Cornelius

Closed.

To steal my boyfriend’s line: how is a gastropub out of burgers? My addition: And wings?
The oyster deal got my attention. Except come to find out the review I was read was from two years ago. Whoops! I got over it, and ordered a half a dozen to oysters to start. My boyfriend had two, I had four. They were delicious and briny. I was happy.
We both decided to go with burgers, but then come to find out there were no burgers. Nor were their wings. In fact, their menu was very limited that night, as they were out of most things. I kept thinking of that show where the guy makes over restaurants with poor management.
Needless to say, I most likely will not be back. There are better, more consistent gastropubs in Brooklyn.

Really enjoyed a great Friday happy hour at Cornelius. Great $ 1 oyster specials along with many deals on draft beers and well drinks. Fun atmosphere and a great menu too. Was supposed to only come for oysters but the people next to us ordered fried chicken and it looked so good, that we had to order it too– along with more drinks, of course.
The waiter was attentive and made sure we always had what we needed and that it came in a reasonable amount of time.
I’m glad this place is a quick walk from my apartment and in a really cool little neighborhood.

Met the gentleman here after work for happy hour on a Friday. We sat at the bar. Ordered happy hour beers ( Unilocal gives you a freebie if you check-​in!) and a dozen dollar oysters each. Oysters were decently sized, especially for a happy hour special. He did get a bad one in his group, luckily he recognized it and we told the bartender. She was apologetic and offered us another round on the house.
We decided to order a little more food at this point. We split an organic beet salad special – delicious – and the BBQ wings. Those wings! The perfect match of heat and sweet. Plus, they came with a side of blue-​cheese spoon bread, which being from the south, I was excited to see. It’s not the spoon bread I grew up on, but it was a tasty and inventive side.
The place was fairly empty up until we left around 8:30 but it was perfect for us. I think we’ll be back. They have some bourbon & whiskey flights I’d like to try.

1) They didn’t have oysters other than Blue Points and when we asked, the waiter sort of acted like we were crazy, but it lists other oysters on the menu, so we weren’t. Crazy, that is.
2) They were also out of some liquor listed on the menu that my date ordered.
3) The dinner was okay, nothing fantastic, but definitely good.
4) The service, overall, was rushed and lackluster, and it was not a great spot for a romantic dinner.
5) Probably will not be back.

My friend and I decided to go out for a beer at 9:30 on a Friday night. We went to literally four other places that were too packed and noisy for us grumpy old-​timers before crossing the great divide of Atlantic Avenue and ending up here, where we were able to sit at a table and hear each other without shouting.
They have cocktails and an okay selection of beers on tap, as well as food ranging from oysters to real serious dinner (we didn’t get anything to eat, though). I don’t eat oysters but I noticed that «happy hour,» which is apparently all the hours, also involves $ 2 house whiskey shots. How bad could it be???

Cornelius has fine food and drinks, especially during a very reasonably priced happy hour, but it wouldn’t be the first place I would go in the neighborhood.
I might be the only person I know who doesn’t like oysters, so I can’t comment on the famous $ 1 oysters happy hour deal here. However, I’ve had regular dinner here too, and it’s just mediocre: totally edible and good portions, just not that great or memorable. I’ve had the chicken, the mac & cheese, and the burger. All of those menu items are available elsewhere in the neighborhood, where they taste better and are at similar prices.

This place is a real throwback. Named after Cornelius Vanderbilt (the namesake of the avenue on which this bar is located), with tufted booths, paneled walls, and just a single television. Good beer selection and also one of the few happy hour oyster bars in the immediate vicinity. The Blue Point oysters were hit and miss in terms of size, but when they hit, they hit hard. $ 2 each when it’s not happy hour and $ 1 during. They also do beer and whiskey flights, which sound fun. Would definitely return!

I want to be to the point here. The reason to come to Cornelius is first and foremost, dollar blue point oyster happy hour. They are big fat meaty oysters that rarely have shell flakes in them. Very solid. The migonet does not particularly impress, but the oysters don’t really need it.
The other thing that makes this place worth trying was the grilled cheese with thai tomato soup. That was amazing and I dearly wish they would return it to their menu. Great spot to take a date who wants to try oysters but have options.

