01/31/09

DRINKS ON THE HOUSE!!!!

by RonHorse

left my wallet at home the other night, thats cause i was on my way to Great Lakes. went for the first time a quarter of a month ago, didnt have to pay for ONE DRINK and its been the same the last eleven times ive been. the room is really dark which is good for the types of activities i care to engage in. the jukebox had about 80 percent of the mid-to-late 1800's chamber music i like, and again, i didnt have to pay for my selections. the bartender looks nervous and weak. he never remembers my middle name LOL. good luck ordering an ice cream cone btw. most importantly though YOU LITERALLY DONT HAVE TO PAY FOR THE DRINKS YOU ORDER AND ARE GIVEN TO YOU.

• Pros: A LITTLE PRICEY LOL
• Cons: was locked in the bathroom for 3 hours once

04/25/08

m

by charliecompany

i've been going to this place for eight years and i don't really notice much of a change. the jukebox is still good, the bathroom is still nasty and they serve booze. i don't need a bartender to make me feel particularly welcome. they put up with enough garbage from park slope yuppies. i think you can cut em a break.

08/26/07

Most Unprofessional Barstaff

by devon7

Avoid this place - the barstaff were Ill-mannered, not trained properly, monosyllabic, even cheat you on measures. Shame, as the jukebox is well-stacked, just the service is low-class.

• Pros: The only pub I saw for a few blocks
• Cons: Low-class barstaff, fake interior, small measures

08/20/07

I loved the joint

by rossgill

the bar was awesome. i happened to be there when the other person seemed to flip out at the girl working because she didn't get any free beers. it seemed sad and cheap.i found the girl bartending to be really nice and funny. i liked the place.

do people really complain about not getting something for free? i'm not from new york but to me that seems really strange and i would be humiliated if i was ever with someone who wasn't willing to pay for what they ordered.

anyway i liked the bar it was fun and the people seemed really nice. it was uncomfortable when this large woman was freaking out about not getting something for free but other than that i had a nice time. i haven't seen anyplace in this hood quite as comfy yet.

maybe its different here but i go out expecting to pay for my drinks. this woman who was shouting behind me was just a little crazy.... why would you be mean to someone because they didn't give you something for free?

08/18/07

Terrible service

by girl_who_bars

Seriously, terrible service. Bathrooms are abysmal. No buybacks after a HUGE tab. Nasty - mean, even - young girl bartender who complained all night. We tipped excessively, but no buybacks. NEVER again. Too many other awesome places around.

• Pros: Hi-life for $3, if you can get it and the bartender doesn't complain
• Cons: Really awful, pseudo hipster bartender. Nast, mean, and generally unpleasant enough to ruin a good time.

12/04/06

After 10+ drinks, still no buyback

by daytrader007

Probably the worst single bartender I've come across in nyc. Granted I live in Manhattan and expect a certain minimum level of service, but spending an entire night at this place buying drinks with cash and on my card, I was waiting all night for my buyback. When I finally closed out the rest of my bill at the end of the night, and asked for one, he threw it in my face and said he wouldn't give it to me because I asked for it. I think that the appropriate time for a buyback is at some point throughout the night when you're buying round, not when you're closing out the credit card and leaving the joint.

Regardless, they obviously have no idea how to treat a customer in that place. It was my first time in the place, and will be my last.

PS- The scene is pretty dumpy. Someone wrote below me it's the best bar on 5th avenue. God, if that's true I'm even more happy about living in the city. Please tell me Park Slope doesn't stink that much. PLEASE!

• Pros: They serve alcohol, always a plus for a bar.
• Cons: Dirty, dismal scene, worst bartender ever, people going to bathroom in groups (hmmm...)

07/25/06

An indie-rock haven in Park Slope.

by Contributor

In Short
Save for the nod toward the Midwest for design inspiration (do the name, some maps of Lake Michigan and an outboard motor qualify it as a theme bar?), what stands out about an evening here is the overwhelming number of indie-rock classics you'll hear. The jukebox takes you way back to 1994, when Archers of Loaf were the bee's knees and Arlington, Virginia, was the place where dreams were made.

03/02/05

Great Lakes, Great Place

by halfcircle6

This was the best bar on 5th Ave. The junkebox was amazing, New York Dolls to

Sebadoh. The staff was friendly and knew their music as well as thier customers. I sat at a table and had a good first date and i sat at the bar and had a good time complaining about the same first date. A rare bar that has no attitude just like it's name midwestern friendliness.

06/23/04

bartenders are great

by chinesestar

I don't know what Racket's talking about, these are probably my favorite bartenders in all of Brooklyn. Yes, they're very cute, but they're also very warm and make you feel like at home as long as you're not a jerk givin' them crap. In that case, then yes, they can get quite testy, and more power to 'em. If you treat them with respect though, you won't find better bartenders in town.

• Pros: SERVICE!, great jukebox, weekdays are perfect

01/16/04

bottom of the Lakes

by dr_morbius

In what appears to be an unfortunate case of "hands-on" ownership, the most popular bartender/ resident mensch of the Great Lakes' Golden Age has been exiled, along with his vaunted jukebox stock. There are still decent folk who pour here, but the clientele has been increasingly dominated by ever-louder yakking packs of recent collegians, possibly trying to quaff their way down from a Brooklyn Industries-induced shopping high. The more lucid and laid-back among us, who know the '99-03 aura has left this place, are bar-hopping our way down Fifth Avenue in search of a new roost.