The Best Dive Bars in Brooklyn
Irene’s Place
623 Manhattan Avenue, Greenpoint
One of two Polish-owned bars in Greenpoint that serve up homemade jello shots out of Rubbermaid bins, Irene’s is more bare bones than its sister bar, Capri Social Club. (Both places, however, have made a place for Lou Bega’s album on their jukeboxes, which is something to consider.) It’s also a bigger departure from the surrounding businesses on Manhattan Avenue—Tørst this ain’t. No, the beer selection here is as sparse as it is cheap—Brooklyn Lager, Yuengling, and Bud are pretty much it—but if you manage to stake out a table or a seat at the bar, this is the kind of place that invites posting up for the whole night, whiling away the hours and watching old locals dance with chairs (more common than you’d think) to the Polish disco selection that dominates the jukebox. It’s also just right as a place to pop in and not be bothered while you kill time before your plans for the evening (or psych yourself up for a date). There are a lot of bars we love in Greenpoint, but none of them are quite like Irene’s.