If you’re like me, you might like to pretend your birthday’s not a big deal, but you’re only pretending. That marker on the slow crawl towards eternal rest at Green-Wood Cemetery only happens but once a year. Don’t you want to ring it in with 30 or 40 of your closest friends and maybe a few beer-and-shot deals? But, alas, this is Brooklyn, and not every bar is equipped to handle an impromptu visit from you and all your Tri-State area Facebook friends. Some places require you to book space in advance, for instance, making you wade through deadlines and hidden reservation fees. Why bother with those when you can check out these five bars that have plenty of room and will reserve space for you for free?
Bushwick Country Club
618 Grand St., Williamsburg
One of the best birthday deals in the city, Bushwick Country Club will buy your drinks all night if you show up with at least 15 people. Bring a group of 30 or more, and the bar will dole out free hot dogs to your whole crew. BCC’s got lots of campy ways to celebrate, like a photo booth and a six-hole mini-golf course crowned with a PBR windmill. Plus, while you, blessed Birthday Girl/Boy, may drink for free, $3 tallboys and various beer-and-shot deals ($7 for a tallboy, shot and pickleback being our particular favorite) will keep your friends pretty happy, too. No need to reserve space in advance, but you might want to give the bar a heads up a few hours before you plan to arrive.
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Berry Park
4 Berry St., Williamsburg
Yeah, you’ll have to fight off some Brooks Brothers-clad, borough-hopping Manhattanites who think that bridge decal on the wall is so Brooklyn, but between the bar’s Belgian and German beers, massive indoor space and sweet rooftop, it’s a worthy sacrifice. Berry Park can handle walk-in groups of 50 people or less, so you’re free to bring your whole crew with you, and if you’re seriously rolling deep, they’ll give you a free reservation and keep your name at the door to ensure all your guests get in. Drafts like Palm Ale and Hofbrau Dunkel run $7-$10, and if you throw a weekday shindig you can get the five draft Beer Flight sampler for $13, a small price to pay for rubbing elbows with all those bros.
The Tender Trap
66 Greenpooint Ave., Greenpoint
Want to have a smashing bash at the Tender Trap? Well, you’re in luck home slice. The Greenpoint Ave bar is a hub for parties large and small. Follow this link to get in touch with the team to book your party.
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The Counting Room
44 Berry St., Williamsburg
If you’re looking to mark another “adult” milestone with one of those classy, exposed-brick-and-wine kind of affairs, this semi-stylish spot will let you make a reservation for 10 to 30 guests at no cost (they recommend you call at least a week or two in advance). For larger parties, you can book private event space for a fee, but the bar boasts two floors that can hold up to 80 people each, so feel free to roll in with all your friends as long as you show up early. Drink options are sometimes a little steep for a Brokester and his or her buddies: cocktails run about $8 and wine $10, but their $8 beer-and-a-shot deal will buy at least a few rounds worth of expected birthday booziness.
Zombie Hut
273 Smith St., Carroll Gardens
Smith Street’s resident tiki bar has a big backyard and back room, and they’re happy to handle large impromptu parties of up to 40 people, but expect space to be limited if you show up with an army at 11 on a Saturday night. They can also reserve you a spot for free up to a week in advance if you plan to come before 7, or if you can book a date on a slower weekday. Plan on getting birthday-wasted fast, because well drinks and beer-shot specials are always $5, plus the bar does large five-person mason jar cocktails for $35 and fiery four-person scorpion bowls for $26. Try not to throw up waiting for the G after doing a dozen flaming shots though.
by Rebecca Fishbein. Follow her on Twitter @bfishbfish
This article was original published in 2015.
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While I love Bushwick Country Club, their whole birthday deal schtick is poorly executed. I went in the day before my birthday this year to speak to a bartender. Whatever was suppose to happen didn’t, and the following night, no one seemed to know what I was talking about. I’ll give the bar tender credit, he did get my first drink, and its not like PBR tallboys are particularly expensive anyway. Still, they probably need a better system than a messy list hanging in the back room.
K&M gives you a free bottle of champagne on your birthday!