Lowlands
543 Third Ave., nr. 14th St., Gowanus 347-463-9458
Stock your bar with reasonably priced brews both highbrow (Allagash White, $6) and less so (bucket of six High Life ponies, $10), serve them in an inviting and unpretentious setting, add a toe-tapping jukebox (Petty, AC/DC) and decent snacks (courtesy of Park Slope’s Luscious Food), and the people will come—even to the desolate reaches of Gowanus, where the closest neighbor is a 24-hour Taco Bell–Dunkin’ Donuts hybrid. Sunday afternoons are devoted to Battleship and Bloody Marys ($6 and giant-size), and all the chalupas and gorditas you can stomach are just across the street.