Maybe I was lucky to come here on a night without these dreaded owners, but it was just a fairly average railroad style brooklyn before it was all gentrified style bar in my experience. Mainly stood out because the name made me say WTF yet intrigued me, in the way that only stuff in NYC can. I was sort of expecting it to be themed around the plague, but that'd be in tokyo nm. read more

Love this hidden gem! Such a great, cozy place that feels like home.- check out this bar, it is definitely worth your while.

Wish I could keep this place to myself but that is no fun! The vibe, drinks and bartenders are all on point :) They even have games and books to pass the time. read more

The spam burgers were actually really good-- the menu did not lie about it. Nice vibe, really really nice people.

Very rude staff, not worth the visit. Like other reviewers have mentioned they are very rude when asking to see ids, felt very race targeted. read more

soooo cozy, cute, friendly, stylish in a cozy way books, games, hot toddies, a fake fireplace...what more can you want from a surprise spot? they encouraged writers to come hang out, say what? (is a yelper a "writer" or just a dawg?) read more

Never experienced such awful treatment at a bar, especially from an owner. I've frequented this place often and more times than not have been disappointed. Hope this place reopens under new management. read more

Went here last night with a group of friends and was surprised at how great of an ambience and crowd it was will definitely be back the bartender mixed great drinks we were all very happy. read more

Really enjoyed it here. Had a rosemary cocktail that was very different and refreshing. Tried my friends spiced cider and was also very good. Would return. read more

Bad Old Days has deserved a great review from me for sometime. I am a little spoiled living in Bushwick with all the great bars around but with a quick walk to Ridgewood; I am at the best bar in town. Now, if you are not that smart of a person or a loud type you might not like this place. Myself, on the other hand, I was Stoked to get into a brief discussion about quantum Physics with Sonja, the owner. She is a witty character with a friendly smile and has no qualms about getting behind the bar and making things work. Ellen is a gem too. I don't know if I will ever get another chance to play Ninja turtles on an old school TV in between sips of cider and tequila. I also love the fireplace that is going 24/7. So much so, that I had to order one off of Amazon. Nuff' said. If you are a chill, intelligent person that likes drinks and great service Bad Old Days is the place to be. There is no IQ test to get into the place but maybe there should be. Even the name of the place has it's own meaning if you care to dig that deep. I also had some amazing conversations with complete strangers at the BOD. Good drinks, smart people, amazing ambience; this is the place to be. Thank you BOD for being so chill. See you next weekend! ;) read more

Really nice place with good music, tasty beer and nice atmosphere. I don't come from here, and felt very welcomed as a "tourist". So for whoever stays in bushwick for travel, had a long day in the city - go to this place and enjoy a drink or two. Thumps up! read more

My daughter and I come here often., its a different atmosphere but its very nice. They have cozy chairs and bookshelves if you feel like reading from their collection. Their bar food is delicious for a small bar, I highly recommend the pulled pork sliders and the chickpea sliders. They have a good wine selection, its small but still a good tasting selection. Same as the beer which my daughter enjoys, they have a small craft selection but its good. Love this place just to have a hangout for a while. read more

The bartenders are all local and wonderful to talk to. I come here every Saturday and always feel comfortable. For all women: nobody is trying to grope you and dancing is completely free. Nobody is disrespectful here, most of the crowd are regulars'; kind and respectful people. This place is a safe space for women, men, LGBTQ and any non-binary. We dance, we drink read more

Great spot, atmosphere cozy, board games and books, good drinks, fairly priced. Really loved it

Found this neighborhood bar 2 days after moving to the neighborhood and I must say the owners, Rina and Sonja are the BOMB. The bartenders, Vanessa and Amie, are incredible and the cooks, LJ and Chris, are superb! I've always left The Bad Old Days satisfied. Their fried mac and cheese balls are SEAAAAUX good. They also have some great pork sliders (chickpea sliders too!) and a Grade A Sauce caddy. 10/10 critics recommend!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! read more

The beers and prices were good, but I've never felt so unwelcome. There were 3 staff on and maybe about 8 people max in the bar when we came in, a group of 5 just wanting to sit and chat after an all day rehearsal down the road. We are a little older group (like 30s) and definitely weren't rowdy. We kept to ourselves in a corner because we had a meeting, and went up to the bar to order. I felt as though we were somehow bothering the bartenders by being there at all. Maybe they only like the Ridgewood locals? Especially the girl who we ordered from was very snooty, which was really weird. My colleagues got the same vibe, so that was pretty lame. I wanted to like it, the decor is comfy and hip and they have board games and things, but I feel like service is key to a good experience. I've spent many years in the service industry and I really don't get it. Left after 1 drink because gross. I don't expect to be waited on hand and foot, but a little friendliness goes a long way. So uncomfortable. read more

Super cute female ran bar! Warm inviting, books, games and good drink specials. Down to earth locals bar in Ridgewood. Need to come here more. read more

