Summer Weekend Guide: Bushwick
Meals
Because this is another neighborhood in which the food scene is so varied, we had to divide it into two categories: meals and snacks. Also, now would be the time to note that things’ll be roughly divided between L train and JMZ Bushwick, generally about a 20 minute walk from one another. So, first things first. The area around Myrtle-Broadway tends to be the best hub for brunch, with Skytown Cafe, Little Skips, and Athom Cafe all within a few blocks of one another. Hit Athom if you’re in the neighborhood early—they have the best omlettes and croissants I’ve ever eaten, but the owner is bafflingly unapologetic about running out of everything early in the day—Skytown if you want to sit for a bit with an egg sandwich and a bloody mary, and Little Skips if you’d rather grab a coffee and bagel to-go and eat while you stroll down Flushing towards the hub of stuff around the Morgan stop.
Elsewhere, Northeast Kingdom is still the neighborhood gold standard for a stellar farm-to-table meal, and Falansai, a much-needed new Vietnamese place, is worth going to for the “Dad’s shrimp rolls” alone (though they’ve got pretty amazing wine pairings, too). Then, there’s Verde. It’s a little farther out, near the Myrtle-Wyckoff stop, but well worth it for the stuff that comes out of their 100-year-old coal oven, and a reliably low-key, old-school atmosphere that’s the ideal antidote to the sweaty throngs down by Roberta’s. Frank Sinatra will be playing, fresh cannoli will be in a display case, and everything will feel exactly right. Also, for what it’s worth, Burger It Up! (their exclamation point, not mine) out on Knickerbocker has what may be the best veggie burger in the entire borough, as well as some of the best spicy fries. It’s a potent combination. Cafe Ghia’s got a good one too, which is certifiably vegan, to boot.
Skytown, 921 Broadway
Little Skips, 941 Willoughby Ave
Athom Cafe, 1096 Broadway
Falansai, 112 Harrison Pl.
Northeast Kingdom, 18 Wyckoff Ave.
Verde Coal Oven, 254 Irving Ave.
Burger It Up!, 146 Knickerbocker Ave.
Cafe Ghia, 24 Irving Ave.