The Belfry

I’ve been going here for years. Yes it gets crowded but I always feel welcomed when I walk in. Plus the music is a perfect blend of Top 40 and Motown.
Go for a pickleback (spicy) or an old fashioned and just enjoy the night!

One of my favorite bars in the Union Square area that I frequented during college and still try to visit every once and awhile. Its a fun ambience that can fit into both a group or date setting. Specials are inexpensive; the $ 5 Standard, a brine shot and a whisky shot, is one of my go-to’s when I come here. They also have trivia night, at least they did on the Tuesday when I was there, starting at 8pm.
The one downside is that the bar itself is very narrow, so once it gets packed, good look moving, but hey, welcome to New York.

went on an early friday evening before the chaos began and had a great experience there.
love the ambiance upon entering, great variety of drinks– all of which were super tasty and the service was on point. s/​o to the waitress who replaced all our drinks for free after a hefty (and rude and probably drunk) fellow knocked over all our drinks.
seats were a bit cramped (yes even for a bar) but not a deal breaker but if I were drunk, I would want to have sturdier seats.
stop by if you’re in the area, solid experience

Here’s the thing about the Belfry, you cannot go wrong if George or Nick are working. Their quick wit, friendly smiles and the ability to make a cheeseburger pickleback is what makes this place a must visit destination, whether you’re just visiting or a local.
My suggestion: come in for a cheeseburger, yes ask for that, and stay for the new super cleanse drink. George created both, so they are amazing.
Enjoy!

Awesome place to drink with friends. I love the atmosphere. It’s not too big but if you go with a friend or two, it’s a nice spot to drink at.

I went here on a Tues and it was packed. Their pickle theme is right on point and the pickle martini was fantastic.
The ambiance is def a charming rustic but for a college area, it’s a bit over priced. The bartenders were attentive and friendly enough.

The Belfry– Beautiful interior, great selection of beers, okay cocktails. The crowd is young and it will get crowded weekend nights but I would consider this bar again for a chill night with friends. The bar itself is beautifully decorated, with good lighting, not too bright and not too dark. The music was good and not too loud so I wasn’t screaming my face off to ask «how was your day» which was great.
As for the drinks, I got two cocktails, Winter Cider and my friends got beers. The beer selections were great. There was so much to choose from, plenty on draft. As for the cocktails, I found it to be underwhelming. The cocktails were served in small cups so for $ 13-​$ 14, I felt I was overpaying for a drink. The taste itself was just okay as well. I got the Rob Ford which was lavender based and although smelled greatly like lavender, the taste came off a little bitter. I also got Smoke Signals and nothing memorable to it either.
Overall, good atmosphere and the bartenders were great. Although super busy, they were very good at multi-​tasking and trying to tackle as many orders as possible. I would just skip the cocktails and go for the beers or their infamous picklebacks.

Like every other review said, $ 5 pickle back all night long.
There’s something exciting about taking a pickle back shot or maybe I just need to take a break from tequila.
Besides the shots, the interior is super cozy and warm! Brightly dimmed Christmas lights, tables in back for groups, hooks underneath the bar area for your jackets. I like this place a lot, I think it’s a great place for a date or causal get together!
Also if you’re not feeling shots, definitely give their seasoned beer a try. I forgot what it was called (something with cinnamon and other spices), but it definitely put me in the holiday mood!

Amazing service, and even more amazing pickle back pairings.
A great spot to catch up with a friend and enjoy some delicious whiskey and unique pickle juice concoctions.
I’ve gotta say though, the music sounds like someone is fighting over the ipod. One minute it’s Nelly’s Dilemma, and another it’s Michael Buble.
If I lived in NY, I’d def frequent this establishment. Five stars for The Belfry!

OMG. How have I not been here before??! This place is AMAZING, not to mention that it has the prettiest entrance on the block by far. Fairy lights. Rustic sign. Plants. I’m in love! Also, they do happy hour from 4−8pm (a selection of $ 5 beers), as well as $ 5 picklebacks all night long. Their drink menu is huge and they offer a large selection of different drinks. Not into picklebacks? No problemo! Perhaps you’d fancy a cocktail, beer, or wine instead? Yep, they’ve got it!
The boyfriend and I came here on a Monday evening while waiting for a dinner appointment, and we easily found a seat by the bar. Of course we HAD to try the picklebacks. It was only my second time having that in my life as I’m honestly not a fan of pickles. I was surprised that I actually really enjoyed it — the pickle juice went down really smoothly and it tasted gooood! If you’re like me and you usually take your pickles out of your burgers and give them away to friends, I’d highly recommend that you give this a shot. I’m not guaranteeing it, but it might just change your opinion about pickles!
Two things to take note of:
1) Do not come here expecting to have a proper meal or bar snacks because they do not serve food (unless you’re fine with eating jars of pickles, which they do have).
2) There is a $ 20 minimum if you want to use a credit card.
Overall, I had an enjoyable experience here and will definitely be back. My only wish is for them to expand their food menu some day to include things other than pickles. Once that happens, I believe the experience will be complete. Highly recommended!

