Iona

The waitstaff at Iona times everything perfectly during your meal. Staff show warmth instead of attitude. All my selections have proven to be good choices. The food quality matches the fair pricing. I'm absolutely planning a return.

The back patio of this place is lovely to sit and share a drink with your friends. It’s a typical Scottish & Irish bar with drinks that match! Our bartender was super nice also.

Pleasant, music not too loud but banger after banger to keep you entertained while you sip on one of the plentiful beers they offer. Cool spot

Good place for beers. I went there for a Nfl game and the environment was like a dive in bar with a variety of European beers, but not quite innovative cocktails. In winter the patio is not used, but in summer it could be a better spot to visit. Estrella Damm beer available!

This bar has such potential but we encountered the rudest bar man. I’ve never been spoken to so rudely in my life after simply ordering a beer!!! You need to sort that out. We left after one drink

Has the cream ale and zwickle, was awesome! Great music - 80s synth pop and a cool Scottish atmosphere

This is a Scottish bar no matter what Google Maps will have you believe. All the staff are great, they have 9/10 Guinness and a full selection of great drinks and whiskey. There is a large garden, they have live piano an electric crowd and what else do you need, visit THIS PLACE. Oh, and for the British and Irish they have an extensive selection of crisps.

Best Guinness in Williamsburg if not all of Brooklyn.

After a delicious meal at The Four Horsemen, the bartender recommended we check out Iona. My date is a huge fan of Guinness so we knew we had to hit up this seemingly authentic Irish pub smack dab in the middle of Brooklyn. As we approached, we joked about how comically typical the music was since it sounded like your average "irish jig". The laughter quickly transformed into awe as we realized, once inside, that the music was being played live. A formation of musicians including six violinists, a guitarist, a percussionist, and singer, a flutist, and others all played beautiful Irish folk music. They were congregated in the back of the bar and it was unclear whether they are an official band hired to be there or just a group of strangers who meet up to jam out for fun. Either way, it was some of the best live music I've ever seen in a bar. I literally couldn't take my eyes off them. It was just amazing. The bartender was really friendly, the Guinness was cold, and the whiskey ginger was strong. This is definitely a fun pub to hang out with friends or maybe even catch a live show.

Casual bar to catch up with friends. We got a table but no one actually comes to your table to get your drink order. We split two bottles of wine for four and had to get the glasses and bottles ourselves. Decent prices. We did ask for a dry white wine and it was definitely not dry.

I got a drink here with some friends at 5:00 p.m. on a Friday. When we got here, it was practically empty and we had no problem grabbing seats. The handful of tables they had were reserved, but there are high tops with stools along the wall. When we left around 6:30 p.m., the place was packed with the Happy Hour crowd! They had a huge selection of drinks and a handful of beers on tap. Nothing was complicated or gimmick-y; plainly stated-- Iona is a good bar.

Big fan of this bar!! A super chill place to grab drinks with friends. And I just LOVE the back garden! It's hard to come by a spacious backyard in the city but Iona has the perfect one

Dive bar with a fun backyard patio that's very charming. Swung in honestly to rest my feet after a day of playing tourist. Loved the low key vibe and laid back atmosphere. This is a nice spot for a drink off the touristy path.

Tuesday night bartender was the most unprofessional person we have ever met. When a party of seven come into a bar on a Tuesday night and they are treated poorly business won't survive

I used to think I was good at ping pong. I'm not. Living in the world has taught me that there will always be people that are far, far better than me at just about everything. I am pretty good at drinking though (not the best, but closer to the top). Luckily, Iona has ping pong AND drinking, which are just two of the things that make Iona a great, well-rounded spot. It was the soccer bar before the other soccer bars moved in. They are open for the EPL games, and any other games you really want to watch. It's a solid place in the winter, but the backyard is one of the best in Billville, and usually not completely overrun even on a nice day like today. There are DJs occasionally, great bartenders usually, and a jukebox and alcohol always. That last one is important, because alcohol is a pretty vital thing to have in a bar and like I said, I'm good at drinking. People like to do what they are good at. Here you can get a proper pint of Guinness or Fullers, solid pours of whiskey, a local IPA, a kind of local imperial stout, and more. If you get them all together you won't be very good at ping pong, but you'll have a good time.

