Originally built around a love for oysters and absinthe, Maison Premiere has remained both steadfast in its singular vision and as innovative as ever.
• When outdoor seating is available, the wisteria-draped garden (book ahead on Resy) might fool you into thinking you’re somewhere between Louisiana and Provence.
• While Maison excels at the A-list classics, look closely and you’ll find lovingly executed takes on B-side hits, like the Yellow Parrot and the Obituary, that make the case for revival.
NICE TO KNOW
Around the corner on Grand Street, Fresh Kills (from Richie Boccato) has been quietly serving some of the best cocktails in Brooklyn for nearly a decade.
NOTABLE AND NEARBY
The Panda Fizz, one of five signature cocktails.
Katana Kitten's mortadella katsu sando is not to be missed.
When Maison Premiere arrived in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, in 2011, it did so in another era—both for the New York cocktail scene, and in concept. Equal parts Belle Époque Paris, old French Quarter New Orleans and modern-day Brooklyn, Maison Premiere peddled a new brand of buttoned-up, old-timey escapism—wardrobe included. This is a bar with a style guide. And yet, for all of the ways that Williamsburg has changed around Maison, the bar has pulled off a rare feat: It has remained both steadfast in its singular vision and as innovative as ever. The bar was originally built around a love for oysters and absinthe (and the combination thereof), but the menu is full of hits, whether it’s the Old King Cole Martini (for our money, one of the best in the city), beloved Absinthe Colada or seasonal Pimm’s Cup. The wine list, though too often overlooked, has always been on par with the quality of drinks and full of well-priced gems—back-vintage Muscadet and beyond.
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Caption TK
Around the corner on Grand Street, Fresh Kills (from Richie Boccato) has been quietly serving some of the best cocktails in Brooklyn for nearly a decade.
NOTABLE AND NEARBY
• When outdoor seating is available, the wisteria-draped garden (book ahead on Resy) might fool you into thinking you’re somewhere between Louisiana and Provence.
• While Maison excels at the A-list classics, look closely and you’ll find lovingly executed takes on B-side hits, like the Yellow Parrot and the Obituary, that make the case for revival.
NICE TO KNOW
Staff Favorite Dive Bars
Pete's Candy Store
I moved around the corner from Pete’s in 2008, and have found myself wedged into the bar’s tiny back music venue on countless nights since. The crowds may have changed, but Pete’s still maintains a bygone Williamsburg combo of grit, disaffection and surprise and delight. —TB
Happyfun Hideaway
If you’re looking to make out on a dance floor, this no-frills, tropical-themed queer bar is the spot for you. —IG
7B Horseshoe Bar
7B stands out from the hoards of East Village icons not only because it opens at noon (ideal for killing time before, well, anything) but because it has one of the friendliest staffs of any bar, let alone dive, in the city. —CF
Sunny’s
This outer fringe of Brooklyn’s Red Hook neighborhood is not easily accessible, but it’s worth a trip to experience a bar that’s been resurrected from the brink of closure several times. Live music starts most nights at 8 p.m., and there’s plenty of outdoor space for loitering. Don’t forget to bring cash. —AH
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An essential guide to the bars and retailers that have turned Oakland into an epicenter of progressive wine culture.
The mortadella katsu sando is not to be missed.
From left: Maison Premiere’s Sherry Cobbler; the seafood tower; the Adonis.
The bar's lavishly garnished Sherry Cobbler.
