The 68 Best Places to Drink in Brooklyn
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The best places to drink in Brooklyn, according to the experts: Time Out, Difford's Guide, and VinePair have all weighed in, and their honors are what rank this list. Henry Public comes out on top.
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Clover Club and Maison Premiere hold the next two places. Difford's Guide shows up on more of this list than any other guide, with The Infatuation next.
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The awards
- Time Out The Turkey Leg Sandwich · The 18 best sandwiches in the world right now
- Difford's Guide 3.5 stars · Difford's Guide
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Rank 2. Clover Club
Cocktail Bar
The long wooden bar came out of a Pennsylvania mining-town dance hall and has been anchoring this Smith Street cocktail bar ever since. Victorian paneling, a tin ceiling, and a curtained parlor with a fireplace in the back make the whole room feel like someone's very well-stocked study. The cocktails are precise and the eponymous Clover Club is on the menu, naturally. The kind of place that makes Brooklyn feel older than it is.
The awards
- VinePair VinePair: Industry Icon of the Year · The Next Wave Awards
- Difford's Guide Difford's Guide: 4.5 stars · Difford's Guide
- Time Out Time Out: #8 · The 30 best bars in NYC right now
- VinePair Industry Icon of the Year · The Next Wave Awards
- Difford's Guide 4.5 stars · Difford's Guide
- Time Out #8 · The 30 best bars in NYC right now
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Rank 2. Maison Premiere
Cocktail Bar
A four-tap absinthe drip at the center of the bar is a replica of the one at the Absinthe House in New Orleans, and that tells you most of what you need to know. Maison Premiere is a cocktail and oyster bar in Williamsburg that commits fully to the bit: dim golden light, mock antique everything, marble bar top, the faint sense that you've wandered into another city and century. It landed on North America's 50 Best Bars list, which tracks.
The awards
- Difford's Guide Difford's Guide: 5 stars · Difford's Guide
- The 50 The 50: #40 · North America's 50 Best Bars
- The New York Times The New York Times: 2013 · Critic's Pick · Restaurant Review
- Difford's Guide 5 stars · Difford's Guide
- The 50 #40 · North America's 50 Best Bars
- The New York Times 2013 · Critic's Pick · Restaurant Review
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Rank 4. Bar Madonna
Italian Cocktail Bar
The awards
- The 50 The 50: #36 · North America's 50 Best Bars
- Time Out Time Out: #20 · The 30 best bars in NYC right now
- Spirited Awards Spirited Awards: 2026 · Top 10 Nominee · Best U.S. Restaurant Bar
- The 50 #36 · North America's 50 Best Bars
- Time Out #20 · The 30 best bars in NYC right now
- Spirited Awards 2026 · Top 10 Nominee · Best U.S. Restaurant Bar
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The big neon sign out front survived the gap years when nothing else did, and it still draws you in off Atlantic Avenue. This Art Deco bar in Cobble Hill has been around forever, and Toby Cecchini, the bartender who invented the Cosmopolitan, brought it back to life with the booths and floral wallpaper more or less intact. The kitchen does a Reuben and a double-patty burger, but the cocktails are what fill the room on a Tuesday.
The awards
- VinePair VinePair: Industry Icon of the Year · The Next Wave Awards
- Time Out Time Out: #11 · The 30 best bars in NYC right now
- The Infatuation The Infatuation: The Best Cocktail Bars in NYC
- VinePair Industry Icon of the Year · The Next Wave Awards
- Time Out #11 · The 30 best bars in NYC right now
- The Infatuation The Best Cocktail Bars in NYC
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Rank 6. Theodora
Mediterranean Seafood
Wood smoke hangs in the air the moment you walk into this Fort Greene seafood restaurant, which should tell you something about how the kitchen operates. Chef Tomer Blechman anchors the menu around dry-aged fish and open-fire cooking, pulling from a Mediterranean pantry that keeps things interesting without announcing itself. The bar draws a crowd that clearly has opinions about natural wine, and the pita alone justifies showing up early.
