Free Williamsburg

The Williamsburg Brooklyn-based culture guide to New York and beyond.

Diner

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Located near the Williamsburg Bridge, when you step into Diner, which inhabits a refurbished 1926-dining car, you’re immediately transported to another era. Diner was one of Williamsburg’s original “hip” dining establishments and has not lost any of its caché. The menu changes frequently, but expect delicious takes on diner classics and traditional American cuisine.

Featured Reviews

  • “Handwritten menus” announce the daily roster of “consistently excellent” New American bites (including a “phenomenal” burger) at this “funky” local fixture in Williamsburg; set in a 1920s dining car and overseen by a “knowledgeable” crew, it has a “quintessential hipster” vibe that carries over to the outside seating area.

  • Andrew Tarlow’s first restaurant is no longer the Southside loner it was when it opened in 1999. These days, it’s credited with creating and typifying the hip, seasonal, and Americana-mining New Brooklyn restaurant. The kitchen’s alumnus list is an all-star team of the Williamsburg restaurant scene — it includes founders of the Commodore, El Cortez, the Meat Hook, Pies ’n’ Thighs, and Saltie — and indirectly spawned a legion of admirers and imitators. Diner, though, at least pretends not to know it, even if the crowd is more well-heeled and maybe a little more foreign. The servers are still effortlessly cool, the floor remains uneven, and specials will forever be written out on a piece of paper tableside by a server who’ll sit down with you, if there’s room, and explain what’s up.

  • Diner has been a Williamsburg institution for a decade now. Originally built out of necessity by two friends in need of a place to eat, drink and hang out – it soon became not only their home base, but every other recent settler’s home as well. It’s like the hipster Plymouth Rock. As expected, Diner takes the form of, well, a diner. It’s basically a hole in the wall, and if it weren’t for the constant crowds, you’d probably wonder how a place that looks like this stays in business. Everyone inside is most definitely cooler than you, but they don’t think they’re better than you.

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The Drift

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A stylized dive in Greenpoint (in the former home of Boulevard Tavern) from the same people behind Williamsburg’s popular bar, The Commodore. There are a handful of booths and a long bar with an assortment of taxidermied critters on the wall, lending the place an off-kilter atmosphere. Pretty solid pub grub is available such as The Hangry Man (a Chopped Rib sandwich) and smaller bites including Chips with Onion dip and Deviled Eggs. There’s a small courtyard that’s open when the weather is warm.

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    • Brief cocktail menus forgo the team’s signature illustrations, although at this point, you’d have to have taken residence under a rock not to recognize The Commodore (a frozen, pineapple and cherry-speared piña colada with an amaretto float), or even the Orange Julio, an equally frosty El Cortez creation of gin and juice, elderflower and aperol. Neither Stephen Tanner nor Dennis Spina had a hand in the food offerings, but Alabama’s Mamie-Claire Cornelius seems to suit the style just fine. Embracing the exuberant, company-wide white trash tradition of pork boats and taco bowls, she’s devised a familiar, southern-leaning lineup of boiled peanuts and pimento cheese plates, and chopped rib, smoked chicken or mushroom sandwiches with mustard, all devoid of elevated, consciously clever chef embellishments. There may be smoked vidalias in the onion dip, but it’s a bit player next to mountains of Lay’s aggressively salted wavy chips.

    • Giving a swanky-looking redo to the former home of Greenpoint’s Boulevard Tavern, complete with tufted leather banquettes and barstools, this hangout from the Commodore and El Cortez team keeps the menu simple, with Southern-accented food like boiled peanuts, a smoked chicken sandwich and banana pudding.

    • Chris Young and the crew behind Williamsburg favorite the Commodore have a knack for opening bars that are fun and well-executed — just silly enough to never be too serious. They brought that to Bushwick with El Cortez a couple years ago, where you can make a meal out of taco salad and piña coladas, and now they’ve opened the Drift on the Greenpoint border. If El Cortez is Commodore on spring break in Mexico, then the Drift feels like what would happen if you moved it upstate or to Vermont. It’s appropriately cozy, with taxidermied animals, wood walls that wouldn’t be out of place in a ski lodge, leather booths, and a couple arcade games.

