While Tip Top is a dive and a welcome one the stretch of Franklin Avenue it's on, there are points where it lacks... The lighting is rough. Is the outside better? Of course. Is it going to be winter soon? Soon enough. There's a kind of stale cigarette smell that seems to waft in most of the time, which is kind of gross. And the ambiance of the Yankees game on TV should just be expected at this point I suppose... However, they have a pretty decent selection of liquor and beer. The place seems to mesh the old school characters of the neighborhood with the new wave of gentrification coming pretty well. It's worth a trip back, though I don't think I'll be stumbling over myself to get there. read more

I was thinking that TipTop would be a great place to weather a blizzard in a few months. I'm just glad...It's snowing today! This Bed-Stuy family treasure has a-lot going for it. -The bouncer will help you find a seat when it's crowded. -The juke box is simply bursting with soul. -Beers are dapperly served with a napkin in the bottle's mouth. -The no-nonsense patrons can handle their booze, so you can hear your own conversation! -The Fish n' chips are hot and tasty on chilly nights. -Christmas lights, Obama Portraits, and baby photos speak to the countless celebrations this bar's enjoyed over the years. This is a neighborhood bar, and proud of it. I'm looking forward to sipping a beer on their back patio...once it stops snowing. read more

This says it all: http://www.complex.com/city-guide/2011/09/the-50-best-dive-bars-in-nyc#51 I love this place. The bartender made my drink extra extra strong, and it was only $5. Pretty much worth 2-3 drinks in one glass. I love the cheesy decor and the weird combination of locals & hipsters. read more

Uh, yeah. Two keys to this place: 1. All beers cost $5. 2. "Absolutely No Drugs." read more

Excerpts from a recent conversation at Tip Top... G: Goodnight :::waves to bartender::thanks so much! 'Night gentlemen *tips hat to gents* (man in blazer and straw hat pops out of his stool) RA: Wait hol' up, I want you to make sure you go see my movie this November 15, have you heard of Ol' Dirty Bastard? Did you see that mural right outside when you walk out? That's him G: Duh have I??? Yeah of course I heard of ODB. I met the man at a Burger King in Jersey City when I was 13! He signed my napkin!!! RA: That's great! That's why I love you even more. Well I'm the Zookeeper. I'm Raison Allah his brotha! You heard of the Wu Tang Clan? G: :::pats nervous hubby on back to relax::: Yeah and I know who YOU are I see that tat on your neck (takes time to point out the signature "W" RA: Damn then you have to go on myspace, look for Brooklyn Zu, and don't forget to check out the ODB documentary. It's called "DIRTY" G: Hmmm my kinda movie (strokes chin) RA: OH that's why I love you guys (proceeds to hug us) Mr. G: Ummm we really have to go... G: Naw it's ok it's ok. So Raison, you have to HAVE to promise me though (stumbling), you GOTS to tell ODB thank you for signing my napkin Mr. G: honey...he's dead G: I KNOW!!! But Raison...please you have to pass the message (stumbles some more) RA: Well...I can when I get to the other side... G: Please do. I still have his napkin. I love him and I will watch your movie RA: Yes watch it and don't forget it's November 15. NOVEMBER 15!!! G: I will. Peace out. I love you man RA: You keep coming back ::proceeds to hug G tightly::: Mr. G: umm sorry we really have to go...G, come on. G....G! Just one of the many reasons why I love going to this Bed Stuy family-owned and operated establishment. They really treat you like family. Upon entering the gated door (knock first), it is like one big family reunion with people you either never met or have seen boozing on the regular. If "Cheers" was set in Bed Stuy, this would be it. Go there once, the bartender on duty will be sure to make you feel right at home as you casually sip on your preferred cocktail/bottled beer, sing to your favorite songs on the Jukebox, or play cards in the dimly lit & covered outdoor area in the back room. Go there more than twice, and "EEEverybody knows your naaaaaame"... They do in fact serve food, but you never know what's available until that day. The drinks are as refreshing as the prices. I was not aware of what was on tap or if they even had one as I frequent this place in an already wasted state (as I am right now in writing this). I can say for sure that the bartenders do know how to mix a great cocktail. As a professional drunk, I am the type to send back cocktails when they are not properly prepared and this is one of the few places that I have not had to do that. The bottled beers are basic, although I was shocked and pleased that they happened to carry Blue Point Toasted Lager (squeals!). For the snobbier beer drinkers out there, it would be worth it to ask for the selection on hand. You never know what you're going to get. This almost made me tear up, but one of the bartenders will take the extra time to make sure they bring a special bottle of wine for a specific wine-drinking regular. Upon discovering their dedication to their customers, I thought: They get me here...they really get me. Okay to be honest, that DID make me effin cry like a fat 5 year old boy who couldn't reach his cupcakes from the top of the fridge. ::sobs::: THEY ARE SO SWEET! So there is one more thing left to this bar that makes it so great: THE PEOPLE. You never know who will roll in and at what time it will truly get busy. The regulars are pretty diverse, from 21 year old Pratt students to my Grandpa. This is the place where you can bring a date to chat it up, have a flash mob sing to Michael Jackson's greatest hits on the Jukebox, or it can be a haven where you can lug along your little brother OVER 21 OF COURSE for some quality time and catching up. This bar is what you make of it. So you ask about ambiance? HAHAHAHA FOOLS! You needn't any ambiance when you're here. Let's just say you need to pass a green awning with Christmas lights hanging from it... Check out this unique dive bar when you're passing through for happy hour or sticking around for last call. If you see me with the mister playing with the jukebox for some Al Green or chewin the fat with a Wu Tang affiliate, don't forget to buy me a drink (pssst I like a cold Guiness please). Just make sure to leave at 4 am. The good folks at Tip Top need to sleep too. read more

