The Brooklynite

The best secret in San Antonio. Super nice bartenders, fantastic music, great décor, awesome selection of drinks… including some made right there in house, a MUST STOP EVERY VISIT TO SA!

My memory has not yet recovered from Rorke’s Drift, but my betrothed, Mitzi, assures me that I am, at the least, as good once as I ever was.
After enduring a particularly tiresome afternoon at St. Andrews last summer with my cousins Eddie and Rob (Really, what kind of club bar serves anything less than Macallan 18? Animals.) we retired to my sister’s summer cottage, Balmoral, where the atmosphere was more, shall we say, civilized.
Following several hours of discourse regarding Foucault’s obvious, yet understated, Freudian envy of Jung and his archetypes, my old roommate from Groton, S.T. Brown, and my cousin Hillary, persuaded me to venture forth to the hinterlands of Texas the following summer. I hesitated when he told me that manservants were generally frowned upon, but no matter, J.C. deserved a rest.
It has been said that civilization ends at the Mason-​Dixon line and I would, generally, believe that assessment to be accurate. We endured a conversation best described as stultifying while the bartender at the San Antonio Country Club stumbled through gimlets. Honestly, I pitied the old chap.
The Argyle Club was, well, the name really is apt, shall we say. S.T.‘s lady friend Elyse, I remarked, was green by the time we were ready to leave, and not with envy. As we were about to depart, a pair of twins named Aaron who had been enjoying a bottle of Shackleton’s, only recently recovered from his camp, suggested that we visit the Brooklynite.
Upon our arrival it was clear that we had found that last great outpost of the Empire in the Colonies. Our bartenders, Omar and Vicente, expertly mixed classic cocktails of the Continent and the New World. At last, we had rid ourselves of the bathtub gin served elsewhere between the oceans and had reclaimed the fragile beauty of well balanced botanicals. Yes, Sherman’s march to the sea was not for naught.
At The Brooklynite, civilization stands fast! Fear not the Colonies, their revolution has subsided for the time being.

Unfortunately, I was unable to try a drink at this place because we were so dissatisfied with the customer service. I had this location bookmarked for several months. We knew that the bar opened at 5:00 but decided to walk the 2 miles from our hotel around 3:45 and make stops along the way. There really was nothing to see on the walk as it was all warehouses and we ended up arriving at 4:30. The door happened to be open so we walked in and explained our dilemma and the fact we were from Miami and really looking forward to visiting to the bartender. He told us «that’s unfortunate but we open at 5 so be sure to come see us later». We weren’t even asking to be served a drink, just sit at a table to avoid the 100 degree weather.
Needless to say we did not go see him later.

My friends and I came into the Brooklynite after being complete tourists on the river run and the Alamo, and we instantly walked into the cutest décor! It felt like a completely different world we were in, and we were greeted right when we walked in!
I do not remember our bartenders name that night, but whoever worked Wed, June 8 evening, shout out to you guys for being the greatest hosts! I have finally discovered a drink that I really liked, and will carry that name on at future bars.
Definitely going to check it out again if I ever go back to San Antonio!

Went there on a Friday evening after touring the Alamo and lost my map there.
I ordered an Old Fashioned there and Mr. Vicente made it. The manager was there as well so I had some half drunk conversation with him. The cocktail was awesome in my opinion as they do a good job in quality control slash consistency. The reason is that I ordered two old fashioned and I cannot taste the difference so I assume that they are identical in terms of portions and ingredients.
Mr. Omar was also there and we had a good conversation before I get too drunk to handle.
PS: I extinguished the cigar butt like a boss on a cop car engine top before I got back safely.
Tell Mr. Charlie I will buy him a drink next time I am in town. I did not drown in Rio Grande.
Peace and have a good night.

Yes. Yes. Yes! We loved everything about this place. First off, they have an entire parking lot to park in making step 1 of getting to a bar a breeze.
When you walk in, the décor of this place is very early 1900’s prohibition era. The bar alone is a piece of art. They have old vintage couches and chairs and gorgeous chandeliers that adorn the ceiling.
The real treat are the mixologists. We sat at the bar and enjoyed the two gentlemen that were serving up the drinks. Not only were they masters at what they do, but their banter back and forth and their personalities made the place even more charming.
The drinks were AMAZING. I highly recommend the «This is From Mathilda» and the «Sherry Thomas». You can also tell your Bartender the different tastes you like and they can make something up for you. They nailed it every time someone in our party did that.
You go to a cocktail bar of this caliber expecting to pay around $ 12 per drink. These drinks ranged from $ 8-​$ 12 which I thought was really good.
There are a few games in the back. Darts, pool and table shuffleboard. A few TV’s in the place as well.
We will visit this bar every time we are in San Antonio. To great to pass up!

