Spike Hill

Spike HillSpike Hill
Spike HillSpike Hill
Bar, Eatery

184 Bedford Ave
Brooklyn, New York, 11249-3227
United States

// CLOSED //
PLACE STATS
Average:
4.04
Reviews:
12
Ratings:
15
pDev:
8.17%
View: Place Reviews
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Photo of rikemiley
Reviewed by rikemiley from New York

5/5  rDev +23.8%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 5
Oh Spike Hill, how we'll miss you. This place is permanently closed because the building was sold for an exorbitant amount of money. The future home of Banana Republic or some other shit chain store.
Jan 09, 2015
 
Rated: 4 by elamb106 from New York

Dec 11, 2014
Photo of MMarkMelly
Rated by MMarkMelly from Connecticut

3.5/5  rDev -13.4%
Another Interesting Bar to Arrive Suited After Work in '08. As the Bar Around the Corner Did This As Many Times As Possible.
Sep 11, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by sirsteve42 from New York

Jan 29, 2014
Photo of DoubleSimcoe
Reviewed by DoubleSimcoe from Pennsylvania

3.93/5  rDev -2.7%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5
Another fine beverage establishment along Bedford Avenue in Williamsburg... it is hard to think of stopping here when you have Mug's, dba and Spuyten within spitting distance, but this wouldn't be a bad stop if you're visiting with, say, a non-crafty friend.

There are 11 taps here, including Guinness, Smuttynose IPA, Hoegaarden, Stella, Sierra Celebration, Brooklyn Reserve, Brooklyn Lager, Sixpoint, Franziskaner. Nothing earth-shattering for sure, but satisfying enough.

The vibe here is nice and cool. On a Saturday evening they had electronic music, hot bartenders and a good mixture of hipsters and regular humans.

A long hallway with little alcoves/booths on the side is "Vegas style", the wife said. I thought of a little fancy restaurant in Taos called "Joseph's Table", or a Moroccan dining hall.

I spotted a bar full of scotchs and bourbons, just in case. And my pint of Smutty was damn fresh and delicious! Add to that the fact that the place was not too busy or loud on a Saturday evening/night and I say, why not?
Feb 28, 2012
Photo of sleazo
Reviewed by sleazo from New York

3.75/5  rDev -7.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 3 | food: 4
I would describe this place as an Irish Pub with a craft beer leaning. Typical publike atmosphere with dark wood everywhere and a few seats by the window where you can watch the assorted freaks of Williamsburg pass on by. I was there on a recent weekday happy hour and there were a number of people reading, eating and talking. Laid back and not very hipsterish which is a major major plus.

Beer selection wise I thik they had about 12 or so taps. Typical Bass, Guiness selections with a few locals thrown in there. I had a Sixpoint Brownstone which is always welcomed. There bottle selection had some interestinng choices. This isn't really a beer destination, rather an Irish Pub with a few interesting choices.

I had heard their burgers were good and mine was. Nice pub style burger with white cheddar. They serve it with malt vinegar and HP brown sauce, so I was happy

All in all i like this place, the food is better than Mugs but the selection is not as good. Spike Hill is a good place to visit if you are looking to grab a bite and have a beer you will end up liking.
Jan 13, 2008
Photo of Bierman9
Reviewed by Bierman9 from New Hampshire

4.13/5  rDev +2.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4
Alewife and I stopped by here last Memorial Day (28MAY07) after checking-out of Casa Moon0 and doing some Ground Zero sightseeing. Truth be told, we stopped at Mugs first looking for lunch before heading home, but they weren't open yet. Sooo.... let's try Spikehill, ok? Had visited here with a gang of dirty no-gooders during Split Thy Skull in March, and I was impressed then. Being in a slightly inebriated state at that time, no review could easily be procured (relevant info being quite easily forgotten...).

