summer, the outdoor area is the best (and only two blocks from my house, so there's that).
Have a taco, grab a picnic table and enjoy.
I love Union Pool. My favorite home away from home on Mondays, Thursdays and Sundays since 2001. (Loud, packed Fridays and Saturdays at your own risk!)
Have made and developed many a friendship over the years here. Times will change and this former swimming-pool factory has evolved to feed/entertain/accommodate bigger crowds outdoors and in the back room, but the value of hearing great music, meeting interesting people and having the bartender hand you your regular drink without asking cannot be measured.
Yes, there are tons of hipsters, but it's Brooklyn. Apparently lots of hipsters drink in and around Williamsburg. Some even live there. Oh well. I personally enjoy seeing the latest and trendiest flannel.
Great space. Inside, a little dark, a little dreary, but good music. Outside = just a nice, chill place to hang out.
One thing, (and this may have been answered in a previous post), but when is that Taco Truck open? I stopped by twice in the night and nothing! What a tease. Boo.
So, the staff was fine, you can buy a case of PBR which is total hoot, and at 4am we were all unceremoniously kicked to the curb as we ought to have been.
People thought this was:
Can always find a crowd there.
Taco truck out back.
Cool outside area.
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