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4 New Bars and Restaurants to Try in Industrial East Williamsburg

By Serena Dai | September 1, 2015 7:47am | Updated on September 1, 2015 5:56pm
 Four new bars and restaurants have opened in East Williamsburg-Bushwick, on the heels of five other spots that opened earlier this summer.
Four new bars and restaurants have opened in East Williamsburg-Bushwick, on the heels of five other spots that opened earlier this summer.
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EAST WILLIAMSBURG — Advice to Williamsburg foodies: Head East. 

Over the past few months, nearly 10 new spots have opened near the Morgan Avenue and Montrose Avenue L train stops, a historically factory-packed neighborhood on the Bushwick border.

DNAinfo New York already introduced you to five of these new places in July. Here are four more new bars and restaurants — from Japanese yakitori to two speakeasy-style cocktail bars — that have made more formal debuts since then.

HELL PHONE — 247 Varet Ave.

You won't find a sign for this new bar while walking down the street. Hell Phone is hidden within Ange Noir Cafe — and only accessible by walking through a phone booth at the back of the coffee shop.

In line with the theme of the cafe, the speakeasy-style bar and restaurant has a dark name - it means  "black angel" in French — said owner Vanessa Pacini, who's from France.

Pacini had been always been planning on opening a speakeasy in the back of the coffee shop, she said, but renovations took some time.

With live acoustic music every Friday and a fuller menu featuring cocktails, crepes and gluten-free options, Pacini is hoping people will stick around from day through to night.

"What is cool is that people can start in the café," she said, "and they can finish the day at the bar."

MOKU MOKU — 43 Bogart St.

Moku Moku

Popular Bushwick sushi shop MoMo Sushi Shack expanded this summer with Moku Moku, a farm-to-table yakitori restaurant with skewers, ramen and — the signature item — an octopus-filled corn dog.

The $8 "tako corndog" has been the most popular item since the eatery opened a few weeks ago, said owner Phillip Gilmour. It's a take on the Japanese street food takoyaki, or little flour balls typically filled with small pieces of octopus.

Like typical takoyaki, the corndog is topped with a Japanese mayo called Kewpie, bonito flakes, a sweet soy sauce called tonkatsu and seaweed, Gilmour said.

"The octopus in [takoyaki] is sometimes little tiny rubbery pieces," he said. "So instead, we actually put in a whole piece of Japanese octopus. We braise it so it's nice and tender."

Moku Moku started out as just a bar and waiting area for MoMo, but once the ideas began rolling in, the owners decided to make Moku Moku an alternative to the sushi options next door, Gilmour explained.

"It turned into a different beast," he said.

THE TOPAZ — 251 Bushwick Ave.

 

Summer line up.. Happy hour til 8

A photo posted by The Topaz (@topaznyc) on

Expect to ask a few questions about the drinks at this new cocktail bar located in a former bicycle shop.

Owner Brandon Davey wanted the menu to introduce locals to new flavors, so he used several unusual ingredients like Sriracha bitters, poppy gin and white blossom-infused vodka.

The most popular drink so far has been the Dead Man's Mask, a cocktail with black cardamom-infused bourbon, lemon, smoked honey, pineapple and Dead Sea salt, Davey said.

"We’re trying to go for cocktails that are pulling people out of their comfort zone but still approachable and tasty," he said.

The area needed a more upscale cocktail option with snacks, Davey said, so The Topaz is also offering small plates like steamed buns and charcuterie.

And patrons should be prepared to bring their Instagram game: Davey and his best friend built out the whole place with a speakeasy-style decor, and many of the drinks are presented in fun, photo-friendly ways, he said.

"We’re trying to use slightly bizarre ingredients when we can, [with] a lot of infusions and a lot of fun and animated presentations," Davey said. "They can take pictures of it."

THE BAR AT THE NOBLE EXPERIMENT23 Meadow St.

Owney

Local rum distillery The Noble Experiment recently opened its doors to the public with a “daq shaq,” a bar making daiquiris exclusively using Owney's, its white rum label.

Besides serving classic daiquiris and local canned beers, founder and Rockaways native Bridget Firtle and her staff will be giving tours of the distillery in the hopes of educating locals on how rum is made.

The former hedge fund analyst started the liquor brand after seeing a gap in the craft spirits world for rum, she said. Firtle sees the bar as a gateway for people to learn more about it.

"It's super powerful to do that on site," she told DNAinfo.