Arriving a bit after noon on said Memorial Day, we found the place to be quite empty, save for the bartender and one other staffperson. NBD, I say... The front of the place is decorated with small, colorful tiles framing an open window peeking into the place. We enter into a long, narrow establishment. To the immediate left is the aforementioned open window, with a small counter and barstools for open-air drinking and dining. To the left is a long J-shaped bar running about 2/3s of the way down the room. The right has large blackboards on the wall listing draft and meal specials. The bar, as well as most of the room, is done-up in very dark, worn wood. Place is somewhat dimly lit, with a couple of large globe-like light fixtures hanging over the ornate back of the bar. Old posters and pics, with other bier bric-a-brac, hang about on the walls. Near the rear there's a slightly larger, brighter room with 4 to 6 tables of various sizes. When nearing the rear, on the right of the room, are some small nook/alcove type thingies for a bit of a more intimate feel, or to just hide from the masses. A rather comfortable bar, on the whole.

We sat at the open window, looking out over Bedford Ave, and were tended to by the bartender. The dude was spot on, very friendly and helpful. From bier suggestions to offering up some hot-sauces for our meals, he was super. Spike offered about a dozen biers vom Faß, from what I could gather. We never did look at any bottle list, being content in choosing from the varied drafts, like Hefeweizen, IPA or Belgian Strong Pale. Alewife and I each opted for a burger and fries. The sammich was huge, seeming to easily top a 1/3lb of beef. The fries were plentiful and fairly good, though Alewife thought they were a touch greasy. I liked 'em, especially with the spicy Vietmanese condiment the 'tender brought for me. It was a good meal, with tasty biers and top-shelf service. I did think the prices were a bit higher than expected for the area, especially comparing to Mugs. Still, a nice finish to a hectic weekend in DC and New York....

Prosit!!

overall: 4.13
atmosphere: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$$

155
Jun 04, 2007
Photo of PopeDX
Reviewed by PopeDX from Pennsylvania

4.03/5  rDev -0.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 3
Came here on the recommendation of the bartender at Essex. Literally across the street from the exit of the Bedford stop on the L line (Philly people, that's "L" as in the letter of the line, not "el"). Makes an easy stop between Mugs and the other places in the neighborhood.

Stop three on the Holiday NYC Pub Crawl 2006 (for those keeping score, stop two was New Beer...didn't review it as we only popped in fast for some Southhamptons (hey we had a long day ahead of us and I had a backpack), but it was a great place). Between New Beer and the L station at 14th and 1st we found a Belgian fries shop called "Pommes Frites" around 2nd and 8th (I've always wondered why they call them "pommes frites" in French when "pomme" means apple...potato is "pomme de terre"...I guess that's too wordy). Anyway, amazing fries, probably the best I've had after Eulogy. The roasted garlic mayo was really good, but Karen picked the smoked eggplant mayo and it was out-of-this-world incredible. Matched so well with the frites. If you're in the neighborhood, look this place up.

So aaanyway, back to Spike Hill. Cool dark wood and brick interior, reminds me a bit of an Iron Hill. We were told to go there for the Scotch and food, but the beer selection was nothing to shake a stick at. No stick shaking! About 8 decent taps and 25ish bottles. Oh, and a nice Scotch/Bourbon/Whiskey selection as well. I had a Three Philosophers (still don't get why everyone sucks at that beer's teat...it's good, but...) and Karen had uhhhh something else. Both were fresh and crisp.

Service was super-cheery and attentive. The food was good, not great. I had the fish and chips...there were a ton of fries and they weren't bad, but nothing like the ones I'd just had. The fish was too much breading (panko) and not enough fish. I didn't care for the purple cabbage cole slaw at all, it was dry...but I'm not really a cole slaw person. The tartar sauce was way too strong. Karen had the pot pie, which came in a French onion soup crock with a crust baked on top. It had mushrooms and bacon inside, both of which teamed up and overpowered the chicken. Maybe it was just the two things we had but it seemed the menu was being eclectic for eclecticity's sake, and it didn't turn out great.
Dec 28, 2006
Photo of Billolick
Reviewed by Billolick from New York