Great neighborhood spot. Stopped by before seeing a movie at Williamsburg Cinemas on a Friday night. Great beer selection, including a sour from Talea. Don't miss out on their Dub pies - my friend and I really enjoyed the veg curry one. Will def be back to check out the beer garden.

I normally avoid Irish pubs on St.Patricks like the plague. There's something about the raging, drunk, green in every way college kids that makes my skin creepy crawly. Iona's is an Scottish bar in an old candy shop. I instantly felt relieved, relaxed and comforted by the older, tipsy crowd. Nobody was pushing. There was three bartenders working and one tattooed quiet guy took my order for a Guiness shortly after I reached the bar. I heard beautiful Irish music playing and then I noticed it was coming from inside the bar. Wow! A smallish bag pipe, guitar and two fiddles were playing the best music right in this tiny spot. The Guiness was pricey but it is also a 20oz pour. No shamrock but I was alright with that. I loved the front window booths. And they were playing some old black and white movie. I listened to the music when I noticed people kept popping in and out. Do my eyes deceive me!? I walked through the back door and one of the best patios in Williamsburg appeared. Gorgeous! This patio is huge and has little pockets for group sizes and even has a ping pong table. I get weak in the knees for Ping Pong..move over Forrest Gump! I will be returning for grub, music, ping pong, sunshine and cold large brews! Iona I'm so happy we finally got to meet!

It's a cozy dive with a legit whiskey collection, which I hope expands. They have my three favorite Laphroaigs, so they know what they're doing.

Love this bar! I've been here so many times and always have a good experience. Staff and owner are super friendly and drinks are strong and cheap. Crowd is a good mix, young to older, all chill. Dogs are welcome also! Had my birthday here and they were super accommodating for my large group, reserving tables for us in their huge garden. Definitely recommend!

Stopped by for some drinks. I had an IPA from Finback. They've got a bunch of local options on tap in addition to finback including other half and kcbc. They have a bunch of British and Irish beers too as well as a big selection of whiskeys. They've got a few TVs around.

You can definitely get your chill on here Iona is a nice relaxing place with cheap drinks and cool, "divey" vibe. I have been here only on weekdays, so I do not know how intense this place can be on Saturdays or Sundays. The bar itself has a cool old school New York vibe to it and the patrons are pretty chill, relative to other places in the neighborhood. The bartenders and barbacks are really nice and inviting. Plus, Iona, has a REAL patio (where one can smoke) in the back with ample seating, a ping pong table, and a couple of TVs. Also, there is a grill space where one can buy classic greasy American food like burgers and fries. OH, the fries are very delicious. If the pub food is not up to your liking, I have seen people bring food or have food delivery to the establishment. For your inner-child, the bar has a few board games such as Sorry, Battleship, and Scrabble. Although the boxes for the board games are empty, you can get the game pieces from the bar (smart move). All in all, I really like the place. Being a Cash Only establishment is the only issue that I have with this place, so I deducted one star.

As part of Yelp Drinks Week, my husband and I decided to check out this bar outside of our usual Manhattan zone. Peter D. hosted a small, casual Yelp gathering at Iona in Williamsburg, BK where they were offering 50% discounted drinks of Stella on draft for $3 and Monkey Shoulder Scotch for $4 plus tons of free pizza provided by Williamsburg Pizza. Iona is a really chill, low-key bar, small in size but cozy and inviting. It seems like a local hot spot that's different from your standard Irish pub. I'm not too familiar with the bars in the Williamsburg area, so this was a good opportunity to check out a place outside of the usual Manhattan stratosphere. I invited a friend over who actually lives only two blocks away from this place, and she loves this bar. It's a considerably small and narrow place, but they have plenty of small tables and bar stools and seating in the back area. We were here on a Thursday night, and there was a good amount of people, so I can imagine this place gets packed on Fridays and weekends as well. The back area has plenty of available board games to play like Monopoly, Connect Four, Jenga, and Scattergories, so you can grab a bench/table and have a drink while playing some games with friends. I'm also told they have an outdoor patio with a ping pong table, so that's something I need to check out during the warmer seasons. The bartenders are very friendly and tend to your orders. All in all, great local Williamsburg bar where you can just chill out with some drinks and play games with friends.

