El Pingüino

Greenpoint Secret Bar It's really good. The interior of the restaurant is decorated with a mix of 80's Japanese bar with modern style. The food is very good. I like the cocktails very much, perfect combination. I will definitely come back.

For some reason whenever I come to el pinguino it’s the perfect temperature, it’s golden hour, transmitter park is poppin off, and I’m on an absolute bender. I end up drinking one too many dirty martinis while make audible pleasure noises while downing the anchovy pepper skewers. The folks behind the bar really seem to love their job, the food they serve, and the drinks they come up with. The first time I went they poured us a drink and then let us pop out to transmitter to have a glance at the sunset before even paying our tab. That kind of trust in the community is rare and beautiful. El pinguino is a lil slice of heaven in greenpoint. This writer pens this review begrudgingly because he doesn’t want this spot to blow up. Part of the magic is the intimacy. But because he wants the good people at the Pinguino to succeed he feels compelled to show some love.

We had a great experience with Devin and Michelle tonight , thanks for your great service. Not only did we try a lot of new wine and sherries, we learned a lot about gastronomy from them. This is the type of experience that patrons rave and talk about - it’s definitely a destination worth traveling to….cheers 🍷

Penny Fun

I went to El Pingüino about two weeks ago and absolutely loved that they offer happy hour seven days a week and it’s becoming a routine for us! The hours are 4–7 PM, plus a late-night happy hour from 10 PM to midnight. Their seafood happy hour is pretty simple they only offer one type of oyster but it was super fresh and delicious. Clean, lightly briny, and perfect with just a squeeze of lemon. And they have really great basque cheesecake! The overall vibe is relaxed and easygoing, making it a great spot to unwind after work or grab a late-night drink. If you’re in Greenpoint and love oysters, this place is definitely worth checking out.

J Howell

Went to El Pingüino Saturday night for happy hour and it was fantastic. The drinks were on point—we both had excellent martinis, followed by oysters that were some of the best I’ve ever had. Perfect size with incredible flavor. Dillion took great care of us and gave spot-on recommendations that made the experience even better. We’ll definitely be back.

Katie Grossman

Had such a lovely dinner last night at El Pingüino. Highly recommend the Japanese martini and canned mussels. Some of the best oysters I’ve ever had. Lucked out to go on a night when there was an Aperol Spritz rep so we got some free drinks. Awesome experience all around!

Jamie Oh

An intimate local cocktail bar with a well-curated selection of drinks. Their drinks menu is very extensive which was nice to see. My favorite drinks were the Shiso Painkiller and Paper Plane. We also got the cheesecake, which was perfection <3. Great happy hour deals - they also have a "nighttime happy hour" which is from 10pm-12am! Suuuper friendly and helpful staff and good vibes overall. I would love to come back for oysters next time.

Mehmet Ali KESKİN

Amazing place to spend an evening with friends and eat oysters especially during happy hour. Cocktails are also good. Staff are super friendly. Definitely will come back!

Joshua Touriz

Had this place on my list for a while, and finally got around to going last week. Did not disappoint. The seafood tower was incredible, including the oysters. Nice and fresh. Drinks were great as was the chorizo and peppers. Would definitely come back during their happy hour.

Ana Sofía Vázquez

The best oysters, mussels, shrimps, crab salad, piquillos in Greenpoint and in NY so far (personally). The service was fantastic and fast and prices were reasonable considering the quality. I would recommend coming here during happy hour and enjoy some oysters and the 12 usd martini. I absolutely loved this place, the drinks and vibes are perfect. The place is not too loud. I would recommend this place for all sort of occasions. It’s simply perfect.

Jess Nha

I've been wanting to try out this place for awhile and today I finally got to go and it was amazing! The vibe is super cute and the service was fabulous 🤩 and the food and the martinis were on point!! One of the best dirty martinis! Everything we ordered was delicious 🤤 We ordered oysters, steamed clams, boquerones, sourdough, black bass ceviche and basque cheesecake. Highly recommend 🔥

David Makris

Fantastic bar & oyster spot. While I didn’t have a ton of their offerings, (just 2 or3) it was the perfect start to a night out with a martini and oyster happy hour. Had the bread & sardines as well which we liked to help soak up some of the alcohol. But had a nice experience & looking forward to coming back!

ThisSummer

Greenpoint Secret Bar It's really good. The interior of the restaurant is decorated with a mix of 80's Japanese bar with modern style. The food is very good. I like the cocktails very much, perfect combination. I will definitely come back.

Alexandra Rose

Had an impromptu birthday gathering in the backyard and it was perfection. I swear my their martini and oyster happy hour. My group was thrilled and I am still thinking about how excellent the oysters were 🥳.

Josiah Clagett

For some reason whenever I come to el pinguino it’s the perfect temperature, it’s golden hour, transmitter park is poppin off, and I’m on an absolute bender. I end up drinking one too many dirty martinis while make audible pleasure noises while downing the anchovy pepper skewers. The folks behind the bar really seem to love their job, the food they serve, and the drinks they come up with. The first time I went they poured us a drink and then let us pop out to transmitter to have a glance at the sunset before even paying our tab. That kind of trust in the community is rare and beautiful. El pinguino is a lil slice of heaven in greenpoint. This writer pens this review begrudgingly because he doesn’t want this spot to blow up. Part of the magic is the intimacy. But because he wants the good people at the Pinguino to succeed he feels compelled to show some love.

