Bar Akariba

77 1/2 North 6th Street
Brooklyn NY, 11211
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718.388.6160

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★
Cards: Cash Only
Hours: Wed-Sun 6pm-Midnight
Price: $$$
Subway: L to Lorimer St.
Food/Menu: Japanese/Oysters
Booze: Full bar (specialized in sake)
Happy Hour: No
Menu: Click Here
Grub Street says:

Shaul Margulies and Motoko Watanabe, the couple that owns Zenkichi, have converted their Williamsburg izakaya’s backyard into Akariba, a 40-seat lounge specializing in what Margulies calls “the deadly combo of sake and oysters.” Once it opens next Thursday, it’ll feature a seasonally rotating ten-item menu of oysters (everything from Blue Points to Kumamotos), small bites such as grilled toro, and within the next weeks, sashimi prepared by Zenkichi’s chef Tetsuya Akikawa, who honed his sushi skills at Jewel Bako. Desserts will come form Zenkichi.

Most of the dishes (excluding the sashimi) will be priced from $5 to $10, and cocktails made from beer, wine, and sake (which will also rotate seasonally) will cost $8 to $11. We’re told Akariba translates to “the glow of a lantern in the dark,” and as you can see in our slideshow, the interior (capped by a glass ceiling) is every bit as sultry as its sister establishment. Reservations won’t be accepted — just find Zenkichi’s hidden door and Akariba’s is a little bit to your right. Listen for the jazz …

Time Out says

Husband-and-wife restaurateurs Shaul Margulies and Motoko Watanabe have added this izakaya-style bar in the backyard of their Williamsburg Japanese restaurant, Zenkichi. The glass-enclosed patio is outfitted with marble tables, cast-iron lanterns and an abundance of leafy plants. The cocktail list will have a Japanese bent, with hand-chipped ice and concoctions like a lavender lychee-tini, made with pureed lychee and shochu. The selection of 10 to 20 seasonally changing sakes, meanwhile, is meant to be paired with oysters, which are offered raw, grilled or sautéed, along with a limited selection of other small bites.

Alien Cafe

812 Grand St
Brooklyn, NY 11206
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347.294.4288

Cuisine: American Cafe
Our Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★
Cards: All major
Price: Fairly Cheap
Hours: 7am-11pm, Daily
Booze: None for now
Subway: G to Grand St.
Menu: Click Here
Delivery: Yes
Brooklyn Exposed says:

The new Alien Cafe in Williamsburg is not as foreign as you might think. Opened in early November, the space has been in owner Robert Sandoval’s family since 1999 – first as Grand Street Grill run by his father and then by Sandoval himself. The new cafe has a big name attached to it as well, with L’Artiste menu creator-chef Luis Santos at the helm of this menu. Cozy up at a two-top with warm butternut squash soup ($7) while you ogle at the designed wallpaper. Or select from varied and large servings of sandwiches ($8-10), omelettes ($6), and salads ($7-9). Real meal deals come in the form of duck ragout parpardelle ($14), a brioche bun burger ($12), and even a braised lamb shank with mushroom polenta ($18). And it would be no cafe with no cafe – robust Blue Bottle is available in drip or a personal French press. With that, skip straight to dessert for a perfect pairing with the nutella, banana, and berry crepe ($7). Though no liquor license as of yet, don’t wait to enjoy these earthly delights.

I Heart Brunch says:

There has been a lot said about the gentrification of Williamsburg over the last decade, and particularly the last few years since the rezoning of 2005 opened up the waterfront areas for development. Much of this “urban renewal” has taken place on the North and South sides, which are generally divided by Grand Street, but it’s the East side that is now experiencing a broader transition period.

Nowhere is this more evident than east of Union Ave on Grand Street where the gentrification process is noticeably making its way down the street, block by block.

Alien Cafe takes brunch in East Williamsburg up a notch.

