Profile

The folks behind favored Brooklyn pubs Harefield Road and the Pencil Factory don't mess with success: Matt Torrey's is a similarly cozy, dimly lit bar with reasonably priced drinks and zero contrivances. The twenty beers on tap mostly hail from New York State (with a few exceptions like Guinness and a draft cider), including a Brewmaster's Reserve from the Brooklyn Brewery. Huge rows of glass windows encasing the main bar room facilitate both people watching and being watched. They also make this place a prime spot for a rainy day camp-out. Observant eyes will notice flat screen TVs hanging high in the room's corners, but fortunately they're turned off most of the time. Behind the enormous bar, a large and even darker back room has even more tables. — Thayer McClanahan