I don't know why everyone is so mad about the service here. I've been three times and always had great service. I was here tonight, Thursday at about 8:45pm. I took advantage of the last few minutes of the cocktail happy hour. I was informed right away about the credit card minimum of $20. Obviously it isn't ideal but I appreciate that the bartender told me right away. When I went to order an additional cocktail it was after 9 and the other bartender told me the price was $8 now that happy hour was over. Again, I appreciated being told about the price. Overall, great customer service and delicious drinks. Just wish the minimum was a little less. Great chill Bushwick spot with a nice patio. read more

Treated with no respect on a Monday at 8:53pm. Ginger bearded bartender is a racist. I came in with two Indian friends and he checked their Georgia Id's under two types of light, and refused to give us two drinks per person even when we just asked a shot and beer. I told him I wanted to put two drinks on a credit card and the other drink with cash. He then yelled at me, so I told him "why are you being so conformational, I just want to pay." He flipped out and said "you want to fight?" I'm a 5' 3" woman, and he is a "professional bartender". I ended up paying for all on one card just so that he would stop yelling at me. Two people at the bar tried to intervene and explain to him what I was saying. This man is not a professional and honest not worthy of the tip I gave him. read more

My favorite thing about this place is the decor. It's awesome! Outside of the main bar area there is a section with benches, grass, and 2 wicker swings. It's nice to grab a drink from the bar and chill in the swing. The main part is just as nice and gives off a home like feel. They often play a film in a small area with couches. Last time I checked it was Holy Mountain- solid film. There's also a pool table. I'd recommend trying their popular drink "Pain Killer" which is basically a pina colada. Also good happy hour specials. The crowd varies. read more

Would you like to spend some time in a swinger's south beach pleasure pad circa 1973? This is your spot. A++ on ambiance. Love the giant hanging egg chair and booths are good with buddies. Usually good music on and friendly bartenders. Drinks are good too, especially if you're sipping on happy hour, which goes until 9. Spicy peach margarita and surprisingly good apple juice and whiskey combo are best bets. This is a nice place to take visitors who haven't spent time in bushwick because it's a beautiful and well-kept haven in a neighborhood of warehouses and funky dives. read more

I'm a fan. I dig the bar and the female bartender was badass. Super cool, super informative and very chill. She was gracious. $2 cans of Lion's Head beer are being opened non-stop, here. The crowd is something out of High Maintenance meets Broad City. My how Bushwick has changed into East Willy B for sure. Cool music, cool vibes and a rock solid Fried Chicken Burger that destroys Shake Shack's version. Fun times. Beer & Shot combo is $6. $20 minimum on credit cards read more

