Williamsburg bar crawl: from Bedford Avenue to Grand Street
For a Williamsburg bar crawl, go Monday through Friday and walk east: Hole In The Wall and Layla on Bedford Avenue, Meraki Greek Bistro on Grand Street, Northern Bell on Metropolitan Avenue, then Crystal Lake Brooklyn on Grand Street. All five weekday happy hours overlap in the late afternoon, and the route starts near the Bedford Avenue L stop and ends near Graham Avenue on the same line.
Williamsburg spreads out more than the East Village, so a crawl here needs a plan. This one starts on Bedford Avenue, where the bars sit close together, then heads east toward Metropolitan Avenue and Grand Street. Five stops, about 1.8 kilometers in straight lines, and only one leg that takes longer than five minutes.
All five happy hours run Monday through Friday, and they are on together in the late afternoon. The first three end at the same time and the last two run an hour longer, which is why the route moves west to east: you hit the early closers first and finish where the deals last. Along the way you get a cocktail and food stop, an oyster bar, a Greek bistro, a bar with a real happy hour menu and a cheap beer finish.
The cards below carry live prices and today's hours. The table under this intro shows more happy hours within a short walk of the first stop, useful if one bar is packed and you need a swap.
The route, stop by stop
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1. Hole In The Wall Williamsburg
$10 espresso martini, bees knees gin, wine
Mon–Fri 3pm–6pm · 292 Bedford Avenue · Bedford Avenue (L)Start at Hole In The Wall, a restaurant at 292 Bedford Avenue, six minutes from the Bedford Avenue L stop. Its weekday window opens earliest of the five. The list is the broadest on the route: espresso martini, a Bee's Knees with gin, Aperol, wine, drafts, bites, wings and three kinds of fries. Eat something here, since this is the longest food list you will see all night.
Deal checked Oct 15, 2026 on the bar's own site.
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3 min walk from Hole In The Wall
2. Layla Williamsburg
DRAFT $6 · Contessa boatyard gin $17
Mon–Fri 4pm–6pm · 352 Bedford Ave · Marcy Avenue (J, M, Z)About three minutes south on Bedford Avenue, Layla at number 352 is a bar with European food and the oyster stop of the crawl. Its weekday happy hour covers oysters, draft beer, aperitivi beers and Contessa Boatyard gin. The window opens an hour after Hole In The Wall's and ends at the same time, so arrive close to the start. Layla lists a Resy link, and Marcy Avenue on the J, M and Z is seven minutes away.
Deal checked Oct 15, 2026 on the bar's own site.
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4 min walk from Layla
3. Meraki Greek Bistro Brooklyn Williamsburg
Times published, deal not listed
Mon–Fri 3pm–6pm · 252 Grand St · Bedford Avenue (L)Meraki Greek Bistro Brooklyn, at 252 Grand Street, is about four minutes northeast of Layla. Its happy hour runs on weekdays and ends with the first two stops, so keep this one to a single round. The listing tags it for outdoor seating and a food deal but does not itemize the happy hour, so ask what it covers when you sit down. Reservations go through SevenRooms.
Deal checked Sep 2, 2026 on the bar's own site.
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11 min walk from Meraki Greek Bistro Brooklyn
The street outside Northern Bell. Photo: IliketrainsR211T, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons 4. Northern Bell Williamsburg
DRAFT $1 off · WELL DRINKS $7
Mon–Fri open to 7pm · 612 Metropolitan Avenue · Lorimer Street (G, L)The longest leg, about eleven minutes east, brings you to Northern Bell at 612 Metropolitan Avenue. Its weekday happy hour runs into the early evening and is one of the fullest on the route: a discount on draft and on everything, set-price well drinks and glasses of wine, a happy hour food menu and smoked wings. Lorimer Street on the G and L is two minutes away, and Resy takes bookings.
Deal checked Sep 2, 2026 on the bar's own site.
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4 min walk from Northern Bell
5. Crystal Lake Brooklyn Williamsburg
$6 drafts, well drinks, select wines by the glass
Mon–Fri 4pm–7pm · 647 Grand Street · Graham Avenue (L)Finish about four minutes away at Crystal Lake Brooklyn, 647 Grand Street, a bar tagged for cheap beer. The weekday happy hour covers drafts, well drinks and select wines by the glass, from late afternoon into early evening. It ends at the same time as Northern Bell's, so leave room for one last round here. Graham Avenue on the L is five minutes away for the ride home.
Deal checked Oct 15, 2026 on the bar's own site.
How to time it
Go Monday through Friday. None of these five runs a happy hour on Saturday or Sunday, and all five are on at once in the late afternoon. That overlap is what makes the route work.
Start at Hole In The Wall in the first hour of its window, which opens an hour before Layla's. Move to Layla as its deal begins, then on to Meraki. Those first three end at the same moment, so the front half of the crawl is the part to keep moving: one round, about half an hour, per stop. Once you reach Northern Bell the pressure eases a little, since Northern Bell and Crystal Lake Brooklyn both run an hour past the first three. Check the cards on the day, because bars change hours.
For a weekend crawl in the same neighborhood, this route will not work. OTB runs its happy hour on Saturday and Sunday only, with oysters, margaritas, Aperol, house wine and a plain hot dog on the list, and our weekend page lists the rest.
The route, stop by stop
Leg one, Hole In The Wall to Layla: about 270 meters, three minutes, south on Bedford Avenue. Leg two, Layla to Meraki Greek Bistro: about 340 meters, four minutes, northeast to Grand Street. Leg three, Meraki to Northern Bell: about 880 meters, eleven minutes, east to Metropolitan Avenue. This is the one real walk of the night, and a good moment to drink some water. Leg four, Northern Bell to Crystal Lake Brooklyn: about 330 meters, four minutes, southeast to Grand Street.
