Pete's Candy Store is my favorite bar in Williamsburg. To me, it epitomizes the difference between this area and the Bedford Avenue area. Yeah, there's still a few electro-clash stragglers hanging about, but overall the vibe is so much more laid back, and the clientele really mixed.
They have a few signature martinis, which are all around $6 and come with the shaker glass at least half full of the rest of your drink! That's bang for the buck you can't get in Manhattan! My favorite drink is the vanilla shanti, which is stoli vanilla and pineapple juice and I don't know what else . . . it's absolutely delicious and can knock you off your ass.
Pete's also has toasted sandwiches, which are great for curbing those cravings once you get a buzz on. They feature ingredients like proscuitto and fresh mozzerella, roasted turkey, etc. . . really quite good for a mere $6-$7 and large enough to share.
The best thing about Pete's is the trivia night. Every Wednesday around 7:30, the entire bar is packed with game players . . . and this is a fairly big bar, so it's a popular night! Unlike computerized trivia, this shit is HARD! Once the top ten category was "list the most-used subway systems in the world"--and correct order counts for extra points! Once the visual round was pictures of CHAIRS--and we had to name the designer! And once the audio round was all songs about a specific person . . . after just a 5-second clip, we had to name the person! It's pretty tough, but a rollin' good time . . . we've met a bunch of new people and always have a blast. Teams can be any size, so invite all your friends to play at Pete's Candy Store on Wednesday nights!