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Home > Restaurants > Char No. 4

Char No. 4

Critic's Pick Critics' Pick

196 Smith St., Brooklyn, NY 11201
nr. Baltic St.  See Map | Subway Directions Hopstop Popup
718-643-2106 Send to Phone

  • Price Range: $$

    Key to Prices and ratings

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  • Reader Rating:

    7.0 out of 10

      |  

    5 Reviews | Write a Review

  • Cuisine: BBQ, Southern/Soul
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Photo by Noah Sheldon

Hours

Mon-Thu, 5pm-11pm; Fri, 5pm-midnight; Sat, 9am-3:30pm and 5pm-midnight; Sun, 9am-3:30pm and 5pm-11pm

Nearby Subway Stops

F, G at Bergen St.

Prices

$14-$22

Payment Methods

American Express, MasterCard, Visa

Special Features

  • Bar Scene
  • Brunch - Weekend
  • Dine at the Bar
  • Hot Spot
  • Notable Wine List

Alcohol

  • Full Bar

Reservations

Accepted/Not Necessary

Profile

Char No. 4, no relation to Chanel No. 5, must be Brooklyn's—or at least Smith Street's—first bourbon-centric whiskey bar and restaurant. You can sample over 300 whiskeys here but probably not in one ecstatic sitting, although, borrowing a page from the wine world, every tipple is available by the one-ounce pours. The name of the place refers to the practice of heating the oak staves used to make bourbon barrels. There are four degrees of char, No. 4 being the most intense. The smell of charring oak is said to be not unlike that of a good pit barbecue—fitting, considering chef Matt Greco's southern comfort menu of house-smoked ham, a chopped-pork sandwich, and cheddar curds with pimento sauce. — Rob Patronite and Robin Raisfeld

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7.0 "Recommended"
Average Reader Rating
on a Scale of 10		 Write Your Own Review
80% Would you go back?
80% Would you take a date?
0% Would you take kids?
60% Would you go on business?
60% Would you go on a special occasion?
Food: 7.6
Service: 8.6
Décor: 8.4
Value: 5.8

Great Addition to Smith Street

Boerum_Hill_Hunger from 11201 | Posted on 4/24/09

Overall Rating: 9 (Highly Recommended)
Food: 9
Service: 9
Décor: 10
Value: 7

This place is amazing. I am so glad that it is here. The selection of Bourbon by the glass is immense. The two size options are considerate. The food is delicious. It just wins.

Got sick, told them, no offer to recompense

turkey_sandwich from 11205 | Posted on 3/9/09

Overall Rating: 5 (Mixed Reviews)
Food: 3
Service: 8
Décor: 7
Value: 4

After reading favorable reviews on nymag.com, my girlfriend and I went to check out Char No. 4. We were excited and ready for delicious food and bourbon. We arrived, had a couple of drinks at the bar waiting for a table, and ultimately decided to sit at the bar (lucky, because the bartender was the best part of the experience -- he's a great asset). We had the pork nuggets (meh), cheddar curds (good, though the dip wasn't), chopped pork sandwich (sub-par, save the pickled peppers and onions, which were excellent), and cauliflower gratin (meh). We were disappointed, and became moreso when we both got sick later that night. We called the next morning to tell the folks at the restaurant that we had gotten ill and were blown off completely. No offer to set things right -- instead, the woman who answered the phone said "oh, yeah, the pork sandwich is really heavy -- I can't even eat it" and hung up. I eat BBQ regularly and know the full pork feeling; this was not it. (incidentally: http://www.yelp.com/biz/char-no-4-brooklyn#hrid:ZP8fDeK051iAA_qwgxVi0w). Not good -- won't go back.

Read All 5 Reviews >>

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