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.

WhirlyBird

254 S 2nd St
Brooklyn, NY 11211
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718.208.8555

Cuisine: Mexican
Our Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★
Price: Cheap
Hours: Mon-Fri 7am-4pm; Sat-Sun 9am-5pm
Cards: None
Booze: None
Subway: L to Bedford Ave.
Delivery: No
Gothamist says:

The legions of Brooklynites who travel to Austin for South by Southwest every year have come across a distinctly Texan (and distinctly delicious) specialty: the breakfast taco. Breakfast tacos (which involve some combination of scrambled eggs, chorizo, cheese, and peppers) have sadly been in short supply in Yankee territory, until now: meet Whirlybird.

Opening up shop in—where else?—Williamsburg, Whirlybird is the brainchild of musician Jeff Bailey, who’s played in indie mainstays Phosphorescent and Virgin Forest. Having toured through Austin many a time, he decided that Williamsburg, rife as it is with musicians and hungover people, would benefit immensely from the addition of organic breakfast tacos and locally-brewed coffee. If the above photo is any indication, he’s probably right.

Whirlybird will be open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends, with tacos going for $3-4 and coffee for $2-4. Stop by their grand opening tomorrow (Saturday) from 4-7 p.m. for a taco and solo sets from members of Deer Tick, Phosphorescent, and Virgin Forest. Early reviewers have praised the cafe for having “Zero bullshit, great taste, and a tiny framed portrait of Andy Kaufmann by the milk station to boot.” What more do you need, Williamsburg?

c/o Gothamist

291 Kent Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11211
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718.782.8810

Cuisine: Tapas
Our Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★
Price: Moderately Priced
Hours: Tue-Thur, Sun 5:30pm-10:00pm; Fri.-Sat. 5:30mpm-11pm
Cards: All Major
Booze: Full Bar
Subway: L to Bedford Ave.
Menu: Click Here
Delivery: No
Time Out New York says:

Wood-fired cooking, as seen at hot spots Tertulia and Mas (la grillade), is having a big moment: This Spanish market-style restaurant brings three more tinder-fueled ovens to Williamsburg, less than a block from Isa’s own flaming hearth. Chef Peru Almandoz, a native of San Sebastian, Spain, works two wood-fired ovens in the open kitchen, while Johnny Peralta (Balthazar) uses one to roast his loaves in the downstairs bakery. Diners can perch at zinc-topped bars and choose from pintxos—Basque tapas, like croquettas and Padrón peppers—or settle into a communal wood table for large-format Northern Spanish fare, including suckling pig and a two-pound grilled rib eye called chuleton. To drink, choose from biodynamic and organic Spanish wines, hard apple cider and creative cocktails, like the Urumea (rum, Averna Amaro, clove syrup, lime juice) and the Duke (cognac, Carpano Antica, dry vermouth, served over an Earl Grey ice sphere). In a few weeks, a market, inspired by the retail-restaurant hybrids of Spain, will open in the back of the 80-seat space to sell charcuterie, cheeses, oils, homemade breads and churros with hot cocoa made with grated chocolate, milk and cream.

Gothamist says:

The Basques have invaded the ‘burg! One of the newest flashy restaurants to surface in Williamsburg, Mercado on Kent, aims to bring the foods of Spain’s Basque region to Brooklyn with an 80-seat restaurant that also happens to have a bar and a small marketplace and bakery. Fine by us, one really can never have too much Iberico jamon. NEVER.

The kitchen at Mercado is run by chef Peru Almandoz and boasts a menu ranging from small plates and salads to large plates and sandwiches. Everything is very sharable and the options (which you can check out below) range from $8 Iberico ham croquettes to a $26 sharable suckling pig with everything from crab toast ($7) and a $12 pork belly sandwich in between. All the breads (ranging from ciabatta to burger buns) are baked on site by baker Johnny Peralta, who did his time at Balthazar, and the cocktail program by David Olson seems interesting, too. You can see an early cocktail menu below.

As for the space? Its huge (6,000-square feet) and boasts the now-standard communal tables along with banquets, a chefs counter and a zinc-topped bar. Also lots and lots of reclaimed wood, marble and tile as is the style these days.

