Five Things to Eat, Shop and Do in Williamsburg, New York

As I mentioned last week, we recently spent a long weekend visiting friends in NYC. We stayed in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and I fell hard for the red brick house-lined streets and throng of independent boutiques, bars and restaurants, so much so that I wanted to share some of my favourite finds.

Ridiculously light, fluffy French toast and encouraged crayon use for guests of all ages are two ways to woo me at breakfast time. Apparently this minimalist eatery gets very busy on the weekends but the four of us had no problem getting a table at 8.30am on a rainy Friday morning.

A cozy indoor market complete with vintage stalls, baked goods, handmade jewellery and ‘organic’ greetings cards laced with wildflower seeds. An upscale alternative to traditional craft markets and a dangerously easy way to spend lots of cash.

As someone who could quite happily eat two of every meal on a daily basis, this weekly food market in East River State Park is my idea of heaven. Every Sunday some of Brooklyn/NYC’s best food outlets gather to serve up everything from ramen noodle burgers to mozzarella sticks, brisket burgers and donuts the size of a human head.

A recommendation from a Brooklyn-based friend, the dubiously named Baby’s All Right is a bar-cum-music venue based on Broadway & Bedford Avenue. The back room where the music takes place hosts local bands to artists on international tours. We went along for the album launch party of indie rock band, Beverly.

It’s no secret that New Yorkers know a thing or two about pizza. On our last visit we queued for coal oven-cooked Grimaldi’s in DUMBO and this time we plumped for a slice at the Williamsburg outpost of Joe’s. A favourite with everyone from politicos to Toby McGuire’s Peter Parker, Joe’s has been around since the 1930s and manages to make a regular cheese and tomato pizza taste SO good.

I know this won’t be my last visit to Brooklyn so if you have any recommendations for me to try next, leave ’em in the comments.