If buzzy nouveau old-school chophouse Gage & Tollner is downtown Brooklyn’s flagship, tiki bar Sunken Harbor Club aims to be its captain’s quarters. Through G&T’s entrance, an unmarked door and up one flight, SHC is not only a major shift in tone from its sister restaurant, but in sensibility–less Don Draper thoughtfully sipping an Old Fashioned than Captain Jack Sparrow bellowing about rum.
Sunken Harbor Club commits to the tiki-bar-in-a-sunken-ship bit bow to stern; fog machine fore and sultry mermaid painting aft. The themey light fixtures phosphoresce just enough for guests to appreciate the nautical ephemera and Hawaiian shirts worn by every member of the welcoming staff, not to mention the pretty drinks. In what may be the single conceptual link between the Sunken Harbor Club and Gage & Tollner, restrained innovation is buoyed by skillful execution. SHC put their spin on almost every tiki favorite, plus a selection of more novel but not bananas concoctions (unless you’re literally into bananas, in which case they’ve got a house-made liquor for you), all of which are tasty. The menu is arranged in ascending alcoholic potency, so it’s easy to chart your course. And by limiting most items to three or four key elements, pretension is thrown overboard in favor of fun. Prices float in the $20 range but that number ebbs and flows. There are also a few options for wine and beer, and yes, SHC has its very own short list of tasty finger food (e.g., sliders, shrimp toast, oysters) if you’re in need of ballast.
In its entirety, Sunken Harbor Club consists of a single room with a few small banquettes and a handful of seats at the bar. It’s an atmospheric place to stowaway a date night or with a tidy group, but at a 35-person capacity with no standing room, beware ye large parties. Limited capacity and lack of reservations mean that if you arrive at peak hours, you’re unlikely to be seated right away. To that end, our recommendation is to either arrive early in the evening to stake out a spot or make a visit to the capstone of a Gage & Tollner dinner. Simply put your name on the list when you arrive and let the night’s current bear you along.