I have gone past the Tip Top on several occasions with the distinct impression that I would never ever go up in that spot. From outward appearances, it looks shady as hell. Especially with the NO DRUGS sign posted on the door and the big "Brotha Man from the Fifth Floor" looking bouncer. But after reassurances from a couple of friends, we stopped in on a Saturday night. I have to say I had a really good time. At first I felt like I was in some "juke joint" that my 60 year old mother would frequent, but as you got deeper into the bar you noticed how diverse the crowd was, which ranged from 20 year old "hipsters" to that lovely older gentleman with the fingerwaves and gold "teef". They played a mixture old school and new school hip-hip and r&b and drinks were approx. $5. There is also an outside covered patio in the back with more seating. I have to say my favorite part of the place was the fried fish that I almost swallowed whole at the bar for $5 a plate! Tip Top is definitely a spot I have to hit up again. read more

i have heard many tales of the tip top over the last couple years. i had this mental picture that it was some marvelous fantasy land where all your dreams come true. where unicorns shit rainbows. a bar where all my chicago dive bar wishes solidified. it's all this and more. read more

Cute, neighborhood dive bar. Friendly and funny staff. The drinks are a bit pricey for the ambiance but I get businesses have to keep up with the rising rents in Bed-Stuy. If you're looking for a super laidback spot with that neighborhood vibe, check out Tip Top. I was expecting a more diverse crowd but didn't find that on a snowy Thursday night. I'll check it out again on a weekend night. read more

Never judge a book by its cover! from the outside, one might think Tip Top is a sketchy dive bar. dive bar, sure! sketchy, NO! Tip top is awesome. My friend and I were greeted by Jr, the amazing and ever young owner of the joint. Turns out, he's southern, like myself.. and sweet as pie. As is his daughter and granddaughter who served as our bartenders for the night. there's an awesome jukebox with all my favorite soul singers and fantastic fried fish. the drinks are reasonably priced and the vibe is fantastic. i cant wait to visit this place again. read more

Legit dive with door man - Cha Ching!

Had so much fun the other night, good tunes on the juke box!

I met my husband here for a drink last Friday, and ended up staying 5 hours, forgoing our dinner plans entirely. What a great place! Our first bartender, Carine, was one of the two owners, a husband and wife team. I don't think they're from the south like others have said, as Junior, her husband, told me he had lived in Bed Stuy since 1953. But, perhaps before then? Anyway, Carine was just lovely. I waited alone for my husband for a bit and she made sure to include me in her conversations-- very old school to entertain your solo patrons, I loved it. She also bought me my second drink, and Junior bought our fourth. At around 8pm, their granddaughter, Antoinette, came on shift. I was a little skeptical at first, as I didn't want to lose the amazing owner, but I should have known their granddaughter would have been every bit as friendly and conversational. Apparently the Tip Top is family run, with Junior on the door til close Thursday through Sunday, and hired help Mon- Weds. A few things I learned about the place: 1) Apparently it opens around 2pm and stays open until 4am, if it's busy. I did go at 4pm, and it was open with patrons. 2) The juke box is FANTASTIC. Lost of old soul and rare grooves. And the owners love it when you play "the old music." We put on more than 30 songs and Irene was able to sing right along. 3) She makes chicken and chips or fish and chips. The fish that day was whiting. She cooks it to your liking-- hard cooked or soft. 4) There is a stage in the 2nd room which occasionally hosts a James Brown cover band (***edit note: this was Charles Bradley, who is now ummm... famous.) 5) Huge patio. Have fun. This is definitely a place with a friendly vibe that will swallow you up for a whole evening. We even exchanged phone numbers with some fellow bar patrons, a FIRST for all my time in NYC. read more

good juke box, good prices, sweet service. be warned: no beer on tap. with that said, it doesn't matter! this place is wonderful. read more

