Union Hall
702 Union St
(between 4th Ave & 5th Ave)
Brooklyn, NY 11215 (718) 638-4400
- Nearest Transit:
Union St (M, R)
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: No
- Outdoor Seating: Yes
- Music: DJ, Live, Juke Box
- Best Nights: Mon, Tue, Sat
- Happy Hour: Yes
- Alcohol: Full Bar
- Smoking: Outdoor Area/Patio Only
- Coat Check: No
116 Reviews for Union Hall
Union Hall: where damask wallpaper and taxidermy dioramas conspire to make that band you heard on NPR's Soundcheck sound even cooler.
**Say what you will about coed bathrooms: the ultra-private stalls are great for a quick makeout sesh.
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The other night I found myself getting drunk in the library, but this wasn't any ordinary library. There were a bunch of people there, talking loudly, listening to music, playing Bocci, flaunting their disobedience of normal library conduct. I sat back a minute and thought to myself, "This must be some kind of dream." Well, my friends, it wasn't.
It was Union Hall, a place for people to gather, have a few drinks, perhaps a bite to eat, and forget about their everyday lives for awhile. They have two Bocci ball courts smack dap in the middle of the bar and a small stage area that supports emerging Indie artists, both local and abroad.
I have to say, this place is a dream come true, and if you live in the area or are just in town for a visit, stop in for awhile. You shan't regret your decision to do so.
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Its a pretty cool space. Like a rich old guy's library that has a bocce ball court and a big ass bar. I'm sure Ill be back soon and can update this further but for now three stars is as good as it gets.
Crowd was pretty weird, bathrooms are coed, drinks are pretty standard, nothing special or unique, and a very large portion of the women were lesbians, which means there was less hypothetically available women for my friends to be shot down by.
Good place to grab a beer on a Monday but its no weekend bar.
Really dig the atmosphere. Union Hall is slightly guilty of being a "one stop shop" of a bar. Music venue, bocce ball, old english style library/lounge set up provides a mix crowd. Albeit a slightly weird combo, it raises the question..where can you find such things all under one roof...why not? I can find find myself in either of the 3 common areas having a good time. Good beer selection. Chelsea Checker Cab Blond on tap a BIG PLUS. Above average bar food (beer cheese platter a must) Outdoor area a nice addition for summer months.
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I love this bar and wish it were closer to me, but we all know a bar like this cannot exist in Manhattan (this bar is huge).
I feel like I'm in the game Clue when I come here. I swear it was Professor Plum with the candlestick (sorry, that was corny). And then the Bocce court bumps the awesomeness up a notch. I mostly go downstairs for the comedy show on Sunday. It's not a bad setup.
This guy I went out with said Union Hall was filled with hipster frat boys. He lives in park slope, so maybe he knows a little more than I do. But I've never really heard of 'hipster-frat boys' before, and he looked more like a hipster than anyone else in that area. So now I'm just as confused as you are.
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Stopped at Union Hall with my bf and his cousins from Norway this past weekend. His cousins, oddly, were very impressed with it. I think mainly because, compared to other bars, Union Hall is spacious. The high ceilings give it a "grand" feel. The unisex bathroom is annoying. No thanks, I'd rather you not hit on me while I'm washing the pee from my hands.
if you expect to go to a bar and be treated like a human being... i would suggest you avoid this place at all costs.
being ejected from a bar because you're starting drunken brawls with the other patrons.. fair.
being ejected from a bar because someone has apparently decided you had too much to drink, although you're sitting quietly in the back having a conversation with your friends... wtf?
look, mr. union hall, if you got pissed because i decided to explore a bit and find out what was going on in the performance space, fine. take me aside, tell me that i shouldn't have done that and i'll apologize and go back to my seat. but if you're going to get pissed, and then instead of telling ME that, decide that it would be a better idea to tell someone else that if you catch me with a drink in my hand that i would get thrown out of the bar... someone's got some major malfunctioning in their brain. because guess what? that someone never relayed your message back to me.
i believe this was one of those cases where they decided i couldn't make my own decisions or be in control of my own behavior. and they really shouldn't have made that assumption before attempting to talk to me. and it pisses me off to think that they didn't have the decency to clue me in on their plan and reasoning for kicking me out. this place is full of class A a**holes who treat you like scum.
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The real attraction to this place is that the Secret Science Club meets here once a month (I would tell you more, but, you know, it's secret). Other than that, it's decidedly downscale (which can be cool, but in this case it's just downscale), dark, and big without a lot of character. The food is so-so and the bar scene? Eh, I've seen better.
