Not For Tourists Guide to Brooklyn 2017
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About this ebook
Want to eat the best Mexican tacos and Salvadorian pupusas? NFT has you covered. How about a list of the hippest coffee houses and coolest bars? We’ve got that, too. The nearest beach, hidden park, pizza place, or bookstorewhatever you needNFT puts it at your fingertips. This light and portable guide also features:
A foldout map that covers the entire borough, including streets, subways, and buses
More than 75 neighborhood maps and profiles
Listings for nightlife hotspots
Details on museums and sports
Essential Brooklyn books and movies
This guide is a must-have for all Brooklynites and their outta-town visitors.
Not For Tourists
Not For Tourists (NFT) released their first book, a guide to Manhattan, in May of 2000. Today, NFT is an urban lifestyle brand that works closely with city and neighborhood editors in Boston, Chicago, London, Los Angeles, and New York. Their offices are in New York City.
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Not For Tourists Guide to Brooklyn 2017 - Not For Tourists
Neighborhood Overview
The northernmost neighborhood in Brooklyn, Greenpoint has multiple personality disorder. It’s strongly Polish (hence the mouth-watering bakeries and butcher shops) and solidly trendy. As the name suggests, parts are indeed green, but it’s also home to one of America’s filthiest waterways.
As longtime hub for shipping and manufacturing, Greenpoint sits at the nexus of Newtown Creek and the East River. Newtown Creek is infamous for the 1950 oil spill more than twice the size of Exxon Valdez; now an EPA Superfund site, remediation will continue for years. On a brighter note, Newtown Creek’s quarter-mile Nature Walk is a valiant attempt to spruce things up, and the tree-lined Greenpoint Historical District (originally home to local industrial workers) is still in excellent shape. Greenpoint is also the proud owner of the verdant oasis known as McGolrick Park. Manhattan Avenue Park (at the northern dead-end of that thoroughfare) is a well-kept, tiny gem with several cool sculptures. Also check out the impressive Eagle Street Rooftop Farm; support their efforts by buying fresh greens (give your regards to the rabbits and chickens). And Transmitter Park, the former home of WNYC’s radio towers at the end of Greenpoint Avenue, is a rare spot of green along the waterfront; head to the end of the zig-zagging pier for a respite from the heat of the city—it’s like ten degrees cooler out in the middle of the East River.
Manhattan Avenue is the neighborhood’s main artery (buses and the G train run along it). Mass is held at the stunning Saint Anthony of Padua Church and your everyday needs are met along the way—fruit & vegetable stands, taco restaurants, bars and the like. Franklin Street is a relaxing antidote to the grimy bustle of Manhattan Avenue, with galleries, boutiques and various high-concept entities. East of McGuinness Boulevard you’ll find various cheap bars, liquor stores, restaurants, Polish bakeries and a few real, respectable coffee shops, including Hannah Horvath’s employers, Café Grumpy.
One exciting aspect of Greenpoint (though not for locals with cars) is the frequent number of movie and television productions filmed here. It’s close to Manhattan and Long Island City (where a number of studios are based) and can stand in for a green, industrial, or cozy neighborhood setting. Flight of the Conchords shot their French song video in McGolrick Park. 30 Rock filmed in front of a dollar store on Manhattan Avenue. Recent productions have included The Bounty Hunter, Date Night, Boardwalk Empire, and Girls. If you keep your ears open at a bar, you may even hear someone who worked on a shoot giving the lowdown on which star is a bitch or which guy played the diva and spent the entire shoot moaning about a recent breakup. Ah, New York.
Barflies of every stripe can find something to suit their tastes, from sports bars (Red Star) to cocktail lounges (Manhattan Inn). PencilFactory and Black Rabbit are excellent standbys on Greenpoint Avenue and NFT staffers can be found at the Palace Cafe.
Greenpoint
Map 1
Landmarks
• Greenpoint Historic District •
Oak St & Guernsey St
Charming rowhouses that were built for workers of early merchants.
• John Smolenski Funeral Home •
1044 Manhattan Ave [Freeman St]
718-389-4170
1920s landmark with one of Greenpoint’s beautiful clocks.
