Pokito — A Girl's Guide to Drinking Alone

155 S 4th St btw Bedford Ave and Driggs Ave, Williamsburg

The Place: A bright and playful Asian-Latin fusion cocktail bar, kind of like if a taco joint and a Chinese restaurant had a baby and named it Neon.

The Time: Sunday February 23, 6pm. I found myself in Williamsburg and decided to take advantage of this night out with myself. Rarely am I on the southside of Williamsburg anymore so I have to use the Google machine to figure out where to go and I discover Pokito. On my walk over I see a woman and a pomeranian off-leash (the dog, not the woman, but the woman isn’t leashed either as far as I can tell) wearing matching puffer jackets which feels very Williamsburg to me and kind of sets the tone for my night.

The Vibe: It’s tiny, truly like a hole-in-the-wall restaurant your friends tell you has really good food, trust them. It’s dark in here but there are a lot of neon lights in various colors illuminating the space. There are white brick walls (a good canvas for the colorful lighting) with all kinds of art, and there are so many things dangling from the ceiling - garlands and paper lanterns and plenty of rainbow Christmas lights. The bar itself is pretty small, and I struggle to find a seat, eventually squeezing between a woman with Seamless pulled up on her phone and an empty Miller High Life, and a vacant stool with a drink and book saving the spot for its occupant. The people are kind of the typical young Williamsburg set I was expecting, and it’s pretty busy for a Sunday. They have one of those deli fridges that has a sign saying “Flowers” but inside is actually wine. They sell shirts that say “Flowers” too. There is also a big stairs/platform thing that I didn’t realize you could sit on until a couple climb it like it’s a set of bleachers. The music is 80s disco, which is fun and fitting. I do feel a little out of place by myself in such a cool setting but I’m not uncomfortable in any way.

The Bartender: There is only one and he’s doing a great job. Soon I realize that the woman sitting next to me is probably the manager, or someone else who works here but is not currently working. She keeps trying to get him to put in his Seamless order, but he can’t catch a break. Every time he might be able to look at the menu, more people walk through the door. It’s only bar service so at least he doesn’t have to check on tables but still. At one point he has to run out and get coconut milk from somewhere! Five stars for keeping it down in crazy conditions.

The Drank: On Sunday there is happy hour All. Night. Long. Three cocktails, at $8 each, plus wine and beer options. I choose the Rick Ross, a combo of thai chili infused tequila, lemon, pear and cinnamon with a taijin rim. It’s very good, but I mostly just get spice and citrus. It has a full rim of the taijin spice too, which isn’t my favorite, but the flavor does add to the drink. We’re currently in full R&D mode at my bar so I’ve tasted maybe 50 cocktails in the last two weeks, which means either my palate is super honed or incredibly burnt out. Not sure which. The regular cocktail menu is pretty big and definitely reflects the Asian-Latin-fusion thing, so points for keeping the theme going not just in decor.

Was I Hit On?: Nope, most people are here with semi-large groups of friends. I don’t really ever see the solo woman supposedly reading bell hooks; she spends the entire time I’m here outside talking on her phone so I just watch her full margarita slowly die and it makes me sad. But when I leave, I see two more small dogs in puffer jackets and that makes me contemplate the circuitous nature of life and the ridiculousness of it too.

Should You Drink Here Alone?: Pokito seems like a really fun place to hang out and have some good drinks with a bunch of friends. I wouldn’t make a special trip to come here, but certainly if you’re in the neighborhood, you should. I’m sure you’ll be welcome even if you don’t put your tiny dog in a tiny puffer.

EPILOGUE! After one cocktail I’m suddenly starving, and I realize I’m only a few blocks away from a restaurant I’ve been wanting to go to for a long time, Misi. One of the best perks of going out alone is never needing a reservation and almost always getting a seat, even at the buzziest places. The folks at Misi put me at a spot at the chef’s counter immediately and I treat myself to an incredible meal of artichokes, cacio e pepe and wine, while getting to watch all of these BADASS WOMEN kill it in the kitchen. Yeah it’s kind of pricey but it was the best cacio e pepe I’ve ever had and I got dinner and a show so I feel great about my choices.