Other than the SSC, I think I'll find another place in Brooklyn for a beer.
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I love books! This place has tons of books! When I grew bored with my friends I picked up a Goethe book from the shelf. I can imagine returning here during the winter and reading a book by the fireplace in the late afternoon before the crowds get there. I don't like crowds. I don't really like people. Except my friends when they don't bore me.
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It's a cool space- two (!) indoor bocce ball courts!?! But just not really my crowd. If it was in SF, it'd be in the Marina- feel me?
I've never stayed here to booze it or bocce it. Though walking through the place I do like the way it looks. Make you want to stay awhile. What I do like is the venue downstairs. Nice and cozy (90 or so maximum capacity and boy would that be crowded) - every once in awhile you get one of those crazy dancing neo-hippies tossing his whole body around, not really understanding, or maybe I'm not understanding, that it does get cramped down there. But cramped is also intimate. The sound people seem to know the space super well, as its never seemed too loud. More like, just right, just like you are there, inches from the band, enjoying all of it.
The whole vibe of this place is part of the new old revival. Paintings on the wall, taxidermy behind the bartender.
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If I come to BK from Manhattan, am I a douchebag while here?
Or am I just a NY newbie who'll never clue in and is too old to grasp the concept?
I was just gonna brag on the couches and bocce courts, thought it was a cool little joint, but it was Sunday afternoon....now I have to watch out for the douchebags. If I ever figure out who they are.
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This place had a lot of potential. But it turned into a place for 23-year-old men who wear cologne. The only good part is the comedy night on Sunday. Go straight to the basement, laugh, then quickly get out.
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Twas only here for a hour on a rainy Friday night...which was just enough time to have a hard cider, make note of the bocce ball court (!!!), and watch my good friend do a sexy lil shimmy for our amusement. All in all, the book covered walls were amazing, the vibe and atmosphere wasn't too hipsterish/douche-baggy, and I intend to return when I have time to battle one of those cute boys on the bocce ball (!!!) court.
*Sorry, I get really excited over the prospect of bocce ball; a sport I had previously associated with cool old men who drink wine and wear suspenders, like my grandpa.
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Here's the secret to Union Hall, it attracts frat boys, sorority sisters, and goombas from all over the 5 boroughs so if you go, you need to roll heavy. That means at least 4 people in your party, otherwise some bitchy girl in a sparkly top is sure to move her belated 28th birthday party all over your drinks.
"Tara, this is Devon - She was in my sorority at Colgate."
Think ahead - bring pepperspray.
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there are days when i hate brooklyn, i will admit it. days when i just want to tear my hair out, sit on the curb and cry before collecting myself and my belongings and moving to some rural place and making shoebox dioramas until i die. union hall will always turn these rare moods of mine around. this is what all bars should aspire to be. large, thoughtfully decorated (with books! my god!), with a helpful active diversion (bocce! or is technically petanque? hmm, no matter), great food (i love you, sliders), rad staff AND an space for shows (that always seem to be good). and man, that whole no strollers fiasco? so awesome. union hall, im on your team foreva.
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And lucky me, I get to be the 100th review for Union Hall.
Imagine if you will, you goto a show to see this woman:
http://i30.tinypic.com...
And she and her drummer play this song:
http://youtube.com/wat...
That's a good time already, ain't it?
Throw in bookshelves full of books, two lanes of bocce, a bar that serves an inordinate amount of beer - including my beloved Harpoon, being in the center of the NYC Music Blogosphere, and a companion who has more musical knowledge in one finger than I will ever have in my entire lifetime, and it's a night to remember.
Were there hipsters there? Sure there were, but not too many and the ones that were there were really cool and laid back. Except for the one dude, who it seemed came straight from the Himalayas right to the show, because his backpack was ginormous. So ginormous that people would trip on it, because this idiot refused to move it for anyone.
That notwithstanding, it was still a great night. I wholeheartedly recommend the bar and lounge area upstairs, because its pretty relaxing and has an outstanding jukebox. They played "California Stars" by Billy Bragg and Wilco, for god's sake!
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Nothing creates interest like controversy.
I had heard about Union Hall when I first heard of the controversy with their fight for a liquor license a few months ago. When it sprung up again a few weeks ago, I figured this was the universe telling me it was time to take a look.
At the end of the day, a bar's a bar's a bar but I really liked the vibe on this one. It was a rainy night, so maybe that kept the really young kids away, but I liked the laid back ennui and the mildly amusing 35-year-old guy going off on someone* who had encroached on his bocce ball playing space certainly kept me entertained while I waited for my date to arrive.