    • Occupying the former Boulevard Tavern, which closed in 2015, the Drift sits on a grimy strip of Robert Moses brutalism with six lanes of traffic and the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway churning overhead. Once inside, the two-room, 750-square-foot rectangle is pleasantly schlocky, with retro signs for Schaefer and Busch Bavarian beer, snowshoe lamps and a backlit picture of a serene mountain lake. Patrons on high-backed chairs unsheathe boiled peanuts at the bar or cluster around aluminum empties in padded banquettes.

    • a homey spot serving breezy cocktails and Southern-style food. Frozen drinks like The Commodore — essentially a piña colada — and the gin-and-Aperol Orange Julio gesture to warmer climates (and the owners’ nearby venues), while cans of Modelo are a reminder that simplest is often best. Tufted leather chairs, wooden walls, and taxidermied animals give The Drift a lodge-like feel and set the scene for comfort first-plates like boiled peanuts, a South Carolina-style chopped ribbed sandwich, and pimento on Saltines.

    Getting There

    Extra Fancy

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    A New England-style seafood pub that’s more of a laid-back dive than its Extra Fancy moniker would suggest. The bar up front is spacious and isn’t usually too crowded. It’s a nice place to have a Narragansett Lager and some Littleneck Clams. Salt Cod Fritters, Lobster Roll and the Steamed Mussels are standouts on a menu that’s mainly from the sea but also features a few Southern classics like Deviled Eggs and Cornbread. In the warmer months they have a patio with frosty frozen drinks and snacks.

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    • Williamsburg’s Extra Fancy serves fried, grilled, and raw seafood, like fish & chips and lobster bisque fries, plus a notable secret sauce-topped burger. It’s open late — until 2am every night — and its special late-night menu will have you covered should you ever get a midnight lobster roll craving. The brick-and-wood interior is reminiscent of a New England seafood shack, albeit a hipster one.

    • lthough pedigreed chef Ross Florence, late of Le Bernardin, recently parted ways with Extra Fancy, the spot still turns out some seriously tasty seafood snacks. The Cape Cod clam fritters ($9) arrive at the table piping hot and golden brown, accompanied by a tangy chive-buttermilk sauce. Each fried nugget is studded with meaty littlenecks, sweet corn kernels and spicy bits of chili. Landlubbers can chow down on a juicy, grilled kielbasa ($12) served with tangy red-cabbage sauerkraut and swipes of caraway-mustard butter on a hot-dog roll.

    • Williamsburg “meets New England” at this “swinging” seafood joint whose clam shack–inspired menu features “fine oysters” and “fun comfort food” backed by “expertly made” cocktails; the “lovely” garden makes it a “perfect day-drinking” destination, but it’s also “great for late-night nosh.”

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    Five Leaves

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    Five Leaves sits on the border of Greenpoint and Williamsburg and serves eclectic food at all hours of the day. Fresh flowers are everywhere you look, and the décor is nautically-themed which is always a plus in our books. Though seasonal entrees are sublime don’t miss the burger. Our favorite pancakes are from here on the weekend brunch menu, but we also love the truffle fries. The place has a well-deserved reputation for attracting douchey scenesters and the nouveau riche, making Five Leaves a fun (if a bit irritating) spot to people watch. On the downside, prepare to wait.

    Featured Reviews

    • This all-day Greenpoint “staple” “remains a favorite” in “hipsterville” for “out-of-this-world” burgers, “incredible pancakes” and other “reliable” New American eats; despite often-“crowded” digs and occasional “attitude”, it’s pretty “perfect for brunch” – with the “long lines” to prove it.

    • We still don’t love the food as much as some people seem to, and it can still be very cramped and crowded. But we will say that the consistency has improved – a lot. Brunch is and always has been the best time of day to eat here, but dinner can be a good move too, assuming you know what to order and most importantly – that you can be patient with the scene around you. Then again, I’m writing this from the perspective of someone who is more interested in the eating that goes at Five Points than in the hanging out that goes on at Five Points. If you’re 23, just got a job at Condé Nast, and have yet to taste a truffle fry, bump up this rating considerably. You’re gonna love it here.

