video by Katarina Hybenova for Bushwick Daily
There’s a new watering hole on Knickerbocker, brought to you from some of the dudes of Pearl’s Social and Billy Club and Oak and Iron. But this place has a little more down-home cozy feel: the kind of place you feel comfortable enough at to get a little too drunk on a Monday afternoon.
“You know what? If people think we’re a gay bar, why the hell not!” Mike Ireland, one of the co-owner of 3 Diamond Door, gave me a big pirate grin and embraced my misapprehension that the brand-spanking-new joint was of a certain persuasion. The confusion most likely arose because, unlike The Rookery, which has been building anticipation of its launch for weeks, 3 Diamond Door doesn’t yet have a website or a Facebook page or even an entry in the phonebook.
“We opened on Thursday, and I haven’t slept since,” admitted Mike. He and his comrades, Gabriel and Miles, spent nine months gut-renovating Kennedy Fried Chicken space on Knickerbocker. And the place looks leagues better than most fried chicken stores. The décor is smart and mostly boat themed. Patrons seemed pretty stoked on the light humor of a back lit “No Minors Served Bud” sign. One woman gushed, rightly, about how well put-together the place looked.
No food yet, but it’s coming. In the meantime, Mike had bought alphabet crackers and Ritz from the dollar store across the street for bar snacks. And it was kinda fun to be reminded that both of those are damned tasty. The draft beer selection is formidable: fifteen beers on tap, mostly for 5 or 6 dollars each. There’s a couple of the requisite beer and shot deals. And there’s prosecco on tap! But you’ll have to wait a couple days for anything fancy, the cocktail menu will hopefully debut soon.
The Door seems like a classy version of the kind of place a seaman would lurch into after months away from shore, not looking for trouble but not opposed to finding it either. The big brown leather booths are perfect for nesting into with a couple o’ fine wenches (or wenchmen!) on either arm. The dark wood paneling is eased by the wide red and cream tiles on the floor, which reminded me of a simpler time. Framed pictures of sailboats line the walls, and there’s an antique cigarette machine, and the jukebox, Mike promises, will be up and running by Thursday. The back patio is yet another elegant, breezy oasis in our little corner of the concrete jungle, so make sure you check it out before it’s toe socks and mittens weather.
Draft beer for $4-7; can beer/shot for $6. Hours: Monday – Friday 2 PM to 4 AM; Saturday – Sunday 12 PM to 4 AM; 211 Knickerbocker Ave, Bushwick.