Onderdonk & Sons

This is a great bar in a beautiful space — the best bar east of Pearl’s.
The only reason I’m withholding a fifth star is because I desperately want Brian to expand his weeknight menu (currently only burgers and fries) so my wife can have an excuse to come in more.

Such a hidden gem in ridgewood!! such great value drinks and the burger is amazing, I always tell people how great the burger is and it never disappoints!! all the staff are very friendly!! there are seats outside so perfect for the summer evening!! seriously check this place out !!!

We went there around 3pm so we could do the happy hour deal which was beer+burger+fries are $ 11! Burger was small but yummy and staff are friendly. Cocktail was delicious too and it was only $ 5 during the happy hour! Amazing!

Great burgers and fries!!! Unpretentious and super chill place!

Had a really good time here two days ago during Happy Hour with a friend. We were the only ones at first but the bar seems to fill up during the later hours. We took advantage of their outrageous HH specials — cocktails for $ 5 — you just can’t beat that! I loved the bartender’s variation of the Moscow Mule — super-​refreshing even on a cold-​ish day. For food I only tried the fries but those were delish! Next time I’ll be back for brunch.
Service was attentive, drinks were made fast, and food came out promptly. I’d say five-​stars for a great experience overall!

The spill over from Bushwick is draining into Ridgewood, and watering holes like Onderdonk & Sons are some of the first signs of millennial influence in the neighborhood. Good thing? Bad thing? Let others chew on that, I’m too busy enjoying this lovely little bar.
Serving beer and wine only, they do a nice job of creating «cocktails» using the ingredients at their disposal. The regulars are quite friendly, and word has it their bill of fare, from dinner to brunch, doesn’t disappoint. I was in for a quick drink this time, but the next go ’round will certainly include comestibles.
Grab a booth and hang awhile. It’s a cozy lil’ spot.

No more brunch here y’all
Burgers and booths and booze and
My favorite games

This place is very different. It’s pretty chill. They don’t have an actual bar, they do have can beers you can buy. It’s really nice, twinkly lights hanging. This is the type of place you go to if you want to chat with friends, relax, have a few beers. It’s fairly new which means I’m sure there will be some changes within the next year or so.
I will be back!

The brunch is a great deal and the food is good. Mimosas are very good and made with fresh juice. Overall prices are good. The only setback was this: we were the first people to sit on their patio, and after 2 – 3 other tables filled out, we were actually the LAST people to get our food. The wait was something like 40mins. The staff, however nice, never addressed it, and by the time our food arrived, the other tables (that arrived after us) were already being cleared. Last minute I took one star off for waiting another 10 mins for the check, even though by then the place was almost empty.

I love love jazz and if you do then this is the place for you! They have happy hour daily and live jazz for brunch. When you order brunch you get a mimosas with your entrée for only $ 12! Best deal you can get in this neighborhood and they also have an outside patio for those that rather eat outside and enjoy the weather.
Highly recommend this place for the service, food and live music.

A very cool spot, very chill (at least the night I went). They have a wonderfully curated draft list and what looked like an impressive cocktail lost, although I was just drinking beer. The space is nice– it’s nothing overly fancy, but it feels like they thought about how it should be laid out and you feel really comfortable here. My friend ate, I didn’t but all their looks and sounds amazing. If I’m in the area I’ll be back for sure.

This bar is extremely close to me and I love it, the only reason I don’t give it 5 stars is that I have a few relatively minor quibbles.
Overall: Delicious burger, outdoor & indoor seating that is rarely crowded, great bartenders and good beer.
About service:
I have been in plenty of places that suffer from nonchalant (read: rude) «hipster service» in much, much worse ways than here. I do think it probably should be obvious to anyone walking in that a place only serving burgers & fries and legitimately nothing else probably doesn’t have table service… But in case it isn’t sufficiently clear you order your food and pay up front at the bar, and the bartender or someone from the kitchen staff runs your meal to you when it’s ready. Pretty standard practice for places with a limited menu & small staff. I’m not sure if brunch (where there are more food options) is different– haven’t been yet.
My issues:
Fries are too salty! I love them but I can add more salt to them myself! I think with salt its always best to underestimate but that’s just me I guess.
Cash only: Sucks. It just does. There’s an ATM in the back but yeah, cash only is a major pain. I know why especially new places do it but it’s really annoying.
No liquor: I’m a beer drinker anyway but a full bar would be lovely. Maybe someday, maybe not. If it’s never going to be, I’d say the beer menu should be changed more frequently, but that’s me being picky.
In total: Love you, Onderdonk & Sons!

So discouraged with my experience here. After reading nothing but rave reviews, my boyfriend and I headed over for burgers and drinks. We live very very close and never heard of this place, so we were surprised but excited that there was a decent bar in the area.
My immediate impression upon walking in was how gloomy the atmosphere was, kind of depressing, really. It is dimly lit, which is fine but there was a fog in the air which make it even darker. Not sure if they had on some sort of smoke machine or maybe fog lights, but it instantly turned me off.
So we walk in and stand for a solid 2 minutes waiting to be seated, since it was pretty empty we just sat ourselves in a booth. The bartender looked over at us so we figured she’d come by with menus soon.
NOT.
We sat for another 5 – 10 minutes as she walked past us four times, delivering food and drinks to other people. It would’ve been understandable if it was actually busy but there was maybe a total of 6 people in the entire place and only 2 were sitting down to eat. At least drop off the menu, it would’ve taken two seconds.
We ended up getting up and walking right out and she didn’t even notice.
Side note: I’m really annoyed with these laid back hipster environments, it’s like you’re inconveniencing them by wanting to dine at their establishment. Not a good look to the restaurant/​service industry.