Cool Scottish style pub with good out door seating. They take reservations if you have a big party!

Fantastic bar. Great outdoor space. Good prices. I'm really can't say enough about the bar. We were welcomed with open arms... even a large group.

Fun Scottish spot with interesting food, great beer options, and a fun pub environment that's not fancy but not ugly either. The back patio is also a great hangout spot!

This bar has killer beer! Always fresh and always hip. They don't settle for bud brands and craft that is not indie. Love it.

Very solid pricing on drinks with a lot of deals. Last call here is 3:59am and they allow you to finish your drinks up until 4:15am. Jukebox is readily available here so that you can choose to play your own music as well

I forgot to yelp this place, so I guess it probably wasn't that exciting. But from what I remember, they did have good alcoholic cosmos. I am not really a cosmo girl, but there was someone in my party that was drinking it, and it looked really good, so I was tempted. I just remember having 2 cosmos, and it was game over ;-) But from the reviews, I see that there spritzer is good, so I will have to come back and try one...

This is a cool neighborhood bar to stop in for a quiet casual of drinks. Being Scottish, the name stood out to me as Iona is a Scottish Island. We were delighted to find they have walkers crisps for sale at the bar. Absolutely ideal washed down with a drink and reminds me of pubs in Scotland. Friendly atmosphere and they have an outdoor area at the back.

If I'm in trouble and I need help, I look for Superman or Batman. At times, I may get stuck with Robin or even the Wonder Twins, Zan and Jana (accompanied by Gleep). If I get Aquaman, I may have to just expect doom and gloom. My wife and I wanted to try Spuyten Duyvil. We ended up at Iona on a Friday night. Don't ask, we really couldn't find it. By the time we parked I was defeated and needed a drink. We walked in and asked a patron what he was drinking. He ended up teaching us on different types of beer and how it's made. Very garrulous, but cool. He even bothered the bartender and asked for a sample. I think the bartender was annoyed and didn't pay much attention to me afterwards. No worries. I ordered a Smithwick's (a major plus) and some Hefeweizen-like beer and moved to the rear. I saw a few board games and realized that the only previously open connect four didn't seem appealing. I opened a chess game (see photos) and we played for an hour... we didn't finish as we had to meet family for dinner at Peter Luger's. One bathroom was operational that night. You could imagine the line. I did notice a big dog chilling in the middle of the bar. That was cool. Overall, the beer selection and the board games made this place fun for me. If it weren't for the bathroom situation and the uptight female bartender, I would have given more love. On a Superfriends scale, Iona is only good enough to be Robin. IFHTP 1

Love this spot not ever going back to east river bar was the best thing that could had happen I was told about ionas same distance from my apartment and they are so much mature and the crowd and dj amazing I def will continue to come to ionas the bartenders are all awesome deals are amazing and there's no bs here the back yard has a ping pong table and tvs in the bar as well as the back yard I am very big when it comes to Yelp so I only speak the truth and by experience to ionas and staff ...

Me and friends travel from Bushwick to Williamsburg just for the hell of it. We obviously wanted to unwind & have a drink so we did.We happened to see IONA, & gave it a try. It had a nice feel to it, we are definitely the youngest people within the bar. The packers & Dallas were playing on the big screen, lights were dim. It has a cozy feel to it. Anyway it was nice, one of my friends ordered an IPA of some sort( don't remember the name). I went into the bar with a mindset that I don't wanna order something that I always order, so I went with the crabbies ginger beer. I'm SO happy we went to IONA, b/c I've found a new favorite beer.

Pretty standard dive with a semi-decent beer selection (mostly locals). Cash only though. Whiskey selection is way better than their beer selection.

I'm not super sure what to make of Iona. I know I like it, but for some reason I never suggest going here. When my friends do I'm always happy to join, but it doesn't pop up in my mind. There's a decent outdoor area to hang out in, plenty of room inside, and some cool front window alcoves. I've had fun every time I'm here and that's basically what it comes down to. I'll be back again I'm sure.

