Brooklyn - Brooklyn Bridge

Brooklyn: where to stay, what to see, where to eat…

It has taken me a while but I am finally ready to publish my article about my recent trip to New York City, and Brooklyn in particular.

It wasn’t our first visit to New York City. I went with my sister the first time in September 2003 and we did all the things you expect a tourist to do: eating a hot dog in Central Park, visiting the Met, the MoMA, shopping on Broadway and taking the circle line to see the Statue or Liberty.

Then in January 2005, I move there to study for 6 months. I was sharing a flat with a model on 110th Street. I took this opportunity to explore a little bit further and set foot in every of the five boroughs.

I went again in November 2008, saw the Marathon and witnessed the first black President to be elected.

Finally, New York was the first trip Kwasi and I took after coming back from our round-the-world adventures. We stayed with my sister who was studying there at the time. This is also when Kwasi proposed.

For this new trip, we wanted something different so we decided to stay in Brooklyn. If we were really rich, we would have stayed in the beautiful Wythe Hotel, but we’re not so instead we found a really great Airbnb flat on Grand Street close to Williamsburg, a great base for us to visit Brooklyn.

 

We had eight full days and really took our time, walked a lot (about 3 marathons actually), used every transport possible (plane, taxi, boat, bus, subway and even helicopter) but we know we will be back for sure. There is always a new area for us to explore.

In this article, I am giving you my tried and tested recommendations for a visit to Brooklyn. We focused our efforts on Williamsburg, Greenpoint, Dumbo and Red Hook, our favourite!

Brooklyn - Williamsburg

Brooklyn - Williamsburg

Brooklyn - Coney Island

Drinks and food of Brooklyn

Breakfast

Brooklyn - Egg

Brooklyn - Five Leaves

Brooklyn - Five Leaves

IMG_3517

  • For a bright little brunch spot, go to Egg. Their organic produce will give you everything you need for the most important meal of the day
  • I had the best pancakes ever at Five Leaves in Greenpoint. First planned by Heath Ledger, it was opened shortly after his death by his business partner thanks to a donation from his family. We went there for breakfast and found a table outside. The food was absolutely amazing and there was a great atmosphere.

Lunch / Dinner

Brooklyn - Reynard

Brooklyn - Diner

Brooklyn - Diner

Brooklyn - Shelter

Brooklyn - Shelter

Brooklyn - Brooklyn Crab

Brooklyn - Hometown BBQ

Brooklyn - Hometown BBQ

Brooklyn - Cafe Colette

Brooklyn - Nathan's Famous

  • Reynard is the restaurant of the Wythe Hotel. We went there once for dinner and a second time for breakfast. The dining room has a great decor and atmosphere to it. We each ordered a main and shared a bottle of wine
  • Right by the Williamsburg bridge, Diner is a great place to experience another side of Williamsburg. The menu is handwritten on receipt paper. We went for the burgers with some local beer and had a great time
  • We went to Shelter on a week night after walking past it many times. Their facade is really cool and definitely made us go inside. We ordered empanadas and pizzas the restaurant’s specialities
  • Smorgasburg is the food venture of the Brooklyn Flea. We were lucky enough to have the last two dates where they settle outside near the Bushwhack Inlet Park
  • For some strange reason, Brooklyn Crab was one of my favourite experiences during this trip. We had a table right at the top of the building where they open the large windows, which made us feel that were were right by the ocean. We ordered a mix of different crabs, wore plastic bibs and used wooden hammers to crack the shells.
  • We stumbled upon Hometown BBQ on our first visit to Red Hook. To be honest, we only went in because I really needed the loo but we actually stayed for a beer and came back a few days later for a full meal. The crew of Burgers, Brew & ‘Que were filming. We might be stars!
  • We tried a few times to eat at Cafe Colette. We either were too early or too late so when we finally got a table in the greenhouse on our penultimate evening we were really really happy. The greenhouse has a great decor, nice lighting and good room for you to enjoy your private conversations in peace and quiet. We had really good food and were given a great service. A must if you come to Williamsburg.
  • And if you make it to Coney Island, there is only one place where you can eat and it’s at Nathan’s Famous. Their hot dogs are legendary but try to mix it up and go for some seafood, like I did!

