The Best Bars in Brooklyn Heights and DUMBO

A small French wine bar on Columbia Street that feels like it fell off a side street in the 9th arrondissement. The wine list is hand-selected by the owner with natural producers taking priority. Twelve seats, slate boards of cheese and charcuterie, and a level of quiet that makes every conversation feel important. The neighborhood bar that Brooklyn Heights deserves and finally has.

Order: Glass of orange wine and whatever cheese they recommend tonight

A tavern-style bar that commits to its premise without irony. Dark wood, leather stools, and a menu built around simple things done correctly. The turkey leg sandwich is the one people queue for. The cocktail list is short and well-executed. A proper local bar for a neighborhood that runs residential and needs one. Weekday evenings are excellent here.

Order: Turkey Leg Sandwich and a house rye cocktail

A neighborhood wine shop that doubles as a bar, which is the best format for a bar in Brooklyn Heights. The list prioritizes natural producers from smaller regions and the staff can talk about every bottle. Stand at the counter or take a table. The small plates are designed for the wine, not the other way around. Our most-returned-to spot in the neighborhood.

Order: Whatever orange or skin-contact wine they recommend this week

A Mexican bar and restaurant under the Manhattan Bridge that does margaritas better than any other Mexican place in Brooklyn. The patio looks directly at the bridge towers and is one of the most photographed spots in the borough. The cocktail program extends well beyond margaritas into mezcal and tequila flights. Come for the drinks, stay for the view. Reservations recommended on weekends.

Order: The Gran Electrica house margarita with mezcal float

The bar at Time Out Market Brooklyn sits at the top of the building with unobstructed views of the Brooklyn Bridge and lower Manhattan. The cocktails are designed for the setting and they deliver. Not the most intimate option in DUMBO but the most reliable for large groups or out-of-town guests who need to be shown what the city looks like. Arrive before sunset.

Order: The house cocktail of your choice with the bridge in frame

The bar at 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge occupies a room with floor-to-ceiling windows and a rooftop terrace that gives you the full Brooklyn Bridge view. The cocktail program is serious and the wine list is well-curated. Hotel bars in Brooklyn rarely match Manhattan quality but this one does. The terrace gets crowded on weekends but the interior bar is always accessible.

Order: The house negroni or the seasonal rooftop spritz

A Brooklyn staple with bocce courts, craft beer, and a crowd that spans the whole spectrum of Brooklyn Heights and Cobble Hill residents. The tap selection rotates toward New York-made breweries and the overall experience is exactly what a neighborhood bar should be. The bocce gets competitive after 9pm. One of the most enjoyable bars to spend two hours in without intending to.

Order: Rotating Brooklyn Brewery selection on draft

The Smith Street location puts it just at the edge of Brooklyn Heights, and it is worth the short walk. One of the most technically accomplished cocktail bars in Brooklyn, focused on pre-Prohibition recipes done with modern ingredients. The egg-white cocktails are a particular strength. The room is handsome, the staff are excellent, and the overall quality has held since it opened in 2008.

Order: The Clover Club house sour or the Gold Rush with Benton's bacon-washed bourbon

A bowling alley bar that is better than its description suggests. Eight lanes, decent cocktails, and a crowd that arrives planning to stay for two hours and leaves four hours later. The bar program is taken more seriously than bowling alley bars usually are. Best with a group of 4 to 8 people who want to drink and do something with their hands. Book lanes in advance on weekends.

Order: Whatever draft they are pouring and a lane for the group

A proper neighborhood tavern that does everything the way a neighborhood tavern should. The cocktails are correct, the food is good, and the bartenders work at the pace the neighborhood sets rather than the pace that impresses out-of-towners. An honest, unpretentious place to drink in one of Brooklyn's quietest and most beautiful neighborhoods. Best on weeknights when the regulars come in.

Order: Manhattan, made with Bulleit rye, stirred properly