I love Tip Top, plain and simple. It's a laid back, family run bar in Bed-Stuy that attracts a very diverse crowd--Pratt students, locals, everyone! The jukebox in this place is one of the best in Brooklyn and the bartender is friendly and makes a mean drink. I also love the photo collage that mixes family pictures with photos of Obama. I've never had a bad time at Tip Top and I doubt I ever will. read more

Great dive bar. My husband generally hates everything, and he likes this place. The proprietor is awesome, the clientele hip and good looking (but not too hip or good-looking), the jukebox has great options (minimal frat boy rock), and the bottled beers are cheap. And it's a 6 minute walk from our house. All around good bar. read more

I came here and a nice woman walked around with free chili dogs and deviled eggs!!!!!!!!

It was an ok bar. This bar is very "dive-y". I had fun because I was with my fellow Yelpers. They don't accept credit cards but they do have an ATM machine on the premises. The bartender was great and they do have "outdoor" seating in the back. Tip Top Bar & Grill is a couple of blocks from the C train. read more

Cheap beer, great classic R&B and Hiphop Juke box, outdoor area and weird vibe. To get a feel for what bedstuy used to be and still kinda is, this is a great place (right down to the creepy sign on the bathroom that says you are being watched)...Lol. A great time for some good friends, but maybe wouldn't bring a date here unless you wanted something odd to talk about. They have some pretty decent fried chicken and fish too. read more

What an endearing little place. It's, shall we say, a bit rustic. Basically, I felt like I was in the South or something with all these old folk having a neat scotch and doing the boogie. The occasion was a friend's birthday party. A bit ironic yeah, but the place ended up being pretty fun. It was like being in someone's basement, since it was all homey and stuff. But is it a place to go for a drink were it not this occasion? I mean, not unless you want to be accosted by dear old but somewhat senile drunk men who keep asking you to dance ever two minutes. read more

a+ family owned bar. $5 drinks no matter the drink, so go as big as u can is what i would recommend. i've come here for birthday parties and poetry readings and casual hangouts. it's truly perfect for all of them. the door man will play 'happy birthday' on the juke box repeatedly if he feels like it. it's perfect. really spacious backyard area with tons of seating and tables. go sit if u want. read more

in a word, awesome. tip top is just hanging out being its fantastic self; we were just happy to be cocooned there for awhile. usually i think of family style as referring to giant or many platters of food, but top top is redefining it to include good, cheap drinks, riddles and card tricks, and fried fish sandwiches. was that a bedazzled hat we spied on the way out? magical. read more

Cool dive bar and very inexpensive prices. No credit cards accepted but they have an ATM onsite. We stopped for a drink and it was all good. I ordered a vodka cranberry and it was light pink at best- looks like a strong drink. There are some interesting signs and characters at this place. While it doesn't seem as though much has changed in the 40 years that this place has been open, it adds to it's character. Music options are only from the jukebox. The beer selection has also adapted to the varied taste bought on by gentrification so there's something for everyone. A mix of old timers and hipsters- thank you for being so awesome Brooklyn! read more

This place absolutely blew my mind. Go there. You'll see the magic first hand.

I love it here. No attitude. Not from staff, not from customers. Reasonable prices, no pretension, decent jukebox, fish and chips on the weekend, smoking patio out back. I don't need anything else from my local bar. For a long time after moving to the area in '05 I didn't venture in (I had a sort of downer experience being made to feel very unwelcome in one of the older neighborhood bars), but now it's a rare week that I'm not here at some point. And everyone is welcome, just behave yourself and be polite. read more

OL'Skool! Loved the set up, you can't buy this type of atmosphere with that "party rock hard from wayyy back"..lol The owners where verrrryyy nice, bartender kewl and the drinks were madddd cheap!! Just what i needed on a wensday evening night. Jukebox, friendly folks all around. This is a MUST attend.. Espeically if you're like me, one that can appreciate the real beauty from back in the days, Real people! Thanks for the round of drinks from the regulars.. LOVED IT! read more

Great neighborhood spot for a affordable drink. Friendliest staff! Couple random video games and a fantastic juke box with an eclectic mix of tunes. Cant go wrong steppin in to Tip Top. Oh and there a free snacks Thursday night! read more

It's scruffy, cheap and friendly. And they gave the lady a free hot dog.

