Guidebook for Brooklyn
Food Scene
Excellent restaurant. (not cheap.) Excellent Bar (the "barN" next door). Maybe the best backyard in NYC, just know they close the backyard early-ish because they're good neighbors.
67 locals recommend
Flatbush Farm
Excellent restaurant. (not cheap.) Excellent Bar (the "barN" next door). Maybe the best backyard in NYC, just know they close the backyard early-ish because they're good neighbors.
Great bar and restaurant, perfect for summer day & eve, as it is basically all outdoors. Diverse crowd, movie nights, little or no carbon footprint. This whole area around Fulton & Lafayatte is great.
248 locals recommend
Habana Outpost
757 Fulton StGreat bar and restaurant, perfect for summer day & eve, as it is basically all outdoors. Diverse crowd, movie nights, little or no carbon footprint. This whole area around Fulton & Lafayatte is great.
Excellent casual Italian farmhouse cooking and great pizza. Inexpensive but high-quality and great atmosphere.
44 locals recommend
Amorina Cucina Rustica
624 Vanderbilt AveExcellent casual Italian farmhouse cooking and great pizza. Inexpensive but high-quality and great atmosphere.
Relatively new Swedish coffee house. (haus?) I don't think you have to be into (or even have ever had) Swedish coffee, per se, to enjoy this place. Nice environment: Macbook central.
28 locals recommend
Bonnie's Grill
278 5th AveRelatively new Swedish coffee house. (haus?) I don't think you have to be into (or even have ever had) Swedish coffee, per se, to enjoy this place. Nice environment: Macbook central.
Def one of the most famous restaurants in Park Slope, known for excellent Italian food. Inventive but not out there. Pretty casual and inexpensive for such great atmosphere and food.
205 locals recommend
al di la Trattoria
248 5th AveDef one of the most famous restaurants in Park Slope, known for excellent Italian food. Inventive but not out there. Pretty casual and inexpensive for such great atmosphere and food.
There are a bunch of Thai restaurants in the area. This one is my favorite. A bit of a clubby atmosphere. Great food, inexpensive.
58 locals recommend
Song
295 5th AveThere are a bunch of Thai restaurants in the area. This one is my favorite. A bit of a clubby atmosphere. Great food, inexpensive.
One of the most famous restaurants in Park Slope. Great food, a bit pricey but half what you'd pay for the same meal in the Village. Brunch, too.
58 locals recommend
Rose Water
787 Union StOne of the most famous restaurants in Park Slope. Great food, a bit pricey but half what you'd pay for the same meal in the Village. Brunch, too.
Good cafe. Get coffee or lunch with a friend or sit by yourself and write your screenplay. You won't be the only one.
125 locals recommend
Milk Bar
620 Vanderbilt AveGood cafe. Get coffee or lunch with a friend or sit by yourself and write your screenplay. You won't be the only one.
Gourmet pizza. Even better than the restaurant is the store they own, Brooklyn Larder, a block or so closer to my place. Anyway, this is great if you like gourmet pizza.
121 locals recommend
franny's
348 Flatbush AvenueGourmet pizza. Even better than the restaurant is the store they own, Brooklyn Larder, a block or so closer to my place. Anyway, this is great if you like gourmet pizza.
Name says it all. If you love chocolate, you'll love it here. For kids and (maybe even more) adults. Pair dessert with beer, wine or coffee per their pairing lists for best results.
74 locals recommend
The Chocolate Room
Name says it all. If you love chocolate, you'll love it here. For kids and (maybe even more) adults. Pair dessert with beer, wine or coffee per their pairing lists for best results.
Great bar and restaurant. Excellent food, drinks and atmosphere. Great date or brunch spot.
31 locals recommend
Alchemy
56 5th AveGreat bar and restaurant. Excellent food, drinks and atmosphere. Great date or brunch spot.
Excellent Middle Eastern fusion restaurant. Brunch is great, but get there early or you'll wait a while.
107 locals recommend
Miriam
79 5th AveExcellent Middle Eastern fusion restaurant. Brunch is great, but get there early or you'll wait a while.
