Freak Bar

This is hands down my favorite bar. Beer centric menu with locally themed decor, a pinball machine, art, an upstairs museum, and regular performances that keep Coney Island energy alive. There are so many layers to this spot. It’s delightfully fun and brings the strongest classic show feel of anything in the area. Don’t miss the museum upstairs! It’s only $5 and has some cool info.

Such a cool bar! Loads of memorabilia and knick-knacks to look at, reasonably priced drinks, friendly staff and a cool gift shop with fun things to buy. Loved that the beers were super in-keeping with the freak show theme too - all very carnival-esque. We went on the day of the film festival where they were playing films shot on Coney Island incl The Warriors. Didn't stay for any films but loved the concept! Was definitely a bar highlight of the whole trip to NYC. Apparently they normally have a circus style show with fire breathers, etc, but that wasn't on when we went because of the film festival. Sounded very cool though!

Freak Bar at 1208 Surf Avenue, Brooklyn, NY, is a quirky gem on Coney Island. This eclectic bar bursts with personality, featuring vibrant murals, vintage toys, and carnival-themed decor. The drink menu is diverse, offering craft beers, IPAs, seltzers, and wines. The atmosphere is lively, perfect for a fun night out, with a nod to Coney Island’s sideshow history. A must-visit for an offbeat experience!

Super chill and relaxed vibes. No beer on tap, just cans and bottles from a fridge. The cat was a tough bouncer, but a couple scratches under the chin and he'll let you in with no problem. Tattoos not required, but seemed encouraged. I truly wish Coney Island would take a page from this decor, a nice bar alternative to the boardwalk options.

A must see in Coney Island. Enjoy the show.

This bar is very big on KCBC beers (canned). They have other options, of course, but have quite a large selection of KCBC specifically. 🍺 The atmosphere is very, 'if you took apart a carnival, and decorated a bar with it' (you'll see what I mean 😏). Not in a bad way, but a unique 'dive bar charm' way.

LOVED this place. Just a small bar, but tons too look at. Nick gave us an awesome tour of the museum. Great personal insights & had great fun on the pinball machines. A must visit if you are in a chill mood & looking for hidden gems!

Very weird, good beer, fun shows. The museum is so awesome. Probably my favorite place to grab a drink at coney island.

If you're a cat lover then maybe you'll be lucky enough for their resident cat to come up to you and say hello. It's a ni e little bar where you can grab a drink and escape the heat before or after seeing the freak show or exploring the museum

I came to see a band who just happened to be performing along with a puppet show, Puppets Come Home!, around Halloween. I was not interested in the puppets, I'd say I'm actually more anti-puppet than not but the show was amazing! I found out there's a whole puppeteering subculture in this city, and there were lots of performances I wouldn't have even considered to fall into that genre. The staff were all great, really welcoming and engaging. The manager Patrick as well as the MC of the show were so well versed in both Coney Island, sideshow, and general pop-culture history. And the band put on one hell of a show, they do creepy noir/murder ballads that draw inspiration from Tim Burton and other dark artists. The bar has a museum and gift shop and runs events most weekends (magic shows, fundraisers, burlesque, etc.). Unlike the rides, Freak Bar stays open every weekend into the winter. $6 Coronas. Come out, it's fun!

Go! Just go! It's amazing! Coney Island staple and excellent artists. Love this bar love this place!

This is by far my favorite bar in Coney Island. It has an old-school punk rock, carny vibe with great music, from rockabilly to surf garage rock, and is a very comfortable and relaxed place to have a few beers and people watch. The staff is very friendly and you can buy tickets to the not-to-be-missed Sideshow from the bartender. Often after each show, the performers come out and mingle with the crowd, so there's this constant air of carnival conviviality. Overall, the experience is like an imaginary meeting between Russ Meyer and Federico Fellini.

We have hit the Freak bar two days in a row, one afternoon for the freak show the next night for the burlesque show. First off if you are in town hit the freak show def worth the price...from fire eaters to sword swallowers, something to make you laugh and gasp (but it in a good way). The Burlesque show which is Friday & Saturday nights at 10 usually lasts 2 hours with an intermission and is well worth the $15 admission. The building itself surrounds you with the different and some weird, old style juke box, pinball to board games while you are sitting at the tables. The gift shop offers unique art & jewelry at good prices to take home something one of a kind from Coney Island!!

