Swan Dive

The place is now renamed Pig Beach. I haven’t been back under the new name but Swan Dive was pretty cool. They’re located right on the Gowanus canal, don’t worry it didn’t smell bad and it’s not like they’re getting the drinking water from the canal. The entire place is an open courtyard with a great layout, plenty of seating, and enough trees and plants not to feel cold and industrial. As you’d expect with such a hip place the drink prices are a couple bucks more than what would be ideal but if you can get here on a hot sunny day early when there isn’t many people here, it’s a great place to grab a drink and a quick bite at the food truck on premises. They also had cornhole but there were a couple of toddlers messing with it that my wife and I didn’t feel like shooing away. Like I said this place is now under a new name so it’s still here to grab a beer, if you want to see reviews of the food just look up Pig Beach.

They figured out the formula… Great space, open air, good food, good drinks. Friendly service that doesn’t leave you hanging. Solid hip-​hop soundtrack in the background.

Known as the ‘Baby Beergarden’! I do like this place, but, my friends and I stopped going here once it became a favorite for people my age and their young children. They have great food and an awesome beer selection. Just think about 2 year olds running a mock and your dulled senses as you walk back to your seat. One of my friends had such a collision and he was the bad guy.
Swan Dive, please instate a ‘no one under the age of 5′ curfew in your future and I’ll come back!

Swan Dive is pretty awesome. Just so happened to be in Gowanus last summer, walked by this place (it wasn’t so easy to tell it was a beer garden to be honest), and went in. Got the frozen moscow mule– talk about a delicious brain freeze! So good. The only downside to this place is that they have port-​a-​pottys and those weird outdoor sinks instead of normal bathrooms. Other than that, the drinks are great and I would go back if it wasn’t in the middle of nowhere.

Awesome spot. Came here with some friends and family and stayed for quite a while. The drinks were alright, but the atmosphere is what makes this place worth hanging out at. It’s a huge outdoor space with lots of tables to sit at.
We spent a few hours playing corn hole and did some people watching. Will definitely come back here the next time we’re in NYC :)

The bathrooms are porta-​potties.

I would call Swan Dive the first hipster bar in the neighborhood. It is a huge beer garden, has full bar, very spacious outdoor bar with plants and large tables everywhere, a cool hangout, with a large hipster crowd similar to the Williamsburg bar scene.
They have a small BBQ menu and all the beer is local. This is basically as if you were going to someone’s large patio to have a BBQ.
Be aware ladies, they don’t have bathrooms, just PortaPotty in the back with hand sanitizers.

Come to Swan Dive and you can sit at this giant outdoor space, sip a drink from their extensive menu, and observe some of the worst displays of parental behavior.
It’s like the dregs of the millennial generation (the ones with kids, that is) all came here to congregate and try to outdo each other on who can be the worst oversharer on social media. A screaming child should warrant a hug (or a rebuke). Not a round of photo-​taking so that your Facebook friends can coo about how little Matthew is adorable when he’s sobbing in frustration because he’s tired of sitting in a bar, watching his parents get shitfaced.
But I digress. This is a review about Swan Dive, not its patrons. And it’s actually a nice spot.
Cocktails are relatively affordable and the selection is great. My Rockin’ Chair cocktail was easily the best drink of the night. Black tea infused bourbon, ginger, and lemon. Simple, refreshing, strong, and oh-​so-​tasty. Also liked the But I Don’t Like Gin (this is not actually true). Plymouth, St. Germain, watermelon and lemon was a great combination. Also tried the Topless at Fort Tilden, and it was a little too one-​note for me.
The space is very roomy with lots of seating and tables. Could use some more shade and umbrellas, although to be fair, we went on a day when it was scorching hot. We were able to get ourselves situated at a table with an umbrella, and the friendly server was quick to bring us drinks. Also, good call on having those umbrellas on weighted stands. Keeps obnoxious, entitled moms from stealing them from your table (this actually happened).
We didn’t try the BBQ at Pig Beach, but it sure looked and smelled good. Definitely something to get next time, when I come back after the kids are gone. Or when I’m in a mood to drink and judge other people’s life choices.

First time here. Nice spot. Nice umbrellas on a hot sunny, summer day, but given the size of the place, not enough for very full coverage. When I arrived at 5:30 on Friday, there was plenty of room and no lines for anything. Very promising.
I opted for a burger and a dog, along with a Topless in Fort Tildens (rye, lemonade, cherry bitters). Simple. Refreshing. Lovely. The burger and dog were tasty as well. Giving serious thought to having another round until…
At 6:00, the parents descended. Think less «beer hall» and more «leave your kids at a table» free for all. Six strollers in sight should have been enough of a warning. What really kicked her for me was the table of 8 children left to fend for themselves next to me while mommy & daddy drank. Screaming. Wandering.
So: good food, good drinks, but be prepared. Not a very fun relaxing atmosphere unless you’re looking to babysit.
EDIT: it’s been an hour and no ones said anything to parents. The kids are just there screaming alone. Dropping it a star.

