Dram Shop
"Run by the owners of Angry Wade on Smith Street, Dram Shop refers to the centuries-old name for places that serve liquor (a dram is 1/8 of an ounce)," Metromix explains. "Tostadas, cheeseburgers, and braised-pork meatballs top the menu. Bearded beer geeks and lugubrious grad-student types pack the voluminous booths—choosing the master-blender-approved Glenrothes Distillery’s Speyside or among a coterie of microbrews, poured in frosty frozen mugs," writes Hugh Gallagher for New York magazine.
Dram Shop was recommended to us by our friend Roger from Burger Club NY, who gives their burger his highest rating of "5 cows." And Robyn Lee for Serious Eats writes, "I thought the burger was a delicious mess of salty beef, meat juice, and condiments, or as one of my eating partners said, what a Big Mac would taste like if were actually made out of good ingredients. It came with a generous helping of skinny, crispy hand-cut fries." How would you rate Dram Shop -- and is their burger a contender for the best burger in Brooklyn?
Reviews (14)
bibini wrote a review on August 3, 2009 12:06 PM
Oh my burger god so burger good. Burger. Definitely a contender for best in Brooklyn -- yes it's that good. Burgers aside, the Dram Shop is a good place to grab a quick bite when not crowded. Good beer selection. Friendly bartenders.
max_r_and_r wrote a review on August 3, 2009 12:07 PM
Their burgers are scrumptious! Haven't tried anything else on the menu because those burgers are just so darn good. As for the bar/restaurant as a whole, it's a very white-hat vibe. Service is quick and friendly, though, and the sports bar ambiance can be overlooked because of how great the burgers are.
Have I mentioned that the burgers are amazing?
guikazoid wrote a review on August 3, 2009 12:07 PM
Love the place. Great food, good beers and always a mixed crowd. You get all types of people in here. Music is good too. Lots of bathrooms in the basement :). Backyard, pool table, and ski ball table.
tybur6 wrote a review on August 3, 2009 12:11 PM
I love this place. Though the booth tables are a bit big, so seating is sort of limited... though I've actually never had trouble finding a spot. Just seems like a possibility.
heck_of_a_job_brownie wrote a review on August 3, 2009 12:27 PM
Ok, the burgers are good, but let's remember that they're NOT real burgers. They're fast food burgers, much like Shake Shack's. So, judging from that perspective they are very good FAST FOOD burgers. As such, in my opinion, they are disqualified from a contender in anything burger-related. C'mon!
Johnny wrote a review on August 3, 2009 12:43 PM
This place has grown on me. Good burgers, great fries, and excellent wings. Beer selection top notch - for my palette. Downside, occasionally VERY loud crappy music. May be my old age.
BSD wrote a review on August 3, 2009 12:57 PM
Ditto on the burgers. Couple that with the shuffle-board table and it's a perfect daytime place. Can get obnoxiously loud at night with cheeseballs.
Pragonetti wrote a review on August 3, 2009 2:04 PM
I giving place highest marks (not because it rivals Peter Luger's or it is the best restaurant in Brooklyn)...
The first time I went into the Dram Shop it felt too new to me, too much like a Applebees, I could still smell the fresh paint! Now it is staple in my Park Slope Bar Rotation!
The Burgers and wings are awesome. Not the best I ever had, but always consistent I have never had bad food or service there, that is why I rate it sooo high! It is impressive that every time I go I enjoy myself and the food which is all I require from Bar style restaurants! Plus I crave the Fired Macaroni.
But overall the Dram shop is great bar I love Shuffle Board (not ski ball), plus the big TV's make it an ideal place to catch a sporting event! The Big Booths can be challenge to get, but if post up and wait and watch you can normally get one pretty quickly. Or Just share with other people like we have done several times!
Pragonetti wrote a review on August 3, 2009 2:09 PM
also all the too loud comments it is sports bar not a coffee shop, consider that before you enter! You are not going to write your thesis there.
guikazoid wrote a review on August 3, 2009 5:31 PM
shuffle, ski, whats the diff (oh boy, wikipedia entries coming my way) =)
Pragonetti wrote a review on August 4, 2009 11:36 AM
hahahahahaha!
brooklynbaroque wrote a review on August 4, 2009 1:09 PM
Moved to Boston few months ago and miss Dram Shop bar snacks A LOT! The burger, the tostada, the meatballs, all so scrumptiously good. The room leaves something to be desired (they should have hired me to help with the design!), and the clientele is not exactly fabulous, but I can overlook it all for a bite of that tostada with chicken. Mmmm.
davide5 wrote a review on August 4, 2009 9:56 PM
So a real burger has to be a 4" thick patty? I disagree. Excellent burgers. Awful music at incredibly loud volume every time I have visited...
pastoralia wrote a review on August 17, 2009 3:56 PM
Great burgers (just a tip: you can order the same toppings at 5 Guys and it's just as freakin' good).
They also have amazing Texas chili (no beans, beef hunks instead).
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