Brooklyn Beer Bar Guide: Sycamore Flower Shop And Bar
All neighborhoods have their own hidden gems, the little coffee shops that let you sit for hours nursing a single mug of pour-over, or the bookstore tucked away on a residential street with ample comfy chairs and a very lenient browsing policy. Or, maybe a corner flower shop, dark but comforting, like something out of a dimly-lit romantic comedy, that just happens to turn into a bar after hours. This is the beauty of Sycamore Flower Shop and Bar in Flatbush. Check out why we love it after the jump:
Number of Taps: They have a great selection of eight beers on tap, that rotate frequently. The lineup stays on the right side of accessible — if you’re a craft beer nerd, you’ll find something that you like, but the list won’t scare that somebody who has just graduated from Miller Lite to the occasional Goose Island. I had Great South Bay’s Blood Orange IPA the last time I was there, which was something I hadn’t seen anywhere else, and was bright, summery and cheap at $5 a pint. If you prefer your drinks on the stronger side, they have a nice selection of whiskeys, bourbons and cognacs.
Vibes: What a lovely place to have a drink on a sunny afternoon! If I lived in the neighborhood, this would be my spot. The backyard is nice and spacious, the perfect place for sitting alone, reading a book and sipping a beer. The scent of the flower shop up front permeates the whole place, but it’s nice and cozy. Here’s a tip: They’ll sell you a beer and a bouquet for $10, so all you would-be lotharios out there can use that little trick to your advantage.
Seating: Seating, honestly, is kind of sparse. There’s a long bar, and a few tables in the front, where the flower shop is, and along the back wall, but if you really want to sit for a spell, head to the yard.
Music: A pretty nice mix of hip hop, cumbia, funk and soul. There’s a DJ on the weekends, and it can get dance-y.
Price: Very, very affordable. They have a killer happy hour, and most beers top out at $6, even the fancy stuff.
Typical Crowd: Not a lot of people trek out this far specifically to go to this bar, only because going from north to south in Brooklyn is a nightmare, so the crowd is mostly locals and their friends from other parts of town, lured by the promise of cheap drinks and pleasant atmosphere. Or, you know, fulfilling their once a season duty to finally travel beyond their usual stomping grounds.
Outdoor Space: Yes!. The backyard is spacious, casual, and the perfect place to sit and enjoy the last weeks of summer and the first blush of early fall.
Food: Well, here’s the awesome thing about the backyard — all summer long, various food vendors and craft breweries have been setting up in the yard, making sure you have food to go with that beer in your hand.