Who doesn’t love a open air beer garden! The grittiness of the Gowanus canal and neighborhood graffiti gives Swan Dive more appeal.
I enjoyed the sliced smoked turkey, deviled eggs and cole slaw. The turkey was well seasoned and perfectly moist. The cole slaw had more of a vinegary flavor than sweet.
The grapefruit vodka slushie is a straight up sweet sleeper! That devil juice in a mason jar packs a big punch. Swan Dive is a cool low key spot to hang out with a group of friends or on a date. Definitely one of the eclectic locations that gives Brooklyn it’s cool factor.

I’m really on the fence about Swan Dive – there were things I loved about it and things I really hated about it. Let’s start with the positive – it is a really cool outdoor venue that wasn’t super crowded. They have large picnic tables that are perfect for large groups. I loved the strings of lights that created a nice vibe once it got dark outside. The bartender was friendly, and they had delicious and refreshing alcoholic slushies and a decent selection of beers. As for the food, the ribs were very tasty. That’s what I loved about it.
On to the negatives. They only have port-​o-​potties, which are disgusting. The food was all cold, which was really disappointing. Someone came around to announce that it was last call, and fifteen minutes after that, they were straight up kicking people out very rudely.
We didn’t experience the whole kid issue that several other Unilocalers mentioned. We had a pretty nice evening until the very end. I’d probably go back for drinks, but then dine somewhere else.

There are two types of people who go to bars in Brooklyn — there’s people who think that having kids in bars is stupid, and there’s stupid parents who bring their stupid kids to bars.
Swan Dive is very family-​friendly, but luckily, it’s big enough that you can avoid them (most of the time). On a Sunday afternoon, it was full of obnoxiously hipster dads (come on man, a scarf and a porkpie hat in 93 degree weather? Trying too hard was a few fashion accessories ago); helicopter parents taking more photos of their ugly kids in one day than I had in my entire 1990s childhood (when your kid grows up to an alcoholic, it’ll be your fault for making them so comfortable in bars); and this one mom who thought it was okay to steal our umbrella because the sun was in her face. Speaking of bitches, Swan Dive is also dog friendly, who I much prefer to the company of free-​roaming, ugly children whose photos will inevitably end up on the internet for parents to whore for Likes.
But enough hating on ugly babies. I actually liked Swan Dive despite all of the above stated reasons.
The main event is the cocktails. They’re inexpensive for a place that takes credit cards (most are around $ 9 or $ 10) and they have a pretty good menu of frozen cocktails, beers, picklebacks (and other combo deals) as well as wine if you’re into that.
I had the Topless at Fort Tilden (Old Overholt, Lemonade and cherry bitters), which was simple to a fault. Nice and cold, but lacking in any strong flavors. The Horserace (Old Forrester, smoked sugar, mint, BBQ bitters) was a smokey beast and strong as they come. I liked that one more. The Rockin’ Chair (black tea infused bourbon, Canton ginger, lemon) was probably my favorite of the bunch.
There’s also table service if you hang out at one of the many reclaimed wood tables and benches, or the high tops with metal stools.
We went on the hottest day of the year, and there were big umbrellas strewn about as respite from the scorching sun, but most of the place was melanoma central. Since it’s on the canal, there’s almost no cover at all.
Speaking of, it was nice when there was a breeze, but you had alternating wafts of the Gowanus and BBQ smoke from Pig Beach. I did not have any of the food here, but it looked good despite hilarious things I’ve read in the Gothamist. I’ll reserve judgment for a day when I’m not bang-​bang-​ing.
There’s a port-​a-​potty situation in the back with standing sinks, so I guess that’s both bad and good. And who wouldn’t want to eat food with concert festival facilities anyway?
Aside from the bad parents who will one day wonder where their unruly prison-​bound kids went wrong, the place looks very popular with the younger neighborhood crowd. You can also play cornhole if you’re still lusting for your college days when you were at the peak of your likeability and only had aspirations of becoming a banking doucher (or from the Midwest). And there were a lot of pretty girls, a lot of basic girls, and a lot of pretty basic girls.
All makings for a good time.