Being that it's more than 10 blocks from where I live, it's not as if this is going to be a regular place, but it wasn't the scourge of society that I thought it might be based on the news it generated.
Oh -- and we completely dominated on the bocce ball court. You can really kill some time doing that if you're lucky.
* - Not me.
On paper Union Hall looks like a 5 star spot. Outdoor seating/smoking, long accommodating bar, food, fireplace, library, cozy downstairs venue. Bocce ball? check.
It's the crowd that's a potential problem, but easy enough deal with if you're well adjusted, or among friends. Hopefully many friends. Love seeing bands play in the little venue, the bartender down there is great. Union Hall: The coolest frat house you'll ever go to.
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I really liked this place, but I also went for a party, so the douchebags were almost nonexistent. They had a some good beers on draft, the space was GREAT, and the bocce ball was fun. Again, maybe if I went again I would change my mind, but I had a great time.
Union Hall is amazing. True, it can get busy but what great bar doesn't? The shows downstairs are amazing and no where else in this neighborhood offers as perfect a set-up to order a beer, find a good spot in a well appointed corner and enjoy the company of friends.
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The nerd/closet semi-hipster inside of me was really drawn to the library/bocce court.
I came here on a weekend with a bunch of friends- had a pretty standard good time then my roommate and I had just enough drinks in us when we discovered the dj playing the 80s dance party in the basement. Still one of the best dance parties I've ever had.
My roommate especially scored since he kept drinking abandoned beers he found scattered around the stage leftover from the band that played. Don't worry, they weren't used beers, we're not that ghetto.
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I love Union Hall. Now to be fair, I can't comment on the supposed douche bags that litter the bar area. I only come for the Sunday night comedy shows. There's always a good crowd, always fun new talent and always a great time. And I truly appreciate the 3 dollar PBR & Buds, because sometimes you don't want to waste your entire paycheck on getting a buzz.
douche bag central. Where do these people come from?
white hats and dick head bouncers...the worst of the frat crowd mixed with bouncers who think they are at the tunnel.
this place should've opened in hoboken.
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I like Union Hall, but the people who go there really effect my night.
Man, do I feel young here. I feel really, really young. Lots of aging post-ivy-leaguers who still think that their college charm has an effect. Yeah, you were probably cool back at Princeton, but I'm thinking you got chicks by getting chicks drunk. And no, I don't want a drink. No, I don't want to talk to you. No, I don't care what you do for a living. Yeah, I guess that's a nice blazer- no...I don't want to feel the fabric. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. To those men: avoid verbal communication and try to pick up chicks on myspace. Your charm might translate better there.
Secondly, to all the people at Union Hall, or in bars in general, or in public places anywhere, around the world, IF YOU ARE DRUNK AND MAKING OUT WITH SOMEONE- GO HOME. Too often have my nights spent at Union Hall been ruined because two people are heavy-petting on the couch. While I'm sitting there.
Thirdly, drunk people should also not be allowed to play any sport with a ball dense enough to give someone a concussion. I love the sport, but not in a crowded bar.
Union Hall: You know, you can just serve drinks, bounce douchebags and take out the court. You don't need to be a novelty bar to attract people. But you do need to keep you customers in check.
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Went here for the first time earlier this week for "Mother Tongue," the adult spelling/grammar bee held on the lower level.
Before the fierce competition got under way, my friends and I grabbed some food and beverage on the main floor. I thoroughly enjoyed the British boarding school decor. Although as I sat on one of the plush couches sipping my Jack & Coke, I definitely expected Professor Snape to materalize at any minute to chastise me for underage drinking.
Food was fantastic. Pretty reasonable prices too. I ordered the Triple Threat, the not-so-poor-man's White Castle Slider Special. Union Hall's "mini burgers," however, were not so mini - so I could only finish two. They were delectable, as were the fries. And I am very particular about my fries.
The spelling bee words and grammar questions were surprisingly difficult. The inability of most people to answer correctly was only exacerbated by the copious amounts of alcohol being consumed. Though the emcee had an enjoyably dry sense of humor, the proceedings were slow and definitely boring. I wouldn't recommend attending, unless you're a true bee aficionado.
Looked longingly at the bocce courts on my way out at the end of the night. Would love to go back and play a round. But as previous users have said in their reviews, the crowds probably get mad annoying on the weekend.
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When I lived in New York, I was pretty anti-Brooklyn. For whatever reason.