Opening in early November, Alien Café aims to take the neighborhood up a notch. Formerly the Grand Street Grill, a quick-service takeout joint, Alien Café owner Robert Sandoval decided to revamp the space his family has owned since 1999 to create something a bit different and more refined. And he’s serious about the food, enlisting award-winning L’Artiste chef Luis Santos to create the menu.

On the exterior, Alien Café sports a spaceship sign that bulges from the front of the unassuming building and lights up at dusk. But don’t let the kitschy name and sign fool you. Once inside you’ll be eased by a casual bistro atmosphere, charming enough to bring a date, and impressed by food that may be the only thing otherworldly about the place.

Options like Eggs Benedict with chipotle hollandaise or French Toast with sautéed apples and walnuts are delicious and worth the visit, but it was the Three Color Omelet that truly impressed me. Perhaps the most perfectly cooked omelet I’ve ever had, the egg was light and fluffy and had a perfect ratio of mozzarella, fresh tomato and basil meticulously diced and speckled throughout the egg. Every egg dish is accompanied by mixed greens and nicely prepared home fries and I added a side of crisp apple wood smoked bacon to round it all out.

The food is as easy on the wallet as it is delicious – no breakfast entrée eclipses $7 and the lunch options are just a couple bucks more. Plus, coffee lovers will delight at the café’s use of the classic French press, emphasizing the bold flavors and captivating aroma of organic Blue Bottle Coffee.

Alien Café is a welcome addition to the East side that will delight neighborhood residents and hopefully continue the trend of culinary innovations in the area.

c/o NY Mag

222 Franklin St
Brooklyn, NY 11222
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718.389.8100

Cuisine: Italian
Our Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★
Price: $$
Hours: Sun-Thu 5:30 pm. – 10 pm; Fri-Sat 5:30pm-11pm; Sat-Sun 10am-4pm Brunch
Cards: All Major
Booze: Full Bar
Subway: G to Greenpoint Ave.
Menu: Click Here
Web: www.anellabrooklyn.com
Delivery: No
New York Mag says:

Anella opened in the spring of 2009, quickly establishing its reputation as a solid Greenpoint joint with a knack for slightly upscale comfort food like brick oven-pizzas and olive oil mashed potatoes. But in early 2010, Chef Joe Ogrodnek took over the reins, launching the restaurant from reliable neighborhood standby to Brooklyn standout. Ogrodnek favors bold, classic flavors: tangy short ribs and a rich, tender pork cassoulet share space on the menu with more creative fare like sweet carrots served with fluffy whipped ricotta. But it’s the little touches that propel his homey dishes into new terrain: the generous helping of fennel on the potato-crusted cod, a scoop of ever-so-slightly tart buttermilk ice cream paired with a chocolate bread-pudding, or candied orange peel served atop the lemon tart. Even the bread, baked and served in terracotta flowerpots, is magnificently rich and salty. The wood-paneled space is warm and inviting, ideal for stretching out for a long, late-morning feast (at brunch, the pastry basket with homemade jam never disappoints). In nice weather, the backyard garden opens, a cozy spot to sip a cocktail or linger over dinner.

Metromix says:

When Greenpoint’s beloved restaurant du jour Queen’s Hideaway shuttered last fall, it was a major blow to the hood’s most-adventurous diners—the restaurant was known for crafting a daily menu, playing off the seasons and the chef’s legendary mood swings. Chanterelle vet Michael Sullivan aims to bring his own strong personality to the handsome space, but more with his Italian-rooted cooking than “Top Chefian” meltdowns. The trattoria serves five types of brick oven pizza, including truffled cheese with onions and the signature pie of bacon and pepperoni. A pork loin wrapped in bacon is an early favorite, as well as a chocolate terrine dessert with pistachio crème anglise. Sullivan plans to install greenhouse, growing herbs and produce on-site.

