I always love hearing how people spend their weekends in New York. It’s a great way to catch up with friends and, with such an incredible variety of foods in the city, get some rad restaurant recs! And then of course, plan some of your own fun adventures around that. Sneaky sneaky.
I just recently moved to Williamsburg and am having a killer time exploring all the fun new spots around me. Whether you live in Brooklyn or any other borough, you just gotta venture into Williamsburg when you get the chance and check these places OUT. If you don’t love them, then I just, I just…AM AT A LOSS BECAUSE THEY’RE SO GOOD.
Start off with brunch at 12 Chairs. The assortment of salads, dips and weekend specials will get you SHAKING from extreme happiness. This place really reminds me of cafes in Tel-aviv, making it just purrrfect for satisfying those intense Middle Eastern cravings. If you go on the weekend, make sure you get the jachnun. It’s a Yemenite dish that looks intimidating but is really just delicious beyond belief. It’s this margarine layered dough roll that’s baked for 24 hours with hard boiled eggs (hence the eggs’ brownish color). Get a side of zhough (green Yemenite chilli paste) and mix it into the crushed tomatoes. Other musts are the labaneh, eggplant baladi, Israeli chopped salad and (of course) hummus. The perfect place for stuffing face.
For caffeine, I head to Devocion where they grind their own blends. There’s an entire wall of green leaves, lots of natural light coming through the cool glass ceiling, solid vibes and, one of the most important things to have in an NYC cafe, SPACE.
I’m also a huge fan of Marlow and Sons. On a sunny day everyone sits outside, leisurely eating lunch, soaking up the sun, drinking fantastic coffee and splurging on superb baked goods.
Okay, snacks. If you’re in overload mode, head to Smorgasburg, where it’s perfectly acceptable to act like you’ve never seen food before. But if you’re looking for a treat on a semi-full stomach, keep strolling until you reach the Wythe Hotel rooftop, the perfect setting for downing a couple of cocktails al fresco (I should know).
For an adventurous dinner, you’re gonna want to park yourself at Shalom Japan. The seared tuna with black sesame tahini soy situation may or may not have changed my life. Well, and the challah with raisin butter (made with the lees left over from sake-making). So. Much. Flavor. This is what happens when a Long Island Jew marries his better half from Japan: a mixed cuisine restaurant with incredibly original, yet complementary, flavor blends. But if you’re feeling like keeping it classic, head to Diner, one of my go-to spots for a juicy grass fed local burger. The place has been around for years and is owned by the same owners as Marlow and Sons and Marlow and Daughters — so you KNOW it’s reliable-side not…Diner’s brunch it OUT OF CONTROL GOOD.
If you’re looking for some later-night drinking and eating, grab a round at Donna and sample some of their yummy tacos. Delicious drinks with a casual and cool energy. All fresh ingredients and, might I say, consistently hot people. (Don’t pretend like you wouldn’t want to know that!)
Hope your Williamsburg adventure is all you dreamed of and MORE. Have a tasty weekend!!
