As we ease our way into 2020, we’re eager to explore all the diverse, newly opened restaurants popping up across Brooklyn. Here are just a few, along with our suggestions on why you might consider a visit.
Great for: post-pampering or relaxing with a friend
Once a 1930s soda factory, Williamsburg’s chic Bathhouse spa features a mix of preserved details—brickwork, vaulted ceilings and a 100-ft-tall smokestack—and sleek modern accents that invite relaxation. The recently opened restaurant within Bathhouse features hearty, meat-focused Northern and Eastern European options as well as lighter bites created by Chef Nejc Šeruga, of Eleven Madison Park and Agern. It’s open seven days a week for brunch, lunch and dinner.
Bathhouse
103 N 10th St.
Brooklyn, NY 11249
Great for: tea and a light meal
After three years as a pop-up, Bushwick’s Awkward Scone has blossomed into a 16-seat café that offers three types of New Mexican-style breakfast burritos, homemade bread, gourmet donuts, cake and other decadent pastries. Chef Eric See, a former New Mexican himself, works alongside Pastry Chef Erin Emmett to deliver comfort foods in a community-driven environment. They’ve already hosted Friendsgiving, donated rainbow cookie proceeds to support LGBT organizations and regularly showcase local artists’ works. Oh, and if you’re a tea fan, they’ve got an entire menu of herbal tea, infusions and hot or iced tea lattes.
The Awkward Scone
1022 Broadway
Brooklyn, NY 11221
Great for: Thai-style street food and not-your-average brunch
A true family affair, Williamsburg’s Noods n’ Chill is the third restaurant by Chef Manadsanan Sutipayakul and her three children, Benjaporn Chua, Preawpun Sutipayakul and Jirawat Sutipayakul (owners of Look by Plant Love House and Mondayoff). The 12-seat restaurant serves boat noodle soup, Thai street-style popcorn chicken and half organic duck on their main menu while weekend brunch items include Chinese-Thai rice porridge, steamed Thai-style brioche, roti and a variety of milk teas.
Noods n’ Chill
170 3rd St.
Brooklyn, NY 11211
Great for: laidback wining and dining
At Carroll Gardens’ Bar Bête, indulgence is a must whether you’re nibbling on truffle brioche, savoring the aged duck or sharing a bottle of wine. Chefs Joe Orgodnek and Marc St. Jacques cook up rich French-Canadian-influenced dishes and aim to provide a fun night out as opposed to a formal tasting menu experience.
Bar Bête
263 Smith St.
Brooklyn, NY 11231
Great for: a delicious introduction to Yemeni coffee, culture and food
Once upon a time in 1995, two men arrived in New York from Yemen and worked at a Sunset Park bodega which they soon purchased. Fast forward to today, when their descendants, Ali Suliman and Hakim Sulaimani, have opened Yafa Café just down the street from their fathers’ bodega. A celebration of Yemeni coffee and culture, Yafa Café proudly serves ethically sourced Yemen coffee and the chefs’ take on Yemeni Brooklynite foods—cheese samboosas (stuffed pastries) and hawaij-seasoned fried chicken, among other items unique to their upbringing.
Yafa Café
4415 4th Ave.
Brooklyn, NY 11220
Great for: pierogi and beer
Craving some warm Polish comfort food on a cold winter’s day? Greenpoint’s Pierozek is the place to go. Husband and wife team Radek Kucharski and Alexandra Siwiec offer a simple menu featuring pierogi for everyone—vegetarian, meat, cheese, fruit—two croquettes and borscht. Don’t forget to wash it down with a nice cold beer.
Pierozek
592 Manhattan Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11222
Great for: pizza—when you want more than a slice
If you’re already in love with the natural wine and “nearly perfect marinara pizza” offered at Ops in Bushwick, be excited. The owners recently opened Leo, a bigger 70-seat spot in Williamsburg. Here, the pizzas are a bit different—made in an electric oven instead of a classic wood-fire one—as are the additional menu items, which also include gluten-free options. They serve Copenhagen-inspired baked goods and breakfast sandwiches too!
Leo
318 Grand St.
Brookyln, NY 11211
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