    Getting There

    Freehold

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    Freehold has an unusual theme — it’s a hotel bar, lobby, and restaurant, without the hotel. It’s certainly a bit gimmicky, but somehow it all coalesces without feeling like a theme restaurant. First of all, the space is enormous, which makes it a comfortable place to grab a fancy cocktail or have a low-key dinner. Outside, there’s a large, grassy courtyard with tables and ping pong which becomes crowded with a very “New Williamsburg” set during the warmer months. The food won’t blow you away, but is always pretty darn good with standouts including the Chicken Sandwich, a Lobster Roll, and Whiskey Peppercorn Mussels. We especially like mornings and afternoons at Freehold Monday-Friday when it transforms into a comfortable workspace with a clientele that’s largely on their laptops. Breakfast is served daily and there is a weekend brunch.

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    • Just as the Ace Hotel lobby did for Flatiron start-up bros, the Freehold offers a community space for Williamsburg’s upwardly mobile set (but with no rooms upstairs). The reception desk is actually a coat check, while the hostess, who lends out Monopoly and Risk, goes by “concierge.” Beneath 16-foot-high ceilings, the freelancing afternoon crowd logs onto free Wi-Fi and takes meetings on mid-century-modern couches. But come sundown, social-media managers let loose with $3 pint specials, outdoor Ping-Pong, and standup- comedy shows.

    • The grassy, spacious outdoor area of this bumping Williamsburg hangout is an apt setting for a cold Bud and a house burger, finished with pickled onions, American cheese and special sauce. Once you’ve had your fill, you can challenge your bargoing buds to a match of outdoor Ping-Pong.

    • The entire space is designed to mimic a hotel lobby, from the front desk/concierge area to the flexible seating design that offers both couches and comfy chairs as well as larger tables for groups to set up. During the day, the large bar offers breakfast and a place to perch while plugging away on a laptop (they offer free WiFi). In the evening, TVs might emerge from their hiding spots and show a local sports game. At night, the music is louder, the lights are dimmed and dancing on all the surfaces is encouraged.

    Getting There

    Glasserie

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    The stand-out dish at this deep Greenpoint gem is the rabbit for two. (It’s amazing). But Glasserie aims to please and serves many Mediterranean-inspired vegetarian dishes as well, such as Rice with yogurt, hen of the woods & toasted nuts. The space is beautiful — it’s inside a refurbished industrial glass factory beside Newton Creek. Don’t miss their flaky flat-bread to accompany your entree. Glasserie is one of our favorite restaurants in Greenpoint.

    Featured Reviews

    • “Imaginative” and “delicious” sum up the fare at this “hip” Greenpoint Mediterranean where a “small but complete” seasonal menu gets an assist from “well-balanced” cocktails; the “comfortable”, vintage-industrial space jibes with its glass-factory past, and the neighborhood’s skyline views are another reason it’s “worth the trek.”

    • Housed in an old glass factory, the beautiful Glasserie is colorful, rustic and industrial, with lots of original details, a welcoming bar, and a small door that peeks into the bustling kitchen. Add to this lovely setting a straight-up delicious Middle Eastern menu from a wildly talented kitchen, and you begin to understand why the crowds are flocking to this hot spot. Manning the kitchen is Eldad Shem Tov, a talented chef who favors organic and locally sourced ingredients. Highlights may include the table-shared mezze feast-served with ten or so incredible small dishes-or the rabbit taco, spiked with harissa and folded into a thin kohlrabi “taco” with herbs and radish. The silky chicken liver mousse, served with arak, is a crowd-pleaser and fittingly so.

    • – Awesome atmosphere. Maybe the best restaurant vibes in Brooklyn.
      – Interesting food, influenced heavily by the chef’s Israeli heritage.
      – Lots of excellent vegetarian options on the menu.
      – Great outdoor/patio situation.