Unreal behavior by the bouncer Alan on Saturday night. I'm of East Asian descent and so is the friend I came here with around midnight. As soon as the bouncer cards us he looks at us, starts giggling to his friend (possibly another employee?) saying "I have a joke but i'm gonna hold it." Since we are not morons we obviously knew it was about us and said "What's the joke? We want to hear it." And he says "Ok fine... you guys look like the Asian people who get to Manhattan on a bus and they're just like so happy to be here they get out of the bus and take those CHEEESE pictures." *he smiles crinkling his eyes and holding up the peace sign* Neither I nor my friend had been holding up a cheese sign or crinkling our eyes anywhere in the vicinity at any recent point. So my friend and I were both like, uh... wtf? That's rude and racist. The bouncer, as soon as he saw this reaction, began raising his voice. He said "It was a JOKE. You guys FORCED me to say the joke. So therefore it's not racist. Dave Chapelle can say this kind of joke. Why can't I? It's a joke. I already told you it was going to be a joke. If you couldn't handle a joke you shouldn't have asked." The reason I asked is because it was clearly a comment about me and my friend, and I wanted to know. It makes literally no logical sense for him to assume that because I'd asked him to voice a thought, I would unconditionally tolerate that thought regardless of how disrespectful or racist it would be. I tried to have a reasonable conversation with him and asked for his name. I wanted to introduce myself too. And at the end of the day it was in fact a sad and dumb joke. I was hoping we could discuss it and get over it because I didn't want my night to be ruined either. But he was getting more and more defensive and started yelling over me, saying, "My name is Alan [last name redacted so as to not ruin his life]. Go ahead and write a bad Yelp review about me." The friend he originally intended as the audience of this joke also backed him up, saying we couldn't take a joke and that we should chill. As this was happening more customers began lining up. The bouncer began loudly saying to everyone who came by - "It was a JOKE. I made one joke. It's not racist. Why is this racist?" Eventually a group of 15 or so people had gathered and were standing around listening to the bouncer yell, and a few people decided to intervene by asking me why I couldn't take a joke, why I couldn't consider the fact that maybe it was a Saturday night and there were a lot of people and the bouncer was tired, and also, they were Italian and they always received jokes about being in the mafia and it wasn't a big deal for them. The bouncer of course sided with this and said comments like - "Yes, thank you, it's a JOKE. I'm a 6-foot black guy, I can take a joke when people call me the n-word. Learn to take a joke." After a few minutes of this my friend and I decided to leave. At this point I wasn't even as offended by the joke as I was by the bouncer's subsequent behavior and attempts to get a crowd to rally against us. 1. It sucks that people discriminate against minorities. But that doesn't justify additional racist comments even if they're made by another person of a minority background. The bouncer saying that to me - does that make things better for anyone anywhere? 2. At the end of the day it was one shitty, overdone, witless joke. But the bouncer was so deeply annoyed that we didn't just immediately laugh along that he had to start yelling and getting everyone around him on his side. You're expecting me to take a joke - why can't you take it when someone doesn't laugh? Why do you have to get everyone around you involved to affirm that your joke was valid and that it was funny? Why can't YOU let it go? 3. I'm trying to patronize YOUR business. Like literally just from a monetary standpoint why are you trying so hard to chase customers out over a "joke"? This is probably the first time I have been yelled at at a bar/restaurant by an employee. 4. Lol @ the Italian guys outside who told me they get made fun of for being in the mafia all the time... must be hard out there. Bouncer, props to you for understanding their struggle and thanking them for relating to your situation. Also, last time I checked, being tired on the job (in a situation I voluntarily signed up for & am being paid for, btw) didn't suddenly turn me racist. But if that's something any of those people have experienced before, they should definitely go get that checked because I'm 100% sure bigotry isn't a symptom of fatigue. Will never come here again. Alan, here's the negative Yelp review you were hollering for. PSA to East Asians trying to come here - make sure you're fully and completely ready for the 20th century era jokes about squinty eyes and peace signs. There's a comedian on the loose. read more

This has become my go-to summer spot. chill vibe, friendly staff, and the most affordable frozen to-go drinks around...

Completely different than the divey Lower East Side Johnson's, but fun for all the same reasons. Awesome bartenders, chill crowd, lots of seating (indoor and outdoor), pool table, and all around great atmosphere. I suggest coming here for punk night on Mondays. read more

Went there last night. Drinks were decent but the service was absolutely horrendous. I tipped the bartender 15% and he gave me a lecture on tipping. Unbelievably rude. read more

This bar is very different than its sister bar in LES. It's much bigger and much cheaper for one thing, also it is crawling with hipsters. This first time I ever visited this location was a one star experience. It was around 1am on a Saturday night. Super crowded, drunk people everywhere, I mean that's what you expect from a bar on a Saturday night. It did take a while to get my drink, just a beer nothing fancy, but again super busy Saturday night. The reason I did not enjoy my experience here was the bathrooms... one was out of commission and the other one should have been as well. After waiting in line for ten minutes I open the door to see a vomit covered floor, used toilet paper behind the toilet, vomit in the clogged toilet and the toilet seat was on the floor. Was I suppose to use the bathroom here? Well I didn't, I chugged my beer and left. Now that is not the staff's fault, but still they had to of known about it. My second experience was not as bad. When my date said he wanted to make his way over there, I literally just wanted to yell no I'm going home now, don't make me go back to the place with the bathroom of my nightmares. Well I am glad I went back. It was a Sunday night, not as crowded, I had a few Jack and Cokes, they were good. Oh and the bathroom was spotless. Overall I'm going to say this is an average bar, nothing too crazy. It did have outside seating and a pool table though which was neat. read more

Cheap Drinks. The happy Hour til nine. Good for long nights or meeting friends. Has food. read more

