Jack Tokarz

2 months ago

"I love dropping into this place and hearing whatever is being performed that night. Every time the music is a delight. Plus, they have a great drink selection!"

Lacey Salberg

2 months ago

"Such a hidden gem that hasn’t changed (in a good way) for the last decade I’ve been going. Intimate, lively, and very mixed music - fave spot in the neighborhood"

yoco yoshikawa

8 months ago

"A place where top-level musicians perform authentic music from various countries and cultures almost every day. You can always count on it—one of the few places in Brooklyn where you can experience truly genuine music. Some performances are weekly, some are not; music schedules are on their website. Plus, the bartenders are nice and fun—it's always a good time!"

Daniel B

a year ago

"Such a nice quaint place with live music, the staff is incredibly nice, sweet and gracious. Drink drinks could be a little bit stronger, but aren’t too far off. This is definitely a great place come on a Saturday and Sunday and just chill out."

Wook Chung

2 years ago

"Barbes is a small bar that smells a bit funky - perhaps fermenting beer somewhere. It is very narrow and the main hall is dominated by the bar itself with a few seats on the side of the wall. So this is where you start scratching your head, what's all the 5-star reviews about. This is not an "upscale" place. This is a very blue-collar, down-to-earth, grit and grime friendly type of place. You know it's been around, and you know this is not where you dress fancy but rather comfortingly confident. The beer is good, the service is good. And there's generally a good vibe. But so are hundreds of other bars. Then what's the secret? There is a mini music stage behind the bar and it almost feels like you have this massive underground talent that just simply jumps on stage and starts to play amazing music live. The back room fits about 20~30 person tops and some sit in there, others peek from the window or the door, but also, the music flows throughout the bar all the way to the front. On the day I visited, literally the pianist played classical Chopin. Not jazz. Not some rearranged version that is bar-crowd friendly. She just started ripping out Fantasie Impromptu. I have never been at a bar that is run-down, listenining to top notch classical piano, and having an amazing time. Barbes is special. Both for the locals, the musical talent in the city, and for everyone in between."