The best places for a private party in Brooklyn

If you want to party with old friends and leave with some new ones, head to this Crown Heights spot. Friends and Lovers is a club, bar, venue, and community space that’s been a beacon for party-loving Brooklynites for over ten years. The front room is a bar, and the back is a dimly-lit hybrid space that hosts dance parties, comedy shows, and live music throughout the week. Make sure to look up to see the disco ball.

The venue accommodates fully private parties for up to 125 standing guests. However, they also happily accommodate groups of all sizes – just get there before 10:30 PM to make sure there’s room.

Cocktails are fresh with a classic twist, like the Happy Gilmore with whiskey, lemon, and black tea syrup. There are zero-proof options too, like the New Fashioned or the PaNOma. You can order wine-by-the-glass and local beer from tap, too.

This is the place to go if you want to get a little weird. The crowd at House of Yes are the kind of people who try for Burning Man tickets every year, and who will become your best friends within minutes of meeting you. From cabaret shows to circus spectacles to immersive cinema, a night at this iconic Bushwick party venue will be one to remember.

A full buyout would accommodate up to 750 guests, but you can rent the Lounge for 100 or the Patio for 80 party-goers for smaller events. If you’re coming with a group, table reservations and curated experiences are available for birthdays and celebrations, with options for bottle service, dedicated servers, priority access, and more.

A full-service bar offers cocktails, beer, wine, and non-alcoholic beverages. No food is allowed, but there are plenty of options in the neighborhood for a late-night bite.

For more of a low-key party vibe, head to Ponyboy in Greenpoint. Tucked between off-licenses and laundromats, this cocktail-forward restaurant offers a Mexican-Japanese fusion dinner menu in their cozy, minimal dining room, and after your meal head to the red-lit back room to dance the night away. It’s the best of both worlds.

Dinner reservations are available for up to 10 guests, and there’s a semi-private dining room to rent in the back space for larger groups. In the late-night hours, the spot transitions from a sophisticated cocktail bar to a pulsing discotheque, with weekly happenings like disco DJ sets, dance parties, and live music from local funk bands.

Cocktails are $15, offering unique options like Don’t Worry Baby, a gin-based drink with jasmine, creme de peche, lime, and basil. You can also order a glass of house wine for $11/$12, or a beer for $8/$10. Until 11pm, snack on scallop ceviche, daikon tostadas, or cochinita pibil bao buns.

Created by Soho House veterans in 2015, Freehold Brooklyn evokes the energy of a swanky hotel lobby without the rooms. The 8,600 sq. ft. space includes a coffee shop, restaurant, game room, courtyard, bar, and restaurant. Mismatched plush furnishings, an open-plan space, and an airy courtyard is great for social gatherings of all kinds. By day you can enjoy a coffee in the café, and dance to disco, funk, and house music by night. Weekly programming includes DJ sets, comedy shows, and trivia.

A full buyout of the venue accommodates 525 guests, and you can rent the airy courtyard (max. 250), club room (max. 75), cafe (max. 50), lobby bar (max. 150), or secluded mezzanine (max. 75) for smaller events.

Their all-day menu includes signature cocktails with fun descriptions, like the “Agave Suave” which is described as “if the agave plant released an R&B album”. Large-format cocktails serve 12, and spritzes, beer, and wine are also available at the bar. In the restaurant, you can order a variety of salads, sandwiches, and burgers, made with seasonal ingredients.

June would be a great place to throw a summer equinox party, but this warm and romantic natural wine bar is ideal for parties year-round. It can brag about something that most trendy wine bars in Brooklyn can’t: it was the first all-natural wine bar in the borough back in 2015. How’s that for being ahead of the curb?

Candles and vanity-style lighting create a cozy atmosphere ideal for smaller gatherings: think engagements, anniversaries, or just celebrations of friendship. If you’re looking to throw a more sophisticated bash, rent out one of June’s three private event spaces. The main dining room and bar hosts around 40 seated guests, along with deep red banquettes and bistro-style chairs. The patio is a covered outdoor space that fits 20 seated guests and can be combined with the dining room. The courtyard seats 35 for an intimate summertime soirée.

Drinks include a long list of champagne and skin-contact natural wines from Europe and beyond. Order by the glass or bottles, and spritzes and cocktails are also available. Family-style dinners are offered for groups of 10 or more, and the food menu includes oyster mushroom risotto, mackerel, and the locally famous June burger.