Openings and Closings: Seafood Boil, Szechuan Slaw, and Samosas
It’s a seafood boil takeover, as we welcome three new spots all serving the dish. If crab legs aren’t your thing, we’ve also got a new tea house, lots of coffee spots, and a natural wine bar. Luckily this week, there’s only one goodbye— almost as if the world knew we needed a break! As always, let us know if we’ve missed anything, and stay safe. You can find the last edition of this series here.
Bklyn Cream
459 Bergen Street, off of Flatbush Avenue.
This new sister to Bklyn Crepe opened recently in Prospect Heights, serving up a variety of iced and blended treats. Try the cinnamon crumb cake ice cream, double cookie shake, or pumpkin ice cream.
Brooklyn High Low
611 Vanderbilt Avenue, between St. Marks Avenue and Bergen Street.
It’s the perfect time to go check out Prospect Heights’ newest tea room, Brooklyn High Low. Nothing quite makes us feel better about dreary and rainy weather than a nice hot cup. They’ve got classic teas and three menus— savory bites, baked goods, and sweets, all served on those classic tiered trays. Make sure to check availability before you go, because Brooklyn High Low is currently reservation only.
Bushwick Taco Company
1081 Fulton Street, between Classon Avenue and Claver Place.
In a slightly counter-intuitive twist, Bushwick Taco Company has opened a Clinton Hill location, as of September. Try their famous steak burrito bowls, burrito enchilado, or variety of tacos.
Cafe Volkan
85 Bergen Street, between Smith and Hoyt streets.
Try a latte, berry-loaded waffle, salmon avocado toast, or omelette grilled cheese from this new cafe and coffee shop. The spot opened up in late September and has a sweet little patio as well as several indoor tables.
Charm Bar
448 Dean Street, between 5th and Flatbush avenues.
Park Slope recently welcomed Charm Bar, a new cocktail spot. Try their Birds of Prey cocktail, served in one of the coolest glasses we’ve ever seen, or the campfire cocktail that you can legitimately roast a marshmallow over. We could all use that kind of fun right now.
Chote Miya Time Out Market
55 Water Street, between Dock and Main streets.
The Time Out Market gained Chote Miya last week. The spot serves up Indian street foods, like samosas, lassi, hot masala chai, or beef pepper fry frankies.
Court Street Tavern
449 Court Street, between 4th Place and Luquer Street.
Carroll Gardens’ latest gathering spot opened to the public on October 29th. The large outdoor garden, complete with grassy space, boasts meals like a towering cheeseburger, crispy artichokes, fennel sausage pasta, and french onion soup. Did we mention the drinks? Sip on specialty cocktails, wines, and draft beers.
Crabs in a Barrel
825 Flatbush Avenue, between Lenox Road and Linden Boulevard.
Flatbush Avenue gained a new crab spot last month. You can enjoy both fried and grilled seafood, veggies, and even a soft shell crab sandwich complete with fried plantains.
Hook & Reel
430 Albee Square, between Fulton and Willoughby streets.
This new location of the Hook & Reel chain will be opening right outside of the Dekalb Market Hall in Downtown Brooklyn. No word on the exact opening date, but their website says “opening soon”. Once they do, you’ll be able to try the seafood boils, pro’ boys, and fried lobster tail baskets.
King Wang’s
191 Knickerbocker Avenue, between Melrose and Jefferson streets.
An alum of Daniel Boulud’s Michelin Star restaurants, Tom Wang, has opened a new gourmet sandwich spot in Bushwick. The spot is serving a Szechuan slaw fried chicken sandwich, a Japanese-style braised pork sandwich, and a bulgogi inspired cheesesteak.
Mashawi Conscious Kitchen
450 5th Avenue, between 9th and 10th streets.
Fifth Avenue in Park Slope will “soon” be home to the new location of Mashawi Conscious Kitchen, according to the spot’s Instagram. Previously on Staten Island, the new iteration seems like it’ll be serving similar dishes, including their cauliflower and gluten-free crust pizzas, party catering trays with falafel, hummus, kofta, and grape leaves, and fresh juices.
Mercadito
649 Grand Street between Leonard Street and Manhattan Avenue, and 557 Lorimer Street between Metropolitan Avenue and Devoe Street.
Eleva Coffee and Portenas have collaborated to form Mercadito, two small markets in Williamsburg, combining the wares of the two spots.
Ocean Treasures
1706 Church Avenue, between E. 17th and E. 18th streets.
Ocean Treasures, yet another new seafood restaurant, opened on Church Avenue recently. Grab classic boils, popcorn chicken, and even curry from them.
Peri Peri Grill House
173 4th Avenue, between Degraw and Sackett streets.
Peri Peri Grill House, the critically acclaimed spot for grilled chicken, burgers, and wings of all kings, has put up signage on a 4th Avenue and Degraw Street spot. The storefront used to house Bugritos, a burger and burrito joint that closed some time ago. No word yet from owners or their social media about when they’ll be opening, but our fingers are crossed for soon.
Pulkies Dekalb Market Hall
445 Albee Square West, between Fulton and Willoughby streets.
The latest tenant at the Dekalb Market Hall, Pulkies, opens tomorrow. They serve “Jewish-style” barbecue, pimento cheese dip with everything bagel spice and matzoh chips, and honey butter cornbread.
Shepherd’s Cup
2123 Avenue U, between E. 21st and E. 22nd streets.
Sheepshead Bay will soon be home to a new cafe and bookstore, Shepherd’s Cup. Right now, the spot is still under construction, but if the renderings they have on their Instagram account are an accurate view into the future, we think it’ll be one of the coziest spots on the Avenue.
Sobol Bed-Stuy
531 Nostrand Avenue, between Herkimer Street and Herkimer Place.
Get healthy with the latest Sobol location, opened in Bed-Stuy on November 11th. Try their açaí bowls, smoothies, or hot soups and feel good about it.
Taco Zone
887 5th Avenue, between 38th and 39th streets.
This new Sunset Park taco spot serves malty vegan Mexican options, such as nachos, burrito bowls, and tamales. They had their grand opening celebration in September.
Winona’s
676 Flushing Avenue, between Tompkins and Throop avenues.
Winona’s, Williamsburg’s latest natural wine bar and cafe, opened today. The spot is a breakfast and lunch restaurant during the day, with dishes like brioche toast, a mortadella sandwich, and lamb meatballs. At night, the wine bar takes over, where you can sip on natural, low intervention wines. Pair them with the lamb belly fritters, anchovy toast, or tortilla espanola, and you’re good to go.
Closings:
Golden Krust
1293 Fulton Street, between Nostrand Avenue and Verona Place.
The Fulton Street and Nostrand Avenue location of the fast-food chain Golden Krust has closed, according to the Bed Stuy BID’s Instagram. They’re offering most of their inventory, including a candy stove, drink refrigerator, pots, panda, and file cabinets for sale.