Grand Army

"Grand Army feels like a casual neighborhood bar—except you can't get a three-tier seafood tower at just any old bar. The corner spot in Downtown Brooklyn is always buzzing, but it's usually easy to walk in and meet someone for the kind of drinks which could easily turn into dinner. If you're not ready to commit to the seafood tower, try the miso corn crab dip or the lobster roll, plus something off the seasonal cocktail menu." - willa moore, molly fitzpatrick, sonal shah

"The Boerum Hill raw bar and cocktail spot has all the trappings of a solid neighborhood watering hole, with a wraparound bar, weathered wood floors, and a fireplace. It all adds up to ideal surroundings for sharing a seafood platter and sipping a well-constructed cocktail." - Eater Staff

"The lobster in Grand Army’s roll tastes like someone fished it out of the ocean that morning, and then drove as fast as they could back to this bar in Downtown Brooklyn. Ordering a lobster roll adorned with celery and dressed with just enough mayo feels pretty gluttonous all by itself, but if you want to go even bigger, you can order the three-tier “Highbrow” seafood tower, which includes 12 oysters, six littleneck clams, six shrimp with poblano aioli, ceviche with shrimp chips, and the lobster roll in question—with potato chips. The only downside of this roll is the bun, which is pretty dry. If it wasn’t, you can rest assured this would be the top roll on the list. " - willa moore, bryan kim, molly fitzpatrick, neha talreja

"Highbrow Height: 14 inches. Price: $100, which includes 12 oysters, 6 littleneck clams, 6 shrimp with poblano aioli, ceviche with shrimp chips, and a lobster roll with potato chips. Grand Army feels like a classic neighborhood spot in Downtown Brooklyn—except you can’t get a three-tier seafood tower at just any old bar. And because this tower has a lobster roll and two different types of chips in the mix, splitting it with a date is as good as eating a full meal. (Plus, they let you know that the oyster shells are donated to Billion Oyster Project, so it also feels like a good deed.) It can be challenging to dip your bouncy shrimp into the aioili between the compacted tiers, but that's a pretty gluttonous challenge to have. Grand Army also does a "Lowbrow" tower for $65, but then you’ll miss out on that whole lobster roll. Pair with a gin-based Backwoods Barbie cocktail.  " - molly fitzpatrick, willa moore, neha talreja, will hartman, kym backer, sonal shah

"The focus is placed equally on cocktails and raw bar delicacies at this Boerum Hill corner place, created by an experienced team (Mile End, Black Seed, Rucola). The raw bar offerings include The Plaza platter, priced at $90, which comes with 18 oysters plus shrimp, clams, and ceviche, while The Grand Army option for $120 includes 24 oysters along with shrimp, clams, ceviche, and king crab leg; either should definitely be paired with one of the top-notch cocktails or a glass of orange wine. This spot is also known for its accoutrements, which are all made in-house and served in colorful tinctures." - Alexandra Ilyashov