• Newtown Creek Nature Walk •
Provost St & Paidge Ave
Great views of the sewage plant!
• Newtown Creek Wastewater
Treatment Plant •
Greenpoint Ave & Provost St
Take a moment to contemplate all of the famous and beautiful peoples’ crap floating around in here.
• Saint Anthony of Padua Church •
862 Manhattan Ave [Milton St]
718-383-3339
Beautiful church sticking out like a healthy thumb on congested avenue.
• Transmitter Park •
West St b/n Kent St & Greenpoint Ave
Greenpoint’s waterfront park; former home of WNYC transmitter towers.
Coffee
• Ashbox • 1154 Manhattan Ave [Ash St]
718-389-3222
Cool shop on the very north tip of Greenpoint.
• Budin • 114 Greenpoint Ave [Manhattan Ave]
347-844-9639
High-end Scandinavian coffee. With beer. Also, not cheap.
• Café Grumpy •
193 Meserole Ave [Diamond St]
718-349-7623
The finest coffee house in Brooklyn now has its own roastery.
• Café Riviera • 830 Manhattan Ave [Noble St]
718-383-8450
Delicious baked-goods and such.
• Crema BK • 182 Driggs Ave [Diamond St]
347-457-5363
Cold-brewed in Brooklyn.
• Konditori • 687 Manhattan Ave [Norman Ave]
347-223-4837
Cozy/packed mini-chain of Swedish coffeehouses.
• Uro Café • 277 Driggs Ave [Leonard St]
718-599-1230
Best espresso south of Greenpoint Ave.
• Van Leeuwen Ice Cream •
632 Manhattan Ave [Nassau Ave]
718-701-1630
Excellent coffee to go with your coffee ice cream.
• Variety Coffee & Tea •
145 Driggs Ave [Russell St]
347-689-3790
Nice coffee shop with views of McGolrick Park.
Farmers Markets
• Eagle Street Rooftop Farm •
44 Eagle St [West St]
Sunday, 1 p.m.–4 p.m. during growing season.
Nightlife
• Achilles Heel • 180 West St [Green St]
347-987-3666
Worn, hip local bar way over by the docks.
• Bar Matchless •
557 Manhattan Ave [Driggs Ave]
718-383-5333
Weekly music showcases, heavy metal karaoke, and foosball.
• Black Rabbit • 91 Greenpoint Ave [Franklin St]
718-349-1595
Fantastic fireplace, delicious mini-burgers. Trivia night is packed.
• Breukelen Brasserie •
710 Nostrand Ave [Prospect Pl]
347-404-7006
French on Nostrand. Tartines, cassoulet, mussels, yh.
• The Diamond • 43 Franklin St [Calyer St]
718-383-5030
Wine, massive beer selection, and shuffleboard.
• Dirck the Norseman • 7 N 15th St [Franklin St]
718-389-2940
Excellent brewed-on-site beer with German food as a bonus. Great space, too.
• Enid’s • 560 Manhattan Ave [Driggs Ave]
718-349-3859
Greenpoint’s finest hipster stand-by.
A Greenpoint visit must include a meal at a cheap and hearty Polish restaurant, like Christina’s. Afterwards, get a Polish pastry at Café Riviera or have some caffeine in the adorable backyard of Champion Coffee. One of the best brunches in the city is at Cafecito Bogota, so come hungry.
• Europa • 98 Meserole Ave [Manhattan Ave]
917-826-1119
Strobe light extravaganza.
• The Habitat • 988 Manhattan Ave [Huron St]
718-383-5615
Featuring waffle fries and zero attitude.
• The Manhattan Inn •
632 Manhattan Ave [Nassau Ave]
718-383-0885
Dark bar, pricey but delicious food, piano man in back.
• Northern Territory •
12 Franklin St [Meserole Ave]
347-689-4065
Leafy rooftop bar with expansive view, get the Territory’s Tea.
• One Stop Beer Shop •
134 Kingsland Ave [Beadel St]
718-599-0128
Craft beer and artisanal food, of course.
