Summer Weekend Guide: Greenpoint
Eat
Unless you come early enough in the day to work in both brunch and dinner (possibly even an early breakfast), you’ll find yourself faced with some pretty hard decisions. Namely, whether to dive into some authentic, delightfully heavy Polish food, or try one of the neighborhood’s equally fantastic newer restaurants.
For surprisingly cheap, utterly no frills option—the full “Polish Platter” is only $9 and the restaurant itself is BYOB—there’s Lomzynianka. Polonia just down the street is also simple, straightforward, and well worth a visit, but for a more immersive experience, you should head to Krowleskie Jadlo. Easily identified as the place with suits of armor outside its doors (the name translates to “King’s Feast”), the inside is decorated with portraits of Polish royalty and the menu is full of traditional meat-heavy fare, spreadable fats (better than they sound), and a three or four person shared option called a Koryto, which essentially amounts to a giant trough of assorted polish meats and peirogies. No one should leave the neighborhood without having tried this place.
And then, there’s everything else. Paulie Gee’s has rightfully staked its claim for years now as the best pizza in the neighborhood (and also the most pun-friendly with menu items like the “In Ricotta Da Vita” and “Brian di Parma”), and Five Leaves (which was at the center of the recent war on sidewalk brunch) has become such a beloved brunch staple that if you want to have any hope getting a table while it’s still light out, you’ll want to get there early. And, on the off-chance you spent the first half of your day loading up on dough-encased red meat and are ready for a change of pace (or just don’t feel like waiting in long lines to get to your food), The Bounty recently opened in the neighborhood, and brought with it a menu full of light season fare (think watermelon salad) and sustainable seafood.
Lomzynianka, 646 Manhattan Ave.
Polonia, 631 Manhattan Ave.
Krowleskie Jadlo, 694 Manhattan Ave.
Paulie Gee’s, 60 Greenpoint Ave.
Five Leaves, 18 Bedford Ave.
The Bounty, 131 Greenpoint Ave.