    Getting There

    Grand Ferry Tavern

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    Grand Ferry Tavern is a cozy, under-the-radar Gastropub specializing in great cocktails and fresh seafood. Come for a snack and a refined, old-timey spirit; linger for an entree if you’re feeling hungry. We love their Fried Oysters and Littleneck Steamers. Landlubbers will be happy too with their Wild Mushroom Sheppard’s Pie, Burger and Mac & Cheese dishes. Grand Ferry Tavern, which is a stone’s throw from the East River hearkens back to another era, but without ever feeling too self-conscious about its maritime inspirations.

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    • Paisley wallpaper, a mirrored back bar, and ornate chandeliers give the space (from the owners of the Richardson in Greenpoint) an antique feel; while windows overlooking Kent Avenue and the open courtyard in the rear keep the bar well-lit and airy. Come just for drinks or make a meal out of dishes like an Ipswich-clam roll and beer-braised brisket.

    • Outfitted with wood banquettes, damask wallpaper and vintage Harper’s Weekly prints depicting East River life, the bar features 20 Old World European wines and 14 draft beers from all-American harbor towns: Hood River, OR’s Full Sail IPA, Cisco Whale’s Tale Pale of Nantucket and Baltimore’s Heavy Seas Loose Cannon. The seafaring-themed cocktail program includes quaffs like the Hey Sailor, which features navy-strength English gin, Salers aperitif, Aperol and lemon juice; while the Seven Seas Cooler mixes Amaro Braulio, honey, Lapsang souchong tea and 100-proof rhum agricole. Brett Ackerman (Diner, Marlow & Sons) captains the pub-grub menu, lining out a full raw bar (Ipswich clams, East Coast littlenecks), saffron-flecked clam chowder, beer-braised brisket and wild-mushroom shepherd’s pie.

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    Kings County Imperial

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    Wonderful Chinese-American food served up by two old friends who’ve traveled extensively throughout China and fell in love with the cuisine. The space is warm and cozy with a small bar specializing in Tiki-inspired cocktails. All the dishes are fresh with quality ingredients but we keep coming back for the crispy garlic chicken which is one of our favorite dishes, well anywhere. Our top choice for Chinese food in the neighborhood.

    Featured Reviews

    • The best thing on the menu is “crispy garlic chicken” ($24), a half bird with skin like a copper-colored potato chip that seems to float above the tender flesh. It rests in a generous pool of the restaurant’s soy sauce, which has been laced with honey. “My bees made that honey in Pennsylvania,” Young told me one evening. The marriage of East and West is subtle and terrific. There are some misfires, too. Sichuan marinated duck ($13) isn’t the tea-smoked whole specimen you might expect, but a wok-seared breast that rests upon a sprout salad laced with smoldering fresh chiles and sided with the scallion-ginger relish that usually accompanies Cantonese charcuterie. This trans-regional assortment seems like three separate and unrelated dishes.

    • This is a modern, incredibly satisfying approach to classic Chinese cooking with excellent takes on everything from dumplings both long and soupy, to spring rolls, to crispy garlic chicken, to mu shu duck. On top of excellent food, Kings County is a fun place to hang out: they make great cocktails, and also have a nice outdoor/patio situation for warmer months. Dim sum brunch al fresco? We’re in.

    • Local ingredients go into the “delicious”, “eclectic” Chinese fare at this “lively” Williamsburg hangout, where a “warm” crew serves family-style plates and tiki-inspired cocktails; decked in mahogany, the “cool” digs feature red booths, a curved bar and laser-cut light boxes with vintage Chinese landscapes.

    • The second restaurant from Tracy Jane Young and Josh Grinker (the first is Stone Park Cafe, in Park Slope), Kings County Imperial is the result of the couple’s long romance with Chinese cooking, and their time spent traveling throughout that country, particularly in the central region. The menu doesn’t strive for “authenticity,” and offers both familiar dishes as well as interpretations from all over the cuisine, but there’s no mistaking the emotional connection between the food on your plate and the people who made it for you.

    Getting There

    Llama Inn

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    The Llama Inn is a Peruvian restaurant with shareable dishes and South American-influenced cocktails. They serve Anticuchos, which are skewered meats and a popular street food. Try them, they’re delicious here. You can also share a Peruvian rotisserie chicken ($42) which is one of Llama Inn’s highlights. On the downside, the spot can get a bit loud when crowded.