Definitely a fan of The Freak Bar . On a recent trip to Coney Island , we wound up at the Freak Bar each day of our trip ! Freak Bar is truly one of a kind. The Freakshow/Sideshow theme decor was fun , there is a great gift shop and beer from the Coney Island Brewery . Sadly, the beer is why I docked one star , I just couldn't find one to love , but a couple were solid likes .Service was friendly as well. The highlights here for us were the freak show and the burlesque shows that are held in a small theatre portion of the bar . Both of those were well worth the price of admission , the burlesque show being the winner if I had to choose . If you are visitng Coney Island , I do recommend you check them out !

One of the main reasons I took a day off and went to Coney was to see where the Warriors inspiration/background came from, the second reason was this Freak Bar/Show! We arrived pretty much when they opened and were treated to a cool little gift shop (wish I had bought something now), and a bunch of nice people and a cute little bar. The show was nothing short of great, sadly since we got there so early the audience only reached 10 people at it's highest point. But I guess what do you expect for 1pm on a Friday =). We got the treat of seeing Ray Valenz shove things into his nostrils, Alejandro Dubois eat fire and escape from a straight jacket, and Betty Bloom swallows many swords/knives, and even a TMNT style sai! My favorite parts was the crowd interaction. I must have one of those faces because I got called on stage twice. Once to walk on Nati the Patchwork girl as she laid on a bed of nails. And, also to jump on the back of Princess Pat as she walked across broken glass. I felt bad throwing 190 lbs on both of these women as they did these stunts, but I guess they asked for it? LOL. Luckily no one got hurt and everyone had a great time! The prices were reasonable, the length of the show was good, and the characters were excellent. I would definitely go back!

All around a cool spot everything about this place is unique. They have amazing freak shows and events. The performers are super friendly and humble.

I believe I was treated unfairly there by the staff. The same bartender that used to work at the Ace Bar did not like my review there. She was let go from The Establishment because of my review it was my first time ever going to this bar. She saw me cursed me out stuck a middle finger at me and told me to leave. Mind you I had 10 friends there an I just wanted to have a beer and have a good time during the mermaid parade. But I wasn't able to do that due to this person. I haven't been to Coney Island in 10 years...I felt I was treated unfairly and I will not be returning to this bar. I do believe the person who read my review and found it funny was the same person that treated me in fairly there bas well Very mature.

Another Coney Staple..Awesome dive bar with freak show themes,. Gift shop, and little tables to escape the heat. Great old school vibe...happy..happy.

Stopped in to check it out on a Sunday in the summer. No air flow which made our experience hot and sticky. Had a beer, sat and contemplated whether we wanted to pay to go in for the freak show, walked around the gift shop a bit, then decided to leave before we melted. Good place to people watch and have a drink or two, but they need to get a fan or something so it's not so suffocating during warm days.

Came here after the mermaid parade. Ambience: Well because it was the day of the Mermaid parade there were a lot of people dressed up fitting in with the atmosphere. The decor reminded me of pirate of the Caribbean meets dive bar. Music: Although I know they were playing music the crowd was loud I couldn't hear much but it sounded like rock. Drinks: Beers were $6-7. I had the Coney Island lager and my friend had Magners cider. This is an interesting place and I would not object to returning here if I was ever in the area.

This place was fun and just relaxing. After you are disappointed from getting the shaft at Applebee's across the street this place will definitely do the trick to cheer you up!! Highly recommend by far!!! A++++

They have an excellent selection of the local beer! Try anything made by Coney Island! The interior is really unique and the staff is super friendly! Worth a stop by!

The best bar in Coney Island. Had so much fun talking to Bob the bartender. Beer selection is from Coney Island Brewery and a few other choices. You can visit the freak museum upstairs for a donation and can check out the gift store. Such a fun place!

This place is the TITS. It is the quintessential Coney Island bar, where you will find a freakshow in the back, midgets in the front, amazing art on the walls, affordable and delicious beers, and a GREAT crowd. This bar is the reason I live in Coney Island, and it's the reason why I love it here.

