Sweetwater Tavern

Fans of the old down-and-dirty Sweetwater Tavern (often described as the CBGB of Brooklyn) might experience culture shock in this gussied-up incarnation. New owners—the trio that started the Smith Street renaissance with Patois—have canned the live music but stock a great jukebox. They kept the old mahogany bar and tile floors but added a pleasant back porch. The beer is still cheap ($4 for a 20-ounce Guinness) but now there’s a menu of bistro hits such as escargot with garlic butter and roasted chicken with portobello mushrooms. And while you can get a chocolate martini, you can also down the old house drink, a Car Bomb: a pint of Guinness with half a shot each of Jameson and Baileys.