Sycamore Draws Huge Crowd On Opening Night

We stopped by Ditmas Park's newest bar Sycamore last night and were pleasantly surprised to see how packed it was on its very first night. Owners Gary and Allison were helping behind the bar and there was still a wait for drinks when we came in at 10:30. Not that we're complaining- we were happy to see the place so bustling. When we were there the crowd seemed like a mix of people in their mid-20s to mid-30s. We overheard someone say he was from Fort Greene, so we assume other neighborhoods along the Q were also represented. We didn't take a close look at drink prices, but our Buds on draft were a very reasonable $3.

Patrons enter through the cute flower shop, where a few stools provide a quiet drinking spot and a neat lookout on Cortelyou Road. A jukebox sits at the entrance of the bar and in the back are two cozy horseshoe-shaped couches tucked into the corners. The inside was so jam packed that we had to step outside to their beautiful garden, which has received quite an overhaul since the days of Cortelyou Vintage. Ivy covers three of the walls and there's a large wood patio that steps down into a pebble-covered area with more seating and even a stand-alone cast iron fireplace. We couldn't help but feel a little sorry for the neighbors, though, whose windows and terraces overlook the bar's garden. Maybe they can get a few free drinks every now and then.

Sycamore || 1118 Cortelyou Road (between Westminster and Stratford)