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This Saturday, neighborhood social event coordinators Ridgewood Meetup will host the first-ever Ridgewood Bar Crawl. The event kicks off at Cozy Corner Tavern, a dive bar that touts its outstanding cheesesteak ($5.95). The full 10-bar lineup is below, and you can RSVP on Facebook. We’re not terribly familiar with bars in the ‘wood, so we chatted with Sarah Feldman, Ridgewood Meetup’s founder, about the crawl. She plans on trying the famed cheeseteak, so we’re eager to see if its deliciousness holds up even at the first stop of the night, pre–extreme drunkenness. 

Cheesesteak à la Cozy Corner: champagne and balsamic vinegars, ancho chilis, HIGH-FAT CHEESE!

What is Ridgewood Meetup?
Ridgewood Meetup is a social event group in Ridgewood, Queens. I created this group so we don’t have to take a train just to meet people. We have book clubs, bar meetups, dinners, picnics, campings, etc! We also try to support local businesses, artists, bands, and more. Our first meet up was at Hi-5 [in June]. We had 15 people show up!

How has Rigewood meetup been going? What kinds of Ridgewoodites (or Woodies?!?) have you met?
It has become very successful. We just hit 100 likes on Facebook and on Meetup.com, we have 82 members! I let people create and promote their own meetups. If anyone has any ideas, I try to get the events to happen.

I’ve met all types of people. I’ve met people who’ve lived in the same Ridgewood apartment their whole life and I’ve met people from other countries. Some of them are so funny and creative! What amazes me is how much we all have in common. Ridgewood is very community-oriented and I like that. I am very thankful for those members who keep this group running.

Your host, Sarah Feldman. She’ll be wearing red.

Do you know anything about those Eastern European coffee shops/bars that always have the shades drawn and are full of old men?
Not really. I think it is some kind of old school, “men only,” shriners kind of place. Some people tell me they are fronts for…erm…other things, but I’m hoping those places are totally harmless. What I’m actually curious about is the fluorescent green–covered stores that say, “health vitale,” etc.

What are some good “drunk food” options (i.e. open past midnight, ideally fried or at least containing melted cheese) in Ridgewood? We’re at a loss.
Drunk food after midnight? Sadly, I do not think we are there yet. A few places would be Happy Fresh Taco, which has awesome Mexican munchies food, Gottscheer Hall, great German food, Tendo Sushi, tasty Japanese food (Ed.: They close at 11pm on Saturdays, so if you start drinking early this could qualify.). There is also a grocery store on Fresh Pond with a yellow awning. It is open 24 hours a day and has great munchies! Sadly, I have no idea what the name of it is! Oh yeah! Bodegas of course!

Favorite bars in Ridgewood?
My current favorite for now is Cozy Corner, but I just discovered Windjammer. The bartenders are so nice!

Anything else you want to say about the Bar Crawl?
I nor Ridgewood have ever done anything like this before. If the turnout is good, I will do one in the spring. If the turnout is bad, I will still do one in the spring! I recommend everyone to wear red and to RSVP. This is a great way to support local businesses, and from what I hear, this will be a great way for Ridgewood newbies to discover other parts of Ridgewood they haven’t been to.

First stop: Cozy Corner!

Discovering Ridgewood! We like it.

The Ridgewood Bar Crawl happens this Saturday, November 10 at 8pm. Sarah will be handing out maps of all the bars, or you can print your own (PDF available soon now — check the Facebook event), or feel free to use our handy little Google map above if you get drunk and lose the printed map.

1. Cozy Corner Tavern, 6001 70th Ave
2. Hi-5, 6059 Myrtle Ave
3. Caskey’s Tavern, 6869 Fresh Pond Rd
4. Casey Jones Saloon, 64-02 68th Ave
5. Spolem Cafe, 66-30 Fresh Pond Rd
6. Gottscheer Hall, 657 Fairview Ave
7. Windjammer, 552 Grandview Ave
8. Paradise, 678 Woodward Ave
9. Ocean’s Lounge, 65-17 Fresh Pond Rd
10. Glenlo Tavern, 64-18 Fresh Pond Rd

Important links!

Ridgewood Meetup on Facebook
Ridgewood Bar Crawl Event Page (RSVP!)
Ridgewod Meetup on Meetup.com