Love this place. Love the dive atmosphere. Love the beer. Always gets a visit when I'm in New York. Wish they'd stop trying to sell those old CDs though (I swear I've seen the same Hole CD for sale three years running).

Love This place. A Coney Island staple! Make sure you support it! It has all the flavors of old-school Coney Island and make sure to check out the freak shows.

Cool ambiance . Very old school . Cool folks and whatnot . Lots of goings on in the building.

Great name, great beer, great bar. Specifically, Coney Island Craft Lagers, the great tasting, award winning and coolest looking bottles of beer you'll find around New York. Coney Island Lager, Mermaid Pilsner, Sword Swallower, Albino Python or Human Blockhead...take your pick. While you're enjoying a cold one, consider buying a ticket to the Freak Show right next door. Although I didn't get to see the show, I did take a break and enjoy a refreshing Albino Python before heading over the boardwalk. This is just a unique and cool spot to check out. If you're visiting Coney Island, make sure to stop by and get your freak on.

I cannot believe there are no reviews for Freak bar yet! I discovered this place by accident. I was looking fort things to do on a Friday night and came across a mermaid burlesque show in the freak bar. Went all the way from Manhattan to Coney island with my friends. It is right across the end station. 15$ admission FOR the burlesque show NOT the bar. The show started at 10pm. Fantastic show, beautiful girls and a guy. The place was PACKED. There is a bar in the front and a room in the back which can hold unto 80 people. There were about 9-10 shows, all of them very very good. When I spoke to the people there, they said that almost every friday there is something or the other going on there and burlesque is quite famous. If you are in Coney island on a Friday evening, you must check out this place. The beers are $6

A Coney Island institution. Great place to have a beer, enjoy the shows or visit the museum. Also take my kids here for the magic show on Sundays.

Two words, 1 name : RAY VALENZ. Oh dear lord. Hostess with the absolute mostest. Still dreaming about this dude. Yes and I'm married and yea hubby is ok with it because he was pretty entertained by him too. A quote we saw in an article we looked up after the show describing Ray hits it dead on, "Every girl wants to be with him. Every guy wants to be him". Hubs definitely considered learning to eat some fire after his performance. The MC and in my opinion star of the show. He is magnetic and apparently the 15th top freak performers in the world. He and his sword swallowing sister, Betty Blommerz rocked it. Side note for any music fans, they are Great niece and nephew of La Bamba famed, Ritchie Valens. Unfortunately, we didn't learn that until afterwards. I wish I snapped a pic with him as we chatted with him for a bit after the show. We didn't know what we were getting ourselves into. We actually only wound up paying $5 each (instead of $10) to get it last minute. Sweet! Not sure if they do this all of the time but we were there not during peak season. It's was pretty lengthy (I believe almost an hour) for that price. We were pretty impressed. A little sword swallowing as I mentioned, a nail and hammer to the head, a snake charmer, electric chair stunts with audience participation, waking on broken glass and contortion. Some freaky. Some gross some funny. Some super cool. It looks that we missed some burlesque type acts on the day we went. Bummer. Very entertaining. Lots of interaction with the crowd. We stayed and had some drinks after and there were opportunities to take photos with some of the performers. Bring some ones for tips and to see the secret "thing". The bar was actually out of Coney Island classic beers but did have some local lagers that were delish. Very chill place. Definitely will be returning. If not just for Ray alone. Damn. I'm not usually into this "type" of thing but it was definitely the best $10 we have ever spent. We are still talking about it. *if you are a fan of "American Horror Story" I say it's a must. *they run the shows continually all day and if you come in half way through, you are invited to stay for the other show until the part you haven't see yet. *no pics allowed although I don't like rules very much. DON'T USE FLASH! Especially during the fire!

Super sweet people, very nice and unique ambience, and great place to drink local Coney Island beer. More unique: impossible.

