The Brooklyn neighborhood of Bushwick is the grittier, not-yet-entirely a gentrified neighbour of Williamsburg. If insane street art, underground nightlife, vintage shops, and great coffee is what you’re craving, Bushwick should be at the top of the list for your next Brooklyn trip.
So for those of you who are ready to explore this hipster haven, I recommend heading to these places during your Bushwick trip.
Street Art
By Steph and Jim – The Upbeat Path
Bushwick Collective Street Art, Troutman St
The Bushwick Collective is a group of artists that grace the neighbourhood with their striking street art. While street art is plentiful throughout Bushwick, the best place to view it is on Troutman St (off the L train at the Jefferson St stop). Here, the entire street is decked out with some incredible works of art, most of which is replaced yearly by different Bushwick Collective artists during the Bushwick Block Party, held every summer.
Nightlife
The House of Yes
The House of Yes is a club-meets-circus space-meets-performing arts space for all things kitschy, glittery and cool. It’s your quintessential Bushwick playground where there’s always something unique happening. Highly recommended for a night out!
The Johnson’s
The Johnson’s is a big dive bar with an open-air space in the front of the building with plenty of comfy furniture to lounge on. Come for the $2 Lionshead beer, stay for the hipster watching.
Bossa Nova Civic Club
Bossa Nova is a go-to late night spot when you’re already wasted and need to get your techno fix. It’s essentially a dive bar with an intimate dance floor, a booming sound system and a nonstop fog machine.
Restaurants
Ichiran
Ichiran has some of the best ramen noodles you can try outside of Japan, and that’s probably because the noodles come from the factory that is adjacent to the restaurant. The layout may take some getting used to since it’s all single-person booths with little-to-no human interaction when ordering through the little windows in front of you, but it certainly makes for an experience.
Union Pizza Works
Ask most people who know anything about Bushwick where to get pizza, and they’ll probably tell you to head to Roberta’s, which, yes, has some incredibly delectable pies. But with a reputation like that means crowds, and ain’t nobody got time for that. So let me offer you a solution: try Union Pizza Works. The pizza is remarkably similar, the industrial-chic atmosphere is arguably cooler, and you won’t have to worry about an hour+ wait.
Be sure to bring dinero, because Union Pizza Works is cash only.
Momo Sushi
Momo Sushi Shack offers perfectly delectable little bites of raw fish or veggie goodness. It’s on the pricey side, but trust me – if you’re a sushi fanatic, you will surely not be disappointed. We recommend the party bomb and carrot shisho soup.
Hit up Momo for lunch to take advantage of the lunch specials.
Coffee
Cobra Club
Upon first glance of the Cobra Club, you may think I’m crazy for recommending this place for coffee since it transforms into a raucous punk bar at night. But here’s a little protip for you: During the day, the Cobra Club has some of the best cold brew coffee in the neighborhood. They also sell fresh Megpies, Brooklyn’s version of Poptarts which are now sold at Starbucks nationwide.
Swallow Cafe
Swallow Cafe is a classic Bushwick cafe conveniently located off the Morgan L train stop. Inside is plenty of working space and, of course, fantastic coffee. Just remember that Swallow is cash-only!
Vintage Shops
Urban Jungle
Urban Jungle is a thrifter’s paradise. It’s well-appointed with everything from flannel shirts to vintage furs but without the pretention (and price tags) of some more “curated” vintage shops in Bushwick.
Chess and The Sphynx
If you are looking for a more refined vintage shopping experience, Chess & The Sphinx is a great place to start. The shop features unique vintage finds at generally reasonable prices.
