Late last summer, Greenpoint got its own waterfront boozy destination when The Brooklyn Barge opened right off of Transmitter Park, and it quickly became the perfect spot for chill evenings on the water. Despite being closed for few weeks after Memorial Day weekend, they’re open and ready for business once again with local beers on tap and a revamped food menu. And it just was announced that they’ll be throwing a Fourth of July party for the Macy’s fireworks show!!
The idea for a bar on a barge began about four years ago among the owners, Jim Gill, Matt Perricone and Thomas Morgan. All three of the men have histories with “being on the water.” Jim and Matt both have careers as boat captains—Matt being the actual owner of the barge itself, while Thomas was a part of the US Navy Reserve for a decade. What makes The Brooklyn Barge different than Manhattan’s Frying Pan is here you are on an actual anchored and floating barge, and they do store it elsewhere for the winter. This means you do feel the rocking waves from passing ferries, ships and yachts once you pass over the gangplank.
During the spring, they worked with a James-Beard-award-winning chef for the new menu, all of which has to be cooked out of their shipping container kitchen. There is classic summer bar fare: both beef and pulled pork sliders, grilled hot dogs, two kinds of chicken sandwiches, guacamole with chips, tacos on corn tortillas from Harlem’s Hot Bread Kitchen, and Old Bay Fries. The sandwiches are $14 – $16, and the tacos are 3 for $12.
My personal favorite is the cornmeal-coated and fried pork belly fries; they make a great bacon-like addition to the kale salad.
As for the drinks, they made sure to have a bunch of local beers on tap including Greenpoint Beer & Ale, Coney Island Brewing, and Bronx Brewery, plus local spirits for their cocktails. Wine, bottled beers, and some non-alcoholic options are also available. There are still plans to work with Billion Oyster Project (they currently have an oyster net off of the Transmitter Park pier); kayaking and paddle boarding from Manhattan Kayak; and visits from other sailing vessels, so don’t be surprised to see the sloop Clearwater anchored off the barge.
This summer, Greenpoint is once again lucky enough to have front-row viewing for the Macy’s Fourth of July fireworks show as four of their barges will be located right off of Greenpoint and Long Island City.
Taking advantage of their full unobstructed view, The Brooklyn Barge will be throwing a fireworks-viewing party! They have two ticketing options: $150 for the picnic area and $225 to sit on the actual barge. Both tickets come with vouchers for a full meal of food, while the barge ticket will also allow you three bottles of champagne per table. The evening’s celebration begins at 6pm and will go until about 10pm, after the fireworks are finished. Click here for more information and to get your ticket. Non-Greenpointers, keep in mind that the waterfront will be closed to vehicular traffic that evening, so you should plan on taking the G to Greenpoint Avenue.
The Brooklyn Barge is located at 3 Milton Street, with entrances from both the alleyway between the two warehouses and from Transmitter Park. They are currently open from 11am to 2am, 7 days a week.