Mario Brito

We had a great experience with Devin and Michelle tonight , thanks for your great service. Not only did we try a lot of new wine and sherries, we learned a lot about gastronomy from them. This is the type of experience that patrons rave and talk about - it’s definitely a destination worth traveling to….cheers 🍷

The food and drinks were awesome. Surely didn't look like a happy place for the staff at least during my visit. Also, having everyone wear French work jacket at a Spanish restaurant seems like a bit of a fraud.

Eugene

The food and drinks were awesome. Surely didn't look like a happy place for the staff at least during my visit. Also, having everyone wear French work jacket at a Spanish restaurant seems like a bit of a fraud.

Good oysters and a happy hour that runs until 7pm. The oysters were fresh and while I’m not a huge fan of red sauce I did enjoy the freshly shaved horseradish. That and a few other small Spanish plates and $12 martinis made this a pleasant low key early evening out

Definitely come for happy hour, 7 days a week 4-7pm! We enjoyed the half price oysters and $12 martinis. The food can get pretty pricey since they're all small plates, but they all tasted great. We had the roasted peppers, steamed clams, cheese plate, and basque cheesecake. Service was friendly but pretty slow. Overall, I'd come again, but definitely stick with the happy hour deals!

This is def a cocktail bar. The food menu is mostly snacks - not a dinner spot but a great place to get drinks and a seafood tower. Painkiller and dulcimer gimlet are amazing, alls had really good oysters.

Much anticipated place and it ended up being mostly good but not without issues. We came for a happy hour on Wed at 6:30pm. The place is tiny and you really want the bar seating. It was 3 of us so we sat at the table in the back which was weirdly pointed towards another table — ok, I guess they envision some sort of communal dining. It’s a vibe but def. lacking privacy. Both Japanese and pickled martini were good but I don’t think they were $22 good. I ordered them thinking that they’re $12 due to happy hour and the waitress never mentioned anything until we got our check and were surprised to see both of them being at the regular price. Basic courtesy would be to make it clear. All of the snacks—boquerones, razor clams, scallops—were delicious, although $27 for a can of clams made me weep with memories of getting same thing in Barcelona for just a few euro. The worst part was waiting for oysters; I get that this is half-priced happy hour so I can wait maybe up to half hour, but ours came 45 mins after ordering. Kind of unacceptable. Oysters were small but tasty. Good deal if you can get in on it at the start of the HH.

Like? Yes very much. But then again we love tinned fish. If you do then this IS! the place to go. Just a lovely atmosphere near the water. But not only tinned fish....seafood tower that was just wonderful. I'm really looking forward to a return visit. Oh, damn good cocktails too. Wines by the glass? The red was excellent. Worth a trip here, and then perhaps another.

Fabulous vibes and great selection of tinned seafood. The oysters were very fresh and plump, but some had not been cut all the way through on the shell side, making them a bit hard to eat. A bit pricey, but very fun with great service! They also have a happy hour everyday until 7pm, so I’ll definitely be back for that!

ReedH

Good oysters and a happy hour that runs until 7pm. The oysters were fresh and while I’m not a huge fan of red sauce I did enjoy the freshly shaved horseradish. That and a few other small Spanish plates and $12 martinis made this a pleasant low key early evening out

Carly Luk

Definitely come for happy hour, 7 days a week 4-7pm! We enjoyed the half price oysters and $12 martinis. The food can get pretty pricey since they're all small plates, but they all tasted great. We had the roasted peppers, steamed clams, cheese plate, and basque cheesecake. Service was friendly but pretty slow. Overall, I'd come again, but definitely stick with the happy hour deals!

Nathalie Rodriguez

This is def a cocktail bar. The food menu is mostly snacks - not a dinner spot but a great place to get drinks and a seafood tower. Painkiller and dulcimer gimlet are amazing, alls had really good oysters.

Juriy

Much anticipated place and it ended up being mostly good but not without issues. We came for a happy hour on Wed at 6:30pm. The place is tiny and you really want the bar seating. It was 3 of us so we sat at the table in the back which was weirdly pointed towards another table — ok, I guess they envision some sort of communal dining. It’s a vibe but def. lacking privacy. Both Japanese and pickled martini were good but I don’t think they were $22 good. I ordered them thinking that they’re $12 due to happy hour and the waitress never mentioned anything until we got our check and were surprised to see both of them being at the regular price. Basic courtesy would be to make it clear. All of the snacks—boquerones, razor clams, scallops—were delicious, although $27 for a can of clams made me weep with memories of getting same thing in Barcelona for just a few euro. The worst part was waiting for oysters; I get that this is half-priced happy hour so I can wait maybe up to half hour, but ours came 45 mins after ordering. Kind of unacceptable. Oysters were small but tasty. Good deal if you can get in on it at the start of the HH.

Mark

Like? Yes very much. But then again we love tinned fish. If you do then this IS! the place to go. Just a lovely atmosphere near the water. But not only tinned fish....seafood tower that was just wonderful. I'm really looking forward to a return visit. Oh, damn good cocktails too. Wines by the glass? The red was excellent. Worth a trip here, and then perhaps another.

Angeline Chen

Fabulous vibes and great selection of tinned seafood. The oysters were very fresh and plump, but some had not been cut all the way through on the shell side, making them a bit hard to eat. A bit pricey, but very fun with great service! They also have a happy hour everyday until 7pm, so I’ll definitely be back for that!