New York on Tap 2008
Archive · modern edition Every bar New York on Tap knew, as it stood around 2008, with a 2026 check on each one. This page in the 2008 edition

No photo of this bar survives from the 2008 site.

Franklin Park

618 St. John's Pl · btwn Franklin & Classon Ave.
Crown Heights, Brooklyn

In 2026

Still pouring

Checked October 18, 2026.

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Overview

This former mechanic's garage has been transformed into a beautiful and welcoming bar with all the makings of a neighborhood classic. There's a dozen beers on tap and a great outdoor space to enjoy them in.

History

A garage with a literary habit

Matthew Roff carved Franklin Park out of a dilapidated mechanic's shop in Crown Heights in 20071, 2, and Time Out called its 1,300-square-foot beer "garden" a liberal definition for a tree-shaded concrete slab2. Since 2009 it has hosted a monthly reading series whose past readers include Colson Whitehead, Roxane Gay, Walter Mosley and Jennifer Egan3, 4. In December 2020 it announced it was closing for good after twelve and a half years5, 6, but by March 2021 it wasn't closing after all, apparently after reaching an agreement with its landlord6. When we listed it, we said it had all the makings of a neighborhood classic; it has also grown into the garage next door, with an outdoor beer garden and two bars1.

Sources

  1. franklinparkbk.com
  2. timeout.com
  3. englishkillsreview.com
  4. franklinparkbk.com
  5. bkreader.com
  6. timeout.com

Researched October 2026.

What's nearby