A couple of glossy pearls of caviar cling to the corner of a three-year-old’s mouth as he flashes two enthusiastic thumbs up from a patio table outside Sailor & Siren, which might just be the best new seafood spot in Brooklyn. Inside the cozy Greenpoint restaurant, NYSNC’s Bye Bye Bye blares over the speakers while split-top buns toast on the griddle, filling the room with the smell of melted butter. Chef-owner Natalie Borowski darts between the cramped dining room and the counter, greeting newcomers and regulars as the front door swings open again and again.
On a Saturday afternoon in late July, nearly every seat in the 300-square-foot storefront was occupied. Families squeezed around the single salmon-pink table and window-side bar, neighbors lined up for lobster rolls, and parents encouraged their young ones to sample caviar ($20 for a bump) for the first time. In a neighborhood where luxury often arrives buttoned-up and exclusive, Sailor & Siren makes pristine Maine lobster, uni, and caviar feel joyful and approachable. “It’s about bringing people together, celebrating my culture and others, and having a place to celebrate the beauty of this neighborhood,” Borowski says.
After just one month of the brick-and-mortar at 817 Manhattan Ave. (and a year of pop-ups prior), Sailor & Siren has already become a neighborhood destination for Maine lobster. And it’s no wonder, since they’re probably offering the freshest catch in the borough. Borowski sources directly from her life partner Reed’s family’s 40-year-old lobster wharf and seafood distribution business, Douty Bros.
Love Story
Borowski’s relationship to food began long before Maine entered the picture. Raised by Polish parents who immigrated to New York City in the late ’90s, she learned to cook alongside family members at home and during visits to her grandmother in Poland, where meals were a central part of celebrations and gathering. “I was taught the importance of food in facilitating human connection,” she says.
Although her childhood took her between Williamsburg, Queens, and Long Island, Greenpoint remained a constant. After college and an early career in management consulting, finance, and venture capital—often with food and beverage companies—she returned to the neighborhood six years ago, drawn by its close-knit network of small businesses and longtime residents. “Coming from an immigrant family, I went for the stable career first, gaining those skills to follow my dreams,” Borowski says.
Borowski met Reed while they were both attending college in Philadelphia. Visiting his family’s business in Maine for the first time, Borowski remembers tasting one of their lobster rolls and realizing the versions she’d grown up eating in New York didn’t compare. “I’ve tried every lobster roll in the city,” she says. “None of them have lived up to the way they taste up in Maine.”
Determined to recreate that experience and satiate her constant cravings, Borowski launched Sailor & Siren as a pop-up business in June 2025, pitching the idea to Greenpoint bars, restaurants, and cafes. Nearly everyone said yes. During the following winter of successful pop-ups and supper clubs, she spent months searching for a more permanent home. Just as she was about to pause the search in late April, the Manhattan Ave. space came on the market, and she signed the lease a week later. “The universe brings things together in a beautiful way when they’re meant to be,” Borowski says.
Letting the Lobster Shine
Rather than relying on large seafood processors, Sailor & Siren sources directly from Douty Bros. The lobsters are brought from the family’s Midcoast Maine wharf to Portland, where they’re steamed in small batches, plunged into an ice bath, hand-picked, packed on ice, and trucked to Greenpoint.
Later that same day, each roll is piled high with a full lobster’s worth of tail, claw, and knuckle meat, and served up in paper boats. Borowski follows a carefully controlled cooking process designed to preserve the lobster’s texture and flavor. The meat is never reheated in butter after the initial steaming, allowing its natural sweetness to take center stage.
That philosophy extends to the toppings. “I want the lobster to always be honored, and the rest of the menu to show my personality and fun little chaos,” Borowski says. The signature Salty Siren ($50) pairs lobster with caviar, a nod to Borowski’s Eastern European heritage, while Maine uni—what she calls “the butter of the ocean”—offers another indulgent option atop the Smooth Sailor ($40). Even the Simple Sailor ($30) roll keeps things restrained, with mayonnaise swiped inside the bun rather than mixed into the meat.
Elsewhere on the menu, handmade and smoked hot dogs from Prospect Butcher Co. are topped with house-made wild Maine blueberry mustard and crushed potato chips ($9), merging Maine and New York staples, while classic Maine whoopie pies ($6) and an original chocolate mousse “pocket pie” ($9) round out the offerings. The drink list keeps the Maine connection going with bres from Allagash Brewing Company ($9) and Maine Beer Co. ($12), alongside wine ($12 per glass), Maine Soda ($5), and Athletic Brewing NA beer ($8).
Finding Her Sea Legs
A month into Sailor & Siren’s life as a brick-and-mortar, Borowski is finding her footing, navigating the challenges of running a restaurant as a solo entrepreneur, from dialing in lobster inventory to managing the countless details that come with a permanent home. “It’s nonstop in the most beautiful way,” she says. “I’m getting to grow this business and be creative every day.” She credits much of her success to people around her, from her three-person team to the Greenpoint community that embraced the concept long before she signed a lease.
Looking ahead, Borowski hopes to collaborate with local businesses, create opportunities for aspiring food entrepreneurs much like the bars and cafes that welcomed her pop-ups, and continue to experiment with the menu. As temperatures cool, she’s already imagining the return of supper clubs and seasonal dishes that invite diners to experience lobster beyond the height of summer.
Above all, she wants Sailor & Siren to remain a place where people feel comfortable trying something new. During last Saturday’s service, a nine-year-old confidently told Borowski his lobster roll was “so good.” “I love how people react positively to our food,” she says. “We pour so much love into everything we make, and watching that resonate with people is special.”
Sailor & Siren
817A Manhattan Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11222
(929) 468-1836