BlackBrick

300 S. Bedford Ave.
Brooklyn, NY 11211
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Cuisine: Coffee Shop
Our Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★
Price: Moderately Priced
Hours: Mon.-Sun. 7am-8pm
Cards: All Major
Booze: None
Subway: L to Bedford Ave.
Delivery: No
We say:

Beautiful new coffee shop serving Stumptown coffee, Jacques Torres hot chocolate, and coming soon-fresh baked goods.

Santos Anne

366 Union Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11211
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718.486.6979

Cuisine: Mexican & French
Our Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★
Price: Moderately Priced
Hours: Mon. 4pm-12am, Wed-Fri 4pm-12am, Sat-Sun 12pm-12am
Cards: Cash Only
Booze: Full Bar
Subway: L to Lorimer St.
Delivery: No
We say:

At first we were a bit skeptical about the French/Mexican fusion, but after our meal at Santos Anne we can safely say that it’s one of our favorite new places. We had veggie tacos and steak, both were amazing and the prices are hard to beat ($15 for a full steak meal)! The ambiance of Santos Anne is cozy with turquoise walls and lit candles scattered across the room. There’s live music on the weekends, and if you’re lucky a free tarot card reading.

Cuisine: Tapas
Our Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★
Cards: All major
Price: Moderately Priced
Hours: Mon-Sun 6pm-2am; Brunch Sat-Sun 11am-4pm
Booze: Full Bar
Subway: L to Lorimer St.
Menu: Click Here
Delivery: No
Thrillist says:

An “honest, unpretentious, and laid-back drinking and dining experience” that somehow isn’t Red Dog and leftover pizza on your couch, Saint’s narrow, industrial, al fresco-able space is outfitted with a slim metallic bar up front and communal wooden tables in back, where international small plates of Wahoo tartare, and porchetta- & sweet-pickle-filled Cubans can be paired with vino by the glass/half/bottle, and Euro-suds including St Feuillien Triple and Pinkus Mueller Pilsner.

Time Out New York says:

Old-world wines and beers are the main attraction at this elegant small-plates bar, decorated with a crystal chandelier, patterned wallpaper and copper barstools. The European-focused drinks list highlights small-production wines and artisanal beers, such as Italy’s Baladin Nora, Belgium’s D’Achouffe Houblon Chouffe Dobbelen IPA Tripel and Germany’s Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier. Scarpetta Miami alum and co-owner Michael Pirolo created the menu of refined small plates, including bone marrow with lemon zest, parsley and toast; and the Italiano in Cuba sandwich, made with porchetta, sweet pickles and Dijon mustard.

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.

Calyer

92 Calyer St
Brooklyn, NY 11222
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347.899.6323

Cuisine: Latin American
Our Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★
Cards: All major
Price: Moderately Priced
Hours: Mon, Wed-Fri 6pm-11pm; Sat-Sun 11am-11pm
Booze: Full Bar
Subway: G to Greenpoint Ave. or Nassau Ave.
Menu: Click Here
Delivery: Yes
The New York Times says:

The owners of Anella in Greenpoint put one of their chefs, Gabriel Moya, in charge here. He adds touches of his native Puerto Rico in small plates like salt cod with a Scotch egg and plantain chips. Wines are from Spain and Portugal.

Brooklyn Exposed says:

The local Anella team have opened another Brooklyn restaurant, Calyer. A loose motif of Caribbean and South American cuisine is up for grabs at this lowly-lit, antique-laden spot. After weathering the anticipation of a storm, treat yourself by cozying up in one of the 45 spots on the banquette and fill your belly with the likes of stewed oxtail, fluke crudo with avocado and a flank steak with chimichurri. Nothing puts you back on the New York dining map like a warm, hearty meal.

Brooklyn Wok Shop

182 N 10th St
Brooklyn, NY 11211
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347.889.7992

Cuisine: Chinese
Our Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★
Cards: All major
Price: Moderately Priced
Hours: Sun-Thurs 5:30pm-1opm; Fri-Sat 5:30pm-11pm
Booze: Beer and wine
Subway: L to Lorimer St.