…oh baby i like it raw!
…yea baby i like it raw!
just like ol’ dirty, i enjoy my oysters raw. lucky (luckily?) for me, there’s cornelius.
i don’t usually use the word, but cornelius draws «bromantic» feelings from me. as fond as i am of dives, sometimes a man needs to commune in a more stately environment. seeing as this particular man is (perennially) too impoverished for spots like the standard, places like cornelius do me just fine.
for fifty bucks i can treat myself and the man date of my choosing to ten oysters, a whiskey flight, and a (high gravity) micro-​brew. that’s three shots, a wicked strong beer, and a gang of seafood $ 25. combine this with the masculine cool feel of this bar (after dark) /​its laid back crowd, and i feel you’ll agree that cornelius meets any standard.
that said, would i bring a romance here? unlikely. i feel the place has more of a «hey friend let’s drink and gossip» vibe going for it.
cornelius? works for me.
tips: go for the oysters, sit at the bar.

What a find. I love this place. Their food is phenomenal and $ 1 oysters is a price that can’t be beat. The oysters are actually really good too. Solid beer selection, and a great happy hour. Very friendly wait staff, and the chef has come out several times to chat with us on the times that we’ve been there.
A must try is their mac and cheese. Either variety. It comes in a big bowl, nice crispy cheesy top… good lord I’m getting an urge to go there right now just thinking about it. Always try the special of the day too. The chef is very creative and excellent and is constantly coming up with good things. We had a cornmeal based gnocchi one time that he did which was just superb.
My favorite restaurant in the neighborhood… perhaps in Brooklyn.

I rarely review anything on Unilocal,but I frequently use the reviews to find new places. That’s a bit unfair of me. I’m really not giving back to the food community. Time to turn over a new leaf.
My wife and I came here about a week ago to take advantage of the Oyster Happy Hour. (We are regular addicts at Mermaid Oyster Bar.) Power was out in the lower half of the city so we decided to search out a similar deal in our neighborhood.
Unilocal guided us to Cornelius. We frequently ride past this establishment on our scenic ride to Brooklyn Boulders, but had only been once, and the food was very underwhelming. We decided to give it another chance, and honestly we were only going for $ 1 oysters anyway.
We sat at the bar, and ordered beers, house fries, and 2 dozen oysters. The fries had shaved asiago and herbs on them and were delicious – the oysters were perfect. About halfway through the first dozen, the chef came out and was checking on people who were eating. He even took the time to talk to us at the bar! And good thing, too – He suggested that we try the Komodo Dragon oyster appetizer, saying that it tasted like you were diving the the bottom of the ocean. As soon as he left the floor, that appetizer rolled out and it was absolutely sublime.
This led us to order more food, including the Inside-​out Grilled Cheese, and the Oxtails with grits gnocchi. That sandwich was ridiculous in cheesy goodness, and was served with a cup of creamy tomato bisque that was obviously meant to be dunked in with said sandwich. The out side of the sandwich was crusted with perfectly burned cheddar, like when you make it at home and some cheese oozes out onto the griddle – But the whole sandwich had this effect! Speechless.
The oxtails were soft and sticky as they should be, and i could barely finish them after so many oysters. I managed to clean my plate somehow with the help of a generous manhattan from the bar.
I will be going back here repeatedly. I think they open at 5 today. Hmmmm…

What you need to know about their happy hour:
$ 4 drafts with a good selection
$ 1 oysters
the best part… it’s until 8PM! The mac and cheese is also excellent, one of the best I’ve ever had. Second best part… it’s named Cornelius and is on Vanderbilt Avenue. Pret-​tay clever if you ask me.

Fantastic food along with well made drinks. If you like Oysters and Bourbon this is a solid spot. Oysters fresh from the LI sound and a cocktail to go along with it make for a great happy hour treat. The other food is solid here as well. Had an amazing meal which consisted of a pork chop, mashed potatoes and mac n cheese sprinkled with bacon, everything was delicious. I highly recommend this spot.