The total is roughly 1,820 meters and 23 minutes of walking. Those are straight lines between the doors, so the actual walk on the street grid runs a little longer. If your group is slow, trim the stay at Meraki rather than skipping the eleven-minute leg; Northern Bell and Crystal Lake Brooklyn are where the later deals are.
Getting there and back
The L to Bedford Avenue is the simplest way in. Hole In The Wall and Meraki are both six minutes from that station. From the East Village, the same L line stops at 1st Avenue, three minutes from Westville East on our East Village bar crawl. If you come in on the J, M or Z, get off at Marcy Avenue, seven minutes from Layla, and walk up Bedford Avenue to Hole In The Wall to begin.
The route ends on the L too. Crystal Lake Brooklyn is five minutes from Graham Avenue, and Northern Bell is two minutes from Lorimer Street, where the G also stops. Bedford Avenue, Lorimer Street and Graham Avenue are consecutive L stops, so you finish only two stops from where you began.
Small things that make the crawl better
Eat early and again later. Hole In The Wall has wings, bites and fries, and Layla has oysters, both in the first hour. Northern Bell's happy hour food and smoked wings carry you through the second half.
Three stops list booking links: Layla and Northern Bell on Resy, and Meraki on SevenRooms. Hole In The Wall and Crystal Lake Brooklyn have none listed, so they are walk-in. A group of two to four will move through all five far more easily than a big party.
More happy hours within a short walk
| Bar | Walk | Happy hour | Deal | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hole In The Wall | 1 min | Mon–Fri 3pm–6pm | $10 espresso martini, bees knees gin, wine | Oct 15, 2026price seen on the bar's site |
| Iona Bar | 1 min | Mon–Fri 3pm–7pm | times only | Sep 2, 2026from the bar’s site |
| Birds of a Feather | 1 min | Mon–Fri 12pm–6pm | times only | Sep 2, 2026from the bar’s site |
| Monarch | 2 min | Tue–Fri 5pm–7pm | sake 30% off · cocktails $10 | Oct 15, 2026price seen on the bar's site |
| Meraki Greek Bistro Brooklyn | 3 min | Mon–Fri 3pm–6pm | times only | Sep 2, 2026from the bar’s site |
| Layla | 3 min | Mon–Fri 4pm–6pm | DRAFT $6 · Contessa boatyard gin $17 | Oct 15, 2026price seen on the bar's site |
| Snowday In Brooklyn | 4 min | Wed–Fri 4:30pm–6pm | times only | Sep 2, 2026from the bar’s site |
| Maracuya | 4 min | Daily 5pm–7pm | Cocktails $9 · Draft $6 | Oct 15, 2026price seen on the bar's site |
| South 4th Bar & Cafe | 4 min | Mon–Fri 4pm–8pm | times only | Sep 2, 2026from the bar’s site |
| Guarapo Latin Fusion Sports Restaurant and Bar | 5 min | Tue 4pm–7pm | times only | Sep 2, 2026from the bar’s site |
| Bar Baserri | 5 min | Tue–Thu 5pm–7pm | Spanish Olives $10 | Oct 15, 2026price seen on the bar's site |
| The Woods | 6 min | Wed–Fri 4pm–8pm | times only | Sep 2, 2026from the bar’s site |
| Recette | 6 min | Sat, Sun 10am–3:45pm | 20% off drinks | Sep 2, 2026from the bar’s site |
| Wayne and Sons | 6 min | Mon–Thu 4pm–7pm | $13 beers | Oct 15, 2026price seen on the bar's site |
| OTB | 6 min | Sat, Sun 4pm–6pm | MARGARITAS $12 · house wine $10 | Oct 15, 2026price seen on the bar's site |
| Velvet Lounge | 6 min | Daily open to 7pm | times only | Sep 2, 2026from the bar’s site |
| Francie | 7 min | Mon–Thu 5:30pm–7pm | times only | Sep 2, 2026from the bar’s site |
| Bar Milagro | 7 min | Tue–Fri 5pm–8pm | times only | Sep 2, 2026from the bar’s site |
Walking time estimated from straight-line distance (about 80 m a minute). Up to 40 bars, closest first.
Questions
What day should I do a Williamsburg bar crawl?
Any weekday. All five stops run a happy hour Monday through Friday, and they overlap in the late afternoon. None of them has a weekend happy hour, so for Saturday or Sunday look at OTB and the weekend list instead.
How long is the walk?
About 1,820 meters in straight lines between the five stops, or roughly 23 minutes of walking. The leg from Meraki to Northern Bell is the longest at about eleven minutes; the others are three or four.
Where can I eat on this crawl?
Hole In The Wall has wings, bites and fries on its happy hour, Layla has oysters, and Northern Bell has a happy hour food menu and smoked wings. Crystal Lake Brooklyn lists drinks only.
Which subway stops do I need?
Start from Bedford Avenue on the L, or Marcy Avenue on the J, M and Z. Finish at Graham Avenue on the L, five minutes from Crystal Lake Brooklyn, or Lorimer Street on the G and L, two minutes from Northern Bell.
Do I need reservations?
No, but they are possible at three stops. Layla and Northern Bell take bookings through Resy, and Meraki through SevenRooms. Hole In The Wall and Crystal Lake Brooklyn have no booking link listed.
How we put this together
Stops, deals, days, addresses, booking links and subway walking times come from each bar's own website as recorded in our database, with happy hours last checked on September 2, 2026. Walking times are straight-line distances between each bar's map coordinates at about 80 meters a minute, so real walks run slightly longer. The order of L stations comes from the MTA's L line map.
Something wrong or out of date? Tell us and we will check it.