At first glance, an open air bar next to the Gowanus canal doesn’t seem like a good idea. I bet they considered dozens of possible scenarios and each one ended up with the question «but what do we do about the smell??» And then came the brilliant idea… why not put a smoldering BBQ pit between the clientele and the stench of the canal?
By God Jeeves… it just might work!
I’m not going to make any claims about the food here. I’m never a good judge of BBQ joints since I can never eat 90% of the menu. But when it comes to drinking… well… who am I kidding… I’m not nearly the alcoholic my drunken uncles once knew and loved**. However, with a vast selection of booze including beer and $ 9 cocktails served in big plastic cups, it’s good drinking value. There are lots of tables and spaces along which one can perch, and on a good summer night, it’s a fantastic place to hang out.
Heres to hoping that it doesn’t become overrun by obnoxious pop-​collared trust fund babies, or the equally annoying plaid and skinny jeans wearing, PBR drinking, hipster types.
** I had one uncle who swore he would not drink on a Friday (he drank constantly on every other day). All other family members respected him for it, and knew never to plan any family event which involved drinking (which is all of them), on a Friday. They all admired his strength of character.

Great BBQ food!
This place is super cool and trendy. The location is very discrete but this place is super cute. Located right next to the Gowanus overpass this outdoor picnic space is perfect. The aroma of BBQ will take over you as it is just floating in the air smelling oh so good. With a very simple checkout process you order food and sit down at any one of the picnic tables. There are 2 bars to order drinks from one in the front and one in the back.
Decided to order the cheeseburger and the deviled eggs. The burger was good and so were the deviled eggs. With the large selection of BBQ I had no idea what to order but I know that I will definitely have to come back here to try the pork and the brisket. This is the perfect spot to grab a drink and some BBQ without the hassle of grilling on your own!

What a great find! Swan Dive is the bbq expansion of the Green Building, and you can see they put their expertise in event planning to good use here. I went in over the weekend for dinner and though there were a lot of people, it’s a big space and didn’t feel crowded. The food is all prepared for quick orders so you don’t have to wait too long in line. Everyone that worked there was very helpful and friendly! I enjoyed my half rack of ribs (dry rub and they have a variety of sauces), but one of my friends ordered the tri-​tip and we all agreed it was even better. I hope it stays just like this and doesn’t become a mad house when the word gets out!

«Mmmmmmmmmmm… alll I want right now is some cold, congealed pulled pork»…said literally no one ever.
Unfortunately that’s exactly what we got when we came to Swam Dive over the 4^th of July weekend. We were pleasantly surprised when we walked in and instantly found a table for our party of 7. Given our party size, we ordered every single meat off the menu that day — pulled pork, ribs, beef tips, turkey, sausage.
Unfortunately every single item, except for the turkey was cold… not even lukewarm. Not a great experience.
Other than that, it’s a fantastic outdoor space in a pretty up and coming area. I’m giving this place the benefit of the doubt and going again tonight. We’ll see how they stack up.

Yes, it is super-​kid-​friendly but it is also «other-​kid» friendly (which I won’t spell out as there has been a crackdown on this «other-​friendly-​ness» lately. I haven’t had much of an issue with the kids as others, it’s a huge place and it’s not like they are climbing on picnic tables and such. That being said, the cocktails are yummy but a little on the weak side. The bartenders are good/​friendly/​nice about 80% of the time, and, for some reason, I got attitude the other 20%. The BBQ is good, but I really don’t go all falling down ecstatic for BBQ. Some veggie sides* would be nice for those of us who eat meat, but don’t need to eat 3 lbs for dinner.
*A hot dog is NOT a side. D-​eggs are, though!

Came with a couple of friend — as others have noted, tons of kids, but not annoying at all. It’s a beer garden feel and we got here around 7, so it’s still early enough to expect that.
Great drink selection with interesting cocktails. Awesome BBQ! I had the smoked turkey — so moist and flavorful. Tomato salad was light and delicious and the pickles were tasty. Enjoyed it and will be back!

It’s a beautiful area with a bunch of picnic tables — some with umbrellas, some without. There’s a constant smell of BBQ — which to me is an amazing thing. The bartender was super nice — my only complaint was that there is literally no sign of what the place is called. It’s perfect for a drink on a summer day or night! There’s even a few outlets by one of the walls to charge your phone! Just FYI — no actual bathrooms, only porta potties (which are labeled by gender).
I would love to come back and try the food, the smell of which made my stomach grumble the WHOLE time I was there.

OK, so if you hate kids, please do stay away… during the afternoon. It’s not like they’re hellions off leash, just what you might expect in Carroll Gardens/​Gowanus — young fams needing some R&R and a brew.
If you’re looking for a laid back, outdoor green ambiance with some families thrown in and a side of solid BBQ and full cocktail bar you’ve found your home (please note that Pig Beach –the BBQ at Swan Dive is just currently a featured «pop-​up» which means it will change it over time). Swan dive is the perfect mix of open air beer garden, solid family style food and friendly bartenders and servers.
I’m sure the kid factor decreases as the sun goes down but the vibe remains chill. Treat yourself to some pulled pork, home made pickles and the surprisingly good tomato salad served on a cardboard tray at a communal picnic table.
Don’t fill up if you want to do the perfect weekend exacta — Swan Dive to Ample Hills (just across the Gowanus canal).