Free Williamsburg

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

Acapulco

By

A wonderful, atmospheric Mexican diner at the end of Manhattan Avenue in Greenpoint. Start with the fresh tortilla chips and guacamole and move on to the Carnitas (roasted pork) or Chorizo (spicy sausage) Tacos. Portions are huge, so be sure not to over-order. One bite and you’ll be transported to a bustling counter joint in Mexico City. The Tortas — the Mexican version of a sandwich – are stellar as well. It doesn’t get any more authentic than Acapulco.

Featured Reviews

  • The enormous signboard menu behind the counter carries both Mexican and American basics from soft tacos to tuna melts with fries. A few surprises include tacos cecina, a sort of Spanish beef jerky with cilantro, onions and white sauce in a soft corn tortilla, and the Crunch French Toast made with thick fluffy slices of challah dredged in batter and coated in crushed corn flakes. The food’s not San Diego quality, but nothing comes out too badly and it’s all exceedingly cheap.

Getting There

Achilles Heel

By

A cozy, gorgeous gastropub tucked away in north Greenpoint, just a stones-throw from the East River. There’s a wood-burning stove up front, a small bar and a handful of tables. The hardwood floors, original tin ceilings, old-timey cocktails, and a small seaside-inspired menu hearkens back to an earlier era when Greenpoint was a working port and the space was a pub frequented by dockworkers. Come for an inventive small plate and a fancy cocktail. Achilles Heel is one of many popular restaurants in North Brooklyn created by Andrew Tarlow who also founded Diner, Marlow & Sons, and Reynard.

Featured Reviews

  • In its more peaceful hours, Achilles Heel, a revived waterfront bar with a painted stone facade in the Greenpoint section of Brooklyn, reminds me of McSorley’s Old Ale House. At both places, you can rub the winter out of your hands near a hot stove (fueled by coal at McSorley’s, firewood at Achilles) whose feet are propped on beat-up floorboards. Neither spot is in any hurry, and time there moves at a pace that is decidedly prehashtag. Their light has a faraway, amber quality you could call cheerful gloom. They are among the most soothing places in the city to cradle a glass while the day shortens and slips into the night.

  • a café and bar meant to evoke the always-open grocery and drinking spot that once sustained Greenpoint dockworkers at its West Street address between 1900 and 1960. Details like the hardwood bar and mirrors are original, and once he had signed on the space, Tarlow took a solitary bar stool he’d found straight to his carpenter and asked him to make a few more. There’s a meat-slicer behind the counter for the domestic cured hams, wooden apple crates loaded with fresh produce for purchase, breads baked at Roman’s for sale, and several hundred pounds of new equipment for the baristas to make George Howell pour-over coffee and espresso drinks.

  • Brooklyn empire builder Andrew Tarlow (Reynard, Diner, Marlow and Sons) extends his reach to Greenpoint for this cute corner cafe that turns into a bar at night, offering a tightly curated drink list focused on beer and wine plus a small menu of snacky food; with its copper-topped bar, intricate wood details and funky little tables, the comfy space feels like it’s already been around for ages.

Getting There

Alameda

By

A beautifully-designed cocktail bar with a small, New American menu. The space has a horseshoe-shaped bar and a few tables for dining. An intimate spot with great cocktails and one of our favorite burgers in the neighborhood. The menu is updated seasonally, but if they have it, the grilled octopus is fantastic.

Featured Reviews

  • An upmarket stand-in for your everyday hang. Alameda is the Jennifer Lawrence of bars—stunning yet instantly approachable, with a serious eye on the craft (namely, cocktails) but a daffy sense of humor (namely, those drink names). It’s a place where a tatted, T-shirt-sporting crowd can get a Guinness as readily as a biodynamic wine, where happy-hour specials include beer-and-shot combos and oysters with cucumber mignonette.

  • The knowledgeable bartenders can mix just about any cocktail with ten syllables from brand name spirits and their homemade vermouths and bitters: The Alameda Manhattan leaves an impression that all the Manhattans you drank before should have been called Newarks. The menu is limited, but each offering stands out for its inventive take on classic American fare. The cucumber mignonette sauce gives the oysters a balanced flavor that never overwhelms the natural brininess, and the frisée salad’s pork belly bits level-ups this French-American staple. And the foie gras breakfast sandwich is so deliciously decadent that you’ll dread eating your last bite.

  • A gorgeously grungy staff serves creative cocktails and high-end (yet affordable) takes on American snack fare at this Greenpoint hang; a U-shaped bar dominates the stylish space, which is decked out in white tile and handsome wood.

Getting There

Amami

By

Fresh sushi and craft cocktails in a laid-back and chic pub setting. There’s also ramen and an assortment of small plates to share, like Popcorn Shrimp (in a honey-sriracha crema) and Grilled Japanese Squid with a basil-ginger glaze. Everything goes well with a Japanese Old Fashioned (Iwai Japanese Whiskey, Fresh Ginger Mint Syrup) or one of their many Sakes. Best of all, prices are very reasonable.