My $8 tiny tequila and soda tasted like fish. Wtf! I genuinely felt they were more eager about ripping off the new neighborhood patrons than welcoming them to old traditions. Disappointed. read more

I went to the tip top bar for the first time to attend a fish fry last Sunday. IT WAS GREAT!!!! The people were unbelievably entertaining & nice. I came in & asked "how much is for the fish?" & was told "when u buy a drink u can eat whatever u like". AWESOME!!!!! We started with a beer each & received our plates packed with food (2 pieces of fish, potato salad, coleslaw, salad, 2 pieces of corn bread). We were given seconds before we could even finish. The older crowd was stationed in the front of the bar but came to back from time to time fully loaded with countless jokes that nearly brought me to tears. This is the way neighborhood bar should be, all love no hassle. read more

Can't ask for much more of a bar. The whole spectrum of humanity can be found here from old timers to hipsters, without any pretension. Never a dull moment in terms of your fellow drinkers and conversations to be had. Family run and super friendly. read more

This is the closest bar to my house, so this place is always a safe-bet for me. Bartenders are extremely friendly, the bouncer/door-guy is always ready for a conversation, excellent bar food (sometimes available) and the drinks are cheap. They have a separate area for live music, party rentals, or events and an amazing jukebox in the main bar area. Just to let you know (it doesn't bother me), the lights are never turned down low and it is generally a small crowd, but the vibes are always good. A real neighborhood institution. read more

This bar is ridiculous and wonderful. The people who work there are super friendly, and the backyard is excellent when it's nice out. The late night dance parties can be super fun, and the drinks are cheap enough to keep you there for hours. read more

Tip Top is my Sunday Hangout......The owners are "Old School", very nice, and the Barmaid, Ruby, is wonderful. The drinks are good and cheap, the music is definitely "Old School". I LUV THIS PLACE....... read more

Awful. Wouldn't serve my best friend on her birthday (we hadn't even started drinking yet). Would give zero stars if possible.

nice spot drinks are cheap the music is good definitely a hole in the wall if you like cheap drinks good music but not afraid of bad decor this is definitely a spot for you..... read more

This is a no frills kind of place. Its quite simply cheap, strong drinks among a crowd of hipsters and locals interacting in the most pleasant of manner. The "cheesy" decor that people are referring to is the christmas lights and tinsel...lots of tinsel, but it just kind of adds to the "we don't give a rat's about what you think" vibe that made me feel at home. If you're going looking for something different, you'll be disappointed. If you go looking for a great bar that gives no apologies, you'll absolutely fall in love. read more

Tip topped off the night here on the way home from a Friday Happy Hour bend-a-thon. Of course I was drinking like I was going to get cut off at 1:45 am, like it usedta be in old AZ. But nooooo, there is plenty more time to keep the party going here! Let's check this place out, I said, squeezing one eye shut to read the sign... YIKES! The lights were rather bright for me upon entering, but the dwindling crowd of people in coats with drinks seemed to still be having fun. No records stopped playing when I came in, so that was a good sign also. $5 for a Jack and Coke, poured with a loose elbow. Because I needed that one more. I enjoyed the walk-through to get to the patio where I delightedly plopped down on a plastic chair and smoked. And drank. And then went in a whole 'nother door to get back in. I was easily amused. The jukebox was jamming some good soul music. I had another drink. That was plenty for me to giggle the rest of the way home and pass out. I will go here again for an evening clip of drinks and good music. It seems very good for that. read more

This is literally the coolest bar I have ever been to. They have a great jukebox with lots of fantastic 70's soul, a back patio that is MADE for birthday parties, cheap cold beers, and very little pretentiousness or hipsters. Loved it. read more

Pretty solid dive bar in an area that doesn't have many. The back is pretty low key and, with lawn chairs has a "back yard BBQ" type vibe. Drinks are cheap but does not take any credit cards. read more

OK!! So, my view is biased. The owners of Tip Top are my Great-Aunt and Great-Uncle (lol). I LOVE THEM DEARLY!! Not only do they give me a place to stay when I visit NY, they also show me and my friends a good time. Tip Top is definitely a great place to go for good drinks at a wonderful price, PLENTY of laughs, and GOOOOD conversation. It reminds me of Cheers. It could be years between visits and people will still remember. I give Tip Top two thumbs up ;) read more