ATLANTIC CHIPSHOP • BROOKLYN HEIGHTS

[This is part two 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.]

“You don’t mess with Susan unless you want a bruisin.’” So says bartender Liz Drobits with respect to her co-worker Suzy Hackett. Lady bartenders rule the roost at The Atlantic ChipShop in Brooklyn Heights, and owner Chris Sell likes it that way. “Strong women bartenders keep the crowd in line,” he says.

It’s rare that the crowd at ChipShop gets too out of line, though, and I should know. It’s my local lunch spot of choice, just down the street. It’s rarely too packed, never too quiet, and always a fine place to while away a lunch hour or two. At times, with the right mix of customers, you get classic, wise-ass, local bar banter. The kind where smart people make dumb jokes, and they know each other well enough to push the line a bit, with a little wholesome cursing and sort of off-color comments, but not too off-color, especially when Hackett’s working, because, you know…. You don’t want to risk a bruisin.’

Best Seat in the House:

Any time, day or night, the best seat in the house is the end of the bar, to your right as you walk in the door. Except…. Except when you’re in the mood for a little privacy. In that case, go for the booth in the front window to your left as you enter, under the Sex Pistols poster. Nothing says intimacy like Johnny Rotten biting his nails above you.

What to Drink:

Start with either beer or cider. Follow that up with either cider or beer. Sell is adamant that the Atlantic ChipShop is an ENGLISH PUB, dammit, and stocks the beer and cider to prove it. There are 17 on tap and one cask. Looking for an IPA? A big, bitter, smack-you-in-the-gob Oregon hop bomb? Good luck. Sell begrudgingly keeps a couple American IPAs on tap for the Yanks, but you might want to dig into the British selections. A Kilkenny cream ale or O’Hara stout will do the trick, and when it comes to cider, you’ll usually find Aspall’s and Stongbow on tap, with 10 or so more available in bottles.

Atlantic ChipShop Happy hour:

Monday–Friday, 12–7 p.m. 20 percent off everything (drink and food) when you sit at the bar.

Next up: Bar Great Harry of 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.