Loved this place! Had a really nice atmosphere and great beer selection, almost everything is $ 5.

I live 2 blocks from here and I absolutely love this place. Their weekend brunch is fantastic– $ 12 includes a cocktail. Love the Eggs Benedict and I like that they give you the option to sub bacon with salmon or spinach. I get the spinach. My sister had French Toast– challah bread blueberry compote… Mmmm good. The owner is so charming and the staff so accommodating. Go in and in try it for yourself –you will be hooked just like me.

Finally made it out to Onderdonk and Sons last night. Around 6:30 it was very relaxed atmosphere with a pretty mixed crowd. Older gentlemen of the neighborhood seemed just as at home in this place as the 20-​something crowd.
The bartender made me a delicious Moscow mule, and my friend had a lemon and thyme cocktail with soju. Both were excellent in price, strength, and overall flavor. We also did the burger and fries combo, which was equally impressive. For $ 10 you get a big juicy burger and some seasoned fries. It is a simple plate, and it is the only food they serve, but why would you need more options if they do that one thing SO WELL. One of the best cheeseburgers I have had in a long time.
Great addition to the neighborhood… I see myself taking advantage of their outdoor seating all summer long!

Ever since it flung open its doors late last year, brightening up what was once a lonely stretch of Onderdonk Avenue, I’ve wanted to to cozy up to Onderdonk and Sons beside a crackling winter fireplace and pitch woo in its tender ear.
The glorious tin ceiling. The Rat Pack cocktail lounge booths illuminated by Twin Peaks lamps. The Eisenhower-​era relic of a refrigerator. The jangle of the saloon cash register. The jukebox loaded with old souls. The wooden phonebooth. The warped barroom mirror. The cheap booze. The ferociously bearded barkeep. The sinfully tempting ten dollar burger, fries, and beer combo. Not to mention the incensiest restroom I’ve ever had the pleasure to set foot in.
Only drawback is their proximity to the Evangelical Church of Revival across the street means an ongoing struggle to procure their liquor license. Seems like an archaic law, frankly. You wouldn’t think the hours of operation of the two establishments would cause much interference. Perhaps the church fears staggering drunkards of the midnight hour will disgorge on their icons of Jesus.
That aside, Onderdonk is the kind of neighborhood watering hole from which tales of legend are born. Give them your money so they’ll stick around.

Let’s get this out of the way: I really have no interest in upscale amenities coming to Ridgewood and was perfectly happy with the bars we had. I’m approaching the sudden glut of new fancier/​themed bars recently opened and in progress warily, but with an open mind. Many of them seem to be owned by people with no ties to the neighborhood, but who already own a bar or two in gentrified neighborhoods and suddenly all read the same real estate article and had an epiphany that it would be a great investment to open something «cool» here.
That said, I went in here for the first time, and found the beer prices reasonable ($ 5/​pint for a «craft beer» of which they have a decent selection). The décor, lack of sign, and pseudo old-​timey touches make it look like it could be any number of bars in any number of gentrified neighborhoods, but the booths seem functional. The bartender was friendly and gave buybacks and shots. The real kicker and what makes this place particularly worth revisiting was the jukebox, which is probably the best in the neighborhood and stocked only with soul, blues, and country, and at a price far more affordable than those Internet jukeboxes.

With the fear of gentrification creeping into my hood, I see this new bar with beautifully rich and ambient décor inside and out, and I got a bit nervous. Yes, I feared they would be priced higher than other bars in the area and that new businesses would follow… and eventually I’d be priced out from hanging out in my own hood! (You can thank the friggin’ NY times for this paranoia.)
I had nothing to worry about. This stunning venue is moderately priced. They don’t have a full liquor license yet, but the bartender said they’d reapply. They have beer and wine, of course. They also have a creative cocktail menu with drinks made from soju, vermouth, bitters, or whatever else they can legally serve. While I eagerly wait for the full liquor license, I’d come back for the ambiance and happy hour.
I’m super excited to have a place like this to hang out in! Welcome to the neighborhood!

I was walking from the subway on my way back home when I noticed this new bar I hadn’t seen before. I saw a few people inside and decided to take a look. Apparently, they had just opened a couple of days prior to my visit.
It’s a good sized bar with some booth seating available. There’s a jukebox in the back if you want to add your own input to the music that’s playing.
There were some great wine based cocktails as well as beers on tap (they sell only wine, beer, and soju from what I was told by the bartender). I was hoping to try something new, so rather than go for some of the beers I usually enjoy, I took a look at the cocktail menu. I opted to try the ‘Sweet Pick Me Up’ (coffee-​infused red wine, cocchi vermouth di Torino, Star Anise, and Aztec bitters). It was quite tasty and actually nice on a day that was a bit chilly.
The prices were quite reasonable. A wine cocktail goes for $ 7 during regular hours and $ 5 during happy hour.
The bartender was very helpful and attentive in answering any questions.
The only negative thing I have to say is that they only accept cash. So, just keep that in mind when you come visit. There is, however, an atm on site.
I really like this space and wish the owners/​staff well in their new venture! It’s a really nice addition to the neighborhood.