Williamsburg

Williamsburg is second only to DUMBO as the most touristy neighborhood outside Manhattan, but it’s earned its reputation for cool things to do, and the sheer density of good food, drinks, and sights makes it worth a trip, especially on a weekday/night. First purchased from the Native Americans by the Dutch in 1661, and incorporated under the British under its own name in 1840, Williamsburg presently has nothing to do with either the English or Dutch. If you’re ever in need of conversational filler seated at one of its many dive bars, however, play the history card for all it’s worth.

Also, don’t show up to this neighborhood with either a fanny pack or alligator loafers if you want to blend in – at least in the “unspoiled” parts of the neighborhood – it’s true that toward the water and the enclave of condos surrounding The Edge, they’ll be more appropriate. No – instead, try dressing like yourself, taking some of our suggestions, and blending in, or at least being welcomed. Truth-be-told, Williamsburg is a neighborhood of transplants, with a rich individualist streak and an entrepreneurial/creative spirit that must be experienced to be believed. (Want to see people running a startup from a table at a coffee shop? This neighborhood, together Prospect/Crown Heights – one of our more “varsity” adventures – is the spot.)

 

As with the other neighborhoods on this site, Chih-Yu and I approach Williamsburg not from a desire to fit in – we don’t, for instance, like cheap beer or bad food, so we don’t partake in a great many popular haunts – but through the filter of our own unique tastes. Chih-Yu’s a discerning eater, and I’m rather picky about my tap bars. If you’re wondering what to do in NYC beyond Manhattan’s borders, and you’d like to experience Williamsburg as a Brooklynite – rather than as a tourist – read on.

 

 

 

 

How To Get There

 

 

 

The L Train runs crosstown at 14th Street and links up with virtually every subway line. Bedford Avenue, from which the majority of our recommendations are accessible, is the first stop in Brooklyn. Hence you won’t spend more than 8 minutes on the L train from the moment it starts moving. […read more]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Where to Eat

What you may not know is Williamsburg’s gastro-culture and abundance of chef-driven eateries offering everything from on-point pizza to Korean-influenced French bistro fare, and a seeming boatload of Argentinian steak houses – most of them top notch in cuisine if not always in service – in between. […read more]

 
 
 

Coffee

Among the first of the so-called “third wave” coffee shops to hit New York, Blue Bottle is still the standard-bearer. New Yorkers weaned on bodega coffee and Dunkin D’s may poo-poo it, but they can stay in Manhattan. (And out of Chelsea, since the San Francisco chain has now expanded there.) We don’t review dive bars either. […read more]

 

 

 

Where to Drink

 

I could give three @$%*s about the old school arcade games. I like what the fact that they’re there says about the owners, and I like what the fact that other people like them says about the clientelle. Barcade is a great connoisseur bar on an unassuming block in Williamsburg. It’s a great foil to the various beer gardens because it specializes in domestic microbrews, not imports, and its arcade space is indoor. […read more]