Featured Reviews

  • If you’re in Greenpoint, expect this to be your neighborhood sushi spot. It’s on the trendier side (as neighborhood sushi spots go) and the menu is big – in addition to sushi, you can find anything from ramen to pork buns.

  •  a pan-Japanese menu of sushi, yakitori, ramen and other snacks. The wasabi and the soy sauce are house-made here, served alongside pieces of fresh sushi and colorful rolls adorned with jewel-toned roe or wrapped in thin slices of raw fish. There are literally hundreds of different options for fish and seafood, whether raw, skewered and grilled, fried, or steamed with vegetables.

  • The caliber of fish certainly speaks for itself–from rose-tinted slips of seabream to buttery blocks of otoro, portioned into austere rectangles of sashimi or tight, rice-padded coils. Wang lets loose when it comes to signature rolls, though, festooned like floats at a Carnival parade–angled on martini glasses bolstered with sprays of baby’s breath, or assembled on platters and decorative, rough-hewn boards, shimmering with a judicious application of day-glo roe. He maintains that sense of whimsy with another surprise element: brunch, besting tired standbys like benedict and pancakes with seafood okonomiyaki, spicy tuna tekka don and organic azuki bean waffles.

  • the sushi here is fresh and affordable, with standard rolls under $7 and the fancier ones hovering around the $15 mark. The menu is a mix of simply prepared fish and casual Japanese comfort food like soy-glazed pork buns and ramen in a red miso broth. With its sleek décor and long bar, it offers a nice space to gather for carefully made cocktails and reliable, straightforward Japanese dishes. 

Getting There

Amarin Cafe

By

Amarin is our go-to Thai joint for a reliably good meal. We’re never blown away, but the food is satisfying when we’re looking for affordable Thai cuisine. We like their Chicken Masaman Curry and their Pad Thai, but everything is done well. The dining room is unremarkable, but comfortable and rarely crowded which is a huge plus. One word of caution: when they say spicy, they mean SPICY. Be sure to order mild or medium unless you can handle it.

Featured Reviews

  • This no-frills Thai spot by McCarren Park promises flavorful fare at a low price. It’s great for such standbys are pad thai, curry, and satay, but also be sure to check out some of their house specials– the basil shrimp sauteed in onion, pepper, and chili sauce is on point. It’s cash only, but they offer free BYOB.

  • If you’re seeking refuge from the wave of glammy Thai spots to hit Williamsburg in recent years, head north, to where the only frills are the local artwork on otherwise bare green walls. All the brilliance here goes into the food: A pair of golden, crisp crab cakes are first good, then great when dunked in rich, coconutty peanut sauce. Basil chicken, ordered medium spiced, is quite hot; shrimp with asparagus is scattered with nicely crunchy cashews.

Getting There

Anella

By

A reliable neighborhood spot in North Greenpoint that serves predictably delicious American fare. We recommend their Brick Chicken or any of their house-made pastas. Entrees come with fresh bread cooked in a clay pot. It’s amazing. There’s a long bar up front offering cocktails, several local beers on tap, and a broad selection of wines. Brunch is popular on weekends and if you go, be sure to order their biscuits. A solid choice.

Featured Reviews

  • But the narrow bar and dining room are warm as candlelight, decorated in that nice urban variation on farmhouse chic that is common to restaurants in north Brooklyn, all brick and reclaimed hardwood, with Edison bulbs hanging from the tin ceiling that cast shadows over pockmarked plaster and ancient paint. (Beards and cardigans abound at the tables, as well as vintage dresses, heavy clogs.) Service is easygoing, nice. And the food is a wonder: a tight and focused menu of simple, seasonally appropriate food from Joseph Ogrodnek, a talented chef who has been in the kitchen for almost a year.

  • A never-too-crowded neighborhood place that serves the kind of crowd-pleasing food you would be happy to eat multiple times a week. Pastas? Check. A burger? Yep. Roast chicken, and a kale salad that actually tastes better than one you could make for yourself at home? You get the idea. Plus, the warm dinner bread comes in a little flower pot that you would have to be dead inside not to like. And while the framework of the menu is always the same, the individual dishes change with the seasons.

Getting There

Annicka

By

Annicka is the city’s first restaurant with a farm brewery license, which means since it’s owned by the people behind Greenpoint Beer & Ale, it doesn’t need a seperate license to sell beer. This Greenpoint farm-to-table spot focusues on hyper-local fare, sourcing (when available) from North Brooklyn Farms. The menu will please vegetarians with lots of fresh options including Trumpet Mushrooms (with turmeric coconut milk broth, shaved spring vegetables & walnut chili oil) and Spring Lettuces (with cashew ranch, pickled beets & “all the crispy things.” Carnivores can choose from a Pork Chop, Market Fish, or a Steak with charred carrot, dandelion & black olive, to name a few dishes. The setting is quintessential new Brooklyn with outdoor seating available. Annicka is one of the best spots in the neighborhood, so be sure to give it a try!