The awards
- VinePair VinePair: Food & Beverage Program of the Year · The Next Wave Awards
- The New York Times The New York Times: 2026 · 2 stars, Critic's Pick · Restaurant Review
- Michelin Guide Michelin Guide: Selected Restaurant
- VinePair Food & Beverage Program of the Year · The Next Wave Awards
- The New York Times 2026 · 2 stars, Critic's Pick · Restaurant Review
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
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Rank 7. Bonnie's
Cantonese
Calvin Eng's Cantonese restaurant and bar sits on a nondescript east Williamsburg corner, close enough to the BQE that you'll feel the trucks. Inside, it reads like a retro Hong Kong diner, but the kitchen runs modern interpretations of regional Cantonese food, and the MSG Martini earned a spot on Esquire's national list. The Michelin Guide gives it a Bib Gourmand, and the James Beard Foundation named Eng an Emerging Chef nominee.
The awards
- Esquire Esquire: MSG Martini · The Best Martinis in America
- James Beard Awards James Beard Awards: 2022 · Nominee · Emerging Chef · Calvin Eng
- Michelin Guide Michelin Guide: Bib Gourmand
- Esquire MSG Martini · The Best Martinis in America
- James Beard Awards 2022 · Nominee · Emerging Chef · Calvin Eng
- Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand
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Rank 7. The Sunken Harbor Club
Tropical Cocktail Bar
The awards
- VinePair VinePair: Bartender of the Year · The Next Wave Awards · Garret Richard
- Time Out Time Out: #2 · The 30 best bars in NYC right now
- The 50 The 50: The 50 Discovery
- VinePair Bartender of the Year · The Next Wave Awards · Garret Richard
- Time Out #2 · The 30 best bars in NYC right now
- The 50 The 50 Discovery
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The awards
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Rank 10. Gage & Tollner
Steakhouse
Vintage mirrors, cherry wood, and brass gas chandeliers give this Downtown Brooklyn steakhouse an amber glow that makes every Tuesday feel like an occasion. The kitchen draws on the legacy of Edna Lewis, who ran it in the late eighties, so fried chicken and crab cakes share the menu with dry-aged prime beef. Dessert gets taken seriously, which a baked Alaska deserves. It has a spot on the World's Best Steak Restaurants list.
The awards
- World's 101 Best World's 101 Best: #84 · World's Best Steak Restaurants
- Esquire Esquire: Turf Club · The Best Martinis in America
- James Beard Awards James Beard Awards: 2022 · Nominee · Outstanding Pastry Chef · Caroline Schiff
- World's 101 Best #84 · World's Best Steak Restaurants
- Esquire Turf Club · The Best Martinis in America
- James Beard Awards 2022 · Nominee · Outstanding Pastry Chef · Caroline Schiff
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The awards
- VinePair Bartender of the Year · The Next Wave Awards · Patty Dennison
- Time Out #15 · The 30 best bars in NYC right now
- Difford's Guide Difford's Guide
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Rank 10. Sauced
Natural Wine Bar
The awards
- Time Out #23 · The 30 best bars in NYC right now
- Roadbook The Best Restaurants and Bars in Williamsburg
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Rank 10. Whoopsie Daisy
Wine Bar
The awards
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Rank 14. Bar Americano
Wine Bar
The awards
- The Infatuation The Infatuation: The Best Bars In Greenpoint
- Spirited Awards Spirited Awards: 2025 · Regional Top 10 Honoree · Best U.S. Cocktail Bar – U.S. East
- Difford's Guide Difford's Guide: Difford's Guide
- The Infatuation The Best Bars In Greenpoint
- Spirited Awards 2025 · Regional Top 10 Honoree · Best U.S. Cocktail Bar – U.S. East
- Difford's Guide Difford's Guide
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Rank 15. DOLORES
Mexico City Cocktail Bar
The awards
- The New York Times 2025 · 1 star, Critic's Pick · Restaurant Review
- Spirited Awards 2026 · Top 10 Nominee · Best New U.S. Cocktail Bar
- Eater The Best Places to Eat in Bed-Stuy Right Now
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The awards
- Vogue The 25 Best Restaurants in Brooklyn, According to Vogue Staff
- Spirited Awards 2026 · Regional Top 10 Honoree · Best New U.S. Cocktail Bar – U.S. East
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Rank 16. Nightmoves
Cocktail Bar
The awards
- The 50 The 50: The 50 Discovery
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Rank 16. The Shanty
Cocktail Bar
A plate-glass window in the exposed-brick wall looks straight into a working still, which tells you everything about what kind of cocktail bar this is. The Shanty is the front room of New York Distilling Company, so the gin in your glass traveled about twenty feet to get there. It sits on a quiet warehouse block in Greenpoint, easy to miss, which seems to suit the regulars just fine.
