Allswell

124 Bedford Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11211
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347.799.2743

Cuisine: American Nouveau
Our Rating: ★★★★
Cards: All Major
Price: Fairly expensive
Hours: Sun-Tue 10am-2am, Wed-Sat 10am–3:30am
Booze: Full Bar
Reservations: Yes
Subway: L to Bedford Ave.
Menu: http://allswellnyc.tumblr.com/
Delivery: No
Time Out New York says:

Chef-owner Nate Smith, who earned his gastropub stripes at the Spotted Pig, breaks out on his own with this laid-back Williamsburg tavern. The 47-seat space is done up with a reclaimed pine bar, vintage wallpaper in different patterns and brass-hunting-horn chandeliers with matching sconces. Choose from chefly bar grub (like smoked-trout spread or spicy pork-stuffed pastry rounds); heartier dishes (such as roasted lamb or shellfish stew); and greens (including a chicory salad with figs and pomegranate). The drinks list takes a locavore slant with small-production wines and craft beers on tap, plus a selection of market-driven cocktails.

The New York Times says:

With its half-timbered facade, this place would suit an English village. The chef, Nate Smith, formerly of the Spotted Pig, understands the gastropub genre. Much of the food is seasonal and inspired by the euro zone (sardines with sea salt, pork chop with chestnut spaetzle and onions). But it’s clear that Mr. Smith also picked up a British accent, with potted pork, corned beef and cabbage pie, malt-pickled onions, lamb-liver toast with marmalade, and gentleman’s relish (in other words, anchovies). A communal table can be reserved for groups of 8 to 12. “That’s where I’ll serve family-style dinners,” Mr. Smith said

Late Night Menu, 12-3am, Wed-Sat:
Allswell.late.Night

c/o NBC New York

79 Berry Street
Brooklyn, NY 11211
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Cuisine: American Nouveau
Our Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★
Phone: 347.599.1381
Cards: All Major
Price: $$
Hours: Mon-Sun 7:30am-Midnight
Booze: Full Bar
Subway: L to Bedford Ave.
Menu: Click Here
Delivery: No
Metromix says:

Formerly the Vietnamese restaurant Silent H, this charming corner shop is giving caffeine-addled Williamsburg residents just what they need: more coffee. They have a takeout window, so you can get your java fix without even having to enter the store. Better yet (drumroll for coffee lovers), the coffee is Stumptown! The best part of waking up for those in the know about coffee beans is this local roaster (also served in the ACE Hotel). The interior of the spot runs with the Paris bistro vibe, and there is a dining room in the back where you can enjoy snacks like scones and bacon-and-egg sandwiches on perfectly flaky brioche. With a casual vibe and tasty java, you’ll want to drink coffee all day. Oh wait, you already do that. How about a decaf?

NBC New York says:

The new Williamsburg bistro from former Silent h owner Vinh Nguyen, Hotel Delmano partner Zeb Stewart, and two other as-yet-undisclosed partners opened this morning at 79 Berry Street to serve breakfast and lunch. Dinner service takes off in two weeks so until now the takeout window on North 9th Street serves Stumptown coffee and breakfast pastries starting at 7:30 a.m. and doors open for sit-down service from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Diners were already trickling into the attractive space today, which echos the relaxed French-colony aesthetic of Hotel Delmano next door and Cafe Gitane in Nolita.

Diner

85 Broadway
Brooklyn, NY 11211
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718.486.3077

Cuisine: American Fare
Our Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★
Cards: MasterCard, Visa
Price: $$$
Hours: Daily 11am-2am; Mon-Fri, lunch and dinner; Sat-Sun, brunch and dinner
Booze: Full bar
Subway: J,M,Z to Marcy Ave. or L to Bedford Ave.
Menu: Click Here
Delivery: No
The Village Voice says:

Located under the Williamsburg Bridge, the decrepit premises of Diner really did once contain a diner. Now it’s Williamsburg’s hippest eatery, with a limited menu of crowd pleasers like steak frites and hamburgers, both memorable. All of the culinary action, however, is on the ever-changing specials menu, which might include an eggplant sandwich one day at lunch, and an ambi-tious special of something French, say, duck confit, in the evening.

