Aleksi Glick and Chantal Mitvalsky of 8-piece soul/rock/blues/funk/jazz outfit Snack Cat share their go-to spots for boozy coffee, post-gig hangs and the “best f–king pizza you’ll ever have”
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Union Pool
ALEKSI: This is definitely one of my favorite Brooklyn places. It’s weird — there’s all this bizarre stuff going on around you at Union Pool, but somehow there’s always this very accepting feeling. I feel like this is often a post-gig hang, too. I always run into people I know. There’s always a lot of artists and musicians hanging out here… you know, as well as some corporate douchebags, too. But it’s just a place I feel at home. I feel my tribe is here.
CHANTAL: This is the quintessential beer garden. I’m from Australia, where beer gardens are everything — they’re probably everything here, too — but I feel like this place has the most amazing outdoor area. It works in summer, it works in fall, it works in winter. Everyone’s here. It’s a great space, there’s a taco truck — what more could you want?
484 Union Ave, (718) 609-0484, union-pool.com
Skinny Dennis
ALEKSI: First of all, I have a lot of friends that play there. And I love that crushed iced coffee. It’s the best $5-6 drink you can get. It picks you up, it tastes delicious and, uh, it has alcohol in it. This is another place where I feel like I always run into a lot of friends. It’s a good place to hang and have people bump into you.
152 Metropolitan Ave, (212) 555-1212, skinnydennisbar.com
Sunny’s
ALEKSI: I like Sunny’s a lot. It just has this old-school New York feel. It’s a really no-frills dive bar. This is a city where I feel like people are pretty real, but you definitely have a lot of bars that are just trying to be part of the scene or whatever, and [Sunny’s is] just kind of a place where what you see is what you get. Here’s a beer with a bug in it, and that’s cool — I’m gonna drink it.
253 Conover St, (718) 625-8211, sunnysredhook.com
Radegast Hall & Biergarten
CHANTAL: That’s kind of got an interesting vibe. It’s a sort of German beer-bratwurst-sausage cool place that does a lot of jazz. I like that they stay true to bringing in trad jazz bands that give a nice feel to the place while you’re stuffing your face with sauerkraut, a really big bratwurst and a huge — just huuuge — tumbler of beer.
113 N 3rd St, (718) 963-3973, radegasthall.com
Di Fara
ALEKSI: It’s a New York institution. It’s the best pizza you’ll have, period. It’s this one guy who’s literally, like, in his late eighties, who doesn’t even let any of his family members make the pizza for him. You’ll have to wait an hour or two to get a slice, at least, but it’s the best fucking piece of pizza you’ll ever have. Di Faro’s is, without a doubt, as soon as you taste it, worth it.
1424 Avenue J, (718) 258-1367, difarapizzany.com
Oasis Falafel
ALEKSI: The best $3 falafel you’ll ever have.*
*Note: we have not checked whether the falafel is *actually* $3, but either way, we’re sure it’s pretty damn good.
161 N 7th St (718) 218-7607
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Keep up with Snack Cat and listen to/buy their self-titled debut EP — out TODAY on Ropeadope Records!
Feature image: Ben Curry
[This interview has been edited and condensed.]