How to spend a long weekend eating in NYC

Part II: I hate to say it, but Williamsburg

Hello and welcome back to Five Things I Ate! This week, we present part two of our travel guide to NYC, a multi-part series on where to eat if you’re visiting for a long weekend. This travel guide was made for a reader who asked for suggestions on where to eat and I thought I’d share it with you all. There’s way way too much to eat on here – so take it as a loose guideline. As always, read past posts here, and please follow my Instagram, @fivethingsiate.

Day 2: Williamsburg

I totally have a love-hate relationship with Williamsburg for a myriad of reasons but every time I have visitors from out of town I take them here. I feel like the same reasons I get annoyed by it (rapid gentrification, the whiteness, extremely overpriced condos, too many “hip” places) are also the reasons it’s fun for a visit. Please note sometimes cell service is bad for me (AT&T) on Bedford Ave.

First, take a pit stop in Union Square on your way over from uptown or downtown Manhattan, unless you’re staying in Brooklyn already (you can make this pit stop from Astoria, too). If it’s Friday or Saturday, 

• Visit the Union Square GreenMarket, which is closed on Sundays. This is (I think) the largest farmer’s market in Manhattan and has a great selection of local produce, flowers, and baked goods. Also great for people watching.

From Union Square, take the L train to Bedford Ave. You’ll find yourself in the heart of Williamsburg, and boy will you know it right away. I hope you like vintage shopping (Awoke Vintage is unironically great).

Where to eat and drink:

• Qahwah house - Yemeni Tea and Coffee shop that is super popular and has very legit chai and amazing coffee. I love this place. It’s got a great vibe as well as pastries.

• L’industrie Pizzeria – I’m gonna leave you alone with this one. I’m a cheap slice and fancy dessert kinda gal and my favorite kind of pizza is plain or Grandma slice. But I have been here before and it is tasty. It’s always trending on TikTok or some ish like that.

• Patisserie Tomoko - Japanese pastry shop with coffee and tea that I just absolutely love. They have a $28 prix-fixe you can try. I haven’t tried it yet. It’s a little out of the way but close to L’industrie and I try to stop by whenever I can. Also amazing gelato here.

• Puerh Brooklyn Tea House - You probably need just a little more caffeine.

• Birds of a Feather -  Chinese restaurant that is pretty solid and good for a sit down dinner. Slightly elevated but not super pricey. A crowd favorite. I think a Yelp review once complained about roaches but there are roaches EVERYWHERE in New York you just don’t know about it, lol.

• Le Crocodile - Fancy French bistro next to/in a very hip hotel. Beautiful ambiance, good food, great for a date night.

• St. Mazie Bar & Supper Club - New Orleans style Jazz bar with a great ambience and solid drinks. A nice classy night out.

• Pete’s Candy Store - Bar with live music, trivia and drinks in an old train car. Only the best of vibes, haven’t been in years.

Have a good weekend,

Soph

P.S. Check back in next week for Part III, the finale of our Long Weekend in New York guide. Enjoyed this newsletter? Feel free to forward to a friend, and encourage them to sign up!