Echoing the round-the-clock grocery-grogshops that serviced dockworkers in the early 1900s, this wood-paneled spot from Andrew Tarlow (Reynards, Diner) looks like a timeworn, below-deck tar bar—just leagues more hip than your average schooner’s saloon. Tabnabs such as artisanal soda bread and hangover-curing liveners dubbed “Morning Highballs” are served before the ship’s bell; East Coast oysters, clam chowder and marine-themed cocktails (the Skipper’s Choice blends bourbon, Byrrh, Strega and bitters) are on deck at night. 347-987-3666, achillesheelnyc.com.
Trending: Nautical spots
Ahoy mateys! A new wave of maritime-inspired joints washes onto Gotham, adding modern trappings to sea-dog dens.
Owned by eco-minded beach boys Lance Hess (a Jersey Shore native) and Adam Collison (from the Baltimore harbor), this Greenpoint seafood joint—named for the vessel from the 1789 mutiny—is battened down with dark and stormys, an 80-foot-long ship’s sail cast across the ceiling and old glass bottles plucked from Brooklyn’s Dead Horse Bay. The maritime vibe is buoyed by a tight menu of wild-caught seafood designed by Craft alum Eric Mann, from North Atlantic littlenecks at the raw bar to a whole-grilled dorade at the dining room’s whiskey-barrel tables. 347-689-3325, thebountybrooklyn.com.
You don’t need to board an overcrowded Jitney to get a taste of Montauk—this breezy through-September pop-up at the swank Soho Grand evokes the beach with pebble-laden floors, a thatch-roofed bar, and kitschy accents like fishing nets, old-school waterskis and bright-orange life preservers. Beat the heat under a canopy with canned suds such as Whale’s Tale Pale Ale of Nantucket, or a frozen watermelon margarita dusted with cayenne sea salt, created by Donna’s head drinks-slinger, Jeremy Oertel. Il Buco alum Gary King serves booze-soaking grub like yellowfin tuna crudo with micro cilantro. 212-965-3000, sohogrand.com.
Channeling a bygone era of adventure-seeking swabbies, this kooky, bi-level canteen is roped through with all sorts of pirated booty: A 19th-century oyster boat tugged out of Cali’s Tomales Bay serves as the raw bar, rowing oars are repurposed as ceiling-fan blades, and glass-enclosed ship models are docked above whiskey bottles at the bar. Naval-themed quaffs like the Compass Rose (bourbon, bitters and strawberry-rhubarb preserves) are on offer, as well as mook bait like vodka-oyster shooters and truffle fries. The over-the-top pub will also stage a bizarre awareness campaign for global warming by shipping in and displaying a 2,000-pound hunk of Greenland glacier, keeping it frozen via solar power at the bar. There hasn’t been a sea expedition this weird since James Cameron toured the bottom of the ocean encased in foam. 646-837-6100, preserve24.com.
Along with a copper facade mimicking the sea-foam-rusted hull of a ship, this Latin-accented raw-fish haunt is rigged with boatloads of aquatic touches: vintage porthole windows, seafarers’ maps of Patagonian waterways and hand-carved mermaid statues on the bar. The racy fare updates the bluejacket theme, serving toker-approved oysters smoked in a gravity bong and specials like soft-shell crabs with blowtorched doughnut peaches. Zesty cocktails made with pisco—a sailor favorite since the 17th century—and tongue-tingling chilies from Trinidad and Mexico are a sexy step up from jacky pints. 718-387-0563, desnudany.com.
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