• Palace Café • 206 Nassau Ave [Russell St]
718-383-9848
Heavy jukebox and stiff drinks. Metal lives!
• Pencil Factory Bar •
142 Franklin St [Greenpoint Ave]
718-609-5858
Great beer; great vibe. Perfectly understated.
• Pit Stop Bar •
152 Meserole Ave [McGuinness Blvd]
718-383-0981
Buy a couple scratch-offs and experience blue-collar Brooklyn.
• Shayz Lounge • 130 Franklin St [Milton St]
718-389-3888
Irish pub in a sea of Polish.
• Spritzenhaus • 33 Nassau Ave [Dobbin St]
347-987-4632
Predictably packed beer garden in Greenpoint.
• TBD Bar • 224 Franklin St [Green St]
718-349-6727
Backyard beer garden
is tops on nice days.
• Tommy’s Tavern •
1041 Manhattan Ave [Freeman St]
718-383-9699
Super-dive with live music on weekends.
• Torst • 615 Manhattan Ave [Nassau Ave]
718-389-6034
Not just a beer bar, a fancy beer bar with Danish accents.
• Warsaw • 261 Driggs Ave [Eckford St]
718-387-0505
Brooklyn’s best concert venue.
Restaurants
• Acapulco Deli & Restaurant •
1116 Manhattan Ave [Clay St]
718-349-8429 • $
Authentic Mexican includes homemade chips and telenovelas at full volume.
• Amarin Café •
617 Manhattan Ave [Nassau Ave]
718-349-2788 • $
Good, cheap Thai food.
• Amber Steak House •
119 Nassau Ave [Eckford St]
718-389-3757 • $$$$
Porterhouse for two and Crestor to go.
• Anella • 222 Franklin St [Green St]
718-389-8100 • $$
Seasonal Italian, beautifully simple, bread baked in flowerpots
• Ashbox • 1154 Manhattan Ave [Ash St]
718-389-3222 • $
Japanese-influenced cafe fare at the mouth of Newton Creek.
• The Bounty •
131 Greenpoint Ave [Manhattan Ave]
347-689-3325 • $$$
Perfectly-executed seafood, nice back garden.
• Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory •
97 Commercial St [Box St]
718-349-2506 • $
As yummy as the DUMBO shop, without the lines.
• Cafecito Bogota •
1015 Manhattan Ave [Green St]
718-569-0077 • $$
Authentic and amazing Colombian cuisine.
• Calexico Carne Asada •
645 Manhattan Ave [Bedford Ave]
347-763-2129 • $
Polish tacos? The tasty Mexi food truck settles down in Greenpoint.
• Christina’s • 853 Manhattan Ave [Noble St]
718-383-4382 • $
Traditional Polish food, cheap breakfasts!
• Delilah’s Steaks •
55 McGuinness Blvd [Engert Ave]
347-689-4409 • $$
The kind with the word cheese
in front, silly.
• Dirck the Norseman • 7 N 15th St [Franklin St]
718-389-2940 • $$
Craft brewery with killer German plates—schnitzel, roast, etc.
• El Born • 651 Manhattan Ave [Nassau Ave]
347-844-9295 • $$$
Spanish/tapas with some nice surprises.
• Enid’s • 560 Manhattan Ave [Driggs Ave]
718-349-3859 • $$
Popular brunch on weekends; also dinner weeknights.
• Erb • 681 Manhattan Ave [Norman Ave]
718-349-8215 • $$
Terrific Thai; try the curry noodles.
• Esme • 999 Manhattan Ave [Huron St]
718-383-0999 • $$$
Just love, no squalor. Or, capaccio & cocktails.
• Five Leaves • 18 Bedford Ave [Nassau Ave]
718-383-5345 • $$$
Heath Ledger’s post-mortem restaurant is cooler than you.
• Fornino • 849 Manhattan Ave [Noble St]
718-389-5300 • $$
Brick oven ‘za wedged in between Polish food heaven.
• Glasserie • 95 Commercial St [Manhattan Ave]
718-389-0640 • $$$
Light-filled Mediterranean with luscious side dishes.