Featured Reviews

  • the food is excellent, sometimes excitingly so. In the last gasps of winter, addictively sour, salty lemongrass chicken sausage, laced with Treviso and white kimchi, was fresh proof of the power of hearty lettuces and preserves. Wedding rice, a spin on the Persian dish tachin, a kind of crunchy-edged, savory cake, felt worthy of celebration: topped with cucumber raita, chopped almonds, and sliced chili, it hid sweet, juicy scallops and mussels within its densely packed grains. The nut-milk butter, served with flaky sea salt and sourdough, was a profoundly convincing substitute for the real thing, as was the macadamia ricotta. There was plenty for hard-core carnivores, too: a whole ham steak with eggs at brunch; pork chops; lamb ragu. But as I finished my braised beef over grits, I thought only of the unusual garnish, a thick but tender leaf that tasted vaguely of licorice. 

  • A significant and unusual feature of this airy yet intimate new spot is that all the beers, wines, ciders and spirits served are produced in New York State, often using ingredients grown in the state. That’s because the owner, Ed Raven, who also owns Greenpoint Beer & Ale nearby, is running the restaurant under a farm brewery license from the state. It permits him to serve beer by the glass without a separate license and, as a brewery owner, to open an off-premises restaurant or retail establishment. Mr. Raven has also collaborated with North Brooklyn Farms in Williamsburg for many of the ingredients used by the three chefs, each of whom has a specialty. Christian Perkins, who worked at Marlow & Daughters, is the butcher. Emma Jane Gonzalez, a vegan, and the omnivorous Kenneth Monroe come from North Brooklyn Farms. Their menu features seafood, steaks, sausages and vegetable specialties like charred sweet potatoes with kale and tahini, celery root with apples and crispy nori, and a green chile stew. Seats are at marble tables and a long, circular bar

  • the menu… ranges from fully-vegan dishes to steak (with plenty of vegetarian and fish options in the middle), and should be able to make most people happy. We tried a charred sweet potato with black tahini, and a black rice with squid and clams, and both of them were interesting and very good. The space is also big and well-designed, with a circular bar in the middle, and an open kitchen at the back, which generally contributes to the impression that there’s a lot going on here. Luckily, most of it seems to work.

Getting There

BarGlory

By

Nestled inside the Franklin Guesthouse hotel in Greenpoint is the second restaurant from the owners of Glasserie. Bar Glory serves a fantastic fusion of Mediterranean and Asian dishes in an unassuming environment. Start with their fantastic dumplings, our favorite being Pumpkin, Ricotta & Spicy Apricot ($4 each), though the Shrimp Shu Mai and
Lamb & Pistachio Pesto dumplings are great too. Bar Glory has a nice selection of sparkling wines, all served cold, which pair well with all of their small dishes. There are also several small grilled dishes available including octopus, greens, and lamb ribs. For an entree the Shrimp Dumpling & Massaman Coconut Curry is a winner too. Make sure you save room for dessert. The Cherry Pit Ice Cream with Lychee and Orange Blossom is as tasty as it is unique. A wonderful addition to the neighborhood.

Featured Reviews

  • Bar Glory is the second spot from the people behind Glasserie, one of Greenpoint’s best-known restaurants. Glasserie’s space is certainly cool, and the food is good – but we prefer Bar Glory. And that’s because the food here is unlike anything else in NYC. The menu here is a mashup of various Mediterranean and Asian cuisines, and it kicks off with dumplings. Unlike most dumplings you’ve probably eaten lately, these involve pumpkin, ricotta, and spicy apricot, or lamb and pistachio pesto. Each one comes out looking like a giant tortellini pasta sitting in a bath of sauce. You’ll eat it in two bites, and wish you had 12 more. Good news: Bar Glory has anticipated your needs. They also serve big bowls of shrimp dumpling massaman curry, and lamb dumplings with garlic yogurt and chili oil.

  • The larger lamb entrees ($16) are alone worth a trip. Shallots and baby squash join Azerbaijani chuchvara — tiny lamb dumplings that recall Polish uszka or Russian pelmeni — in a pool of garlic yogurt speckled with pine nuts, raisins, and crunchy slivers of fried garlic. Across the top, rivulets of chile oil run every which way, lending most bites a mounting then lingering heat. Kudos to Shem Tov and his crew for taking these straightforward dough pockets to unexpected new heights without it feeling overwrought or insincere. Then there’s kuksu, a Korean soup that wound up in Uzbekistan after Russia’s forced deportation of its Korean immigrant population in the 1930s. Though it’s commonly served cold, BarGlory opts for a hot preparation that starts with tangy, pho-like lamb stock spiked with vinegar, tender shreds of lamb shoulder, and rosy slabs of smoky, fat-rimmed grilled lamb loin. To this the kitchen adds a marbled tea-brined egg and a tangle of ragged, hand-cut semolina noodles, like the kind typically accompanying another Uzbek soup called lagman. It’s immediately one of the most interesting bowls in Brooklyn.