NY Mag says:

Even before you’ve finished your first cocktail, you notice the floor is tilting. But the disequilibrium contributes to the charm of this snug, just-rehabbed-enough 1927 dining car. A beyond reductive menu offering “soup,” “burger,” “sauteed greens,” and at brunch, “hot cereal” misleads at first. Don’t believe the lack of hype. Chef Caroline Fidanza shows her dexterous hand with specials like succulent pork loin with caramelized cipollini and tender lamb ragout with white-bean gratin. At brunch, don’t miss the hubcap-size portion of codfish hash. Recommended Dishes: Burger, $8.50; Mussels with French fries, $12.50; Hanger Steak, $16; Sauteed Greens, $3

c/o Dressler

149 Broadway
Brooklyn, NY 11211
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718.384.6343

Cuisine: American Nouveau
Our Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Cards: All Major
Price: $$$$$
Hours: Mon-Thu, 6pm-11pm; Fri-Sat, 6pm-midnight; Sun, 5pm-10:30pm
Booze: Full bar
Subway: J, M, Z at Marcy Ave.
Menu: Click Here
Delivery: No
NY Mag says:

For years, cabs full of Williamsburg-bound gastronomes were ineluctably drawn to Peter Luger’s, but nowadays, there’s much more South Side culinary competition. First came the artfully rehabbed Diner and Marlow and Sons, now, the elegant Dressler takes up residence, as well. The seasonal American restaurant, named for the title character of Steven Millhauser’s Pulitzer-winning historical novel, is the third (and most ambitious) local venture for Colin Devlin, owner of DuMont and its casual spinoff, DuMont Burger. Devlin hired Brooklyn artisans to build Dressler’s quirky iron chandeliers, light-box screens, and zinc bar, and with the larger room and budget come a bigger wine list and a more extensive, more upscale menu courtesy of DuMont co-chefs Polo Dobkin and Cal Elliott. But to placate neighbors wary of higher prices (and unmoved by entrées like roasted duck breast and braised leg with duck crepinette), Devlin shrewdly offers DuMont’s famous burger on the bar menu.

New York Daily News says:

Dressler restaurant is the natural outgrowth of the dining concept that owner Colin Devlin and co-chefs Polo Dobkin and Cal Elliott successfully implemented five years ago at their first Williamsburg restaurant, Dumont: a neighborhood restaurant featuring a simple yet thoughtful and well executed menu; well informed and sincere service and a warm, festive atmosphere. Dressler adopts that formula and reaches just a bit further, with a more extensive menu and wine list and a room that was carefully crafted from a completely raw space into a warm yet compelling dining space accented by intricate metal work from Navy Yard artisan sculptors.
Finish with a lemon meringue tart or the chocolate and peanut butter parfait.
Otherwise known as the American Dream.

Dumont

432 Union Ave.
(Between Devoe St. and Metropolitan)
Brooklyn, NY 11211
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718.486.7717

Cuisine: American Noveau/American Comfort
Our Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★
Cards: All major
Price: $$$
Hours: Sun -Thurs 11am-11pm; Fri-Sat 11am – midnight
Booze: Full Bar
Subway: G, L at Metropolitan Ave.-Lorimer St.
Menu: Click Here
Delivery: Take-out only
Outdoor Dining: Yes
We say:

Our favorite Williamsburg restaurant. The regular menu is grounded in a small selection of finely done standards; a house salad, a half-chicken, steak and fries, and burgers. You can do no wrong by ordering one of these, especially the burger. By DuMont’s burger alone they deserve to be famous. From well done to rare there’s a blackened savory flavor on the outside that makes the DuMont burger distinctivley wonderful. The skate with mashed potatoes is equally divine and the mac & cheese entree is to die for. Always well executed and varied specials add to the menu. True to the doctrine of New American cooking, the specials adhere to the seasons. This summer I enjoyed a wonderful herb-stuffed trout, and on Valentine’s Day their entrees of coq au vin and bacon wrapped monkfish medallions were perfect for the occasion. Although open for several years, DuMont has the feel of a decades old establishment. The combination of excellent meals, a Williamsburg-appropriate casual atmosphere, low prices, and downright welcoming staff make DuMont a classic.

(more…)

c/o The Modern Age

124 Meserole Ave.
Brooklyn, NY 11222
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718.389.8083

Cuisine: Coffee Shop/Organic American Nouveau
Our Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★
Cards: Cash Only
Price: $$$
Hours: Wed-Sun 10am-10pm
Booze: None
Subway: G to Greenpoint Ave.
Menu: Changes Daily
Delivery: No
NY Mag says:

This small café and record shop specializes in seasonal, locally sourced food as much as it does in classic-rock and indie vinyl. The menu changes daily and focuses on non-fussy dishes that showcase fresh ingredients, from seafood caught in Hampton Bays to organic vegetables from the Catskills. Dinner is offered à la carte, but the $20–$25 (tax included) three-course prix fixe is a serious deal. First courses might include seasonal soups or hearty crostini topped with vegetable purées, entrées range from vegetarian-friendly pastas to free-range chicken or grass-fed beef, and the final course is a daily dessert special. Lunch is a lighter affair, with a menu of sandwiches, salads, and frittatas, as well as a $12 menu for two small plates. Breakfast and brunch offerings cover all the bases (housemade granola and yogurt, pancakes, polenta), with the occasional experimental dish thrown in (an egg-based bánh mì). The décor is touched with rustic accents that lend an urban-farmhouse vibe, like jam-jar water glasses and chalkboards instead of menus. The long, narrow room has clusters of two- and four-tops near the front and an open kitchen in the rear, with bins of used records between. Diners pass through the tiny food-prep area to access communal tables in the back garden.