Came here on a Thursday night. Crowd was pretty sparse, understandably. Cool location and décor though. Loved the food truck sitting outside. The drinks were on point, and the jazz band was jamming. I’d definitely come back on a busier night.

It is true, watching the bartenders mix was definitely like watching art. Great ambiance and friendly staff! The daiquiris are yummy!

Went to this place last Tuesday with a lady friend and we left a $ 3 tip on our credit card statement and they added a 3 to the slip making the tip look like $ 33. This was on a $ 16 tab. Not cool at all…
I will never go back to this place and yes it was reported to the credit card company.
Crazy because we really did like this place and we were talking about coming back very soon…

Eddie was our bartender
Supercool
Super nice
The seating was fun shuffleboard
Darts
Fun

Everything Ranges on a scale of 1 – 5!
Price: 4
Atmosphere: 5
Bartenders: 4.5
Happy Hour: 4 – 7 Monday through Friday, where you can get Daiquiris, Old Fashions, Brooklynite, and some other cocktail for $ 5.00
Food: Yes
Review:The Brooklynite is a bar that knows exactly what it is doing, with Bartenders that know who they are, know they are good at their jobs and rely on nothing else.
I went in on a Monday night with a friend. They do have Happy hour from. Then on Monday they have Cheap ass Monday! Old Fashions and Daiquiris $ 5.00! So great deals.
Tuesday they have Tiki Tuesday, with Tiki themed cocktails that all run about 10.00 a pop.
Their regular menu consists of both originals and classics that run from 8 – 11 dollars each.
My friend and I both order two cocktails each. His were both of the menu, and were very delicious and to his liking. My first one was off the Menu, also good, but a little too smokey for my tastes (Not a big Mezcal fan, and it had Mezcal in it.) The second drink I had was off the menu, because business started picking up a little later into the night.
Though you’re more than welcome to order off the menu, and probably would on a night that they are busy. It seems though that during their off hours the bartenders are ore than willing to make you something of their own creation, or that was on a previous menu that they really enjoy. They ask you questions, see what you like. «Do you like Boozy, or light? Refreshing, or Heavy? What Spirit do you typically drink?» Very friendly and very nice bartenders here at the Brookylnite.
With that being said there was a lot of cursing going on, on this Monday night, the language might offend some people, it didn’t effect me much. In fact I think it somehow added to the vibe that the Brooklynite is all about. «I do what I want.» I mean isn’t that what the rebels on Prohibition were? People that liked drinking, having a cocktail, talking with their friends, and not letting some law rule their lives?
ADDITION:
They have a Shuttle to the Last Word on Fridays and Saturdays, that’s pretty awesome.

During my first visit at this bar, I was amazed by ambiance. This bar gives off a hipster feel with old fashioned furniture, old music playing in the background, and dimly lit throughout the bar. When you order a crafted cocktail, pay attention to the bartender as they make your cocktail — it’s an art form!
On a not-​so-​busy Monday evening with the special of $ 4 tequila shots, I had the opportunity to converse with the bartenders that night. They are very educated in the world of liquor and can really teach you a thing of two. Even though one of my favorite cocktails were no longer on the menu, the bartender was still able to craft me up a Doxycycline.
With reasonable prices and amazing crafted cocktails, this is my favorite chill upscale bar in San Antonio. With another popular bar, Paramour, right down the street, Brooklynite will still always be my favorite upscale bar.

The cocktails they serve are the best in San Antonio. There is nothing more I appreciate in a bar, than a well made cocktail. Try the Pearl Snaps and Beards Oil or Machine Gun Funk, you won’t be disappointed.
Best in SA!

Really cool cocktail bar in San Antonio! I needed a drink after a long week of work and The Brooklynite seemed like just my kind of place. The cocktails are expertly mixed and the atmosphere is pretty laid back and hipster.

