Some of my favorite meals over the past few years have been at the Meat Hook butcher shop's Summer BBQ Series, wolfing four or five dishes from flimsy cardboard boats on one of those squat little plastic stools set up literally in the street. The food itself is always fantastic—the guests chefs are total all-stars—but it's the fun, friendly vibe that really seals the deal for me. This is summer evening eating perfection.
That's why I was stoked to check out the Meat Hook's latest venture, Peek Inn, a corner bar in Greenpoint—not a dive bar, not a wine bar, not a cocktail bar, just a regular old neighborhood bar—operated by the crew from the butcher shop's great burger-and-martini restaurant, Cozy Royale, and which opened about a week ago.
Could Peek Inn replicate those loose, welcoming Summer BBQ vibes, but inside a bar? And would the food, minus the full kitchen at Cozy, live up to my hopes and expectations? Obviously, since I'm writing this article, the answer is hell yeah they can, and yes, indeed it does. If you like to have fun, drink alcohol, and eat good stuff while you're doing it, Peek Inn should be your new go-to spot around McGolrick Park.
Cozy Royale's Mike Haigis, a Peek Inn partner, runs the nightly operation here, and while Peek Inn limited by venting issues—per Brent Young, the owner of everything Meat Hook, it's a Series B hood, not a Series A, so they can't do burgers and fries—the place makes excellent use of the butcher shop's whole-animal resources.