  • an airy multilevel space attached to the trendily designed Franklin Guesthouse, though it’s very much its own entity. In the evening, the low-lit casual atmosphere and on point vintage soundtrack make this ideal date territory, but I recommend eating here with enough people to order one of everything, including the larger bowls and sharing dishes like the whole fried fish…. Beautifully put-together food, rich with global influences, from the delicate scallops with black rice vinegar to the impressive onion jam and poppy seed bao. This continues into the cocktail menu which cherrypicks flavors from around the world from the Brown Bee with its bourbon and green tea to my favorite, the Stoned Soul Cocktail, with gin, apricot and turmeric. 

Getting There

Beco

By

A charming Brazilian cafe and bar with live music, traditional cuisine and great cocktails. Try the Maracuja Capiroska cocktail (Vodka, Passion fruit and pressed sugar cane) or a Traditional Caipirinha. For food, don’t miss the tasty cheese bread and the Feijoada (Brazil’s National Dish) which is a hearty, slow-cooked stew made with black beans and pork. Check their calendar for live Brazilian music. We love this place.

Featured Reviews

  • Daniel Giddings says he and his partners envisioned it as a modest Sao Paolo boteco, where you can laze about while popping made-to-order pao de queijo and sip cocktails made with fresh passion fruit and pressed sugar cane. As Giddings describes it, the decor harks back to the days of Pele, and “doesn’t scream ‘Brazil’ in your face, but it’s more like what a boteco is — a real hangout.” You can hang there during brunch that includes acai and granola, omelettes, bife a cavalo (Brazilians refer to their steak and eggs as “steak on horseback”), and a feijoada that’s prepared over the course of two days

  • Tucked away from the bustle of Bedford Avenue, this neighborhood gem offers delicious Brazilian food in an intimate candlelit setting. Dinner highlights include a traditional feijoada—smoky and thick stew with ham hock and black beans—and a shrimp stew that gets its bright flavor from coconut milk and cilantro. Brazilian churrasco—grilled meat—is also available, in the form of a simple filet mignon, nicely charred and served with garlicky collard greens.

  • And you can have a meal at Beco, even though there’s no real kitchen. A short-order cook in the corner of the bar quickly turns out satisfying versions of classics, like feijoada ($18), on a small cooktop. That dish arrives disassembled — beans and meat in a cup, rice and collard greens on a plate, toasted yuca flour in a bowl. It’s big enough for two, but too tasty to share. Split the bar snacks instead, both the excellent pão de queijo ($4), a basket of six puffed cheesy breads the size of Ping-Pong balls; and the sliced linguiça sausage ($6), made by a Brazilian butcher in Newark and browned in a skillet, then finished with cachaça.

Getting There

Brooklyn Barge Bar

By

Simply amazing views of the New York skyline inches away from Transmitter Park. The food is unremarkable, but will do the trick if you’re starving. Come instead for the view and the drinks and you will be delighted. Open May – October and great for groups.

Featured Reviews

  • Brooklyn’s very first bar on a boat… with unparalleled, panoramic views of the waterfront and skyline. Flanked by bright red shipping container kitchens, which serve pub grub basics like burgers, zucchini sticks and chicken sandwiches (expect more ambitious fare, such as slow-smoked barbecue, to emerge next year), a ramp leads the way to the gently undulating bar area, which dispenses nautical cocktails like Rum Punch and the Barg-O-Lotta—pilsner, hot sauce, tomato juice and lime—as well as wine by the glass or bottle, buckets of beer, and a trio of local drafts.

  • William Drawbridge joins the grand tradition of floating boîtes (The Frying Pan, Grand Banks) with this permanently docked 100-person barge, offering seating onboard and on land. Cocktails play on summery classics, including the Barg-elata (pilsner, lime, Chamoy hot sauce) and a Salty Spotted Chihuahua sloshed with tequila, lemonade and blueberries. Beyond booze, find straightforward fare like a sirloin burger on brioche, skirt-steak sandwiches with BBQ sauce and salmon fillets with lemon-citrus glaze.

  • After a couple drinks on this barge/bar/restaurant on the East River in Greenpoint, you can close your eyes and almost believe you’re on your own private boat (more speedboat than yacht, but still). But you won’t even want to do that for long, because the Manhattan skyline views are so good.

     

Getting There