The awards
- Difford's Guide Difford's Guide: 4.5 stars · Difford's Guide
- The New York Times The New York Times: 2012 · Critic's Pick · Restaurant Review
- Difford's Guide 4.5 stars · Difford's Guide
- The New York Times 2012 · Critic's Pick · Restaurant Review
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Rank 19. Bar Goto
Japanese Cocktail Bar
The awards
- Spirited Awards Spirited Awards: 2024 · Top 10 Nominee · Best U.S. Cocktail Bar
- Spirited Awards Spirited Awards: 2024 · Regional Honoree · Best U.S. Bar Team – U.S. East
- Difford's Guide Difford's Guide: Difford's Guide
- Spirited Awards 2024 · Top 10 Nominee · Best U.S. Cocktail Bar
- Spirited Awards 2024 · Regional Honoree · Best U.S. Bar Team – U.S. East
- Difford's Guide Difford's Guide
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Rank 19. Pitt's
Southern
The awards
- Food & Wine Pancake Soufflé · Best Dishes Our Editors Ate This Year
- Punch Rosie Martini · Our Favorite Cocktails
- Punch Best New Bartenders · Ben Hopkins
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Rank 21. Frijoleros
Mexican
The awards
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Rank 21. Leyenda
Mexican Cocktail Bar
The awards
- James Beard Awards James Beard Awards: 2025 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Bar
- Difford's Guide Difford's Guide: Difford's Guide
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Rank 23. Agi’s Counter
Eastern European
The walls are painted cupcake pink, and yes, that is a bowl of Hungarian chicken broth with dumplings on the menu next to the crepes. Named for the chef's grandmother, this Crown Heights diner runs on Eastern European comfort food done with real care. The kitchen has a particular way with bread. The bar landed on Punch's Best New Bartenders list, the restaurant holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand, and the chef is a James Beard nominee.
The awards
- Punch Best New Bartenders · Ben Hopkins
- James Beard Awards 2024 · Nominee · Best Chef: New York State · Jeremy Salamon
- Bon Appétit America's Best New Restaurants
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Rank 23. Bodega Nights
Iberian Cocktail Bar
The awards
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Rank 23. Echo Lake
Rum Cocktail Bar
The $12 daily daiquiri sets the tone at this Williamsburg rum bar, where the menu runs from a lager-and-rum shot combo to oysters with tepache mignonette. The couple behind it know their way around spirits, one having run the editorial side of Punch, the other having shaped Chicago's beloved tropical bar scene. A basement rum bar called Undercurrent adds another layer for anyone who shows up and doesn't want to leave.