Open every day , great service, happy drinks..... I'm drunk come pic me up.... There's board games and the owners are super frikkennnnnn hott like I wanna put a baby in her!..... but she has a boy friend fellas, ( or ladies). Anyways come here for the hipster vibes that are too cool to actually be hipster. read more

Best bar in Ridgewood, Queens! I was impressed with its cozy vibe as soon as I walked in the door & they didn't disappoint. The seating is a varied, you can choose from a couple of couches, the bar, or window seats. The service was excellent & the prices are very reasonable. read more

This is a story about a bartender who chased after me after I left the bar. I wish I could make this up. Here it goes: my roommates and I are new to the neighborhood and went there this past Friday night for the first and last time. First of all, the female bartender was nasty about asking us for IDs, and refused to serve my friend until the entire party showed IDs -- including my friend who had already ordered a drink while waiting for us. Asking to see my ID is not at all an issue -- it was completely her execution. On two occasions, they collected drinks that still had alcohol in them, including once when I was in the bathroom and my friends were talking and didn't notice. A group of people sitting nearby confirmed that they felt the same about the female bartender but choose to "just deal with it." At that point, although I wasn't ready to call it a night, I didn't want to order another drink there. I wrote on my receipt, "Please stop taking drinks without asking and BE POLITE." After I left, she then came out of the bar to tell me she needs my copy of the receipt. I looked at the receipt and she went on to say that I took the wrong copy and she NEEDS the one I have, and that if I need a receipt she can have it reprinted inside. The copy that I had was most certainly the customer copy, but I gave it to her anyway, and now have NO receipt from that evening. I cannot BELIEVE she literally LEFT her place of work to chase me and demand I fork over the customer copy of the receipt. This is the service industry: bartenders can make or break the atmosphere of a place, and Bad Old Days could do so much better. If this bartender was the owner (not saying it was, I have no idea), well, that's very unfortunate. This was by far one of the most unprofessional experiences I've ever had. read more

I love this bar so hard. Good people, awesome bartenders, great specials and AMAZING food. I am addicted to their jalapeno poppers and meatloaf sliders! Their homemade sangrias are amazing as well! read more

This is pretty much the bar I would open if I opened a bar...so it's unfortunate that I live a block away and often opt to just chill with a bottle of wine on my couch instead : / that being said, it's the epitome of a comfy-cozy romantic drink spot. It'd be nice to take a first date, since there are books and games and conversation starters of that nature. The drinks are small but tasty and well-made. read more

A great neighborhood bar that I wish was in my neighborhood. Went in on Sunday evening for a Cider (Austin's dry - nice!) and found a popup panini set up by Kurt Hermanson. Kurt just finished a stint at Bar Boulud in the city so I was expecting a lot. I wasn't disappointed. We each had a Reuben Panini. It was excellent: good flavor, nice and crisp and perfectly seasoned. I had a side of German Potato Salad which was also very well made. I initially complained about the lack of bacon but on finishing it off at home I must admit it really was good and I use bacon as a condiment anyway. We also had a side of charred broccoli with black beans and paprika yogurt. Unique and delicious. The bar itself is very relaxed and the service is great. Nice drink list and the bartender is very attentive. The owner is constantly on the move and picking up any missing pieces. The live music, String Bass and Cornet (ok, maybe it was a trumpet) was MAGICAL: straight from the Mississippi​: smooth and sweet as honey. I wish I could give it 6 stars. I'll be watching for the next installment of Kurt's Panninis. Well done all! read more

Undoubtedly the best bar in Ridgewood - great drinks and excellent bar food. Plus love the ambience - cozy and mellow. Perfect for downtime.

Well 2 years later, our friends finally moved to Ridgewood and made us go back to The Bad Old Days, and because my husband and I hold onto grudges, they had to drag us. But we were feeling lazy and wanted a drink so we decided to walk the 30 steps it takes to get to the bar and sucked it up. The decor and hipster (in a good way) vibe was still the same, which was what I liked in the first place. Then it was time to face the bartenders again.. I ordered my usual prosecco and she handed me a glass, which was a generous pour (ok- getting some brownie points). Most bars give you these cheap ass lame-excuse-of-a-glass tiny pours when it comes to prosecco, so I was impressed based on that alone. Then she was super accommodating and fun, making sure we were happy with our drink orders.. totally different from our first experience 2 years ago. This lovely gem, and the reason why we've gone back so many times since, is Ellen! Best bartender I've ever met (and I've been to my fair share of bars in NYC) and I've never met a bartender so genuinely sweet and so involved with the customers. When we got to talking, we found out that the management changed (thank Jesus!) and she knew exactly who I was talking about. So now, unfortunately, this is my favorite bar in Ridgewood - not JUST because of Ellen, but the vibe is chill, the drinks are cheap even after happy hour (happy hour until 8 everyday), and they have a lot of activities throughout the week (bingo, trivia night, etc). Thanks for steppin' up your game, but now we're there too much though! read more