Sunny's

Sunny’s Bar, a weathered gem at 253 Conover Street in Red Hook, embodies Brooklyn’s maritime soul and artistic resilience. For over 130 years, this knickknack-filled saloon has evolved from a sailors’ haunt to a speakeasy-era legend, surviving hurricanes, licensing battles, and neighborhood transformations while maintaining its offbeat charm.

A Harborfront Time Capsule

Opened in 1890 as John’s Bar and Restaurant by Italian immigrant Raffaele Balzano, the establishment served hearty breakfasts and beers to dockworkers during Red Hook’s shipping heyday[1][5]. The Balzano family lived in the adjacent tenement, where current namesake Antonio “Sunny” Balzano was born in 1934[1]. After inheriting the bar in 1994, Sunny made radical changes: shuttering the kitchen, letting the liquor license lapse, and rebranding as the Red Hook Kayak and Yacht Club—a Friday-only speakeasy where drinks flowed via “donations”[1][5]. This rogue chapter cemented its reputation as a community hideaway until 2001, when a renewed liquor license formalized operations as Sunny’s Bar[1][4].

Bohemian Oasis by the Water

Today, the bar feels like Sunny’s living room—walls cluttered with his folk-art paintings, vintage photos, and quirky figurines of Mark Twain and Jackie Gleason[5]. The space pulses with live music nightly, including legendary Saturday bluegrass jams where locals share instruments with touring musicians[4][5]. Hurricane Sandy’s 2012 floodwaters nearly erased this legacy, but neighbors rallied to restore the waterlogged space within months[1].

Legacy of Eccentric Hospitality

Regulars describe Sunny as equal parts philosopher and mischief-maker—a man who’d debate existentialism while pouring whiskey into ceramic mugs[3]. Writer Tim Sultan, who bartended here in the 1990s, recalls nights blending Frank Sinatra tunes, oyster feasts, and impromptu poetry readings[3]. Though Sunny passed in 2016, his widow Tone and a crew of loyal regulars preserve the bar’s “choose your own adventure” ethos: sip local beers beneath nautical relics, join a jam session, or simply watch tugboats glide past the Conover Street windows[1][4].

Visiting Today

• Live Music: Bluegrass Saturdays + rotating jazz, folk, and experimental acts
• Atmosphere: Unpretentious maritime nostalgia with board games and mismatched seating
• Must-See: Sunny’s original oil paintings and the “museum wall” of Red Hook historical photos[5]

More than a bar, Sunny’s remains a testament to New York’s ability to nurture scrappy, soulful spaces against all odds. As Sultan wrote, it’s where “you could still touch the handrail Herman Melville might have gripped”[3].