4/5  rDev -1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4
Prime location on the heart of Greenpoint Brooklyn on Bedford Ave. Passed by here many times and in for a pint on several occasions. Big windows in front open up onto the Ave. Nice wooden bar, lots of exposed brick, booths in the back have a lot of character, quality selections on tap are extensive and far flung. Cant go wrong here with reasonably priced pints of Brooklyn, as the brewery is all of 3 minutes walking distance away. Have some pizza at any one of several joints 2 minutes away or try the fine Thai grub at PlanEaThai and then stop here for fine brews in a relaxed and atmospheric place. Worth a visit or as part of a neighborhood crawl.
Nov 23, 2006
Photo of slander
Reviewed by slander from New York

3.86/5  rDev -4.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4
Brooklyn again. Thank you, thank you, it's good to be back. My desk reclaimed. Hello, old friend, desk. We're looking at months of recovery and rebuild here post strike; I don't know where to begin. Maybe rewind, stop, play? Seems I heard somewhere that a journey of a million miles starts with a single stop for a beer, something like that...

Randy arrived just as I rolled up and Phil, well, it's Sunday which means Phil's in the park playing Frisbee with the other hippies, but even if he weren't, this is not his Bedford Ave haunt so he's out. It's a long narrow place with a "J" shaped dark wood bar seating a dozen and a half and a huge bar back unit, pillared, the top piece with spot lights, a center mirror with 3 shelves of single malts and small barrel whiskeys and scotches, and shelves to both sides of center specializing in the various Glens. Long half high mirrors run the wall to both sides of the unit with tiered shelves of booze, more booze lining the top of the half high mirror to the right and the bottled beer collection to the left side.

The room done brick walls with wood posts; beer mirrors, a Guinness gold standard award and paintings of a clown and John Travolta's Vinnie Barbarino littered about. A bar counter runs the wall adjacent to the bar and another piece of one up front below paneled windows that open out over Bedford Ave, next to the corner jukebox. A tri-colored tile wall around the doorway, pressed tin molding and trim above the front windows and to the rear, and block linoleum floors. Drop ball lighting over the bar, glass cones over the front nook and to the rear, strung lighting to under the bar back unit, and spaced mounted wall lamps. A flatscreen mounted above to the rear.

4 highback private booths in little nooks to the rear on the right, and 7 small square tables for seating in twosies and foursies there too. Blackboards listing taps and food menu selections, and a Spikehill whiskey flights board (fights from $30 to $100)

A dozen taps spread over 2 towers of 6 split between both ends of the bar. A handful of local taps (Sixpoint Righteous & Bengali IPA, Brooklyn Lager) and mostly standard imports (Ayinger Brau Weisse, Weinstephan Hefe, Radeberger Pils, Delirium Tremons, Stella, Guinness, Smithwicks, Magners). Had the Sixpoint Righteous, and it was just that.

Nice collection of bottles, some 4 dozen of them. Good micros (North Coast Pranqster & Old Stock, Stone IPA, Victory Golden Monkey, DogFishHead, Ommegang, Anchor Steam, Long Trail, Sierra Nevada), but mostly imports (Saison DuPont, Duvel, Chimay, St. B, Delirium, Unibroue, Erdinger, Paulaner, Franziskaner, Schneider, Hacker Pschorr, Harviestoun, J.W. Lees Harvest, Froach Heather, Hitachino).

Comfortable place, kickin' tunes (Kinks, Sex Pistols, Johnny Cash on the juke while we were there) and good beer here.
Nov 04, 2006
Photo of francisweizen
Reviewed by francisweizen from Washington

4/5  rDev -1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4
Decent bistro-gastro-pub atmosphere small, but not too small and with a nicely sized and shaped bar. Quality of the draughts was good, but they only had a few micros on. Still what they had was very good, and they had a lot of bottles as well. Prima Pils on draught gets me every time and the bartender was nice and let me charge my cell phone in their outlet:-) Another nice little hipster/neighberhood bar on Bedford..it joins the ranks of many, lets see if it lasts...I think that it probably will.
Jul 18, 2005
Photo of SCW
Reviewed by SCW from New York

4.46/5  rDev +10.4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4
Another beer bar in Williamsburg! What can I say? The folks in my neighborhood know what good beer is, and they're demanding Budweiser get the hell out of Dodge. Although, I will admit, the Greenpoint Tavern right next door does an insane volume of Bud every day.