Metromix says:

At face value you could consider Eat Records a bit of a gimmick—since 2006 the Greenpoint storefront has served as a slightly more successful version of cake shop , selling vinyl, coffee and light café fare under one rock ‘n roll roof. Now, Eat Records is a gimmick no more, as the cozy Meserole Avenue eatery has expanded its hours and ambition. Megan Kimball spearheads a seasonal chalkboard menu—a sample tips that the dishes will be simple, yet composed. Farro salad with spring peas and goat cheese and housemade angel hair with bitter greens and ricotta are highlights. Andouille over black beans and a hard boiled egg “manh mi” lean heavier. Egg sandwiches (croquet monsieur, cilantro egg salad) and strawberry pancakes are served at brunch.

c/o Grub Street

135 N. 5th St.
(Between Bedford and Berry)
Brooklyn, NY 11211
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718.302.5151

Cuisine: Comfort Food/Breakfast Food
Our Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★
Cards: None
Price: $$
Hours: Mon-Tues 7am-3pm; Wed-Thurs 7am-1opm; Fri-Sun 9am-10pm
Booze: None
Subway: L to Bedford Ave.
Menu: Click Here
NY Times says:

A GOOD fried chicken is hard to find. Especially in New York City. But the fried chicken at Egg in Williamsburg, Brooklyn: it’s good. So good I watched a Southern-born friend devour nearly two whole portions in one sitting. So good he returned the next night with other ex-pats from Dixie for more. The biscuits it comes with are pretty much picture-perfect, too, and collard greens, obviously and righteously, round out the plate ($16). I prodded George Weld, Egg’s owner and one of its cooks, for his method. “I make it how my grandmother made it: shake it in a bag with flour and fry it.” (At further prodding, he admitted that he brines the birds beforehand, which Grandma didn’t do.) He said the first restaurant cook he’d seen frying chicken that way was Stephen Tanner, when Mr. Tanner ran the stoves at the former Pies ’n’ Thighs. They struck up a friendship and found out they share a favorite spot, Flip’s Barb-B-Que House in Wilmington, N.C., near Mr. Weld’s childhood home and Mr. Tanner’s grandparents’ place. Now Mr. Tanner cooks in Mr. Weld’s kitchen, and he helped develop the lunch menu Egg added last summer, including a sloppily overgenerous chorizo and egg torta and a very fine hamburger, and the new dinner offerings. (Egg used to share its space — a narrow, high-ceilinged spot on Fifth Street — with Sparky’s All-American Food, a hot dog operation that served lunch and dinner until its owners decided to focus on their Manhattan location last June and turned the space over to Egg.) Most of the dinner menu is guileless, direct and plain good eating. A hulking pork shank ($16), braised to a lacquered darkness, comes scattered with a mix of chopped garlic and herbs — like an informal gremolata — atop a mound of yellow Anson Mills grits. The kale and dumpling soup ($6) couldn’t be more simple — an alliance of greens, carbs and soothing, full-flavored broth — or better on a cold night. Other dishes are distinguished by the conscientious approach of the kitchen. The pimento cheese toast that is part of the “sample plate” ($10, also including a beet-pickled egg, a deviled egg and a pile of country ham shavings) is better than most because the kitchen makes it from scratch, with Grafton Cheddar cheese and freshly roasted peppers. The house version of Tater Tots — miniature hash browns that it serves at breakfast — accompany a good grass-fed rib-eye steak topped with blue cheese ($24). Fried nearly black, they are a blast of creamy, buttery pleasure in a crisp potato shell. A couple of dishes — fish over a hominy and root-vegetable stew ($18), and a bowl of freshly made pasta with mushrooms ($13) — missed their marks, but they were exceptions. Egg offers two desserts ($6), though there’s only one choice for me: a slab of golden yellow poundcake, toasted crisp and topped with lemon custard and vanilla ice cream. The dessert had its origins back in Mr. Weld’s family kitchen, just like the fried chicken. It was his mother’s favorite dessert, and on some mornings after she baked it, she’d serve it to young George for breakfast, toasted with and smeared with butter. “It was the luckiest breakfast to get,” he said. Now it’s come full circle. BEST DISHES Kale and dumpling soup; sample plate; fried chicken; duck and dirty rice; toasted poundcake.