But I grudgingly went there a few times, for destination dining and a couple of concerts. Including Laura Gibson and Casey Dienel in early July 2007 at Union Hall.
I walked into the upstairs bar just before the first act went on, but I took a few minutes to look around. Beautiful decor: overstuffed sofas, floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, a long wooden bar...and bocce ball courts in the back. As I walked, the clientele moved from chill to chaotic. People were standing alongside the courts, yelling for their teams with beers in hand. Maybe Brooklyn's not so bad, I thought.
Downstairs, a crowd was beginning to gather in the music venue. Nice acoustics, cool bar ($4 glasses of wine?!) and a great intimate vibe.
The coed bathrooms threw me for a minute, but in a city where space is at a premium and there's ALWAYS a line for the women's bathroom but never the men's...why not share the wealth?
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I didn't write this place up yet? huh. Well, ok. It's a rather polarizing place if you couldn't tell. I despise the upstairs. I really do. Despite its potential the crowd that is drawn here is NO FUN and the people who are the bocce rulers really need to settle down. But despite this wretchedly crowded place for Manhattanites who just found Brooklyn's charms there is the downstairs. Great room for great bands and a totally great vibe. It's like high school. All the folks that are THAT way hang upstairs and all the folks that are THIS way hang downstairs. It's preposterous but clique-ish in that same exact way. I'm only here for special occasions (read: rock) ultimately.
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randomly walked in here for a beer on a Sunday afternoon and was tripped out at the Bocce ball lanes in the place. Everyone had their drink on and was having fun. Noticed band room downstairs. Noticed this place is clean. Bartender nice. Beer list not very good. Not sure I would go back unless I became old enough to want to play Bocce ball
I really liked this place until Saturday night 04/12/08. I was entertaining a few out of town folks and wanted to share the great appetizers and drinks that Union Hall impressed me with.
This issue was with the bouncer that claimed there was a line?!?! I hope the Union Hall proprietors realize that a stuck up Manhattan attitude wont work in Brooklyn and park Slope. There was a group of 6 people in front us that were immediately turned off and walked away. The bouncer didn't like where I was standing and told me to move. He can frankly kiss my ass because I can stand where ever I want. Someone should send his power trip to Manhattan. The funny thing was a Union Hall manager type was sitting in the temporary vestibule and witnessing the entire situation and seemed to approve.
It doesn't take long to ruin a good night and I probably won't be back. They are doing a great job on the inside, but they have to get rid of the attitude at the door. There are too many spots to hang out in Brooklyn, where we should all enjoy a laid back vibe. I hope they rectify the situation so that I can erase this review and give them praise.
It's ok. happy hour has decent prices. food's ok. clientele is a bunch of douchebags as far as I can tell.
Comfy space, normal and cool crowd, double fireplace, and two lanes of bacci- that TWO lanes of bacci - come on- how great!?!? and the munchies are above avergae bar food. cheers!
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Everything about this bar should be great.
Occasional good shows.
Nice decor.
Spacious
Unisex bathrooms.
Decent liquor.
However, every time I've been here past 11, there has been at least one monumental asshole, usually many, who are adept at ruining my evening. Hitting inappropriately on my friends. Talking loudly about their drug use. Daring to have graduated from my college five years before me. A college bar for late 20 , early 30 somethings on weekends. It's hand to explain. But I often feel like I've been mooned.
Early on weekdays, it's a nice enough place.
I try to avoid it.
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If you come at the wrong time on the wrong night, you might just think Union Hall is the most annoying place ever. It's definitely the go-to place for all the surrounding neighbourhoods, from Boerum Hill all the way down to Windsor Terrace, I'd say. But if you luck out, and it isn't overflowing with pork pie hats and chuck taylors (narf!), you'll have a great time.
Fair prices, nice selection behind the bar, great couch area in the front, and (of course) the storied bocce court in the back. I've never had the food there, but I hear it's great. The "outside area" to the side amounts to little more than a smoking area, which is nice if you smoke and don't want to have to leave the bar in order to have a drag, or if your friends smoke. Downstairs, they have live music and a second bar. The downstairs area is very divey, but they do host great live shows.
Oh, and be sure to check out the unisex toilet with full ceiling-to-floor doors and walls to the stalls. Perfect if you need to pop to the loo to . . . um, take a piss. Or for any more clandestine purposes that you may have, if that's your cup of tea. Just be sure not to turn the stall into your group's own private clown car, because the staff are probably well aware of what people get up to when left to their own devices...
Great Park Slope bar!
