WILLIAMSBURG’S SWEEPING OLD spaces may have been designed for industrial work, but they were really made for bars.The Woods is tucked away in an old brick building that used to house a metal shop, but when the workers would call it quits after a backbreaking day on the job, did they look around at the high ceilings and exposed brick walls and think one day people will drink here?

 

Probably not. It was the new owners of the space who found some libation inspiration and spent over a year changing this former industrial site into a stylish den of drink. Concrete floors, open space and exposed ceiling beams give some flavor of the bar’s former life. Even though neighboring G&G’s Scrap now deals with the area’s metal, the real work is going on here:The Woods is a drinking factory, and neighborhood bar goers seem ready to get the job done.

The bar is charming because it’s served without trappings—it’s replaced trendy design and uppity cocktails with drinking utility. A beer and a shot of whiskey goes for $5 (we call this “The Williamsburg Dinner”) and for a buck more you can upgrade to Bud and Jameson. It’s that kind of place.Whether you come after work on a Tuesday or on a Saturday at midnight, the space is comfortable, and you’ll get your drinking done.There’s even a backyard strewn with picnic tables for when you want a bit of air.

And the backyard holds the bar’s hidden treasure. A mish-mosh of chairs and wooden fencing give it the feeling of being Union Pool-lite. Smoking buckets line the ground, and you can hear the traffic race by on the Williamsburg Bridge—it’s kind of soothing after your third shot.While the interior invokes some awe, at first glance the outdoor space provokes a shrug. Is this just another pen for Brooklyn’s pigs? Not so much.

Hidden in this bohemian backyard is a true gem of Williamsburg bar going: The Woods comes equipped with its own taco truck. $3.50 will get you a freshly made veggie, chicken or chorizo taco. And you’ll need them after taking advantage of all those drink specials. If you’re down to your last $5 and have to choose between another round and a tasty taco, go for the grub.

After all, owner Matt Relkin claims that he’d like The Woods to be an “end of the night” kind of place. And how do you want to end your night? Slurping down another whiskey? Sounds of bridge traffic aren’t so soothing after that one.The Woods is clearly a bar that takes care of its locals, and they wouldn’t send you into the night with an empty stomach.

The old metal workers might not have liked the hipsters invading their turf, but we think they’d be won over.

>The Woods

48 S. 4th St. (betw. Wythe & Kent Aves.), Brooklyn, no phone