Achilles Heel
“It's super cute, very cozy, intimate, and just an overall perfect atmosphere.”
“They have the best hot toddy & a wood burning fireplace to go with it!”
“They even have an old stove – I hope it works in the winter!”
Achilles Heel
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Happy Hour: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$$$ Price range $31-60
8 reviews
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This place is sexy, with dark corners to commit dark deeds…
A deadly weakness in spite of overall strength, that can actually or potentially lead to downfall…
It is very close to the water and it was once a watering hole for the dock men who worked on the East River. Now, it still is a watering hole, but for the tattooed hipsters, rockers, and cuties that inhabit the Republic of Brooklyn.
A beautiful expansive bar, nooks and crannies to hold clandestine affairs, plank wooden floors, white plastered walls and even wooden crates full of fresh apples paints the picture here…
Decent selection of cocktails and beers on offer here, but prices are on par to Manhattan standards…
After you've taken your date to Paulie Gee's, come here and take aim with your most poisonous arrow…
As my Uber crawled passed still undeveloped parts of the Greenpoint waterfront, I worried that I'd let my desire to go to the restaurant featured in that week's New York TImes restaurant review had let me to a poor decision. Choosing some place so far away from the L Train meant I had nearly 30 minutes to wait until my friend and dining companion arrived.
I spent most of it zealously guarding my extra bar stool, as those 30 minutes were the ones where Achilles Hell went from being a moderately crowded dining spot to hip bar. This is mentioned in the Times review, but I guess I didn't realize how quickly the vibe changes when you have a dozen young artists, writers or whoever lives around here standing next to you on the way to the bar.
My food came just as my friend arrived. There was a plate of spicy French sausage and a delicate arrangement of clams and vegetables in a small bowl. I would tried the rice balls as well, or perhaps jowl, but both had disappeared by the time I ordered. I find this a bit frustrating, especially at places like this one with short menus. I hope the increased focus can mean keeping items in stock into popular evenings.
The beer list is close to ideal, with a few surprises sitting inside some typical craft beer selections. It's a buck or two more than you pay at a bar around here, but the atmosphere on a winter's night, fireplace roaring in the middle of the dining room, makes up for the premium. And perhaps by now the restaurant review followers have moved on to another establishment.
I've been hearing and reading about this bar, so I figured it was time to check it out before it got ridiculously crowded or started drawing the crowds I like to avoid (you know what I mean).
After a tasty dinner nearby, my friends and I walked over on Saturday night at about 9pm. It's hard to miss since there is absolutely nothing on Water Street.
There was a huge crowd outside, but the inside was actually rather empty. My friends and I sat at a few of the cute tables and ordered a round to drinks to take in the atmosphere.
First off they were playing good music, which was much appreciated and it wasn't too loud so it was really easy to have a conversation.
The decor was very cute and you can tell they took the original location into consideration. This bar has a history and they wanted to bring a little of that back. Loved the bathrooms, which had a haunted house feeling to it. Like stepping back in time.
The bartenders were nice and worked as quickly as possible to get drinks to thirsty patrons. They only have a few cocktails, but the French 75 was mixed perfectly. The beer selection was really good, a little on the pricy side though. Its nice to see a good mix of microbrews that are actually worth drinking. Too many bars in the area don't put enough effort into selecting good beer.
We also ordered 2 espressos to perk ourselves up and avoid a food coma from dinner. Now this is definitely worth mentioning – they have Amazing espresso! Seriously, it tasted like a really good European espresso with that nice tanginess you just can't get anywhere in NYC. It was outstanding and will definitely be back to try some of the food and coffee options.
This place really reminded me of some of the cute cafe/bars that you find in Europe. It's not the kind of place you're going to get wasted and party the night away. You come here if you want a nice cocktail and a good conversation with a friend or significant other. A few drinks, something to nibble on and nice atmosphere – that's what Achille's Heel is. Sure this place will probably turn into a douche-haven once the condos go up nearby, but until then I'll enjoy it while I can.
I made my way to Brooklyn to come here for a friends birthday one Saturday night. When I walked in the place reminded me of an old house with a front door (was I supposed to knock?) Walking in the place is really dark and tiny. Here's a few things I noticed right away:
-the lighting is REALLY dark, feels like it's candle light
-people dancing the robot (not ironically)
-a girl sitting at a table writing in her journal
– Hipsters everywhere
-Yummy looking sandwiches
-A bartender shaking the crap out of a martini
There were about 6 of us and we sat in the very back corner. We had a server even though we were just there for drinks, no food. The server barely came around and I had to order round 2 & 3 at the bar. The drinks were decent but they don't come cheap.
