BED-VYNE BREW • BED-STUY, BROOKLYN

[This is part five in a series of sneak peeks from the chapters of my book Bars, Taverns and Dives New Yorkers Love, coming out in March 2018 from Rizzoli Publishing.) You can order it online now at Powell’s, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble.]

“This used to be ‘do-or-die’ Bed-Stuy, right here,” one of the owners, Michael Brooks told me, referring to the neighborhood’s rough past, as we sat on the small deck facing Tompkins Avenue. “In the late ‘70s, that was a liquor store/bar across the street, and this,” jerking his thumb toward the Bed-Vyne building, “was a ‘fuck hotel!’” My, my, how things have changed. “It’s no longer ‘do-or-die,” said co-owner Rotimi Akinnuoye, who owns 370 Tompkins, where Brew occupies the ground floor. “Now it’s ‘rent-or-buy.’”

Best Times to Visit

Want to feel the neighborhood and just take it easy? Go on a weekend afternoon. Want to meet people, enjoy some music and/or dance? Visit Bed-Vyne Brew most any evening when the DJs take over. There’s never a cover, everybody’s loving it, and what’s more: it’s sexy.

Best Seat in the House

The deck out front. It’s like having your own stoop in this classic Brooklyn brownstone neighborhood.

Drink

• Well, you’re at a place with “brew” right there in the name, so try one of their beers. With 10 rotating drafts to choose from (mostly U.S. craft beers including regional favorites like Barrier Brewing, Captain Lawrence and Empire) and around 20 bottles, you’ll find something to love.
• For round two (or if beer’s not your thing), have a glass of wine. These guys own a well-stocked bottle store next door, so you’ll have some fine options (including their private labels), mostly from Italy, France, Spain and Portugal.

Happy hour: Monday–Friday, 4–8 p.m. $1 off all beer and wine.

Next up: BERG’N of Crown Heights, Brooklyn, another chapter of my book Bars, Taverns and Dives New Yorkers Love, which you can order right here. Limited-edition signed prints are available here.