• God Bless Deli •
818 Manhattan Ave [Calyer St]
718-349-0605 • $
The only 24-hour joint in the ‘hood. Cheap sandwiches and burgers.
• Greenpoint Fish & Lobster Co. •
114 Nassau Ave [Eckford St]
718-349-0400 • $$$
Fresh oysters, cold Narragansetts, and a hot ‘nabe spot.
• Karczma •
136 Greenpoint Ave [Manhattan Ave]
718-349-1744 • $$
Homestyle Polish, rightly popular among locals, rustic interior.
• Kestane Kebab • 110 Nassau Ave [Eckford St]
718-349-8601 • $
Refuel your party tank around the clock for cheap.
• Kyoto Sushi • 161 Nassau Ave [Diamond St]
718-383-8882 • $$
Best sushi in Greenpoint; dine in for the sake and after-dinner Dum Dums.
• La Taverna • 946 Manhattan Ave [Java St]
718-383-0732 • $$
Hearty Italian for cheap? Si, per favore!
• Le Fond • 105 Norman Ave [Leonard St]
718-389-6859 • $$$
Can’t get into Five Leaves? No problemo, eat here.
• Lobster Joint • 1073 Manhattan Ave [Eagle St]
718-389-8990 • $$$
What the world needs: more lobster rolls. And bloody marys.
• Lomzynianka •
646 Manhattan Ave [Nassau Ave]
718-389-9439 • $
Get your kitschy Polish fix dirt cheap.
• Luksus • 615 Manhattan Ave [Nassau Ave]
718-389-6034 • $$$$
$100-plus tasting menu paired with beer exclusively.
• Manhattan Three Decker •
695 Manhattan Ave [Norman Ave]
718-389-6664 • $$
Greek and American fare.
• Ott • 970 Manhattan Ave [India St]
718-609-2416 • $$
Another excellent Thai choice on Manhattan Ave.
• Paulie Gee’s • 60 Greenpoint Ave [West St]
347-987-3747 • $$
Top brick-oven ‘za right by the river. Nice.
• Peter Pan Doughnuts •
727 Manhattan Ave [Norman Ave]
718-389-3676 • $
Polish girls in smocks serving tasty donuts.
• Raizes • 139 Nassau Ave [McGuinness Blvd]
718-389-0088 • $$$
Portuguese meat-on-a-stick with some surprises.
• Relax • 68 Newell St [Nassau Ave]
718-389-1665 • $
Polish diner w/ good prices and excellent soups—a neighborhood favorite.
• Sapporo Ichiban •
622 Manhattan Ave [Nassau Ave]
718-389-9712 • $$
Fresh sushi, friendly service.
• Selamat Pagi • 152 Driggs Ave [Humboldt St]
718-701-4333 • $$$
Indonesian goodness very near Polish goodness.
• The Water Table • 10 India St [West St]
917-499-5727 • $$$$
Dinner and a cruise, down-to-earth style.
Hit the (sausage) links at Steve’s Meat Market. Visit Old Hollywood for vintage; refurbished is in style at Alter Women. The fabulously junky second-hand shop The Thing is more affordable than Luddite. Vinyl junkies browse the bins at Permanent Records. Shop Eastern District for that which is artisanal and Brooklyn-based. Wedel sells imported chocolates, and New Warsaw Bakery, Charlotte Patisserie, and Jaslowiczanka have baked goods. WORD’s an English-language independent bookstore.
Shopping
• Alter Men • 109 Franklin St [Greenpoint Ave]
718-784-8818
Nice selection of vintage and hard-to-find labels.
• Alter Women •
140 Franklin St [Greenpoint Ave]
718-349-0203
Nice selection of vintage and hard-to-find labels.
• Bellocq Tea Atelier • 104 West St [Kent St]
347-463-9231
Exquisite tea sold per ounce, look hard for the sign.
