Despite the name, you are more likely to catch a cold beer at this bar than fish.
When owners Barry O'Meara and Derrick Van Duzer, a chef and fourth-generation barman respectively, purchased the old shop to house their new bar, they decided it was simply easier to keep the original sign and surround it with a theme than renovate the exterior, thus creating an rustic atmosphere enjoyed there today.
Red Hook Bait and Tackle was originally a fisherman's club and bait store for Brooklyn fishermen, but the location now welcomes a younger crowd of Red Hook locals that have moved to the neighborhood in recent years. Open since 2004, it was also the first bar in Red Hook to be open seven days a week. The local dive bar offers a variety of beers on tap and often hosts live music. The taxidermy and fishing equipment covering the walls still evoke the location's wilderness roots.
The Red Hook Bait and Tackle is a fair stroll from the nearest train, but well worth the trip if you are looking for a nice place to have a beer without some of Brooklyn's famous pretension.
Look out for a shady character here, he is waiting for someone to bring him something from local wiseguy...you seem pretty wise, perhaps you have what he is looking for?
1.) Head a bit further up Van Brunt and down Visitation Pl to learn about the Red Hook Community Justice Center, an important part of the local community.
2.) Head to the corner of Van Brunt and Commerce St to Stumptown Roasters and smell the coffee in the air.
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