I come here and cry in a corner on a cozy bench in the back garden as I watch people play ping pong back and forth. My lip quivers and I shake my fist at the heavens, throwing my head back and howling into the night, "I'm 1/16th or like 1/32nd Chinese or whatever! I'm Asian! WHY!?!? Why am I not a beast at this game? Ping pong skills, you're in my blood, dormant, entwined in my DNA, somewhere. WHERE ARE YOU!?!?! Come out and play. Help me fulfill my destiny!!!!" So I'm really bad at ping pong and Starcraft, two major tenets of being a successful Asian male, but then I stop crying long enough to realize that I'm in Iona, and it's a bar, and it serves good beers, and beer is this wonderful elixir of fairies that helps you forget your tragic flaws and after only a few I forget the ping pong briefly enough to tell you the rest. Iona - small cozy little nooks by the windows with benches, crowded everywhere as it's exceedingly popular. The back garden is money. Cash only. When the garden closes I move in with my friends, throwing one last glance behind my shoulder at the ping pong table, a tear forming, but the beer has made me strong and angry, and I am no longer miserable and I am man and I bellow, "SCREW YOU PING PONG! I HAVE THE BUILD FOR BADMINTON ANYWAYS, YEAH, SUCK ON THAT - A REAL MAN'S SPORT!" I just love light feathery things and dainty rackets!

1. Fairy priced drinks 2. A nice small back yard with ping pong & 3. usually a crowd with not too many annoying people. * Reggae on Sundays is the best!

This is the perfect bar to hang out at with a few friends on a warm summer afternoon. The outdoor garden in the back is cozy and beautiful, complete with a ping pong table nestled in the back for the stray duel. The indoor bar is staffed with cool bartenders and stocked with truly great beers. Basically, when Old Speckled Hen is on tap I'm a happy lady. The price point is also right, though they're cash only and the machine charges like $2 so try to come prepared. All in all, I can see why people would want to spend limitless amounts of time here!

I was deathly anxious in the days leading up to my first-ever, self-thrown birthday fete. Aside from the admittedly weird belief that I've always found it crass to call attention to one's own birthday, the anticipated 15 guests somehow ballooned into a lot, lot more, and beautiful spring Saturdays and garden-bars in Williamsburg do not together conspire to happily accommodate the fish-out-of-water Manhattan masses that comprise my dearest peers. Happily, it was a hit. Iona was just perfect for the warm, high-brow-beer-drinking, laid-back kind of night that signifies the start of one's Late Twenties. I treated my clan to all of the Australian meat pies Iona had remaining; and they me to quite a lot of pints. We never made it onto the ping-pong table, but by the time the garden closed circa midnight, the DJ was spinning soulful indoors, and there the stragglers were content to sit and sip for a few more happy hours.

Apparently I left my cozy, wood stove, outdoor coworker happy hour a little bit too early. The fuckin' fire department was called over! Despite being absent for that debacle, my clothes reeked of smoke for days! The drinks are priced decently, and the service is alright. For me, it's really about the back yard. The end. PS: Don't even think about coming here on weekend evenings. You won't have room to lift your drink to your mouth!

Israelis have perfected the death stare. I think the name of Israeli martial arts, "Krav Maga," actually means "death stare" in Hebrew. Even when they leave the motherland and are no longer under constant threat, they have to practice the death stare to keep their skills sharp, should the Israeli Defense Forces call them back home to defend the country. Our Israeli bartender at Iona tonight was especially good at the death stare. She practiced on us numerous times, like when we dared to interrupt her text messaging to ask for a drink, or when we requested that the blaring Hebrew pop be turned down a bit so that we (4 of the 7 customers in the bar) could actually have a conversation. Were this my only experience at Iona, I certainly would give it only one star. However, past visits have been met with friendly service and good times on the back patio. When tonight's bartender returns to her kibbutz in the Negev, my review may even bump up to 4 stars.

