Canal Bar
270 3rd Avenue
(between Union and President)
Gowanus
718-246-0011
What it is: Canal Bar is a neighborhood dive bar loved by locals and new visitors alike. They are well-known as a Chicago Bears’ bar, filled to the brim with decked out, enthusiastic fans coming in from all over NYC.
Why we love it: The decor ranges from kitschy vintage posters to recent post cards. It has a very comfortable backyard with a grill and a screen for projections of movies, sporting events, and sweet summer parties. Come exercise your brain and big fat mouth with Crazy Mike’s Wednesday night trivia at 9pm. Play some sweet tunes on the old-school jukebox, filled with classic CDs and eclectic mixes made by regulars.
Who to bring: On Friday and Saturday nights, bring your pals for a drink that may turn into three or four once you start getting chummy with the jovial crowd. Weeknights tend to be more laid back and good for bringing estranged relatives and new friends–whether they have two or four legs.
What to order: The large selection of beer includes bottles and cans of domestic and imported beer and cider, plus 12 draft lines of rotating beer from local brews to micro-brews from all over America. Guinness is the one line that never changes. You might try something called a “Donkey Shot,” which will “knock you on your ass.”
Fun fact: Sunday nights often devolve into dance parties, complete with strobe light and fog machine.—Rachel Eve Stein