Really comfortable bar ... If your in a certain kind of mood. Two dollar beers are always welcome, as are their Painkillers, which are basically really strong Pina Colada. Also great is the pool table, and the food, supplied by the really excellent shop called Strange Flavor Burger Shack (get burger or chicken sandwich). Not five stars because bar can get crowded and some of the folks who are customers are awful. But that's not the bars fault. read more

Rude and inattentive service. The drinks are cheap if you can ever get one, but when you do there will be no smiles and maybe even no words exchanged. Hire happier people. Or is this just the vibe they are going for? read more

The food stand, Strange Flavor, there is wonderful. The bar service at The Johnson's is terrible. Freakishly slow service (on par with a bad night club) and even more freakish on what IDs they will accept (bizarre). Too old to play college bar games. Would recommend stopping for burgers then going to another bar for drinks. read more

The food in the front is amazing. Five-star. Just like, a backyard cheeseburger really done great. Also the chicken sandwich is amazing. The drinks are cheap, so maybe this complaint is unfounded but... tap water is $1.50. In a small glass. Seems like a bad practice for a bar. read more

The decor & vibe were really cool but it was quite funny being a lone woman at this bar. As a casual observer I can confirm the guys here were hunting in PACKS- which was pretty amusing to watch- less to engage in. There were also a lot of dates happening. The cocktails were good but the happy hour cocktails were less so. read more

I was in Bushwick for some lunch with my boyfriend, and we decided to find a place to get a cocktail. We are both fans of Welcome to the Johnsons in the LES, knew this place was going to be different after looking at reviews, but were hoping it had a pool table (Yes, it does). So, props for the pool table! The bar was empty so we got the table to ourselves. The bar is HUGE - it looks like they converted an old warehouse into the bar, and have even had to create another wall/entrance about 25 feet in from the street to create a smaller, what I imagine more manageable (to heat and cool) space. For a warehouse with cement floors, they've tried to make the inside look like a cool 60s hotel lounge, though it still felt a bit big to me. It's clean and well lit, music system sounds great. Don't get the Hot Fuzz margarita - I'm a fan of spicy things and of magaritas, but they somehow managed to mess this up. The addition of peach scnhapps probably did it... I'd come back with a group of friends (its got tons of seating) or for pool, but I'm not cool enough to live in Bushwick and too lazy to get out here without my car. read more

Go here if you want to have fun. $2 Lions heads are a lot of fun. Bartenders are cool. If you hate having fun this bar is not for you. read more

The Johnson's - Two dolla holla $$$$ - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

The pictures I've attached is of one the most rudest bartenders I've ever met. The other one was a sweetheart. Just because I said "yo hey bro" he said "just because you said that I'm not serving you until the last person" at first I thought it was a joke as there was not that many people there. Then I realized he was legit serious, ignored the shit out of me, and gave me the cold shoulder when he was done serving only one person a drink. I honestly don't understand your a bartender!!!!!! I have money in my hand, a great tipper, and you just fucked me. It was not even a packed bar! I tipped the previous bartender 5 bucks on two beers... my whole squad of 8 was so turned off by this we had to leave. I want to give kudos to the bouncer I explained the situation to him and he was cool af and I guess maybe his boy was having a bad day...anyways if your having a bad day stay home and don't work at a bar! I hope you see this review and see what a terrible person you were this night. read more

The Johnson's - The coolest bartender (the chick) and the fucking asshole - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

This is my favorite bar in Brooklyn. I really like the aesthetics, and I'm so happy that it's in this Bushwick-Maspeth-East Williamsburg-Ridgewood neighborhood. The bartenders, both male and female, were really good looking. I thought the bar was actually quite fashionable, and it seemed like every customer had a fresh haircut. Like the yelp prompt says, this is as good as it gets. Cheers, cheers, cheers!!!! read more

I gave them an extra star because the drinks are cheap. Otherwise, this place is a douche bag haven. If you like your bros and obnoxious people, come here. The bartenders are extremely rude and the place smells like a public restroom. I used to come here all the time but it's gotten worse every time I come back. My advice- work on your customer service, clean the bar every now and then and get rid of the ass hole who works the door. read more

Not my kind of bar. Too generic. Ok, the drinks are cheap but the atmosphere is lazy and not funny at all. Definitely not my kind. I have more fun drink beer at home while watching tv. read more

