Step inside Park Slope’s cavernous Union Hall and you find yourself transported to another era. The bar top sits nestled in a stately library and a collection of armchairs and settees invite you to pull down a volume and settle in for a beer and a bite. “People read the books,” bartender Michelle reports, “and sometimes they walk out with them. That’s a drag.” The library is one feature of the old-school social-club feel, which also boasts two bocce ball courts in the back. The clientele, thankfully, are not as snooty as a real social-club might indicate. While weekends draw a crowd from all over New York, especially for the music shows, weeknights are usually full of Park Slopers sipping ales and enjoying the Hall’s various events such as science night. Whether you stroll in for a Sunday afternoon read or bop by for a Wednesday evening spelling bee, Union Hall doesn’t disappoint.

702 Union Street @ 5th Ave., 11215

www.unionhallny.com