The second option is particularly easy and cost effective and it works in any kind of home as well.
Building a breakfast bar wall.
Lay the bar top centering it over the brackets and screw in place.
However you can install a non invasive breakfast bar in an apartment with no problem.
To begin building the base for the top plate of your breakfast bar cut one 2x6 lumber with a circular saw to fit the new breakfast bar space.
Build the base for the cabinets with 2x4s.
Eating bar height is typically about 6 inches higher than your countertop typically 36 inches.
Frame in the breakfast bar with 2x4s.
Check for clearance before designing planning or building a breakfast bar.
Use a hammer to remove drywall all the way to the floor.
How to build a breakfast bar on an existing wall getting clearance.
Screw your shelf brackets or corbels to the wall at those marks.
Make sure you wear the appropriate safety gear when working with a circular saw including safety goggles and gloves.
Install drywall on both sides of the frame.
Screw the bottom sill into the floor and the stud at the corner into the adjoining stud in the wall.
Use your level to make sure.
Step 3 build the spacers.
The barren wall might.
You could either build a bar on top of a couple modular cabinets that rest on the floor or you could attach a bar top to studs in a wall.