Since Rene has lived in Cobble Hill for the last couple of months, I have been spending a lot of time there. I’ve always been fond of the neighborhood but now I love it even more. It’s lively yet quaint and entirely self-sufficient. There’s a ton of grocery stores, coffee shops, restaurants, boutiques and parks nearby, so you never really have to leave if you don’t want to. It’s basically the perfect place to live. I hope that one day I’ll get to live there too, but as it stands, I still enjoy the ‘hood as a mere visitor, albeit a frequent one.
And since I’ve gotten to know the place pretty well, I thought I’d compile a list of all my favorite Cobble Hill restaurants. Some of the addresses below are technically located in the surrounding neighborhoods of Brooklyn Heights, Carroll Gardens and Boerum Hill, but the dividing lines are so blurry that I don’t bother keeping track. So without any further ado:
Coffee/Breakfast
Konditori (115 Smith Street): A Swedish coffee shop with good and reasonably priced coffee and yummy pastries. The chocolate croissant is to-die-for and way better than Bien Cuit‘s next door - in my humble opinion, of course. On weekdays it’s packed with Macbook-wielding screenplay writers (or whatever it is those people are doing) and on weekends, young families with babies and dogs have their way with the place.
Ted & Honey (264 Clinton Street): A cute cafe located adjacent to Cobble Hill Park, aka the cutest block in Brooklyn. Their pastry selection is pretty meh but the coffee is great, and folks tend to line up for their breakfast on weekends. I’ve spent many hours there with my computer (which is not a Macbook, okay?!) using their free wifi.
Court Street Bagels (181 Court Street): ‘Cause you need dat bagel fix. This place is very affordable, which can’t be said for much in the neighborhood, and the people behind the counter are generally super nice. Warning: If you ask for bacon on your bagel, you will get a pound of it.
Brunch/Lunch
Hanco’s (134 Smith Street): A Vietnamese sandwich, pho and bubble tea shop. Its website does it no justice so don’t even bother with it. The pho is so-so but the bahn mis are kick-ass, and a bargain at $6.50 apiece.
Bar Tabac (128 Smith Street): A classic French cafe - my go-to when I’m feeling nostalgic for Paris. It’s small, intimate and great for a cute brunch date. Their croque madame is the best one I’ve ever had, and I take my croque madames very seriously. What makes theirs the best is that they layer the bechamel, ham, cheese and egg atop a single slice of bread, as opposed to the traditional technique of sandwiching the sauce, ham and cheese between two bread slices and topping it with the egg. This makes their version easier to eat and much saucier too.
Cafe Luluc (214 Smith Street): A bustling French bistro, popular for its brunch salads, pressed sandwiches and pancakes. Their cheesy pulled pork panini is your hangover’s best friend.
Dinner
Hunter’s (213 Smith Street): I have waxed poetic about Hunter’s before and I will do it again. Their market-driven, ever-changing New American menu never disappoints. They serve amazing freshly made pasta, proteins like rabbit and lamb, fun craft cocktails and the best burger ever, with pickled onions and a garlic aioili. Hunter’s is the place to go if you’re in the mood for something special.
Cubana Cafe (272 Smith Street): Super affordable and dependable Cuban classics, along with all the well-priced rum cocktails you can stomach. Cubana Cafe is perfect for unwinding after a long day of work and enjoying the company of your loud friends. The menu is meat-heavy so it may not be the place for your vegetarian pals.
Joya (215 Court Street): The place to get your spring-rolls-and-pad-Thai fix. Cobble Hill is home to plenty of Thai restaurants but many of them have an unpleasant dingy feeling that makes them suitable only for takeout - but not Joya. They have a modern interior, an open kitchen and cozy garden seating in the summertime. It has a really lively atmosphere and is a fun place to have dinner on Friday and Saturday nights. It gets pretty loud though, so don’t bring your pristine Brooklyn Heights baby here.
Dessert
Van Leeuwen (81 Bergen Street): I’m not crazy about sweets but Van Leeuwen’s ice cream is irresistible. They started out as a truck but now have several brick-and-mortar locations and are pretty popular among the hipster crowd. They use high-quality ingredients for all their goodies and have a really impressive rotation of vegan flavors, like banana bread and chocolate crunch pictured below. It’s very pricey though - a small cup can run you up to $6.
What are your favorite Cobble Hill restaurants?
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