3.75 stars. OK, this is more like it San Antonio. I was wondering whether the idea of fun liquors and spirits, homemade bitters, and creative cocktail making somehow wasn’t present in the seventh largest city in the United States. Thankfully, my initial fears have subsided. Now, if only they could open up a second bar in La Cantera…
Brooklynite is a fabulous bar in downtown San Antonio serving a wide array of interesting craft cocktails along with a tiny portion of local brews for good measure. Like pretty much every cocktail bar I have been to on the East Coast, you can find at least one drink on their menu featuring cynar and fernet branca. While there might be some argument that Brooklynite might be a bit tried and true with their cocktails, when you consider the atmosphere, the crowd, and the price, all of your concerns dissipate quickly.
While the crowd is diverse, it skews towards rich, attractive, and friendly. There was some ridiculous promotions company salsa dancing in a back space, but they were by far the most annoying subset of the Brooklynite population. One of my friends thought it was a bit hilarious that some novices ordered simpleton drinks from the bar, but honestly, I thought it added to the crowd’s diversity. Go ahead and get your Tito’s and cran — so long as I can get interesting drinks featuring whatever spirit my heart desires, I’m happy with the experience.
As for the actual drinks, the classic English Pimm’s Cup was relatively well balanced though I would have chosen a bit more fruit to complete the menagerie and perhaps selected a slightly wider cocktail glass. The off-​menu Sazerac was plenty interesting, but I would have balanced it with a tad more simple. The last cocktail I ordered was of the more eclectic (a fernet based cocktail) variety, and after settling down a bit, turned out to be a rather enjoyable cocktail. I didn’t order one, but one of my friends simply order an Old Fashioned, and we both agreed that it was one of the better renditions of the American classic.
I was looking for a bar I could consider a home, and if it wasn’t so far away from where I live, Brooklynite would certainly qualify. I would highly recommend a visit if you have any appreciation for craft cocktails and happen to live in close approximation to downtown SA.

I like The Brooklynite. The vibe is great, the cocktails are particularly good, and the staff is friendly.
One recommendation: if you don’t like the cocktail options in this very cocktail-​forward bar, ask the bartender for something off the menu. I did that and they asked for my favorite spirit and then recommended something that I thoroughly enjoyed. Impressive…

Solid place to go for craft cocktails. It’s not huge. Loved the recommendations from the bar tenders. I would definitely come back. It’s not too loud– good place to talk — wee bit pretentious. Like it!

This is the place for drinks! The ambience is perfect! Upscale feeling with reasonable prices. These folks are true mixologists. These are not run-​of-​the-​mill drinks. They have unique ingredients and combinations. Don’t get upset when you see the small glasses — the drinks pack a respectable punch! We are visiting and decided to stop in for the reverse happy hour. Great choice! I will be back when I come back to San Antonio. Shout out to our bar tender Aaron! Great service.

Just not that impressed. It’s a super cool building and atmosphere but the drinks – the main reason I came out – were only a cool selection. No amazing mixologists, no amazing taste, no science behind them, no show, nothing extra. I can get that drink made for me at any bar. There is no care into anything except décor in this bar. That’s sad when it has so much potential.
I was truly hyped up by everything I read and was ultimately disappointed. I probably won’t come back here ever.

Brooklynite offers SA cool kids a comfy place to chill and sip on beautifully crafted cocktails!
We’ve been to several bars in San Antonio and find ourselves always speeding back to the Brooklynite. The décor is Psycho (film) antique chic with plenty of televisions, tables, and sweet tunes. My first encounter was on a blind date, the date wasn’t going so well until my glowing drink arrived and I just nodded and smiled as he went on about computers, the drink made my night! Then, I brought my sister… she didn’t really know what to think of it, it was packed and we didn’t have a personable experience with our bartender but she loved her drinks. I’ve discovered their wonderful happy hour and I can’t seem to get this place out of my head, Aaron and Hillary made our drinks with pure concentration, you can tell they’re perfectionists! Be sure to try a Buffalo Soldier and their Old Fashioned, you can slowly sip or show your friends how much hair you have on your chest by chugging them down like a beast!
I’ve been here on several occasions and here’s why you should scope it out:
–AMPLE parking spaces behind Brooklynite/Pete’s Tako House
–Happy Hour $ 5 cocktails are my jam
–Mixologists mean business with every drink
–Plenty of seating options for those who want to break away from the crowd to throw a hard makeout session in their Red Room
–You can get crunk off of one cocktail
–Aaron and Hillary concoct off tha chain drinks
–You can actually have a conversation with someone without shouting over music
I shall return to figure out what Tiki Tuesday is all about! Get your buns down to the Brooklynite and find out for yourself why everyone loves this bar!