    Featured Reviews

    • Behind the windows on this triangular lot, the Llama Inn is something different. There are skewered beef hearts under a red mash of salsa that rattles with the heat of rocoto peppers. Bites of goat neck, thickly seared and braised until tender, are dark under a glaze that gets its mouthwatering tang from chicha, a beer brewed from Andean corn. Together with a fresh cilantro sauce, it makes the goat so compulsively good that we were all clamoring for the last forkful. Chilly and firm pieces of fluke ceviche, starting to go opaque in the acid of a smoky dashi, are wonderful to eat with soft bits of fried sweet plantain and crisp chips of green plantain.

    • The warm, open space channels a classic Peruvian corner bar. Natural wood furniture, tiled floors and steal beams decorate the room, and there’s a bar that’s great for coffee or dessert. Think traditional fluke ceviche, served tart with lime, dashi, plantains, sweet garlic, red onion and cilantro, as well as savory duck sausage with farro, butternut squash, beer, cumin and spinach. Adventurous eaters might opt for beef heart with garlic and rocoto salsa and queso helado for dessert.

    • You’ll probably want at least three people to do justice to those platters, but Llama Inn needn’t be a feast-only destination; excellent cocktails, many that plumb the hidden depths of pisco, the national grape-brandy spirit, make the bar a destination in its own right. (The Peruvian grilled-meat skewers called anticuchos are ideal bar snacks — try the fermented-soybean-slathered chicken thigh or the char siu pork.)

    • The food is Peruvian, or at least Peruvian-inspired, and it’s all highly tasty. It’s a place to get adventurous, if you want, with beef heart skewers and goat’s neck, but it’s also a people pleaser of a restaurant, with some roast chicken and ceviche ready and waiting. We actually ate our way through the menu with some friends who grew up in Peru, and while no one thought it was exactly an authentic taste of home, everyone agreed the food all tasted good. By the way, if you’re looking to take a trip to somewhere with amazing restaurants, go to Lima ASAP. In two days, we had four of the best meals we’ve ever had.

    Getting There

    Maison Premiere

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    Maison Premiere has long been one of our favorite places in Williamsburg. We first fell in love with their 1/2 price oyster special, which they offer Monday-Friday 4pm-7pm. Their raw bar is unmatched in the city, irrespective of borough. We’ve also always appreciated the lovely design, that’s reminiscent of a New Orleans-style, classic cocktail bar with a touch of old-timey Parisian flare. In recent years, they’ve expanded their menu to include more entrees as well such as Swordfish and a Lobster Roll. It’s all a bit pricey but worth the splurge.

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    • Maison Premiere is both exactly the same and very different than it was when it first opened. It’s still an adult fun house of raw seafood and absinthe, but it’s added other elements as well. There’s now a full menu of cooked food, a sleeper brunch situation, and an amazing patio out back.

    • This ultra-retro tavern may feel dark and old-timey, like a watering hole where the Founding Fathers would have stopped for fortification before fending off the British. But, the massive, U-shaped bar is particularly coveted, so arrive early or prepare to wait for your absinthe drip. To accompany the stellar sips, a vast selection of oysters, clams, and group-friendly seafood plateaux seem to pop up on every table. The kitchen’s talent is equally clear in such preparations as luscious sea urchin served in a chilled shellfish consommé with fragrant lemongrass and thin slices of sweet grapes.

    • The food is impressionistic, best appreciated as a series of lovely, fleeting moments rather than the sustained arc that typically constitutes a meal. From the raw bar come thin slices of sea scallop with rosy pickled rhubarb and a drift of shaved horseradish ice, hot and cold at once. Razor clam, sweet and almost squidlike in texture, is punctuated by crisp, clean radish. A spoonful of lobster dressed with mayonnaise, celery and tarragon, anchoring a cracked tail shell, suggests a stolen bite from a New England lobster roll, with buttered bread crumbs in lieu of the roll.

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