• Brooklyn Craft Company •
61 Greenpoint Ave [Franklin St]
646-201-4049
Girly DIY classes to while away the crafternoon…
• Brouwerij Lane •
78 Greenpoint Ave [Franklin St]
347-529-6133
For beer junkies. Global bottles or pour-your-own growlers.
• Charlotte Patisserie •
596 Manhattan Ave [Driggs Ave]
718-383-8313
Polish-run dessert and coffee shop, delicious French-style pastries.
• Cracovia Liquors • 150 Nassau Ave [Newell St]
718-383-2010
Easiest place to spot a bum in Greenpoint. Open late.
• Dandelion Wine • 153 Franklin St [Java St]
347-689-4563
Knowledgeable staff and frequent wine tastings—double win!
• Eastern District •
1053 Manhattan Ave [Freeman St]
718-349-1432
Cheese and beer shop with tons of Brooklyn brands.
• Fox & Fawn Vintage •
570 Manhattan Ave [Driggs Ave]
718-349-9510
Same great vintage store, new location. Hips (arms and legs) don’t lie.
• The Garden • 921 Manhattan Ave [Kent St]
718-389-6448
Awe-inspiring natural foods selection.
• Jaslowiczanka Bakery •
163 Nassau Ave [Diamond St]
718-389-0263
Polish bakery with tempting layer cakes and babkas.
• Luddite • 201 Franklin St [Freeman St]
718-387-3450
Beautifully curated antiques and curios.
• Maria’s Deli • 136 Meserole Ave [Eckford St]
718-383-9063
One of many Polish bodegas. Pickle soup & mayonnaise salads!
• New Warsaw Bakery •
866 Lorimer St [Driggs Ave]
718-389-4700
Respected neighborhood supplier, buy a loaf at the back entrance.
• The One Well •
165 Greenpoint Ave [Leonard St]
347-889-6792
Cheery, girlie gift shop, emphasis on the girlie.
• Ovenly • 31 Greenpoint Ave [West St]
347-689-3608
Growing bakery serving sweet and salty treats.
• Pentatonic Guitars & Music •
139 Franklin St [Java St]
347-599-2576
Guitars, basses, ukuleles, banjos, mandolins, gear, and repairs.
• Permanent Records •
181 Franklin St [Huron St]
718-383-4083
Stellar selection of new and used vinyl, friendly service.
• Pop’s Popular Clothing •
7 Franklin St [Meserole Ave]
718-349-7677
Work clothes & boots for blue-collar authenticity.
• Rzeszowska Bakery •
948 Manhattan Ave [Java St]
718-383-8142
Authentic Polish bakery; mobbed around holidays you were unaware of.
• Sun Hee Farm •
886 Manhattan Ave [Greenpoint Ave]
718-349-5965
Ridiculously cheap fruits and veggies.
• The Thing • 1001 Manhattan Ave [Huron St]
718-349-8234
Unusual second-hand store offers thousands of used LPs.
• WORD • 126 Franklin St [Milton St]
718-383-0096
Literary fiction, non-fiction, and
kids’ books.
Neighborhood Overview
You’ve probably already made up your mind about Williamsburg, but let’s be honest, there is always something that brings you back to this hipsturbia on the river. Are the throngs of younguns struggling
to make rent eight times the national median obnoxious? Sure. Is your mind blown by three-hour waits at ineffectually staffed no-reservation restaurants that sell appetizers
like bread and butter
? Whose isn’t? But do a handful of blocks around Bedford and North 7th have enough excellent restaurants, unique shops, live music, bowling alleys, enviable parks, real bookstores, and record stores for God’s sake to make the rest of us schmos salivate at what our own neighborhoods can’t possibly offer? Sadly, yes. Which is when you find yourself squeezing onto the L or the B62 with everyone else who knows the same to be true.
The hulking steel towers of the Williamsburg Bridge (1903), long before the L came to be, connected the working class neighborhoods of Brooklyn with jobs in Manhattan. Before the bridge there was the Grand Street Ferry, which departed from the end of Grand Street. That spot is now taken up by the scrappy and pleasant Grand Ferry Park, which was one of the few parcels of waterfront open to the public during the area’s industrial heyday.