With affordable beers, an eclectic selection of live music, and a circus sideshow right next to the bar, The Freak Bar is a unique spectacle that you'd only find on Coney Island. Through friends, I had heard a ton of good things about this place but I still wasn't sure what to expect here. After all, I'm something of a novice with the whole circus sideshow deal. A group of about 10 of us arrived around 6:00 PM on a Saturday and picked up tickets to the sideshow then headed to the bar. The bar itself has no entry fee but, trust me, you'll want to pay the $10 to see the sideshow. As for the bar, it's spacious and while they don't carry a wide selection of beers, they carry all of the Coney Island Brewery beers along with a selection of domestics. Service was friendly and efficient and, as we were leaving, a band began playing that described themselves as psychedelic jazz/folk or something like that. While that type of music isn't typically my scene, it was just unique and strange enough to feel perfect here. Seriously, this is one of the best spots I've visited in NYC. It's stands absolutely alone and without compare and is worth a trip to Coney Island just to drop in here.

This bar is super cool. Very cool crowd that I was not expecting in such a touristy area. Reasonable prices. Nice music. Don't go to Coney Island without visiting this place (unless you don't drink booze).

I went to the Freak Bar after the after the Mermaid Parade in 2013, and it was just one big open somewhat crowded space with a few chairs around the edges for people to sit. The Freak Bar serves one thing and one thing only: BEER. But they have quite a few different varieties (all in bottles), so I suppose it's not that bad. Standard prices, standard beer along with all of the Coney Island Brewery beers. But I don't really like beer so... I guess it's good for what it is. HOWEVER, the reason my friends and I went there was to see the FREAK SHOW. Now that was not awesome, but pretty damn good. People nailing 6-inch (15 cm) nails into their noses, swallowing some pretty effing long swords, contorting themselves, and spitting fire. Definitely worth the $10 we paid. Got nothing better to do on a Friday night? Make you're way out here and see a show. :)

I purposely came here in hopes of having some Coney Island beer. Well, they didn't have any :-( Actually, none of the bars I stopped by in Coney Island had any of the Coney Island craft beers, which I thought was really really strange. The Freak Bar though is pretty appealing to the eye and would definitely be a cool place to hang out. Its a 5-10 min walk from the Boardwalk

Just one of those stops you have to make when you come to Coney Island. Every year I come to the Rumblers show and never get to get in there. Leave it to me in the winter time to make the pitz stop. Great group of people, good beers!

Good beer! I just love the Freak Show and Bar when visiting Coney Island. They have a good selection of beer. The staff is nice and you never know who you might run into. A bearded lady? Seal boy? Just check this place out! You can also take home bottles of beer too!

The Freak bar is hands down the coolest place in Brooklyn. They have sideshow, Burlesque, Beer, a unique gift shop, museum and the entire building inside and out is a feast for the eyes. There are beautiful hand painted banners on display outside and throughout the building inside! YOU need to come see for yourself folks!

As Coney Island as it gets. Not usually a burlesque kinda guy, but if you're looking for a cheap, memorable experience then you should definitely check this bar out.

We went here on Saturday spent $30 to go in had to wait a half hr meanwhile when we bought the tickets the girl said you go in it is a running show which was not true we had a half hour wait after that my toddler was exhausted and as soon as we walked into the show area my son cried so I went and sat in the bar area. Instead of offering me my money back which I was not upset about I did not mind donating that was until they just gave me dirty looks and made me feel so bad I did not even wanna sit there and wait for my friends. These People who know what its like to be made to feel bad now they act like they are above you because they found their group to be in but they are just rude and should remember when they were made to feel that way. If you have kids you should never go to this place never because they are beyond rude and not kid friendly at all

This was a very unique bar. I love the side show/circus theme. The people were super friendly! me and my pals saw the freak show after, I had such a great time! this place was just down right rad.

Nice place it's not on the boardwalk but with the side show and the friendly staff it's a great place to chill and meet some cool people so if you are near by try them out and support them

We didn't go to the bar but we did go see the show just out of extreme curiosity. It was much better than we expected! Very intimate and fun, lots of interaction with the audience...a surprising highlight of our day-trip to Coney Island!

What more to say..five stars, awesome service, good prices and a fun time..everytime!! Go..just put your freak clothes on and go!

Going to a Coney Island Bar is pretty rad. At first I was checked because I looked really young. Place can get pretty humid in there. Drinks were fantastic thanks bobby !! Staffs are friendly here. Would recommend to a tourist friend.