The awards
- Eater The Best New Cocktail Bars in New York City
- Eater The Best New Bars in New York City
- Difford's Guide Difford's Guide
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Rank 23. FOLK
Indian Cocktail Bar
The awards
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Rank 23. Peek Inn
Cocktail Bar
The awards
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The awards
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The awards
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Rank 28. Kinda Nice
Cocktail Bar
A Greek Salad martini built with Tomato Crop vodka and piparra brine should probably not work, and yet here we are. Kinda Nice is a Williamsburg cocktail bar from two Grand Army veterans who describe the vibe as late-night diner meets dive bar, which mostly means the drinks lean savory and strange in satisfying ways. A downstairs dive called Shenanigans is coming, if you need somewhere to spiral afterward.
The awards
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The awards
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The awards
- James Beard Awards James Beard Awards: 2024 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Bar
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Red Hook sits off every subway line, which keeps Fort Defiance comfortably local. This all-day neighborhood bar fits eight tables and a bar counter that seats twelve if everyone breathes in. The name nods to a nearby Revolutionary War fort that once blocked the British from the East River, which gives the place more historical gravitas than most spots this relaxed have any business claiming.
The awards
- Difford's Guide Difford's Guide: 4 stars · Difford's Guide
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Rank 33. Prime Meats
Artisanal German
The awards
- Difford's Guide Difford's Guide: 4 stars · Difford's Guide
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Rank 33. The Richardson
Cocktail Bar
The awards
- Difford's Guide Difford's Guide: 4 stars · Difford's Guide
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No website, no phone number, and nothing on the exterior but a small street number and white tiles that read more like a morgue than a cocktail bar. Weather Up in Prospect Heights commits fully to the bit. Inside, those same tiles climb the ceiling over a zinc-topped wooden bar with sculptural stools, turning the whole room into something between a former bathhouse and a very stylish fever dream.
The awards
- Difford's Guide Difford's Guide: 4 stars · Difford's Guide
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The awards
- The Infatuation The Infatuation: The Best Bars In Greenpoint
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Rank 37. Brouwerij Lane
Beer Bar
The awards
- The Infatuation The Infatuation: The Best Bars In Greenpoint
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Rank 37. Eavesdrop
Japanese
The awards
- The Infatuation The Infatuation: The Best Bars In Greenpoint
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The awards
- Difford's Guide Difford's Guide: 4.5 stars · Difford's Guide
- Roadbook Roadbook: The Best Restaurants and Bars in Williamsburg
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Rank 37. L'industrie Pizzeria
Pizzeria
The line out the door on South 2nd is the most honest review you'll find. This Williamsburg slice shop has a counter, a few standing ledges, and pizza makers working in plain sight from dough to oven. The crust is thin, crisp, and taken seriously. 50 Top Pizza ranked it the top slice shop in the country, and the New York Times put it on their short list too. Order, pay, wait for your name, eat standing up. That's the whole deal.
The awards
- 50 Top Pizza 50 Top Pizza: #74 · 50 Top Pizza World
- 50 Top Pizza 50 Top Pizza: #1 · 50 Top Pizza Slice USA
- The Infatuation The Infatuation: #19 · The 25 Best Restaurants In NYC
- 50 Top Pizza #74 · 50 Top Pizza World
- 50 Top Pizza #1 · 50 Top Pizza Slice USA
- The Infatuation #19 · The 25 Best Restaurants In NYC
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The awards
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The awards
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Rank 37. Le Crocodile
French
The awards
- The New York Times 2020 · 3 stars, Critic's Pick · Restaurant Review
- Roadbook The Best Restaurants and Bars in Williamsburg
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Rank 37. Lilia Ristorante
Italian
Missy Robbins runs an open kitchen inside a former car body shop in East Williamsburg, which tells you something about the bones of the room before a single plate arrives. Lilia is the kind of Italian pasta restaurant where everything is handmade and the mafaldini with pink peppercorns has turned regulars into a kind of informal cult. The New York Times gave it three stars, and a James Beard semifinalist nod followed.