The East River of today bears the fruit of Bloomberg-era rezoning in the form of gleaming high-rise rentals and condos and a manicured waterfront. East River State Park, reclaimed from the weeds and still slightly rustic around the edges, is a sunny, sometimes a little too sunny, spot along the river. On summer weekends, the park hosts all manner of fairs and events. Even after the tents and tables are gone, however, East River State Park is definitely worth a weekly trip; the picnic tables at the river’s edge are one of the best spots in Brooklyn to gawk at that gorgeous skyline and a killer sunset. A few blocks away is Brooklyn Brewery. Brooklyn branded long before Brooklyn was a brand, only a small portion of its beer is actually brewed on site (the bottles, for example, come from Utica), though this spiritual home has anchored Williamsburg’s identity since the late 1990s.
Just down the street from Brooklyn Brewery at the northern end of Williamsburg sits McCarren Park, with its 35 acres of ball fields, dog runs, and gardens where residents of every stripe convene when the sun is out. Although not the nicest looking park in the city, or even the neighborhood, there’s an anarchic spirit to the park that’s hard to resist, from the infantilizing children’s games being played by aging cool hunters to the pick-up softball, basketball and soccer on dirt patches and concrete fields to the steady stream of low-key craft-film-food-music events that fill up the weekend docket during the summer; it’s a park that is well used and not fussed over, unlike some of the bigger, newer, nicer
parks. McCarren Pool, shuttered for decades, reopened as an actual pool and recreation center in 2012, and as such is a state-of-the-art year-round facility.
Stretching south from McCarren Park is Bedford Avenue, Williamsburg’s main thoroughfare, full of shops, bars, boutiques and activity. The Bedford Avenue L station at North 7th Street functions as a sort of millennial wave pool, casting shoals of young people into the hip thick as frequently as communications-based train control can allow. Williamsburg’s excesses ease the farther south and east you move from here. Along Metropolitan Avenue to the south is City Reliquary, a clever little (literally little) museum filled with New York City artifacts and historical tidbits, and a great way to connect with pre-gentrified Williamsburg. The south side of Williamsburg, especially south of Broadway, where stately Peter Luger has served steak since 1887, is one of the city’s largest and most established Hasidic neighborhoods. During the Bloomberg era the issue of bike lanes along Bedford Avenue became controversial when members of the Hasidic community objected to the idea of supposedly scantily clad (or at least less clad than they’re used to) cyclists riding through their neighborhood.
Williamsburg
Map 2
Landmarks
• Bedford L Train Station •
Bedford St & N 6th St
L Line
• Brooklyn Brewery • 79 N 11th St [Wythe Ave]
718-486-7422
Connect with your beer by witnessing its birth; free samples also encourage closeness.
• City Reliquary •
370 Metropolitan Ave [Havemeyer St]
718-782-4842
Artifacts from New York’s vast and rich history.
• East River State Park • Kent Ave & N 9th St
Swath of waterfront greenspace, Williamsburg style.
• Grand Ferry Park • Grand St & River St
Ferry is gone. Park remains.
• McCarren Park • Bedford Ave & N 12th St
Hipsters, Poles, and athletes unite!
• McCarren Park Pool • Lorimer St & Bayard St
718-965-6580
Massive WPA-era pool and recreation center.
• Williamsburg Bridge • Driggs St & S 5th St
Bridge of the chosen people—Jews and well-off hipsters.
Coffee
• Black Brick • 300 Bedford Ave [S 1st St]
718-384-0075
Cool exposed-brick-and-distressed-wood coffee hangout.
• Black Star Bakery •
595 Metropolitan Ave [Lorimer St]
718-782-0060
Oslo coffee and good croissants, too.
• Blue Bottle Coffee • 160 Berry St [N 4th St]
718-387-4160
Bay Area masters with the long lines for pour overs.
• Caffe Capri • 427 Graham Ave [Frost St]
718-383-5744
Classic café with incredible cannolis.
• Devocion • 69 Grand St [Wythe Ave]
718-285-6180
Williamsburg via Colombia; emphasis on sourcing and fair trade.