Drinks

Brooklyn - The view from The Ides

Brooklyn - The Ides at Wythe Hotel

Brooklyn - The view from The Ides

Brooklyn - Toby's Estate

Brooklyn - Toby's Estate

Brooklyn - Kent Ale House

Brooklyn - Brooklyn Brewery

Brooklyn - Brooklyn Brewery

  • For stunning views of Manhattan over the East River, head to The Ides. We recommend going for 4pm to get a good seat. We went twice because we enjoyed it too much! They also have a terrace if the weather is on your side.
  • I don’t like coffee but I wish I did, just so I could spend afternoon working on my laptop in the cool space Toby’s Estate have created
  • We went to the Kent Ale House to watch the Rugby World Cup finale and were really happy with our choice. The atmosphere was great, the drinks many extensive and the location can’t be beaten.
  • Kinfolk 90 is a hybrid place, half coffee place, half bar, you can expect to meet a good mix of people
  • The most exported local beer Brooklyn Brewery. We knew Brooklyn Lager before coming here and we really wanted to visit the Brewery but because of bad planning it didn’t happen. We made up for it for dirking Brooklyn Lager every day during our visit!

Treats

Brooklyn - Mast Brothers

Brooklyn - Mast Brothers

Brooklyn - Steve's Authentic Key Lime Pie

Brooklyn - Steve's Authentic Key Lime Pie

  • We walked past Mast Brothers a few times and finally decided to go in to see what all the fuss is about. The first thing we noticed was the lovely smell in the air, then we loved the way everything is presented and we really enjoyed doing the tour of this factory. The names, flavours and packaging of these chocolates are a real pleasure of the senses
  • We bought Raaka chocolates at Smorgasburg. They are made in Red Hook, have a different way of making their chocolates and we also loved their packaging
  • For a modern take on the American classic doughnut, visit Dough. We bought three at Smorgasburg: plain glazed, dulce de leche and cinnamon sugar. They were delicious!
  • Whenever we read a review of Red Hook, We read something about Steve’s Authentic Key Lime Pie so we decided to make our own opinion of the famous pies and we were not disappointed. The pies are delicious!

Where to shop in Brooklyn

Brooklyn - West Elm

Brooklyn - Kempton & Co

  • Go to Fairway Market in Red Hook, we went in and loved the olive oil section with tester bottles and hundreds of pieces of bread. We loved it!
  • We went inside West Elm market in Dumbo by chance and really loved what they were offering: everything for the home from candles to toasters to signage. We know they have a store in London and we will go there for sure
  • Madewell – J.Crew’s little sister has a quiet store right next to Toby’s Estate
  • For Brooklyn-made accessories, I recommend Kempton & Co where British designer Kate Kempton uses old sails to create bags.

The must-do’s of Brooklyn

Brooklyn - East River Ferry

Brooklyn - Pepsi Cola

Brooklyn - Manhattan skyline from Bushwick Inlet Park

Brooklyn - Brooklyn Bridge

Brooklyn - Manhattan Bridge from Washington Street

Brooklyn - Williamsburg Bridge

  • Take the East River Ferry in both direction and at different times of the day. It takes you to 34th Street in Manhattan in just 10 minutes or all the way to Pier 11 in Downton Manhattan in under 30 minutes. The views are to die for and it is such a cool way to see the city differently
  • We were in Red Hook, tired and wanted to go back home but not walk miles to the subway station so we jumped on the Water taxi right in front of Fairway market. without knowing, we went on a touristy route and we got up close and personal with the Statue of Liberty before being dropped off on the Hudson river at 34th Street
  • Take the subway all the way to Coney Island, enjoy a stroll on the boardwalk or feel like a child in one of the crazy rides of the Luna Park
  • Make sure to watch the sun set at Valentino Pier in Red Hook, the only place where you can see the Statue of Liberty from the front
  • For local wine, visit the Red Hook Winery, you can do like us and try a few of the wines
  • We went to Bushwick Inlet Park almost every day to enjoy the views of Manhattan, to take photos, and to visit the famous Smorgasburg
  • Walk on the bridges to Manhattan: Brooklyn, Manhattan or Williamsburg, you take your pick!

Other addresses

Brooklyn - Cacao Prieto

Brooklyn - Sunny's Bar

These places I didn’t go in but I walked past and would definitely go next time I’m in the area:

More photos of Brooklyn

Brooklyn - Williamsburg

Brooklyn - Williamsburg

Brooklyn - Brooklyn Bridge

JulieBazar - Background

Brooklyn - Williamsburg

Brooklyn - Red Hook

Brooklyn - Williamsburg