I loved this place and my only complain was I wish we could have stayed longer but it was so packed. Maybe they should think about putting a cap on how many people are aloud in but otherwise this place is a gem in the NYC bar scene.
The pickleback shots $ 5 all night long is a great deal and we had a few. Also the shot and a can is a great deal which we took advantage of. The menu is actually pretty extensive but we stook to shots and beer and ordered some spicy pickles. There is a reason this place gets packed, its an awesome bar!

What an awesome place! If you love pickles and alcohol this is the spot to be. We ordered a bunch of delicious pickle back shots and pickles because that’s the thing to do!
Saturday nights it gets packed here and the bar is kinda small and tight so it’s hard to move around. The place is so cute and I think it would be a good place for a date night during the week. I definitely want to come back here when I’m in the city.

My first time at the Belfry was also the night I tried my first pickleback shot! Highly recommend coming here for one of those, especially if you’ve never tried one. While I admit they sound disgusting, they are actually surprisingly tasty and if you’re not one for taking shots, you’ll probably be surprised by how much smoother they go down with some pickle juice at the finish.
I really enjoyed this spot overall and would definitely recommend it. They had a nice selection of cocktails and some good drink deals. The space is nice and I liked that you could actually move around and have a conversation.

This is the best place to start or end your night. PICKLEBACKS! 5 dollars for a shot of their standard house bourbon and sour pickle brine. all night long. Pickleback lovers, you can not possibly go wrong with that. There are also other options for spicy picklebacks and different types of whiskeys on the menu. Plus the bartenders are also friendly.
Weeknights here are super chill and laid back. The music, décor impart a very cozy vibe to relax and catch up with friends.
This place insanely packed on weekend nights and the walkway around the bar is pretty narrow so people are literally squeezing and dancing their way back and forth. For a $ 5 special all night long in new york city, you shouldn’t expect much else.

Super Stimmung mit Blues Musik und Drinks, die hammermässig einfahren. Empfehle hier Ol’ Blue eyes und die nette Bedienung. Bekämen zwei Drinks spendiert, wo kann man so etwas erwarten.

This is a cool spot for drinks.
Came here on a Saturday evening around 9:30pm. It’s very dark and intimate, but there’s enough room to stand around the bar and not feel like people are pushing into you to get to the bathroom. The bartenders are cool, the drinks are good and not too expensive, and it attracts a cool crowd. We did not indulge in the pickle back shots, but there was a pretty extensive menu of options to choose from without breaking the bank.
I would definitely check this place out on a Thursday, or another low key Saturday.

Really great bar to stop at Saturday during the day/​late afternoon hours. It was not packed and had a really good vibe. Happy hour starts at 6 and they have great deals. Also the pickle backs are not to be missed! They have so many varieties.
The service was great, the bartender was friendly and took his time with all the customers, never felt rushed.
There are 3 bathrooms there, and i think they are all unisex.
A lot of food options in the area, and you can bring food back in the bar since they do not sell any. We did not stay there late but i can see this bar getting crowded, especially for a Saturday night.

Cool bar, fun atmosphere, with high energy. This is either a destination, or one of many you’d likely visit along this stretch of 14^th St. I came here with a few others for some Happy Hour pickle-​backs, which are not my thing, but hey, for $ 5, can you really go wrong?
Drinks are served up in mason jars, which in itself is endearing, perhaps in Williamsburg. The décor however is something I was keen on talking about, because it really is well thought out and lends it that character that I really love. It’s warm, inviting, yet dark, and intimate all at once.
Great music selection, which spans from the eclectic, to the 80s, all the way to all things current contribute to the vibe. However, it’s the bartenders that make the place, and they do a great job of staying on top of providing a service to us patrons in the crazier hours.

This place gets real packed and loud on the weekends. Nice rustic décor with good service. Pickle back shots are awesome and drinks are priced okay.
They have no food there but they’ll allow you to bring food in, pretty cool.

The Belfry is great.
Before I went I did my research, and saw that it had STELLAR reviews. So. I figured why not give it a shot. It was a great time.
They have countless pickle backs to choose from (which are a personal favorite). I had about 7 Classics (Jameson). They were soo good.
The staff was awesome too. The bartenders were super friendly and really funny. It was such a great time, my friends and I are already planning our next visit!

I’ve been to The Belfry somewhere between 8 and 27 times, on Thursday, Friday, Tuesday, and Saturday between the hours of 6:00 PM and 3:30 AM so I’d say I’ve covered just about the entire spectrum. Note to self: Maybe I should tell drunk Kelly to check in to bars circa 2:00 AM so I can achieve #duke status at this place.
If you like pickle back shots this is the place for you. They also have $ 5 PBR and a shot. (I actually just gagged a little bit writing that because I am currently a bit hungover and think that that whiskey shot last night was a big contributor).
On Thursday nights, they have a live jazz player and he is fabulous. Don’t be cheap — please tip him.
So I would give this place 5 stars BUT once I was coming from a soccer game and was in sneakers and was not allowed in. After pleading with the bouncer and informing him that I had just played in my ALL BOYS LEAGUE and SCORED A GOAL he still wouldn’t budge. Okay I guess you have the right to have a dress code but I really just wanted to go in and get a pickleback shot and leave. Le sigh.
There are also always at least 3 hinge dates going on at this place at any given time, and usually a grouper as well, making this an ideal spot for people watching.