Sneak Peek: Uncle Barry's

When Flight 001, a store on 5th between Bergen & St. Mark’s that specialized in fancy travel products, closed down in May of 2009, the neighborhood uttered a collective "meh."

Then New Style, a largely insignificant clothing store, moved into the space. It lasted under six months before closing this past March. I'm pretty sure you'd have trouble filling a Dixie cup with the amount of tears shed over its demise.

Time for the next incarnation! Since we can always use more places to drink, this November the space at 58 5th Ave will become Uncle Barry's, the latest addition to the ever-expanding legion of North Slope bars.

Last weekend I stopped by to get an early look at the joint and meet Josh Ellis & Jake Trebach, the pair of cousins who are partnering together to open the bar, which is named after Jake's father. Though it's their first venture into bar ownership, Jake has cut his chops in the area. He currently works at The Vanderbilt but has also put in time at Pacific Standard & Cherry Tree. Both Josh and Matt (the dude who will be heading up their beer program) spent time in D.C.

They envision Uncle Barry's as a comfortable neighborhood bar that's not quite a dive but not quite a fancypants place; somewhere you can chill out, have a few drinks and by the end of the night, TOTALLY GET LAID. Then you'll tell your friends that you got laid because you went to Uncle Barry's, and they'll feel slightly creeped out by the phrase.

The space itself still has a long way to go until it's finished, but it's good-sized for the area, with a main front section that will feature a few benches & tables that’ll feed off of a thirty-foot bar that stretches almost the entire length of the place. The walls are exposed brick, giving the front section a rustic sort of feel.

In the back section, you'll be able to get your E. Honda on with a lil' Street Fighter II & hopefully a few other arcade games, allowing you to recall a simpler time when you didn't need to drink to have fun.

There will also be a backyard area that'll house a few tables. It's enclosed by a high, wooden fence that'll be perfect for tossing rocks & assorted debris over onto the heads of unsuspecting Alchemy patrons.

Since a good beer selection is pretty much a prerequisite for any bar in Park Slope, they plan to have around twenty beers on tap and another twenty in bottles, with a large focus on Belgian and local beers. While they won't have a full kitchen, they will have cheeses and meats to snack on.

Once November comes, they'll be open every day around noon, so you'll be able to start getting your drink on nice and early. There will be a happy hour early in the day, but if you manage to drink yourself all the way to late night, you'll be rewarded with another happy hour.

Will Uncle Barry approve of you drinking that much? I don't know the guy personally but based on the hip shades he's wearing in the Uncle Barry's logo...

...I'm going to assume that he'll be all Kool & the Gang with it...so happy drinkin' to you, alchie.

Read way more from Shawn at eatdrinksnack.com.