Dining | Brooklyn Social
Described as a restaurant/dive bar, Brooklyn Social is less of a dive bar and more of a laid-back and relaxed place you’d frequent (emphasis on ‘frequent’) with your mates. It has a little bit of dive-y atmosphere, but it’s clean (thank God). With its location on Randle Street, the fact that Brooklyn Social doesn’t exist in any overly trendy area of Surry Hills will be a big plus for many.
The clientele are young and urban, all looking to hang-out and chill. Staff is friendly and helpful, and the music is all rock-and-roll, baby. At one point you might even hear Rush (if you don’t know Rush, just watch I Love You Man).
Like any good American-themed dive bar, the décor consists of rock-and-roll memorabilia and dark lighting, adding to the casual vibe. Top marks for the family-size bottles of condiments on the tables. As anyone who’s visited the USA knows, it ain’t quite America until there are bottles of ‘ ketchup’ and mustard on the table.
The food, therefore, is typically American. There aren’t any entrees (that’s really fancy!) but there are snacks and sides starting from $6.00, like Mac and Cheese Balls, Curly Fries with chili salt or, for $8.00, the Potato Salad. The Sweet Potato Fries ($6.00) with mint and maple aioli is delicious – you’ll down them in a heartbeat!
But hey, you’re here to drink, and the cocktails are definitely worth checking out. Organised on the menu by each NYC borough they’re associated with, each cocktail is $17.00 and packed with punch. Try the strong (like, look out’ strong) Spiced Old Fashioned: a cinnamon-infused cocktail made with rum, pimento bitters and vanilla syrup. Or, perhaps the Uptown Sour: a refreshing drink that’s a twist on the classic Whiskey Sour, and made with Monkey Shoulder whiskey, applejack and citrus.
The ‘mains’ are filling and work well as bar food. There’s a lot to choose from, and daily specials are also available. If you’re sticking to the menu, try the Brooklyn Special ($14.00): a Brooklyn-inspired burger made with wagyu beef, American cheddar and the kitchen’s own special sauce. If your only experience of Southern Fried chicken has been KFC, then you’re in for a treat, because their chicken, at just $10.00 a plate, is amaaazing, and was even given the stamp of approval by the waitress!
After you’re done with the mains, you definitely need to move on to the desserts. Prices start from $6.00, and the best choice? We liked the Cinnamon Donut (or ‘Metho-donuts’, as the waitress called them): lovely pillows of cinnamon-covered dough that you can fill with chocolate, caramel or strawberry sauce by way of a pretty impressive-looking syringe.
Wash all of this down this their selection of beers (on-tap or bottled) with prices prices from $6.00 (Rocks Garden Ale on tap) or $13.50 for a bottle of North Coast Old Rasputin. As for wine, stemmed glassware may be considered out-of-place in an establishment that prides itself on being a dive bar, but you’ll change your mind after a glass of 2012 Domaine Chandon from the Yarra Valley for $12.00 a glass.
Yum!
Written by Erica Enriquez
Brooklyn Social
17 Randle St
Surry Hills, NSW.
(02) 9211 7789