The food is great- however, the bar service is abhorrent and I will never be back. The bartender refused a valid drivers license from another state. He was incredibly disrespectful to us- a group of people in their very late 20s. He asked "do you want to fight?" when we clearly just wanted a round of beers while we waited for our food. It is telling that they are next to a brewery and carry none of their beers. I can't wait to read on Gothamist that this business has failed. read more

I like this bar. The service is fine. There's really nothing to complain about. YMMV

Every time I come here, the staff is cartoonishly rude and arrogant towards customers. It's unnecessary to be an asshole towards people who are giving you money in exchange for alcohol. I thought any adult could understand that.. apparently not. Anyways, I gave them 2 stars though for their $3 beer cans. Not a bad deal read more

I'm not normally a "bar guy" and I have only tried consuming alcohol 3.7 times in my life, but as far as places to awkwardly lay down go, I might have found a Mecca. This bowling alley provides some of the best sleeping/tickling spots I have found in all of Brooklyn. I came here last week for the reptilian suspension exhibit and was pleasantly surprised with the lack of pee in the ball pit!!! The manager was an astoundingly tall beautiful woman with tattoos named Wilson, I asked for her number but she told me I had to buy something first. I volunteer at a daycare center for earthworms and I look forward to conducting this year's Easter egg hunt at this hot new bushwick location!!! Try the egg salad sandwiches, they are unbeatable. read more

To the bouncer that denied my ID for saying "AP" stedda "PA"...it's a real Pennsylvania typo! I'm 24 and flattered, but pain in the ass. I guess I can't be mad at the crackdown, the place seems to be packed with teenagers every time I'm there... http://www.phillymag.com/news/2015/03/26/pennsylvania-drivers-licenses-faulty-replacement-vendor-penndot/ read more

The most humiliating experience at the Johnson's: For those of you who are familiar with the Bushwick scene, the Johnson's bar on Troutman St is one the last dive bars that still operates with cheap well-drinks and beers. It's down the block from my art studio, so I go there with friends once in a while. I like the nonchalant atmosphere. However, last night was surprisingly humiliating. I took my friends who are visiting from out of town with a plan to grab a couple drinks and pizza afterwards. The bouncer at the door, whom I've seen around for the past two years, decides to hold on to my ID and start accusing me of being a trouble maker. I hastily requested for my ID back and retorted that he was the trouble maker. Two months earlier he discriminately denied entrance to a friend who's from Greece. He claimed she must have a passport at hand, while allowing my other Western European friends in with their home-country IDs. The bouncer and my friend got into an argument and I mediated. He made a few outrageously xenophobic comments. She ended up crying and eventually going home without getting in. The extent of my involvement was mediation between the two. It seemed he had held a grudge from that incident and wouldn't allow me or my friends into the bar. I said, "are you serious?!" And he looked over to one of his buddies/co-worker and told him to add "serious" to the list of things he's heard people say to him at the door. The co-worker took out a notebook and started writing. I looked around and realizing that my friends and I were the only black people, I asked, "are you basing this on the way we look"? He got outraged and turned to his co-worker and told him to add "racism" to his list. I asked to speak to a manager and he called him over along with a bartender whom I was very familiar with for the last two years. I greeted the bartender, and politely asked to let him know that he simply knows me. The bartender saw me and my friends and quickly said he knows me very well and that I'm trouble. Mind you, this is a bartender that I talk to all the time and tip 20%-30% at the end. I was extremely surprised at the young tattooed Caucasian bartender's response. The manager stated that he has to stand by his crew's judgement while they made fun of me and my friends and repeatedly shouting how we feel entitled. He spoke about us in the third person, as if we were not there. "This guy feels entitled. This guy thinks he deserves something. Turns and laughs with his co-workers, this guy thinks he's entitled." Of course I'd feel entitled to get into my local bar to which I've been a very respectful business contributor to their establishment for the last three years. And what does he mean by "entitled" anyway? Is that a code word for something else??? I have never felt this small and unimportant as I did at this moment. This is a bar that allows everyone in, it's not a club. It's a local community bar, but yes my friends and I were denied entrance and that I'm black listed for as long as this bouncer holds his current position. I'm being punished for standing up to a bully. I write this for the many that have and/or will face a similar situation at the Johnson's. I chose to stand for what is right by letting this story be known. read more