They do make good oysters. I shared the steak entrée with a friend. I normally don’t eat steak anywhere but a confirmed steak house (mainly because I’m not a steak eater but if I will eat it, it better be made right). It was a decent meal. Large portions.
My friend has been here before and both visits were great for her.
I forgot what I had to drink but it was good too.
The setting is kinda pub’ish.
I would come back here if I was in the area.

I wanted to try this place out for a while for the oyster happy hour (which is hard to find around Prospect/​Crown Heights). I don’t remember what kind we ordered but they were $ 1 each and huge! Pretty laid back crowd around happy hour on a Tuesday, I would like to see if this place gets busier on the weekends. I definitely want to come again, for more oysters and beer.

I’m a procrastinator, I’m often late, and I feel a sense of accomplishment when I make it to something at the 11^th hour. Cornelius has oysters for $ 1 every day from 5−7pm. At 6:51 we swung the doors open, hopped onto the bar and just made it for the special. And speaking of special, the bartender was just that; super friendly, knowledgeable about the food, spirits (he even went into fine detail about the temperature settings for the wine on tape in the cellar), and why people write such ridiculous facebook updates. He was super personable, laid back, and made a good bourbon lemonade.
My friend really likes the oysters here and I tried the salad special: Caesar salad, with a small quiche like thingy on the side. I definitely want to come back here for dinner on another night.

After driving past this place all the time, I was so curious to try this place out — luckily I found them on groupon so it gave me more incentive to go here.
The food on the menu sounded delicious, however it didn’t taste delicious. I feel like they tried too hard — the dishes were too salty, and the flavors were not balancing out or complementing each other.
I also had the $ 1 blue point oysters. They were a good deal at $ 1 buck a piece, but I’ve had better. Not bad, though.
If there’s one thing that I really liked at Cornelius, it would be the atmosphere and ambiance. You feel like you’re part of an exclusive old school club when you walk in here. I would probably go here for a specialty cocktail or scotch but I wouldn’t go here for dinner again.

$ 1 Oyster Special All Day, Every Day! How can you not love just the sound of these words?!
Cornelius spots a curved wooden ceiling and exposed brick walls, a beautiful, long bar covered in mosaic tiles, and unobstructed view that is just perfect to watch the sun set in Brooklyn while sitting at the bar.
The bar[1] offers 10 draft beers, with flights priced between $ 5 (two beers) and $ 10 (four beers). Interestingly, they also serve a German riesling and a Long Island merlot on tap[2]. From their cocktail list, I tried The Cornelius: lime, honey and sage muddled together with gin. A bit too light for my liking, but balanced and certainly very refreshing. It goes very well with oysters.
During a recent visit, we were fortunate enough to meet new chef Chris Caracciolo: an enthusiastic guy with a genuine passion for oysters, which he gets fresh on a daily basis. Chris likes to keep the rotating oyster menu at Cornelius interesting, with unusual picks alongside some classics. After sampling a couple of plates of Blue Points[3], we wanted to get a few Kumamotos. Unfortunately they were out of Kumamotos that evening, but chef Caracciolo gave us a few Hammersley oysters (WA) to try for free: deep-​cupped, creamy-​white, plump, with a strong, sweet flavor and a mineral, mild finish. I loved them!
Alongside with drinks and oysters, we also got the flat bread with pancetta, truffled goat cheese, and wild mushrooms ($ 10). It is as good and satisfying as it sounds.
Overall Cornelius is a great bar to mingle and relax. For its nice, welcoming atmosphere, no attitude, and great oyster happy hour, the bar at Cornelius gets five well deserved stars.
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[1] Drinks Happy Hour Monday all Night, and 5pm — 7pm daily .
[2] A method that prevents oxidation, apparently.
[3] Blue Points can be a bit of a hit-​or-​miss thing, but in this case they were nice, plump oysters that were surprisingly rich in flavor.

Slow
Service,
Good bourbon
Milk shake, and its
Nice to have the doors open for fresh air.