Brooklyn’s summer gets a lot of glory, but personally, I can’t wait for the fall. It’s a season of Over the Garden Wall showings, spiced beverages, and slow drifting leaves in Prospect Park. Also: restaurant openings. I took a spin through the borough’s much-awaited arrivals, and rounded up the very best. There’s the return of a boundary-pushing Thai restaurant, a new Southern spot devoted to cast-iron cornbread and moonshine, and a Bed-Stuy taqueria specializing in freshly made corn and flour tortillas.
Matches
560 Manhattan Ave Brooklyn, NY 11222
https://www.instagram.com/matchesbk
Opened August 14
It’s hard to beat a fully loaded cheeseburger and a plate of crisp tallow fries. Matches, a new neighborhood restaurant in Greenpoint, offers great versions of both, alongside comfort foods like wagyu steak frites, chicken thighs, and frozen popsicles. Bring your dancing shoes to dinner because later in the evening, the tables get cleared and the space turns into a bar with DJs and a dance floor. Brunch service will be added in the coming months, so keep your eyes peeled.
Pony’s
424 Van Brunt Street, Red Hook, New York 11231
https://www.ponysnyc.com
Opened August 22
On a quaint, cobblestone-lined corner in Red Hook, you’ll find Pony’s. This all-day cafe and corner bar is a jewel box of surprises, offering a slim café menu with madeleines and other pastries, small plates inspired by the owners’ shared Eastern European heritage, an inviting wine selection, and playful twists on classic cocktails. (The “Double R Martin” is a nod to the couple’s favorite show, Twin Peaks.) On weekdays, Pony’s opens as early as 8:30 a.m., and on most days it stays open until midnight, though the schedule is subject to change.
Ferguson’s Country
732 Lorimer St, Brooklyn, NY 11211
https://thelist.fergsbk.com
Opening late August
Gabriella Mann, the owner of Baba, Williamsburg’s chic French wine bar, is opening an entirely new concept inspired by her partner’s Alabama upbringing. The kitchen puts homey Southern cooking front and center: cast-iron cornbread, shrimp and grits, and golden biscuits stuffed with crispy hot chicken. There’s also a full spirits list dedicated to moonshine lovers. Currently, the restaurant doesn’t take reservations, so simply walk in and put your name down.
Ugly Baby
364 Grand Street, East Williamsburg, Brooklyn
https://www.instagram.com/uglybabynyc
Opened August 27
When Ugly Baby announced that it would close in late 2024, hordes of fervent heat seekers lined up around the block for its final services. (One day, I’ll tell my kids I was in that line.) As it turns out, Brooklyn’s famously spicy, boundary-pushing Thai restaurant was itching to return—this time in Williamsburg. The new dining room is much more spacious than the original, but it’s every bit as colorful and offbeat. I have high hopes that the food is as flavorful and fiery brow-moistening as ever.
Peral
105 Saratoga Ave Brooklyn, NY 11233
https://peralbk.com
Opening September 2
Peral wants to become your neighborhood taqueria. It makes a case with fresh corn and flour tortillas made in-house and hearty, non-traditional fillings such as breaded chicken cutlet, grilled mushrooms, chorizo, and thinly sliced ribeye. The desserts look phenomenal too, including flour tortillas with guava paste and Oaxacan cheese and a flan and chocolate cake mash-up. The restaurant comes from the teams behind Olmo in Bed-Stuy and Cicatriz in Mexico City. Peral has already hosted several weekend previews before its official opening September 2, and will roll out its bakery program in the upcoming months.