Canaille Bistro
78 5th AveGreat schmantzy spot for fine dining.
Spanish, Portuguese, Italian fine dining. Especially great if you like lamb or some exotic meats.
33 locals recommend
Convivium Osteria
68 5th AveSpanish, Portuguese, Italian fine dining. Especially great if you like lamb or some exotic meats.
Great Italian. Excellent wine menu and food in a nice atmosphere. Inexpensive.
7 locals recommend
Peperoncino
72 5th AveGreat Italian. Excellent wine menu and food in a nice atmosphere. Inexpensive.
Excellent vegetarian and vegan food of the healthy and less-healthy varieties. Great for vegetarians and omnivores alike. Wonderful back patio. Service is... well, don't go if you're in a huge hurry.
28 locals recommend
The VSPOT
156 5th AveExcellent vegetarian and vegan food of the healthy and less-healthy varieties. Great for vegetarians and omnivores alike. Wonderful back patio. Service is... well, don't go if you're in a huge hurry.
Bogota Latin Bistro
141 5th AveColombian food!
Cubana Café
80 6th Avenuename says it all.
Kaz an Nou
53 6th AveExcellent French-Caribbean restaurant. BYOB!
Great sushi. I like it better than Geido, but Geido is a more upbeat interesting place. This is more like a normal sushi restaurant or more like any normal restaurant than Geido is.
35 locals recommend
Taro Sushi
244 Flatbush AveGreat sushi. I like it better than Geido, but Geido is a more upbeat interesting place. This is more like a normal sushi restaurant or more like any normal restaurant than Geido is.
Famous for the atmosphere/decor as much as for the sushi. Fun, upbeat and interesting sushi bar and restaurant.
60 locals recommend
Geido
331 Flatbush AveFamous for the atmosphere/decor as much as for the sushi. Fun, upbeat and interesting sushi bar and restaurant.
a new spot on Vanderbilt. The whole street, from about Sterling to Pacific, is great.
77 locals recommend
The Vanderbilt
570 Vanderbilt Avea new spot on Vanderbilt. The whole street, from about Sterling to Pacific, is great.
Ample Hills Creamery
623 Vanderbilt AveAwesome gourmet ice cream shop
Excellent French dining, brunch, etc. Wonderful backyard. Much less expensive than name or French distinction would suggest and worth it.
31 locals recommend
Le Gamin
556 Vanderbilt AvenueExcellent French dining, brunch, etc. Wonderful backyard. Much less expensive than name or French distinction would suggest and worth it.
James
605 Carlton AveFine Dining!
Bagels. They're good. Not Ess-A-Bagel, but who wants to schlep to midtown for a bagel, even if it is as big as my head. Here, good bagels (good for NY, that's great anywhere else,) sandwiches, coffee.
107 locals recommend
Bergen Bagels
473 Bergen StBagels. They're good. Not Ess-A-Bagel, but who wants to schlep to midtown for a bagel, even if it is as big as my head. Here, good bagels (good for NY, that's great anywhere else,) sandwiches, coffee.
Joyce Bakeshop
646 Vanderbilt AveGreat bakery/cafe
Everything Else
There are several great shops and restaurants on this block of Bergen St, a real gem in the neighborhood.
Bergen Street Comics
470 Bergen StThere are several great shops and restaurants on this block of Bergen St, a real gem in the neighborhood.
An unusual spot. Interesting architecture with the Richard Meier building as a backdrop to the monuments. Even better, it's a great spot from which to enter Heaven, aka Prospect Park. Careful crossing
378 locals recommend
Grand Army Plaza
Flatbush AvenueAn unusual spot. Interesting architecture with the Richard Meier building as a backdrop to the monuments. Even better, it's a great spot from which to enter Heaven, aka Prospect Park. Careful crossing
Classical Yoga by donation. Seriously, pay what you want/can. Upstairs in a neat spot overlooking beautiful 6th ave. Literally like 200 ft from the apartment.
82 6th Ave
82 6th AvenueClassical Yoga by donation. Seriously, pay what you want/can. Upstairs in a neat spot overlooking beautiful 6th ave. Literally like 200 ft from the apartment.