It's places like this that Long Island could never offer. More and more I'm getting to appreciate the backyard scene at these bars. They are never crowded back there and are a nice change of scenery especially in the warmer weather. They even have ping pong back there! The crowd is always random, but they leave you alone for the most part aside from the occasional creepy lurkers. When I'm in a place like this I just want a good beer, good music and to enjoy the company of who I'm with, which never seems to be a problem when I'm here. The beer selection is ridiculous and the last time I was here they had a sick girl DJ spinning jazzy/funk music. It was great!! Not what I'm used to so I'm always down to be surprised. Love coming here when I'm in the area. Sky*

The perfect pub. Great beer selection, friendly staff, beautiful bar, lovely garden, fun games (connect four, trivial pursuit) what more could you ask for in a pub? On Tap: Old Speckled Hen, London Pride, Belhaven, recent addition Dentergems this place has excellent taste. Two insider tips- if you want to make a friend drink whiskey with the owner on Friday or Saturday nights, if you get hungry Nelson the empanada man normally rolls in late night Friday and Saturday. ****Update- This place no longer carries Dentergems but still kicks ass. God Bless a pint of Belhaven and a game of Ping Pong

Not being a Williamsburger, I don't frequent the bars scene there nearly as much. So when a friend's sister suggested that the lot of us head over to Williamsburg to her local favorite, Iona, I was a tad skeptical. Upon first appearance the indoor space was a bit too narrow for my taste. However, when our fellow patron whose home turf we were on suggested we take it outside, despite it being winter, I thought she was crazy. Turns out Iona's outdoor space is equipped with severable moveable outdoor fireplaces. When my friend, a visiting Idaho woodsman picked up a pile of wood and began to start a fire I thought first that we should ask the proprietor of said establishment. Silly me, that's what the wood and fireplaces were there for. In any case, an outdoor space that is equipped for winter is a rare find and makes the atmosphere that much more pleasant. The beer selection isn't so bad either but there's no better smell than burning wood in the cold winter air, unless your house is burning down and you're standing outside, then it's not so pleasant.

Figured it was a gay bar considering there was not a single female in the place, but then I realized it was because of a soccer match. Well, soccer is pretty gay, so close enough. Great pub, with friendly bartenders and even more friendly clientele. Reasonably priced drinks, but like cash only (which is shocking to us Angelenos, but I guess it's not so uncommon on the East Coast).

Hey. I'm the 50th review. So I'm a bit behind on my local nightlife. Oops. Anyway - spent a very forgettable night here this week - not forgettable because the place is forgettable, forgettable because the Guinness is really good and therefore I have forgotten much of the evening. All kidding aside (am I kidding?) this is a cool bar with nice people and a great place to hang out during a blizzard. If you're stupid like me, you'll hang out outside, where there are wood burning ovens to huddle around and then the next day all your clothes reek of fire pit. So I recommend the inside until it gets warm again.

Fun bar that's perfect for a nice spring night. Great outdoor space! - Tented area with lots of tables and benches - A ping pong table - Bbq -- brisket, pork, chicken, tofu, and veggie sliders for $6 each and plates for $12. Inside ain't too shabby either. - Full bar with lots of different beers on tap - Cozy little nooks in the front near the windows - Really clean bathrooms (nothing ruins a good bar experience like a nasty bathroom).

Really good neighborhood bar. Lots of choices of beer on tap, great backyard, games to play, ping pong, bowls of free NYC condoms -you could make water balloons! And the best patrons? DOGS!!!

I just had a great time there with my friend. ***TIME: Friday Nov 21, 2008 10:30PM ***ALCOHOL(? stars): All I had was one beer, but if it helps, 2 beers cost $13. ***SERVICE (4/5 stars): Pretty cool bartender girl. ***CUSTOMERS: Music scene. Lots of guys again, but more good looking ;) Most of the bars I went to that night of bar hopping had a bunch of guys. Very chill people here with a nice fun and laid back lounge music, good ambiance. ***ENVIRONMENT/SPACE: Crowded but again, we were lucky to find a seat in the front corner. You can be loud or quite. Chill place. Right next to Chinese fast food place and corner store. ***WILL I COME BACK?: Yes. Definitely.

I practically live here... not only is it around the corner from my apartment, but they have excellent beer on tap and a ping-pong table! The staff are awesome, I love all the dogs that come in. Great happy hour. What more could you want?