Menu: Click Here
Delivery: Not yet, but in January 2012
Grub Street says:

Edric Har, chef and owner at the new Brooklyn Wok Shop in Williamsburg, says the aftermath of the dot-com bubble led him to trade his day job suit and tie for chef’s whites and clogs ten years ago. After stints at Cru, Veritas, Le Bernardin, and as a private chef, Har and his wife Melissa decided to “create something more personal” and went back to the drawing board. Hence, Brooklyn Wok Shop, a concept that grew out of a late-night Chinese-food hankering in the couple’s North Williamsburg neighborhood.

Because healthy food and takeout are, for the most part, mutually exclusive, the Hars began to work on a menu of standards incorporating hormone- and antibiotic-free meats, as well as stocks and sauces made from real bones and scratch, not powders and bases. The result is a pared-down menu of snacks (buns and wings), soups (wonton, short ribs), and Cantonese staples like General Tso’s and orange beef, all made with better ingredients.

It is a mix of traditions and tweaks: Melissa’s family owns Chinese restaurants in Orlando; her father even traveled north to help out on the line during Brooklyn Wok Shop’s first week. Edric, who grew up downtown, braises chicken for the noodle soup in soy sauce like his mother once taught him, and the egg noodles are made fresh at the restaurant. Har prefers to use Escoffier-era black steel saute pans instead of actual woks, and other French touches abound — notably the flaky, fluted crust used for Har’s take on Chinese egg custard.

The counter-service restaurant is currently open only for dinner, but will open for lunch (and delivery) next month. The Hars say they plan to also start dim sum weekend brunch service in early 2012.

Gothamist says:

There are plenty of crappy Chinese takeout joints in Williamsburg, and a small handful of slightly higher-end Asian joints (M Shanghai and Samurai Mama come to mind), but overall, the area is seriously lacking in quality Chinese food. That’s where the newly-opened Brooklyn Wok Shop steps in.

Run by a husband-and-wife team who live in the neighborhood, BWS serves noodle soups with house-made noodles and broth; small dishes including fried chicken wings with a cinnamon-soy glaze, and entrees like orange-spiced hangar steak and chicken with broccoli topped with a fried egg. Owner Melissa Har told us that she and husband Edric source all of their hormone and antibiotic-free meat from Pino’s Prime Meats in Soho, and their goal is to “upgrade Chinese food a little. It’s not your typical takeout.”

Edric is a ten-year veteran of some of the city’s finest dining establishments, including working the lines at Veritas, Cru and Le Bernadin, and Melissa’s family owns several Chinese restaurants in Florida. The couple calls their Cantonese-influenced fare “Chinese food 2.0.” Right now, the restaurant is in soft-open mode, so they’re only open for dinner (6 to 10 p.m. daily), complete with a wine and beer license, though Melissa told us they hope to launch a dim sum brunch in January.

c/o Zagat

323 Graham Ave.
Brooklyn, NY 11211
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347.899.7599

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★
Cards: All Major
Hours: Mon.-Wed. 4pm.-2am; Thu.-Fri. 4pm.-4am.; Sat. 12pm-4am; Sun. 12pm-2am
Price: Moderately Priced
Subway: L to Graham Ave.
Food/Menu: Healthy Bar Snacks
Booze: Full bar
Happy Hour: No
Time Out New York says:

Gather a group for the 40-ounce cocktails, like a pisco-pineapple punch, at this Williamsburg tavern, from alums of the Breslin and Gallery Bar. You can also order individual-sized tipples—like the Poppa’s Pride (bourbon, ginger, mint, lemon, soda, Angostura bitters) or the Mea Culpa (tequila, Punt e Mes, Velvet Falernum, lime)—at the butcher-block bar. Dishes made with seasonal ingredients, including a roasted beet salad with Greek yogurt and a Wisconsin dog with house-made mustard and aged cheddar, form the menu of elevated comfort food.

Metromix says:

The owners of this Williamsburg watering hole stick to the basics: wine, beer and small plates. Oh, and there are also those giant cocktails meant to share, but drinking far too much is the status quo for this bar-laden ‘hood. The no-frills bar has taken over the space that used to house Phoebe’s Café, and if you’re part of a big group (or a really strong liver), you can booze it up with one of the giant beverages like a pineapple punch. There is also a list of affordable international wines and small plates that will go well with all that booze in your belly. A few of those frankfurters with housemade mustard before bed, and you’re bound to minimize the after-effects of your bender.