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This bar should be amazing considering how many great elements it has (old school library feel, downstairs performance space, mini-patio off to the side). However, I have never had a fun time there.
I don't play Bocce, and because the two lanes take up so much space, the bar gets realllllly crowded on the weekends. I know it's one of the major draws for some of the patrons, but I'd rather they use the space for additional comfy seating. I think that's the thing. There's something uncomfortable about the place. Maybe I should go on a weeknight, when I'm not being endlessly jostled by hipsters or waiting an eternity for a slightly overpriced drink. Except that there's something about the vibe of the place in general I can't pinpoint, something off. Off, like the last glass of wine I had there, which made me sick to my stomach (it tasted weird but I foolishly drank it anyway).
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Union Hall is a cool place with a great beer selection. The atmosphere is excellent, with a library vibe upstairs and a burlesque show vibe downstairs, crazy bathroom stalls in a unisex restroom that are more like closets (or a charge-free hookup room), and decent food (good sliders). There are two full bocce ball courts upstairs and they do outdoor seating when it gets warmer.
Honestly, the only real downside to this place is the crowd. When this place is busy it gets _packed_, and a lot of the people who come here are your generic Park Slope hipsters with two much money and not enough common sense, and then on the flipside during the slow hours you get moms who think that an appropriate place to bring a toddler is a tavern. I guess the fact that the Gymboree doesn't serve liquor put them off of more traditional places to bring kids.
Still, it's a great bar with a wide selection, decent food and a nice atmosphere.
Union Hall leaves me feeling conflicted. It tries to be everything to everyone, with its million forms of recreation. The week-ending crowd reflects this confusion ... this mash-up, this clusterfuck, greasy scenesters vying for position. I prefer Union Hall in the afternoon, by the books with the fireplace, where I can sleepily recline, lazily break a few hearts.
Drinks: 4 stars for a fair selection. They seem to also sell burgers of pedigree off some food menu.
Service: 3.5 stars. Friendly on a slow night; competent when busy.
Music: 3 stars. The usual indie, probably too loud.
Ambience: 4 stars on early weeknights and weekend afternoons; 2 stars at any other time.
Value: 3 stars for Manhattan pricing at a Brooklyn-run establishment. I feel gouged.
Craveability: 2 stars, and yet I pine for their fireplace all the time ...
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While I absolutely loved Union Hall the 2 times I was there, I can't rate it 5 stars due to the fact that I wasn't around in the evening when the apparently lame crowd upstairs ruin all the fun. I can say that Saturday and Sunday afternoon are perfect for a visit though.
The upstairs features a spacious, library-like setting with bookshelves, framed artwork and great seating, not to mention 2 full bocce courts, something I've never seen in a bar before. The staff was friendly, the food was excellent (beercheese was amazing), and there was quite a bit of seating in the back.
I didn't get to see any of the downstairs, where live shows usually happen, but it looked accommodating enough from the outside. I love the unisex bathroom, which features around 10 separate stalls and plenty of sinks to wash your hands afterwards, which is a must when you're sharing with the opposite sex (as if you should really need a reason to wash your hands afterwards).
Out of all the bars I went to while in Brooklyn, this one was by far my favorite. If you can't deal with idiots on a Friday or Saturday night, try it out during the day instead.
Union Hall is good stuff. It can get way too crowded, so I try not to go at a peak time. There was one thing that did bother me the last time I was in, and that was that there were kids in there. This I find annoying. Does this make me mean? Maybe. But it's a bar. It's cozy and has bocce, but it's still a bar for adults who may use strong language and don't want to have to look over their shoulder as they might offend some parent or nose picking kid. I mean, it's not Gymboree.
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There is no cool way to act like you've seen indoor bocce ball before. Union Hall is the first place I have been to with indoor Bocce. I just sat and stared for a while with my jaw hanging open, thinking *genius*. I thought it was cool that some bars offer Guitar Hero, but Bocce is mos def way cooler.
Park Slope, Brooklyn is a lot like parts of San Francisco. It's much like the Mission and North Beach rolled into one. It's a little more gentrified than the Mission I would say... although not by much. Union Hall was kind of like walking into the San Francisco Brewery, except for of course the bocce ball, the spaciousness, and the library of books that line the whole wall to your immediate left.
The crowd is pretty diverse, with a mix of people just getting off work in Manhattan, and dive bar peoples. There is a downstairs area - the night we went (Friday) there was a taxidermy something or other going on... cool, again. If you're in the area, it's definitely a consistent place to stop in for a beer.
We need indoor Bocce Ball in San Francisco, I vote for Gestalt. . .
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