(Photo courtesy of NY Loft Hostel)
Brooklyn girls: when they walk in, they rule the world. But where does one go to meet a nice Serbian girl? Enter the garden bar that New York Loft Hostel just opened to the public.
Safe to say, this place is like no other bar in Bushwick, or even the city. First off, the “bar” is really just some dude behind a folding table, with a sign on it saying “Tipping is tradition in New York.” Which should give you an idea of the clientele: yes, the type of tourists who’ve made English a second language on Bedford Avenue.
(Photo courtesy of NY Loft Hostel)
Let it be known, the guy behind the folding table is not a mixologist. He’s good for giving you the WiFi password and that’s about it. Otherwise, there’s a $5 daily cocktail served in a paper cup (last night’s was a generously spiked rum punch), plus a $5 beer-and-shot special. The garden is open from 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m., at which point the party moves to a downstairs bar where there are live shows till 2 a.m. (tomorrow night: “pretending we’re at Burning Man with Roger Greenawalt”). On Friday evenings, they throw burgers, hot dogs, and wings on the grill.
(Photo: Daniel Maurer)
There’s also Netflix in a lofted perch that’s probably not open to non-guests (then again, who’s going to stop you if you affect a convincing German accent?). But really the great part about this place is how easy it is to meet someone who’ll invite you to crash at their Palermo Viejo apartment next time you’re in Buenos Aires. The picnic tables lend themselves to mingling, and the come-ons just write themselves:
“Would you like to see an authentic Bushwick artist loft?”
“Spend the night with me and tomorrow I’ll take you to the best vegan, gluten-free brunch in Williamsburg.”
“I can’t let you share a room with two strangers. Come back to my place where there’s a curtain between me and my roommates.”
And here you thought Lot 45 was the neighborhood’s al fresco pickup joint.
We’d say follow New York Loft Hostel on Twitter to keep up with events, but its account seems to have been, er, compromised.
Garden Bar at New York Loft Hostel, 249 Varet St., nr. Bogart St.; 718-366-1351