Aqua Santa

556 Driggs Ave.
Brooklyn, NY 11211
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718.384.9695

Cuisine: Italian
Our Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★
Cards: All Major
Price: $$$
Hours: Mon-Thur Noon-11pm; Fri Noon-midnight; Sat 11am-Midnight; Sun 11am-11pm
Booze: Beer and Wine
Subway: L to Bedford Ave.
Menu: Click Here
Delivery: Yes
NY Mag says:

The name means “holy water” in Italian. But secular types shouldn’t read too much into that-any worshiping at Mario La Manno’s laid-back, candlelit trattoria is for his rustic Italian cooking-thin-crust pizzas, simple pastas, and entrees like a red-wine-and garlic-sauced pork tenderloin. And the holiest water on the premises comes in a bottle with a Calabria label.

Metromix says:

Acqua Santa claims to be the place where “gluttony is not a sin.” Their menu makes good on that promise. Choose from a wide selection of rich pasta and seafood dishes and moderately priced Italian wines. Their sumptuous garden, which is open all year, will make you feel you are relaxing at a rustic winery.

Aurora

70 Grand Street
Brooklyn, NY 11211
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718.388.5100

Cuisine: Italian
Our Rating: ★ ★ ★
Cards: Cash Only
Price: $$$
Hours: Mon-Thu Noon-3:30pm (Lunch), 6pm-11pm (Dinner); Fri Noon-3:30pm (Lunch), 6pm-midnight (Dinner); Sat, 11am-4pm (Lunch), 6pm-Midnight (Dinner); Sun 11am-10pm
Booze: Full Bar
Subway: L to Bedford Ave.
Menu: Click Here Delivery: Yes
Zagat says:

Tucked away in a isolated southeast corner of Williamsburg, this cozy brick- and wood-lined Italian has immediately become a take-out, delivery and drop-in boon for culinarily starved types who like its cheap prices and homemade pastas via a chef from Piedmont; the place has the feel of a branch of Max, which bodes well for its future.

NY Mag says:

Rome native Gaspare Villa named his rustic new restaurant after a favorite place in Tuscany. “I used to drive two and a half hours to get there,” he says. The trip to Aurora from Manhattan is much quicker, and well worth it for big bowls of chef Riccardo Buitoni’s maltagliati ragu. Not to mention, Villa now reaps the biggest benefit of a Brooklyn lease: a huge garden.

c/o Brownstoner

204 Grand Street
Brooklyn, NY 11211
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718.599.6599

Cuisine: Italian/Gourmet Pizza
Our Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★
Cards: All Major
Price: $$$
Hours: Mon-Thurs 12pm-4pm (Lunch), 5pm-Midnight (Dinner); Sat 12pm-4pm (Lunch), 5pm-1am (Dinner); Sun 12pm-4pm (Lunch), 5pm-Midnight (Dinner)
Booze: Full Bar
Subway: L to Bedford Ave.
Menu: Click Here
Delivery: Yes
Time Out New York says:

Though its name means “hugs and kisses” in Italian, Baci & Abbracci carefully balances its grandma-style Italian rusticity with a Euro-chic sensibility. Subtle architectural touches, like saucer-shaped light fixtures and a chrome-furniture-filled back garden, lend the casual eatery a modern, space-age look. The old-world influences pop up in the kitchen. The bulging wood-burning oven (imported from Naples) evokes the homeland, and Sorrento native Francesco Mastellone tosses the pies. In addition to pizzas, the menu includes classic dishes like sauteed calamari and veal milanese. We especially liked the polpa e patate appetizer, meaty hunks of octopus and boiled potato slices tossed with slivers of zesty raw garlic, olive oil and plenty of parsley. We also enjoyed a sauceless pizza topped with chewy smoked mozzarella, strips of mild pancetta and caramelized onions. Unfortunately, the crust lacked the crispness of a perfect thin-crust pie. A dessert, torta di nonna, with custardy sabayon, chocolate-cream piping, and crushed, toasted pine nuts and pecans, was named for — you guessed it — grandma.

