The Long Island Bar

"The burgers at Long Island Bar are not “cool” or “of the moment”. They are not two inches thick and $40, and they’re not smashed into crispy oblivion—they live in a liminal, unfashionable, burger space, and each one comes with fries and a small toothpick with an American flag on it. Sometimes you just need a good burger without all the fanfare, and that's exactly what you'll get at this diner-like spot in Cobble Hill, which also has an affinity for colorful string lights, a handful of leather booths where neighborhood folks eat cheese curds, and a polished wooden bar where someone will mix you a perfect white Negroni as if their life depends on it. If you're feeling particularly spendy, consider adding a bottle of champagne to your burger order. It's a legitimate menu item (Add Bottle Of Champagne), and it costs $100." - sonal shah, bryan kim, neha talreja, willa moore, will hartman

"The answer is always Long Island Bar. This diner-like spot on Atlantic Avenue works for drinks at the counter, a casual evening of cheese curds with friends, or a low-key celebration dinner, when you can finally justify adding that bottle of champagne to your order. (No really, the menu says “Add Bottle Of Champagne” for $100.) But even if you’re just here for a perfectly mixed White Negroni, consider the burger. Neither two inches thick and priced like a steak, nor smashed into crispy oblivion, it’s just a soft, manageable burger with one or two patties, a blanket of cheese, and a small toothpick with an American flag on it." - willa moore, molly fitzpatrick, bryan kim, neha talreja, will hartman

"This Cobble Hill spot calls itself a bar, and a lot of people use it that way. That's absolutely understandable: one of the current owners is widely credited with inventing the Cosmo, the cocktail and wine list is longer than the food menu, and you can easily drink one too many textbook-perfect Negronis at the polished wooden bar. But if you only drink here, you're missing out. Once you try the burger and fried cheese  curds at Long Island Bar, this place will be so deeply embedded in your regular restaurant repertoire that you’ll have a hard time drinking martinis and eating burgers anywhere else. photo credit: David A. Lee photo credit: David A. Lee photo credit: Willa Moore photo credit: David A. Lee The walk-in only corner spot on Atlantic Avenue originally opened in 1951, and it still looks like an old-school diner. Colorful string lights add some festive atmosphere—even when it’s just neighborhood folks eating deviled eggs in the handful of leather booths. It's the kind of place you could come to for a Tuesday date-night in sweatpants, or solo fries and martini at the bar. But you should also consider Long Island Bar for a low-key special occasion: like a birthday you don’t want to make a big deal out of, or a summer Friday when your friends are feeling a bit spendier than usual. For times like those, add a bottle of champagne to your burger order. It's a legitimate menu item (“Add Bottle Of Champagne”), and it costs $100. Food Rundown Drinks Always start with a cocktail—a perfectly filthy martini, or an impeccably mixed White Negroni—but don’t forget about the $30 ice cold pitchers of beer. Deviled Eggs Think of a deviled egg. Now imagine it cut the opposite way. Now you have the deviled eggs at Long Island Bar. They dare to be different, and they succeed. Extra creamy, dotted with spicy habanero sauce, these are a great bar snack—if you haven’t listened to a single thing we’ve said and are still just planning to stay for drinks. Fried Cheese Curds New York City does not have enough fried cheese curds. The ones at Long Island Bar make up for it. They have a tremendously crispy exterior, a squeaky interior, and come with French onion dip. Bowl of Fries The fries are non-negotiable. They come with the burger, but in case you don’t go down that route, get a bowl. This is drinking food. Little Gem Salad The dressing and toppings on this salad change, but you can always expect a very solid bowl of greenery—sometimes with blue cheese and paper-thin carrot ribbons, other times with Manchego cheese and shallot vinaigrette. Whatever combination you encounter, know that it will expertly balance out the fries, cheese curds, and red meat. The LI Burger Forget smashburgers. Forget thick, two-inch patties that cost $40. The burgers at Long Island Bar are just soft, manageable, double-patty burgers, with a blanket of cheese, and a small toothpick with an American flag on it, stuck in a perfectly round bun. At $22, they also come with fries." - Willa Moore

"The Long Island Bar & Restaurant has been around the block. For more than 50 years. While the original owners have passed the baton to Joel Tompkins and Toby Cecchini, Long Island Bar remains a fixture in a neighborhood that loves having it around. It’s the place you go to hang out, to blow off steam, or sometimes watch live TV on a big screen in the back. Don’t sleep on the food either because holy smokes, it’s fantastic." - This Also

"The lights over the booths are intimate and old-timey, and the decades-old bar itself—note the quadruple-paneled mirror by the cash register—is stunning. Folks throw on their nice pair of jeans, or some good earrings, to come here. Co-owner Toby Cecchini (who, incidentally, invented the Cosmo at The Odeon many years ago) has a following, and his cocktails are known around the city, so it’s a bit of a see-and-be-seen along the bar. The menu sports a short list of slightly twisted classics—a martini made with junmai daiginjo sake, a gimlet with ginger-lime cordial, a white negroni sbagliato. Pick one off the menu or list a mix of flavors you like; you’ll end up happy either way." - Emily Saladino, Devra Ferst