One of my favorite bars in Bushwick. Has a really unique indoor/outdoor vibe in the front and a dive bar in the back. The food truck in the front has GREAT food! The fries and Hot Dog with special sauce and toppings is spicy and delicious. Overall a great hang out spot for the cool kids of Bk read more

If I could give ZERO STARS I WOULD. The "bouncer" who was very busy on his phone, was incredibly rude to us. Turned us off so much that we left the bar. johnson's maybe you should reconsidered who you hire. read more

I've been dropping by The Johnson's every weekend for the past month. After last night I won't be going again. Like most people, I'm on a budget, and each night I came I bought two $2 beers and gave a dollar tip. Last night I did the same, but on the second drink I was denied service. The bartender yelled, quieting the people around us, that it's because I don't tip. I told her I always give 25%, often more. Tonight already I gave a dollar for a $2 drink, and I was about to do the same for the second one. She didn't seem to hear me. The other bartender came by. I asked him what the deal was, if I had done anything wrong. He'd been so calm and friendly earlier in the night... it surprised the hell out out of me when he said, "Why don't you just leave." with a Draco Malfoy face. I slid over my $3 to him, said, "Have a good night, assholes." and left. On my way out I found my friend and started telling him what happened. The first bartender came by, yelling some more, and accusing me of being underage (I'm f***ing not). Unbelievable. And you know what? I think she followed me from the bar. On our way out, I stopped to talk with the bouncer, who I thought was a decent guy. I asked him if I'd done anything offensive to the bartenders. He said it's because a week ago I tipped with all I had--a dollar and two quarters I won in a pool game. They didn't like the quarters. The bouncer called it "Not good enough." I've never been anywhere so pretentious in my life. The Johnson's made me feel like shit, and that's not what I go out for. Also, the cocktails are awful. read more

My friend and I had an horrible and racist experience at this place. We were kicked out the establishment on 8/30 after spending several hundred dollars on food and drinks because the venue wanted to start a round of Karaoke? The BAR MANAGER Chris was extremely rude and disrespectful towards my group of friends. We were not being loud or belligerent but merely sitting down trying to have a good time. If you want people to leave because of an event (even tho karaoke is causal as hell) there are ways in which you ask people to leave. That experience was unacceptable and distasteful. And oh yea they called the cops and they were complete assholes. Never again! read more

This is a very interesting Bar you can order food out front. It had a pool table and a real 70's vibe to it. They have a real friendly group of patrons here as well. Though they have a $10 minimum to use a card. read more

Tried to get a drink from there tonight and was blatantly ignored for the white people behind me. I loved the atmosphere but obviously the bartenders didn't want my business. So do not recommend if you're not white or a regular. read more

Welcome to the worst bartenders ever! If you for some reason feeling a bit too loved and respected, please do yourself a favor and go and use their bathroom just to get a glimpse of the nicest people around who will rekindle your disappointment in humanity! read more

Let me tell ya, The johnsons is the cats pajamas. Good vibes, good music, good food, and the best bartenders. Kayla in particular is a wonderful bartender and an even better human being. If you have the honor of having her as your bartender, you should know how blessed you are. read more

Just don't....you're not that cool and neither is this place. Waited 20 minutes at the bar and....nothing. The bartender couldn't be bothered to stop talking to her friend or whoever that guy was. Some positives however were ease of access to nearby bars and proximity to the subway. Also good spot to see people pound Jameson for no apparent reason. read more

Meh. Okay. Nothing sticks out when there are so many new spots in bushwack. Why does it seem like 20 something camp cleaned up from LES ? #bushwack read more

One of the places I forbid myself to go to in the neighborhood- it's not a bad reason in all honesty. It's just that.. for a really good price you can potentially (most likely) get pretty drunk, play pool, listen to good music and chill out at a pretty cool bar. I hear it can get crazier later into the night, so I'd suggest going before the barely 21 crowd (that's taken over the neighborhood with their parents credit cards) get there. Of course try to snag the cool hanging chairs up front too. read more

The bartenders are awful. Rude, and will refuse you service if you don't tip them enough - and by the way, 20% is not enough in their eyes. I would avoid this place - it's hard to feel welcome somewhere where the staff act like they couldn't care less whether you stay or go. read more