NY Magazine says:

Patrons of this casual, low-fanfare eatery can bank on a warm welcome, if not the kisses and hugs promised in the restaurant’s name. The decor is inviting, too, with rustic tables, a wood-burning pizza oven, marble countertops, and Italian tilework. Balancing confident panache with unpretentious ease, B&A isn’t edgy or superhip and doesn’t strive to be. The kitchen favors solid, well-crafted renditions of antipasto, pasta, and pizza, including the welcome familiars linguini with clam sauce and four-cheese pie (quattro formaggi). Antipasti, served in generous, easy-to-share portions, focus on fresh vegetables and shellfish, and set off richer sauced dishes like pasta with fennel in cream sauce and the visually ravishing violette di Parma, jewel-toned red beet gnocchi in cheese sauce. But pizza is the high point here: With crusts that are tender, chewy, and crispy in all the right places, these pies boast decision-defying toppings like smoked mozzarella, pancetta, and caramelized onions, and fresh bufala mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, and arugula. Lucky locals say that this newcomer is sure to give the now-established Fornino, which opened in 2005, a hearty run for its well-beloved pie. Mangia bene, Williamsburg. Weekend brunch features frittatas and eggs Benedict along with eggs to order and a breakfast pizza, topped with tomato, mozzarella, egg, and diner’s choice of ham, sausage, or smoky pancetta. Recommended Dishes: Lattuga alla Trentina salad, $9; Baci & Abbraci pizza , $13; verdure ripiene, $11

Berry Park

4 Berry St
Brooklyn, NY 11211
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718.782.2829

Rating: ★ ★ ★
Cards: Cash Only
Hours: Mon-Thurs 5pm-2am; Fri 4pm-4am; Sat 12pm-4am; Sun 12pm-2am
Subway: L to Bedford Ave., G to Nassau Ave.
Food/Menu: Click Here
Booze: Full Bar
Happy Hour: Thu, 5pm-9pm; Win a coin flip with the bartender and get your drink for free.
Time Out New York says:

Williamsburg welcomes its latest beer hall, a bi-level behemoth with a 3,500-square-foot ground floor and a roof deck almost as large. Brooklyn boosters may be disappointed to find that the 15 taps are dedicated to imports (mostly German and Belgian drafts). Other amenities that might make up for it: a 13-foot-wide screen dedicated to soccer, Manhattan (and McCarren Park) views and a forthcoming beer-friendly food menu.

Metromix says:

The sharp-looking bi-level beer bar and beer garden provides a much-needed alfresco (and unfresco? how do you say indoors in Italian?) drinking cavern for beer-loving Williamsburgers. The downstairs section houses a smattering of picnic tables, a stage and a bar stocked with European brews, while the spacious rooftop garden offers umbrella-ed tables and benches, as well as a secondary bar (also umbrella-ed), providing lovely views of Bedford Park and the city. Maybe start with a round on the roof before heading to The Gutter for gaming?

Bistro Petit

774 Driggs Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11211
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718.782.2582

Cuisine: French
Our Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★
Price: Moderately Priced
Hours: Mon-Fri 3pm-12am; Sat-Sun 12pm-12am
Cards: None
Booze: None
Subway: L to Bedford Ave.
Menu: Click Here
Delivery: Yes
Time Out New York says:

Jean Georges alum Seung Park combines his French training with his Korean background at this diminutive Willimasburg takeout spot. Expect East-meets-West crossover dishes, like kimchi bouillabaisse, made with local, seasonal ingredients.