Yup, pretty much the perfect place to grab a drink. It's got atmosphere, seats in the windows, a garden with a ping-pong table. Basically it's got everything your wee little heart could ever want out of a pub. Tip: Try their hot toddie on a cold night with warm friends.

Santa Salsa is here! The best Venezuelan street food that you find on Over the Eight is now here at Iona's... + a fine selection of great draft beer + patio + sports + ping pong table... 'nuff said

I like this bar - they have a great beer selection and the back patio is nice. They make you go inside though around 11pm because of the neighbors (I think?). It's sweet that they have a ping pong table even though I've never played but it can be fun to watch. I'm sure I'll try to play sometime soon although I think I secretly have a fear of getting up there and just getting destroyed! Now that it's winter the allure of the back patio is temporarily defunct but come spring, I'm sure I'll be back.

My husband and I stopped in for a drink while we were in Williamsburg. OK selection of beer and the service was alright. I didn't really enjoy the set up of the bar, or the nasty smell coming from the floors. It's a dive alright, but not one of the cleanest I've been to. I also have to add, although I haven't seen this posted by other Yelpers, but one of the bathrooms is absolutely disgusting. Apparently there are two unisex restrooms here, one which is average and one that is gross. I used the bathroom in the way back. It was so small and disgusting and I had to hold my breath the whole time. It was worse than a porta potty. It was so bad that when we were cashing out, I had to use the bathroom again, and I chose to wait because of how bad it was. I believe there is another restroom that is better, but whatever you do, don't go in the back one.

With so many bar options in the neighborhood, it's easy to overlook this surprisingly large bar, hidden behind gates and windows right on the Grand Street bus station. Walk in. You're welcome. Board games, great music (for the record, I judge a bars music quality by how often I use my Shazam app), friendly staff, tons of seating options, and you can put money on there being a soccer game on the tv. Oh and what's that? A huge outdoor space with a grill and pink pong table. Score. Love. Soccer. Done.

My very recent discovery that Iona has free wifi and Oslo coffee earns it a solid 5 stars. One of my favorite bars, their beer selection is extensive, and their bartenders know how to deliver a recommendation. Inside, their TVs always have either sports, (everything from football to futbol), or nerd entertainment, (the History Channel, Discovery), playing. The garden boasts table tennis and ample seating, including a covered section that rainy-day smokers can use to keep from looking too emo. The clientele is all over the place - smoldering hipsters, hip BK parents with their baby carriages during the afternoon, withered bar flies. The variety of the patronage really adds to the place's unpretentious and well-rounded vibe. If you're sitting inside, I recommend chilling in the window enclaves at the front of the bar. There's some decent people-watching on Grand and you get a good view of the action in the bar.

I didn't think bars existed where everybody knows your name. Apparently, they do. Great neighborhood bar. Awesome backyard patio. Good selection of beer. They make their own mulled wine which was pretty good too. I didn't make it to their dub reggae night on Sunday, but I've heard good things. As my boyfriend exclaimed to me on our first night there, "this place reminds me of my favorite bar back home." Anything that reminds us of our favorite places back in good ole MN is gold in my book.

I review Iona reluctantly, since the thing I like best about it is its chill (aka empty-ish) vibe on weekends during the day, when you can sit outside and light a fire in one of the two woodburning stoves, and drink really tasty alcoholic beverages. My personal fav is the Weihenstephan Hefe Weissbier; original beer from the world's oldest brewery, since 1040. 1040! They've really had time to perfect it! If its chilly a nice hot toddy or mulled wine will also do the trick. And then there's the ping pong. Its jenky and fun, just like ping pong should be. I play poorly but with an evil delight. The poorness increases while the evil decreases, in to my beverage consumption; until finally my playing partner and I will retire in shame to watch the serious players who bring their own paddles (those people are INTENSE), which is in its own way just as fun as playing. All while drinking tasty beverages in a charmingly unkempt patio next to a safely contained fire. But, this is during the day. During the night they close the patio, the place gets crazy crowded and its just another lame crowded bar. When the sun disappears so does the magic. 6 out of 5 stars as a day drinking spot. 2 out of 5 as a night drinking spot. Grand total, 4 stars. I love you Iona.