A drunken stumble from the Gowanus Canal is a bar that marries an old-school approach to drinking with a more au courant reverence for irony. And, as Josh Bernstein explains in this week’s NY Press, it works like a charm.

Similar to Holland Bar or Cherry Tavern, Canal mimics a train car: long and narrow, with little seating beyond the dozen or so bar chairs. Remaining space is consumed by a pool table (sometimes moved aside for twangy-musician performances), and the room is rounded out by haphazardly kitschy decor: a hammerhead shark painted like a hot rod, deer heads wearing birthday hats and vintage beer signage. It’s an irreverent yet cozy space with easy-on-the-wallet pricing.

Now if we only didn’t have to get up for that 4 a.m. feeding, we’d be there in a flash!
Row, Row, Row Your Bottle [NY Press]