Fort Defiance

"Although Fort Defiance is known for their libations, this restaurant doesn’t feel like a super-cool, pretentious cocktail bar. It has the promise of the perfect neighborhood spot that, and if we lived in Red Hook, we’d frequent it all the time. We thoroughly enjoy both the food and drinks here, and the friendly, warm service sticks out, too. Brunch is the main reason you should be heading for Fort Defiance, though. They do small plates and a couple of entrees at dinner, but a brunch full of [perfect_for slug=“day-drinking”]Day Drinking[/perfect_for] is where it’s at." - Andrew Steinthal

"Fort Defiance, known for its Irish coffees and cocktails, has closed after 15 years. The owner plans to focus on Gage & Tollner and the Sunken Harbor Club." - Luke Fortney

"At Brooklyn’s Fort Defiance, the chicken liver with mostarda and sourdough has been a menu staple for a decade." - Jaya Saxena

"After relocating down the block on Van Brunt Street, these days Fort Defiance (a part of the same team that owns Gage & Tollner) is a general store selling sandwiches and provisions — with a bar in the back. Dinner items lean snacky, with pimento cheese tip, oysters, deviled eggs, all best enjoyed with the spot’s Irish coffee it's come to be known for." - Eater Staff

"Grub Street reports that Red Hook stalwart Fort Defiance has finally reopened after two years in the way that bartending legend St. John Frizell always hoped for: with drinks. The laid-back neighborhood cornerstone, where Frizell — who also co-owns Downtown Brooklyn’s Gage & Tollner — became known for mixing upscale, critically acclaimed cocktails, has been in a constant state of flux during the pandemic. There was a relocation, a pivot to groceries, and a year-long wait for a liquor license." - Erika Adams