If your Instagram/Tik Tok algorithm feeds you NYC recommendations at the frequency mine does, you’re bound to come across a mini-itinerary for how to spend a day in Red Hook, a neighborhood on a peninsula in western Brooklyn just southwest of Carroll Gardens. The area was originally a waterfront shipping yard and a thriving port through the 1920s. It was later ridden with crime and violence, as warring Italian and Irish mobs competed and the neighborhood helped fuel the rise of the mafia in New York. Today, its quaint cobblestone streets connect piers that have transformed into outdoor breweries to a stretch of vintage and home goods stores. Red Hook is also famously home to the only IKEA store in all of the five boroughs.
I drew inspiration from some mini-itineraries I saw on Instagram but mainly followed in the footsteps of my friend Olivia, a Substack foodie I aspire to emulate, who shared her own Red Hook itinerary about a year ago. Definitely check out Right on Franklin!
Saturday morning I set off with Olivia (FYI a different Olivia from the one who writes Right on Franklin) and Maeve. We gave ourselves ample time before our brunch reservation incase anything went awry with our transportation logistics… which it did, quite quickly. A downtown NQRW train that we were sure would stop at Wall Street took us barreling across the East River all the way to Atlantic Ave. This wouldn’t have been a problem if we hadn’t been determined to take the ferry as our primary mode of transportation. So we backtracked on the 2/3 to Dumbo and hopped on the ferry headed towards Pound Ridge.
The ferry had party energy—apparently everyone in Manhattan was embarking on their Red Hook weekend escape. Girls wearing pink cowboy hats and sipping White Claws out of curly straws and men clutching six packs of beer. We disembarked and parted ways from the crowd, starving and somehow only 15 minutes late to our brunch reservation at Cafe Kestrel.
The minute we stepped inside this tiny, magical bistro, all of our stress evaporated. The space is bright and cheery, with an exquisite bouquet of summer flowers perched on the windowsill beside a decorative white cloth. The white beat board walls are adorned with a perfect hodgepodge of framed art, mirrors, and artifacts. Inside there are only five tables, with a few more available in their back garden and five stools at the bar. It feels like dining in a friend’s apartment, but not in New York—in a chic pocket of Paris or Copenhagen.
We shared the French toast, a seasonal peach and heirloom tomato salad, and sides of mac and cheese and hash browns. We paused and almost re-imagined our order because it seemed so random, but that’s the beauty of brunch! Every bite was delicious; the comforting mac and cheese soothed my hangover, the French toast satisfied my sweet tooth while incorporating a unique savory sensation, and the salad was the perfect palette cleanser. This unassuming bistro that doesn’t even display its name on its façade has earned its spot on the famed New York Times’ top 100 restaurants in New York City for the past two years in a row. Deservedly—I haven’t encountered many restaurants comparable in understated sophistication and simple deliciousness. I can’t wait to go back for dinner.
We walked a block down Van Brunt Street to Open Invite, a perfectly curated home goods store. I’m sure between the three of us we picked up and examined almost every single item in the shop. From linen blankets and coffee table books to vintage carafes and midcentury glassware, it is very difficult to walk out empty handed. We found out that they are having a huge garage sale the weekend of October 11, where they’ll put everything they didn’t sell this summer out and mark it down to only a few dollars apiece!
Continuing down Van Brunt, we passed a cute record store. I was sad to find that Red Hook Coffee Shop, a coffee shop/vintage clothing store that was mentioned in nearly every Red Hook guide I came across, has closed permanently. But I stopped into Baked, a cute local bakery and coffee shop, for an iced matcha latte.
At Polt Atolye I bought a cute set of scalloped leather coasters. This tiny shop only sells leather goods, and you can watch the craftsmen working with leather in live time. In every single store and restaurant we found ourselves Shazaming the songs they were playing. The perfect playlist really elevates any shopping or dining experience, and evidently people in Red Hook have impeccable music taste.
Next, we followed mysterious chalk messages written on the sidewalk. The arrows pointed down a few blocks to a “big sexy vintage sale” being held in someone’s garage. None of us found anything here we wanted to take home, but I loved the concept and execution.
