Five Leaves

Five Leaves

18 Bedford Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11222
view map
718.383.5345

Cuisine: American Nouveau
Our Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★
Cards: All major
Price: $$$
Hours: Mon-Sun 8am-1am
Booze: Beer and wine
Subway: G to Nassau Ave.
Menu: Click Here
Delivery: Yes
NY Mag says:

Heath Ledger didn’t live to see his planned Greenpoint café, but with funding from his estate, Five Leaves has opened its doors to the public. The casual vibe might remind some of Cafe Gitane, the Nolita hangout where owner Jud Mongell and his wife worked for years. But the triangular space bears a much closer resemblance to Moto, the Williamsburg restaurant whose designers also collaborated on Five Leaves’ nautically themed décor. The bar is shaped like a ship’s prow; maritime scenes are etched into marble tabletops; and a gold-leafed porthole marks the WC. Former Bette executive chef Ken Addington gives the menu homey Australian accents.

Urban Daddy says:

You’re not one to buy the hype. So when a tiny corner bar and restaurant on the outskirts of Williamsburg is being talked about like the next great Brooklyn hipster enclave—partly due to the fact that at one point it was Heath Ledger’s pet project—you approach with caution. Allow us, then, to take you on a tour of what to expect when you’re out in Brooklyn and want to stop by Five Leaves—opening Wednesday—for a beer and a bite.

First, the designer is the man behind such barroom favorites as Moto, Smith and Mills and Tailor, so you’ll notice the same attention to detail, handcrafted look and hint of cool about the place. The end effect is a bar that Thomas Edison might have built for his buddies. The handmade light fixtures are steel and wire concoctions that seem right out of a lab, and the bathroom door is a massive, ’20s-era boiler room door. Even the walls are covered in what the owners call “steel wallpaper” (trust us, it’s cozier than it sounds). It’s all meant to be a super casual California- and Australia-tinged cafe, coffeehouse and oyster bar, with greenmarket snacks like Sliced Radishes on Toast with Evans Farmhouse Butter. And starting with tonight’s friends and family opening party, you’ll probably see a few famous faces amongst the Billyburg faithful.

OK, maybe you’ll buy a little hype.

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