Arts & Culture
Great, great bar with tiny, but lovely, backroom where you can hear excellent music reflecting the diversity and quality of the Brooklyn music scene.
206 locals recommend
Barbès
376 9th StGreat, great bar with tiny, but lovely, backroom where you can hear excellent music reflecting the diversity and quality of the Brooklyn music scene.
A real music venue, club, whatever you want to call it. Bands you've never heard of get their start here and bands you've been waiting all year to see play here frequently. Check out The Rub.
Southpaw
A real music venue, club, whatever you want to call it. Bands you've never heard of get their start here and bands you've been waiting all year to see play here frequently. Check out The Rub.
Awesome museum made even better on First Saturday (1st Sat of each mo.,) where it's free and has events going until late-night, including the most diverse crowd dance party you'll ever see. Guaranteed
3011 locals recommend
Brooklyn Museum
200 Eastern PkwyAwesome museum made even better on First Saturday (1st Sat of each mo.,) where it's free and has events going until late-night, including the most diverse crowd dance party you'll ever see. Guaranteed
Too cool to explain properly. A whole campus for the arts. Dance, theater, music... all top-notch. And a great movie theater for classics/indie/foreign
221 locals recommend
BAM Fisher
321 Ashland PlToo cool to explain properly. A whole campus for the arts. Dance, theater, music... all top-notch. And a great movie theater for classics/indie/foreign
Essentials
Fancy beer shop. The snobbery is part of the charm, in my opinion. If you want good, unusual, local and/or fancy beer, this is the place. You know you won't want just one, so get a growler.
28 locals recommend
Bierkraft
191 5th AvenueFancy beer shop. The snobbery is part of the charm, in my opinion. If you want good, unusual, local and/or fancy beer, this is the place. You know you won't want just one, so get a growler.
Shopping
Flirt
93 5th AveCool women's clothing boutique
Nora Kogan Jewelry
231 5th AvenueBeautiful and unusual jewelry designer and store.
Ride Brooklyn
468 Bergen StCool bike shop. Good selection, service.
Drinks & Nightlife
Cyprus Avenue
52 5th AveBar & restaurant.
Tiny, chill bar. Some would call it a dive. I say a great local spot that I'm letting you in on.
Black Sheep Pub
428 Bergen StTiny, chill bar. Some would call it a dive. I say a great local spot that I'm letting you in on.
Very popular restaurant and night-spot, especially for the West Indian community.
47 locals recommend
Sugarcane
238 Flatbush AveVery popular restaurant and night-spot, especially for the West Indian community.
Sports Bar. Not as "sports bar"-ish as most, including 200 Fifth. Good bar food, chill atmosphere, nice diverse crowd and not fratty at all.
7 locals recommend
Plan B
626 Vanderbilt AveSports Bar. Not as "sports bar"-ish as most, including 200 Fifth. Good bar food, chill atmosphere, nice diverse crowd and not fratty at all.
Can get a little raucous at times, which is a nice departure from most Park Slope/Prospect Heights establishments. Only relatively raucous, though, and only sometimes. Great bar and backyard
84 locals recommend
Soda Bar
629 Vanderbilt AveCan get a little raucous at times, which is a nice departure from most Park Slope/Prospect Heights establishments. Only relatively raucous, though, and only sometimes. Great bar and backyard
Like a throwback to the 20s. Great cocktails in a neat environment with mustachioed bartenders (barkeeps?) and a nice backyard.
589 Vanderbilt Ave
589 Vanderbilt AvenueLike a throwback to the 20s. Great cocktails in a neat environment with mustachioed bartenders (barkeeps?) and a nice backyard.
Entertainment & Activities
Heaven for the yuppy toddler. Get your little one's hair cut, buy cool toys (I want 'em and I'm 33) that are educational... they grow up so fast, don't they?
Lulu's Cuts & Toys
48 5th AveHeaven for the yuppy toddler. Get your little one's hair cut, buy cool toys (I want 'em and I'm 33) that are educational... they grow up so fast, don't they?