The place has a pretty mellow/cozy vibe even though there is a DJ there. It's more of a place I would enjoy for a coffee rather than a drink. In my opinion, I like a place a little more up beat with a little more room to move around… it started to feel so cramped in there! Based on the location and type of place, drinks are over priced.
This place looks like a large living room with a huge wood burning stove and tables and chair aplenty.
Enjoyed ourselves for the most part. The drinks were decent and well served. The atmosphere is conducive to groups. The music is like nothing you have heard in a bar in a long time (in the best possible way). The food is delicious! Not sure if they have this always but there was a massive and I do mean massive ($12 a slice massive), muffaleta on the counter that was staring at us the entire time. As the drinks went down, the muffaleta starting talking all sorts of noise, so we got a slice and it was fantastic.
Recently came here for a work happy hour and I think that we singlehandedly took over the place. I have to give it up to the wait staff here, they handled our loud, drinking mob with ease and for that they certainly deserve five stars.
Waitress was extremely attentive with providing more drinks (and lots of water once I cut myself off).
The unisex bathroom kind of scares me, but whatever. They also had really cool live music (a DJ), but the music never got too loud. Great job of maintaining a cool atmosphere.
The food is great and the cocktails are awesome. Can't wait to visit the Achilles Heel again!
I came here on Wednesday night with my boyfriend and LOVED it. It's super cute, very cozy, intimate, and just an overall perfect atmosphere. I loved the dim lamp lighting and the rustic feel, which felt genuine and not overly stylized or pretentious. There was just the right amount of decor. I found out about this bar from the show "Master of None" and was pleasantly surprised to find out it's in Greenpoint! I'm not sure I would have just passed by this place otherwise because it's on the corner of West and Green, which is just a block over from everything on Franklin, but far over enough that it's pretty secluded. I loved that it was located on an otherwise empty and quiet block though.
It's a small bar, with mismatched seating and an awesome old-fashioned wood stove fire. There is a tiny bench in front of the fire but it didn't look too comfortable. Basically all of the seats were taken when we walked in at around 9:30 pm, but we managed to get one of the small tables by the window. This is a great place to come with a date or just with friends! Not great for groups though.
We had already eaten dinner at Cassette, which is a few blocks away and also a recommended spot, so I can't say anything about the food here. I did glance over the menu and there wasn't really anything I think I would've liked. The bartender was great-he came over to us and brought us menus and water. We asked if we should just order at the bar but he said he'd come over to take our order, which I thought was really nice. My boyfriend got a Founders IPA and I got the house toddy. Both of the drinks came in large beer mugs, which I was pleasantly surprised by–the house toddy was huge! It was delicious, too!
Everything about this bar was great; I almost don't want too many people to find out about it because it still seems like a hidden gem. The music was good, too. It wasn't too loud and it was easy to have a conversation. I think the other people at the bar made the atmosphere warm and comfortable as well–everyone was there just to hang out with their friends on a chilly night.
My friend really wanted to try out the Achilles Heel, however, the last couple of times she had tried to go it had been super crowded. Enter holiday weekend – [most] brooklynites are in the Hamptons, and most hipsters have gone to visit their parents in Minnesota, so Brooklyn is pretty empty – pretty much the perfect time to go out in Greenpoint.
As this area of Brooklyn used to cater to the Brooklyn fishing yards, this bar used to be, as my friend dubbed it, a seaman's bar. The old fashioned decor is still there, with a fresh coat of paint. They even have an old stove – I hope it works in the winter! Super cute place, but super tiny. Be aware, it's not really meant for large groups, especially if it's a busy night.
There is a little alcove with benches (which could use some better cushions), the rest of the bar is just stools clustered together. We sat at the bar – would have prefer some studier stools.
My boyfriend had the Singing Blonde, although not really a beer drinker, he was in love. Our bar tender was super nice. The group next to us dropped (and broke) a wine glass. The patron kept apologizing, the bar tender told him "don't touch the glass, the important thing is what was IN the glass" and proceeded to pour him another drink (on the house) obviously keeping the customer happy. Don't usually experience that in BK (or in the city of that matter) – honestly, one of the best bar tenders I've had in a long time. Super on top of his game.
My friend and I were a little disappointed Achilles didn't have a cocktail list, and didn't really have drink specials. The bar tender told us they could pretty much make us any drink we requested, but they didn't really want to be "that" bar… I get that, but didn't quite agree. Whatever.
Hopefully during the summer, the crowd will stay the same and we can head back there on the regular.