By 3 pm it was time to head to Widow Jane for a tour of their bourbon distillery. My friend Lindsey hooked us up—such a fun and interesting activity. I highly recommend! I never would have guessed that a distillery of this magnitude was right here in Brooklyn. Part of their facility is housed in a charming old carriage house, and they have a bar called Botanica next door. We learned a lot about bourbon and tasted a few of their varieties. Adam, our tour guide who is one of 23 people on the Widow Jane staff, gave us more backstory on the dark and potentially haunted history of Red Hook… If Red Hook has a ghost tour, that’s top of my list for the next time I return.
Right next to Widow Jane is Taurus Vintage, a shop that matches the Kentucky vibes—lots of denim and horse imagery. I bought a great denim shirt there.
At this point it was time for a real drink break. We headed over to Sunny’s, the oldest bar in Brooklyn. It’s divey and saloon-esque, with a vintage truck parked out front that people sit on to drink and chat. Inside, there’s a back room where they have live music on weekend nights, and they even have a sweet outdoor patio, which was full of people hanging out and playing cards. The bar has been around since the 1890s! It remains cash only. We had an unfortunately rude bartender, but everything else about the space is charming. Much like the rest of Red Hook, it feels like stepping into a different era.
We stopped by Apotheke to smell some candles. This store is huge and home to their warehouse. They host candle making classes here, which would be a great activity for next time.
Resiklo is a vintage furniture store that is also in this waterfront area, but sadly it was closed by the time we got there. We headed across the street for a snack at Steve’s Authentic Key Lime Pie, a Red Hook staple with a hefty line. We each got a classic mini key lime pie dipped in dark chocolate. So delicious and refreshing.
Around the corner is Red Hook Cidery and Strong Rope Brewery, both with tons of picnic tables to sit and take in the sunset. Red Hook is one of the only places in NYC with a frontal view of the Statue of Liberty, and this is the perfect place to see it. We’d been joking all day that we had no idea where all of the rowdy people on our ferry disappeared to because the main streets were so quiet. They were all split between the waterfront breweries, Sunny’s, and Brooklyn Crab, a kitschy sea-themed bar that we did not stop at. We enjoyed a couple glasses of cider and wine before heading off to our final destination.
I’ve been hearing about Red Hook Tavern for years. If you want to go, I highly recommend making a reservation on Resy when they open two weeks in advance at midnight. It will save you the headache of waiting in line to put your name down and hoping something opens up.
Their burger tops every single list of best burgers in NYC and some lists of best burgers in the country. It really is a perfect burger. It excels in simplicity: a thick patty, one slice of American cheese, grilled onions, sauce, and a buttery toasted bun. That’s it. I much prefer it to an overly decadent burger like the one at Au Cheval. They have thick cut bacon at Red Hook Tavern (it comes on the wedge salad, which is also divine and worth ordering), but for the burger they stick to the basics, and I appreciate that. There is truly no better feeling than sitting with your friends at an outdoor table on a balmy summer night, eating this burger and sipping pink cocktails with “Sister Golden Hair” playing in the background.
I would say the general theme of Red Hook is down to earth simplicity done extremely carefully and well. No frills, no fuss, no caviar menu additions or complex cocktails. Steve’s Key Lime pies sells literally one item. The vintage stores are well curated without showing off any designer pieces. The restaurants serve very good food that alone is worth visiting for, but the spaces feel casual and inviting. I loved the rugs underneath the Red Hook Tavern tables on their sidewalk; it helped blend the homey Tavern interior with its outdoor dining section.
Also, nothing was terribly expensive. We paid $25 per person at Cafe Kestrel and $50 per person at Red Hook Tavern (including one drink each). When we opted to Uber home to the East Village after dinner, it cost under $40.
It was the perfect escape from overstimulating Manhattan. By the time we returned after our ten-hour field trip, it felt like we’d just gotten back from a legit vacation, though we were only a mere four miles away.
Of course we didn’t get to every place during this visit. I’m dying to try Hometown Barbecue and Pitt’s, a favorite restaurant of Jeremy Allen White. Always good to leave some things for next time.
I’ve added all these spots and more to the below NYC Zest maps guide. I will continue to add pins in the coming weeks as I write about different neighborhoods and many more restaurants… Much more to come xo