Grub Street says:

It was an especially timely moment that Egg (which started serving lunch only last year) chose to open for dinner. The southern-style hole-in-the-wall has swooped in to fill the neighborhood’s fried-chicken void just as Pies-N-Thighs mourners start to recover from their mid-month farewell binges. George Weld’s partner in Egg, Steve Tanner, has a P-N-T pedigree so the deep-fried bird that will be available Thursdays through Saturdays from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. (and includes a biscuit and collard greens) should prove a reasonable stand-in. The menu aims to be much more however, with appetizers like seared duck breast served with a celery root, fennel, and apple slaw and an entrée of braised pork, which comes over Anson Mills grits. You won’t find crisp-edged and properly dense doughnuts for dessert, but we think toasted homemade pound cake weighted down with vanilla ice cream and custard sauce is just homey enough to help you forget.

Fanny

425 Graham Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11211
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718.389.2060

Cuisine: American Nouveau
Our Rating: ★ ★ ★
Cards: Cash Only
Price: $$
Hours: Mon-Thurs 12pm-1opm; Fri 12pm-11pm; Sat 11am-11pm; Sun 11am-10pm
Booze: Beer & Wine
Subway: L to Graham Ave.
Menu: Click Here
Delivery: No
Time Out New York says:

Walk down Graham Avenue between Frost and Withers Streets and you’ll see a predominately residential Italian neighborhood. Located far from the Bedford Avenue crowds, this East Williamsburg spot—in one of the borough’s quiet, not-so-hip areas—is home to this terrific new pint-sized French bistro. The space is filled with antique-looking exposed-filament bulbs (replicas of the first model created by Con Edison); wood, slate and concrete walls; and cherry-maple wood tables. The owners, both French expats, have stocked the menu with bistro classics: An appetizer of steamed mussels is served in a terra-cotta crock with an addictive buttery and garlicky white-wine-and-shallot sauce (best sopped up with pieces of chewy baguette). Among the entrées, the roasted chicken with mushrooms fricassee and spinach (pictured) was most notable for its delightfully tender and juicy meat and for the way the chef—a French-trained Japanese man named Hiro Kiriyama—cooked the skin to a perfect crisp (the secret: the bird is marinated in lime juice before cooking). The terra-cotta crock pops up again in the monkfish Provençal, which is served, like the mussels, in a hearty, savory and warming stew—this time filled with large pieces of flaky fish, potatoes, onions, tomatoes, garlic and parsley, and topped with buttered crostini. Kiriyama prepares the desserts, too, and his gooey, raisin-and-pine-nut-studded apple strudel with fig ice cream arrived warm and tasted freshly baked. The place does not have its liquor license yet, but there is a liquor store just up the street. If they don’t stock good French wines, they’d be wise to do so soon.

Citysearch says:

Stone tiles, brick walls and clear pendant bulbs with glowing filaments make the front room of this neighborhood spot both crisp and warm. The back room is darker, setting the scene for dates as well as lingering group meals. Young, refined diners either fill the place or leave it half-empty depending on the night. The kitchen makes a few strong showings. Roasted chicken has a crackling, flavorful skin and savory meat, though it could be a touch moister. Smoky slices of duck are nicely balanced by avocado over greens, and the salad nicoise is done to the hilt with fat capers, lemony olives and, following tradition, high-end canned tuna. Among the less successful dishes, the homemade pate is overly chilled and chunky, and both the calamari and grilled pork chop arrive overcooked. Light and fragrant, the lavender blanc manger outshines the other desserts.

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.

c/o Daily Candy

312 Graham Ave.
Brooklyn, NY 11211
view map
347.889.7002

Cuisine: American Nouveau
Our Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★
Cards: All Major
Price: Fairly Expensive
Menu: www.gwynnettst.com/menu/
Website: www.gwynnettst.com
Booze: Full Bar
Subway: L to Graham Ave.
Delivery: No
Time Out New York says:

Warm up by the fireplace with brick-oven-roasted plates at this seasonal New American restaurant, which takes its name from the onetime thoroughfare of old Williamsburg. Wd~50 alum Justin Hilbert presides over the kitchen hearth, dispatching plates like beef-rib cap with pickled bone marrow and parsley root, and Amish chicken served alongside sweet potato, turnips and dates. Carl McCoy, former wine director at Esca, sees to the beverage program, which includes ten draft beers (Brooklyn Brown, Greenport Duck Porter) and a mostly European selection of vino.

Grub Street says:

Another rustic gem opens in Williamsburg, with Gwynnett St. on Graham Avenue. The comforting-chic-Amish-chickeny-seasonal sweetheart is owned by Carl McCoy, former wine director at Esca, with Justin Hilbert, a wd~50 alum, as executive chef. One unique touch? Warm Irish soda bread with creamy cultured butter, served at every table! Gwynnett St. has 60 seats and is designed with (less unique, but still lovely) hardwood floors, communal tables, and exposed-brick walls.