A Girl's Guide to Drinking Alone is a website, where I drink alone at bars, then review them for how awesome or awful they are for women to go to alone. Based in NYC.

187 Graham Ave btw Meserole and Scholes Sts, East Williamsburg

The Place: A new sports bar (?!) that opened up a stone’s throw from my apartment, a neighborhood that does NOT make me think “you know what we need around here? A sports bar!”

The Time: Sunday January 28, 7pm. My boyfriend kicked me out of the apartment for a bit while he plans a surprise for me, so I do a quick Google search of bars in my area to find one I haven’t been to yet. And behold! Emblem Sports Bar comes up. Lolololol let’s go.

The Vibe: The first thing I notice is that there is a TV screen on every wall. There’s other lighting, but this place would be lit just by the TVs alone. It’s a big space with a large bar, and it’s very empty in here so I have my choice of bar stool. The beer tap is made of exposed pipe, there’s exposed white brick, and that kind of artfully aged wood paneling. This is the sports bar version of a hipster Brooklyn bar, it’s a very funny hybrid. There’s a couple sitting in an enormous booth eating nachos, two women at a table behind me, and a guy at the end of the bar, watching something on his phone that’s propped up on a stand, even though there are LITERALLY FIFTEEN TVS. The music ranges from Michael Jackson to Top 40; the sports range from...all of them? Idk they’re literally playing all of the sports. I wonder what this place is like when it’s crowded, but for now, it’s super chill.

The Bartender: A man and a woman, both very eager, but it’s empty so they’re probably bored as shit. When I get my beer, I notice my pint glass is cracked, so they give me a new one. Then they ask me what I’m doing, a polite way to say “why are you at a bar alone writing in a notebook on Sunday night?” Instead of giving away that I’m a ~*reviewer*~, I tell them about my boyfriend’s surprise. The guy says that the only surprise he comes home to is dirty clothes on the floor. Which makes me think, what if my boyfriend’s gift to me is cleaning the apartment!? (It wasn’t, he cooked me dinner, which was sweet and lovely, but Valentine’s Day is coming up babe, just sayin.)

The Drank: Jack’s Abby Craft Lagers Post Shift Pilsner, which is too many words for being just a pilsner. It’s $5. They have cocktails on the cheap, but let’s be honest, no one is coming here for cocktails. I also get potato chips which are clearly just out of the fryer and really yummy. The menu is classic sports bar fare, but if the chips are any indication, I bet the food’s very good.

Was I Hit On? Solo guy sticks to his own tiny screen for the duration of my time here, praised be. At some point, the two women come up to the bar for three things: another round, a phone charger, and if they can put on the Grammys. And they do! With sound! They’ll put on any channel for you! I thank the women for requesting the Grammys because now I get to watch a little of it, but these ladies talk through the whole thing. But then I remember I’m at a bar. Still, better than sports!

Should You Drink Here Alone? I can’t believe I’m saying this, but yes! Here is a sports bar you can come to by yourself! Emblem is a nice, fun and super laid back place to drink a pint and hang out. Though I’m gonna recommend coming here on off-hours. It’s still a sports bar, after all.