Spikehill is great. Yeah, it's another Irish pub in the late Irish pub craze.... but so many Irish pubs have flavorless beers on tap like Smithwick's, Harp, and Guinness Draft. Spikehill does better... they have an abundance of American micros on draft and in bottles.

The best thing, in my opinion, is their IMPECCABLY clean tap lines. Mark, the bar manager, has the tap lines cleaned every two weeks. How many bars can say they do that?

The crowd is boisterous yet personal, the typical lively Irish pub scene. Expect a lot of different people of different ages enjoying themselves at this place. I recommend you do the same.
Jul 04, 2005
Photo of Hibernator
Reviewed by Hibernator from Massachusetts

3.48/5  rDev -13.9%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4
Brooklyn Beer Bar Pilgrimage Part I:

After finishing the Brooklyn Brewery 4 PM tour, it was only natural to keep the momentum going as week walked down Bedford Ave. If you are gonna stop by Spikehill and you're hungry for a good slice of pizza, check out Anna Maria across the street. It will not disappoint.

Anyways, on to the review....

The atmosphere has an Irish pub feel about it. There is a nice lengthy bar with a dark wooden decor. Draught selection was solid, but nothing really peaked my interest. Some tap selections were Ayinger, Magic Hat Blind Faith, Brooklyn Lager, and so on. I was more interested in the bottle selection here. They offer a beer menu, which is helpful. Any place that offers some sweet bottles like Dogfish Head Raison d' Etre, Dogfish Head Aprihop, Rogue Dead Guy Ale deserves some respect. Service was helpful and attentive.

I don't see myself making an effort to go back here, but it's a great neighborhood bar. Spikehill is also closely located close to Brooklyn Brewery and Mugs, so you can pull off a nice Brooklyn pub crawl with minimal effort.
May 29, 2005
Photo of PudTinkler
Reviewed by PudTinkler from New Jersey

4/5  rDev -1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4
Hey, it's another beer stop. Is it a destination in and of itself? No. But it IS a decent "filler" bar for a pubcrawl. The draft selection is fair enough, and the bottle selection is significantly larger. I happened to have a Brooklyn Chocolate Stout there, and there's nothing wrong with any bar that has stuff like that on tap. As mentioned earlier, it's 3 blocks from Mug's, so why not stop in and have one?

It's a long wooded bar, with seats to the side along a mirrored wall, as well as seats in a little "front nook". Tables in the back, but I wasn't sure if people were eating or not.
Feb 11, 2005
Photo of saltydog
Reviewed by saltydog from New York

3.86/5  rDev -4.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5
Well, it isn't brand new, I first stopped in this place for just a few moments a couple of months ago, after Alex Hall mentioned that they had some possibilities. Maybe they've improved a lot, or maybe I wasn't paying enough attention, but at the time it made no impression on me and I did not actually have a beer, just glanced in and continued on to wherever I was going, which was home after an evening at Mugs.

Anyway, on hearing another mention of it in the NYC Beer Guide Mailing list Ludwig and I stopped in again to see what was happening there. it turns out to be quite a nice place, handily located near the Bedford stop and just 3 blocks from Mugs...a classic Irish dark wood pub with a long bar and booths in the back. They have decent though not great draft selection, with a couple of interesting beers such as Ephemere and Delirium Tremens, but the bottle selection is what is very impressive; 60 beers, including St. Bernardus 12, Unibroue Terrible, Skullsplitter, Old Stock, Old Rasputin, a couple of Dogfish beers, Gaffel Kolsch, Bezelbuth, and others. I would rate the selection 3.5 on draft and 4.5 on bottles. Lots of whiskeys too if you're looking for them. The prices are also good and especially during happy hour, which has cheap drafts and $1 off every bottle.

They will be opening a kitchen soon.
Aug 25, 2004
Spike Hill in Brooklyn, NY
Place rating: 4.04 out of 5 with 15 ratings