NY Mag says:

French standards—duck confit, steak frites—are joined by a few international riffs, like the kimchee that is added to the bouillabaisse at Bistro Cafe.

c/o Blackout

916 Manhattan Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11222
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718.383.0254

Rating: ★ ★ ★
Cards: All Major
Hours: Mon-Fri, 4pm-4am; Sat-Sun, 2pm-4am
Subway: G to Greenpoint Avenue
Food/Menu: None
Booze: Full bar
Happy Hour: Mon-Fri, 4pm-8pm; $3 well, $2 off drafts; Mon, Sun, 11pm-2am; $3 well, $2 off drafts; Tue, 4pm-4am; two-for-one well drinks and select beers all day
NY Mag says:

Only in Greenpoint could you find the fashionista scene located next to the Polish meat store. Created by the same crew who masterminded the hipster-chic boutique chain Oak, the space has successfully lured Manhattan scenesters out to Greenpoint, but on typical nights you’ll find a smattering of locals. The interior lives up to the name—black mirrored tables, black leather banquettes, pretty boy bartenders in black tees, and a tin roof painted … yeah, you get it. The bar is long enough to avoid drunken encounters with struggling goth models, and a sizeable back garden offers an escape from the deep chasm of blackness within. There’s a decent beer selection, from Radeberger to Lagunitas IPA, and a Meatpacking-esque rotating cocktail list—though beware the model/bartenders who have little to no experience mixing a drink.

Paper Mag says:

It’s that time of year again: When the all-knowing fashion gods take to the runways to remind us that black is always the new black. So what better way for mere mortals to celebrate this week of fashion shows and parties we can’t get into than at Greenpoint’s swankily subtle new bar Blackout. This latest addition to the nabe comes courtesy of the owners of avant-boutique chain Oak. With black mirrored tables reflecting the ornate black painted tin ceiling as you sit on a black leather banquette, nowhere else is it more clear that fashion’s staple non-color is here to stay. Milky art deco lamps hanging above the lacquered bar, funereal white flowers, and the flicker of candlelight provide the only contrast in this bar awash in black. As can be expected, the clientle tend toward the head-to-toe look as well. While even those stylistas probably experience some wardrobe transition pains between summer and fall, Blackout’s cocktail list helps you make a smooth leap between seasons with a two drink combo: the refreshingly light Cucumber Vine (cucumber-infused vodka, muddled cucumber, lime; $9) followed by the leaves-crackling-under-your-feet taste of the Orchard (Appleton rum, apple juice, Pimm’s; $8). And the generous happy hour (5-8 p.m.) with $3 well drinks, $4 pints of Gaffel, and $3 bottles of Sierra Nevada will help you save those pennies for the season’s latest look.

Boulevard Tavern

579 Meeker Ave.
Brooklyn, NY 11222
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718.389.3252

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★
Cards: All Major
Hours: Mon 6pm-4am; Tue-Sun 3pm-4am
Subway: G to Nassau Ave.
Food/Menu: Bar Snacks
Booze: Full Bar
Happy Hour: Daily, 4pm-9pm; $4 draft and well drinks
NY Mag says:

Despite the fresh paint and free wi-fi, this pub is in truth a Greenpoint relic. Opened in 1928, the bar weathered most of the last century as J & D’s before giving up the ghosts (more than one owner has died on the premises) just after the new millennium. A few years later, the owners of East Village bohemian bar Raven pried off the boards to find a diamond in the rough: To the original high tin ceilings and extra-long, dark wood bar, they’ve added high-backed wooden booths, a pool table, a jukebox and a majestic 12-beer tap that makes it clear that—neon signs and reasonable prices notwithstanding—this is not a dive. When rock bands aren’t throwing after-parties, bemused retirees who still call the joint by its former name make neighborly conversation with the latest 24-year-old graphic designer who thinks he knows better. The bar’s owner, Harold David Kramer, is himself a slice of NYC history, since he’s the grandson of the owners of the Thunderbolt, the beloved, vine-covered Coney Island rollercoaster that was torn down in 2000.

Metromix says:

A great neighborhood bar, especially during the summer months, when the friendly folks at Boulevard fire up the grill in their backyard (every Friday through Monday) and cook burgers and dogs, which go well with their cheap drinks.