Where to Find the Best Late-Night Bar Food
Woodwork
Let’s be real: when your night runneth over with just “one more beer,” an extra cocktail, an extra hour on the bar patio, you need to end your night with some food. (Our livers just can’t handle another night ending on an empty stomach.) Greasy slices and late-night falafel are abound, but what’s better than camping out at your favorite watering hole with drinks, snacks, and more drinks?
To be clear, we’re talking about bars with kitchens open into the wee morning hours–none of this “kitchen closes at 10” crap. Where to find the best tacos, oysters, and and grilled cheese late into the night.
Nights and Weekends, 1 Bedford Avenue, Greenpoint
Kitchen closes at 2 a.m.
A full dinner offered way into the night? We’re in. Tacos are the way to go at this Williamsburg jaunt (particularly the fish tacos, topped with mango habenero salsa), but the carnitas monfongo make for a decadent late-night snack. Order another round of margaritas or a Tequila Fling, and you won’t be rushing out anytime soon.
Extra Fancy; 302 Metropolitan Avenue, Williamsburg
Kitchen closes at 3:30 a.m.
Extra Fancy’s late-night menu makes all other late-night menus look weak in comparison. Lobster rolls? Fish and chips? Duck Drumettes? Makes every other bar peanut, pretzel, and popcorn look lame. For a true dose of greasy goodness at the end of the night, the patty melt sandwich is a must–extra points if you can stomach a double or triple. (But be just a tiny bit sober if you’re going to order the “Phatty Melt,” as foie gras on a patty melt requires your utmost attention.) And to make the deal that much sweeter, the bar offers a late-night happy hour with a half-off the raw bar, in addition to their earlier 6-7PM happy hours featuring $2 Budweisers, and $5 glasses of wine and prosecco.
South; 629 Fifth Avenue, Park Slope
Kitchen closes at 4 a.m.
If you’re not ending your night at South with a grilled cheese in hand, you’re doing it wrong. South’s menu is all grilled, all fried, and all delicious: we never knew how badly we needed a grilled “PBJ&J” (peanut butter and jelly with jalepenos) until now. This Park Slope neighborhood bar beckons those weary of overpriced cocktails for a simple sandwich and beer.
Woodwork; 583 Vanderbilt Avenue, Boerum Hill
Kitchen closes at last call
Despite its sports bar vibe, there’s a classier kind of late-night menu at Woodwork (but don’t worry, you can still imbibe on a $3 PBR there). Woodwork’s menu screams “date night gone really, really well”: snack on a few tapas-style small plates, like a cheese and charcuterie plate, or split the Brooklyn melt sandwich (turkey, cheese, peppers, and onions). If feeling particularly fancy, sip on a Thyme Collins, a Tom Collins infused with fired-thyme, or a Crooklyn, aka a Brooklyn variation with bourbon, aperol and cherry juice. (And if not fancy, we suggest the “F*ck It Bucket,” six $3 beers for the price of five.)
Black Swan; 1048 Bedford Avenue, Bed-Stuy
Kitchen open until last call
Bed-Stuy is getting its own “reverse happy hour” on at Black Swan, thanks to drink specials from midnight to 4am Sunday through Thursday. Choose from an extensive beer list stacked with plenty of local breweries, and then get your comfort food on. The Camden, aka a poutine variation with baked beans, green onions, bacon and a fried egg, is exactly what a late night calls for.
Amancay’s Diner; 2 Knickerbocker Avenue, Bushwick
Kitchen open 24 hours
Yes, you will likely have a lot of opinions about the self-proclaimed “first 24/7 restaurant” / music venue / spin-the-bottle one-stop shop … but you can’t deny that if you’re looking for a greasy meal after hours, this is where to be. Amancay’s Diner, a newbie on the Bushwick scene, offers a smaller selection late-night, but at least it’s the kind of diner food we can all appreciate: a tuna melt, a meatloaf sandwich with fries, and “breakfast for dinner” eggs all make an appearance. And unlike most 24-hour diners, this one serves booze–lots of it.
Special honoree: M Noodle Shop; 549 Metropolitan Avenue, Williamsburg
Kitchen open until 6 a.m. Tuesday through Saturday
Not a bar per-se, but frankly, we don’t see why you wouldn’t want to end your night with fried dumplings and the house special lo mein. Our livers and stomachs sincerely thank you, M Noodle Shop.
