Local Faves
Specialty Food Shops
Caputo’s Fine Foods
Fresh frozen pasta, imported grocery items, fresh mozzarella
Court Pastry Shop
Italian ices and cheesecake are the jam (Willie Nelson gets cookies from there while he’s in town)
Esposito’s Pork Store
Sandwiches, sausages, rice balls, fresh mozzarella
Paisano’s Butcher Shop
Thee best
Sahadi’s
Classic; get the white bean salad
Shelsky’s
The vincente!
Ten-ichi Mart
Japanese grocery opened during the pandemic and saved our lives
Yunhai Taiwanese Pantry
Taiwanese snacks, drinks, and more! (further afoot in Williamsburg but worth the trek!)
Bars and Restaurants
Chez Moi
Probably “better” than Tabac but the same idea
135 Atlantic Ave
Clover Club
Cocktail bar
210 Smith St
Dinosaur BBQ
iykyk
604 Union St
French Louie
Solid staples, great garden in back
320 Atlantic Ave
Gowanus Yacht Club
Seasonal outdoor bar; beers are the only thing worthwhile
323 Smith St
Kadamba Kafe
Located in the ISK-CON/Hare Krishna Temple — all vegetarian!
305 Schermerhorn St
Lele’s Roman
Replacement for As You Are (RIP May 2025), in the Ace
252 Schermerhorn St
The Long Island Bar
110 Atlantic Ave
Mile End Delicatessen
Poutine!
97 Hoyt St
Piccola Cucina Casa
Authentic Sicilian!
141 Nevis St
Popina
Pasta bros make Italian in their giant backyard
127 Columbia St
Rice & Miso
Possibly the best local onigiri around
134 Nevins St
Rucola
190 Dean St
Sam’s Italian Restaurant
Owner/waiter/chef; red sauce joint—stealth good pizza but get a gaggle of friends and order one of everything
238 Court St
Taiki
Wonderful sashimi/sushi with often unusual selections; some of their fish comes direct from Tsukiji Market
134 Nevins St
el Zason
Local Mexican fave — the owner, Sixto, used to be the exec chef at Bacchus
491 Atlantic Ave
RIP—We will miss you!
As You Are
As expected, in the Ace
Ferdinando’s Foccaceria
Get the chickpea fritter and fresh ricotta sammich
Hadramout
Yemeni food open 24 hours for the cabbies
HiHi Room
Makes a pretty mean cocktail
Leyenda
Sister cocktail bar to Clover Club (see above)
Ugly Baby
Widely considered to be some of the better thai food in nyc. EXTREMELY SPICY; take many people for a better experience
Other places to know
Books are Magic
McNally Jackson
Yoseka Stationery