The awards
- AAA AAA: Four Diamonds
- The New York Times The New York Times: 2016 · 3 stars · Restaurant Review
- James Beard Awards James Beard Awards: 2026 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Chef · Missy Robbins
- AAA Four Diamonds
- The New York Times 2016 · 3 stars · Restaurant Review
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Chef · Missy Robbins
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Rank 37. Lise & Vito
Natural Wine Bar
The awards
- The Infatuation The Infatuation: The Best Bars In Greenpoint
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The awards
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A small "Cocktails" neon sign is the only clue visible through the net-curtained windows of this Williamsburg cocktail bar, which occupies a former auto-parts store near McCarren Park. Inside, ornamental plates crowd the walls, tasseled fittings hang overhead, and ceramic tiles fool the eye into reading as rugs. It feels like a great-aunt's drawing room, if your great-aunt had excellent taste and kept unusual hours.
The awards
- Difford's Guide Difford's Guide: 3 stars · Difford's Guide
- Roadbook Roadbook: The Best Restaurants and Bars in Williamsburg
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The awards
- The New York Times The New York Times: 2020 · Critic's Pick · Restaurant Review
- Roadbook Roadbook: The Best Restaurants and Bars in Williamsburg
- The New York Times 2020 · Critic's Pick · Restaurant Review
- Roadbook The Best Restaurants and Bars in Williamsburg
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The awards
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The awards
- The Infatuation The Infatuation: The Best Bars In Greenpoint
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The awards
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The awards
- The Infatuation The Infatuation: The Best Bars In Greenpoint
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The awards
- The Infatuation The Infatuation: The Best Bars In Greenpoint
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Rank 37. The Four Horsemen
Wine Bar
The natural wine list here won a James Beard Award, and the Michelin star belongs to the kitchen, which tells you this Williamsburg bar is doing two things at once and doing neither halfway. The room is famously small and the wait is famously brutal, but Nick Curtola's seasonal menu follows its own logic, landing somewhere between a great wine bar snack and something you'll think about for weeks. James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem is a co-owner, which explains the playlist.
The awards
- James Beard Awards James Beard Awards: 2026 · Nominee · Outstanding Restaurant
- James Beard Awards James Beard Awards: 2022 · Winner · Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program
- Michelin Guide Michelin Guide: 1 Star
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Nominee · Outstanding Restaurant
- James Beard Awards 2022 · Winner · Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program
- Michelin Guide 1 Star
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Rank 37. The Hidden Pearl
Japanese Cocktail Bar
The awards
- The Infatuation The Infatuation: The Best Bars In Greenpoint
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The awards
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The awards
- The Infatuation The Infatuation: The Best Bars In Greenpoint
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The awards
- The Infatuation The Infatuation: The Best Bars In Greenpoint
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Rank 37. Twins Lounge
Dive Bar
The awards
- The Infatuation The Infatuation: The Best Bars In Greenpoint
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The awards
- Difford's Guide Difford's Guide: Difford's Guide
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The awards
- Difford's Guide Difford's Guide: Difford's Guide
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Rank 61. dokidoki
Japanese
A standing bar modeled on the Japanese tachinomi tradition, which means you're on your feet, shoulder to shoulder, and the whole room is already talking. Low-alcohol cocktails, sake, and shochu anchor the drinks list, with classics quietly reinterpreted through Japanese and Latin ingredients. The two bartenders behind the counter bring serious cocktail-bar pedigree to a room that wears it lightly, and the small bites fold Japanese technique into Puerto Rican and Salvadoran flavors.
The awards
- Difford's Guide Difford's Guide: Difford's Guide
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The awards
- Difford's Guide Difford's Guide: Difford's Guide
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The awards
- Difford's Guide Difford's Guide: Difford's Guide
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The awards
- Difford's Guide Difford's Guide: Difford's Guide
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The awards
- Difford's Guide Difford's Guide: Difford's Guide
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The awards
- Difford's Guide Difford's Guide: Difford's Guide