Dead Letter No. 9 — Restaurant in New York

PICKPOCKETS abound and seem to be working with management

A bunch of people had phones stolen at this place in one night. It was a whole racket. We spotted one of the pickpockets and she quickly fled the bar after she saw someone watching her movements, but she’d already passed the phones on to her accomplices, one of whom was likely a woman who then pretended to have her “phone and wallet” stolen (so no one would be suspicious and search her bag, which probably had at least 4-5 stolen phones in it). Then her friends and “husband” put her in an uber (alone, with no phone or wallet in the middle of then night???) and went back into the bar.

Suspiciously, one of the doormen literally tells you to keep you phone put away while inside “for the vibes” (easy targets) — something I have never heard anyone announce to patrons as they enter and which specifically contradictions the sign they have up inside telling people to keep close hold on their belongings. He might be in on it too. Or whoever told him to give that announcement.

Eddie (pictured in the orange shirt and black hat) and this unnamed blonde manager insisted that the people we were talking about couldn’t be the thieves because they “know them” and that group “is with the promoter of the party.” He said that “this is the first time they’ve had this problem” of pickpockets when there is a literal sign inside saying that this is a recurring issue. And he said that “no one steals iPhones because you can’t unlock them” as literally 5 of their patrons were standing outside, having had iPhones stolen. They’re either in on it too or willfully ignorant.

Eddie is also a raging misogynist. He spoke calmly (and frankly, submissively) to a man in our group, but as soon as a woman spoke up calmly, he lost his composure and, after she was walking away, literally said “this is why women shouldn’t get involved in things,” among other sexist language. At that point, his own bouncer pushed him back inside (as Eddie threatened to punch someone for calling out his sexist comment) and then apologized to the group for Eddie’s behavior.

In fairness to the bouncers, they seem to be great people and don’t seem to be in on the phone stealing.

On the whole, if you like leaving the bar with all of the valuables that you walked in with, and you don’t want management helping people rob you, this isn’t the place to be.

A different manager said they would be reviewing the cameras. We told them exactly who to look out for. They have our group’s contact information. We’ll see if they actually do anything about this. If so, I’ll happily update my review. If not… well that’s telling, isn’t it?

Edit: management seems to think that we’ve said they’re a “front for a pick pocket ring.” Let’s get it right — I said that multiple of their staff, including people who called themselves managers, seem to be working with the pick pockets— as they were ardently defending them while we were at the bar.

It is news to us that they “immediately” reviewed footage at the time, since we told them who the first pick pocket was, what she was wearing, where she was located and at what times, and they never told us about reviewing footage.

They say I stray from the facts, by saying 7+ phones were stolen (perhaps an a i gen response that got me confused?). Let’s get to the facts again — I said 4-5. I can literally count each of those 5 people. 2 in our group, 2 other women, and another reviewer has already said he had his stolen. I surely didn’t witness all victims in the time I was there. Also, not everyone would have told management and I personally witnessed one woman who had to insist several times for a manager to come back out and take her info.

Hopefully DL9 will spend as much effort trying to find and prevent pick-pockets as they did farming positive reviews after this incident and trying to gaslight patrons that they just “dropped their phone on the dance floor”.

Even aside from any of this, Eddie’s sexist comments were completely unacceptable, so if he continues to be employed,...

Worst bar ever. Cool atmosphere. Good drinks. Absolutely the worst service I have ever received with the nastiest bartenders/staff I have ever encountered. My friends and I went last Thursday, and while barely anyone was even at the bar, it still took over 10 minutes for our first drink order to be placed because the bartenders were fooling around, joking with each other, literally pouring each other shots and ignoring us as we waved and asked for service. Curly haired brunette bartender completely ignored us. The Asian bartender, who is the rudest person I have ever met in the service industry, approached us with stank eye, as if he felt insulted that we were asking for a a drink….at a bar….I opened a tab and shortly after that, I ordered a drink for another friend (with an additional 10 minute wait due to bartenders chatting). The bartender with the nasty attitude begrudgingly took the order, then hissed “aren’t you gonna pay?” I said “oh sorry, I’m keeping my tab open.” He immediately went “wow well you could have told me you had a tab.” “I said “oh my bad, you just opened one for me, I thought you would have remembered. Here’s my name.” He rolls his eyes and goes “well aren’t you sassy.” And walks away. When my friends and I tried to close my tab, we were unable to get the mean bartender’s attention for over 10 min once again and eventually got the mustached bartender to begrudgingly close out. What is wrong with you guys?? When we were sitting at a table, a staff member randomly came by and took the only light that was in the area away from us, leaving us in the dark…with no explanation. Seriously, a nightmare of an experience. I worked in the service industry for 10 years, serving everywhere from the Plaza to seedy beer festivals. I have never seen such unprofessional, rude behavior. I will be telling everyone I know in NYC that this is THE #1 BAR...

Walking into Dead Letter feels like stepping out of Brooklyn and into another world. The space used to be a dead letter facility and now it’s broken up into all these different rooms. One looks like a camper under the stars, another like a treehouse, another like a porch in the mountains. Every corner feels like a set from a dream and it’s built for hanging out, talking, and just being present.

The music fits the vibe perfectly. In some rooms it’s softer and more chill, in others it builds into something you can move to. When you head into Cargo in the back it flips into a real party with DJs and energy.

The drinks are strong and thoughtful. Nothing feels gimmicky. My favorite part though was the service. Sarah behind the bar was incredible. Super friendly, knew the menu inside and out, and made the whole night better just by being welcoming.

Overall Dead Letter isn’t just another cocktail spot in Williamsburg. It’s an experience. The design, the music, the drinks, and the people all come together to create something different. I’d easily recommend it to anyone looking for a night that’s more than just going out...