A quick guide to our fav kid's eats, parks and shops for Williamsburg and Greenpoint
We love posting guides yet found that once we started to have more kids the guides started tapering off. We all know that time becomes even more precious post children. From summer camps to toys we share curated picks for our MB readers and not a week goes by where we are not dm'd or emailed a question about our neighborhood. This is why we are going to start bringing the guide back!
First, we are starting with a bit of a cheat sheet to our neck of the woods, Williamsburg and Greenpoint. This guide is for the new mom or the visiting family searching for the kid-friendly spots in the area. And don't fret, we will cover more as we start getting our guides up and running, the weather will warm up (yes!) and we all start to get out for Spring/Summer!
Let's start!
Kid Friendly Restaurants
We like to eat. And although this isn't every restaurant in our neighborhood, this is a sampling of eateries we trust and feel confident to recommend. Our restaurant suggestions are based on our experience as well as mom recommended. Feel free to comment here, dm us on IG or email us at motherburg@gmail.com for kid friendly restaurants you love and would like to see in our more in our future guides.
Where To Eat:
Aurora- Friendly and welcoming staff and amazing food to boot. The restaurant is a bit tight but there is still room for a stroller especially if you go for an earlier dinner.
Cafe Colette- Beautifully classic place to grab a bite to eat is also family owned and delicious. We prefer brunch and early dinner as it can get pretty busy. Not much room for a stroller, if possible leave the stroller at the home or the hotel.
Calexico- A busy restaurant with a staff that tolerates kids. We have gone here several times with many kids and the wait staff is always friendly even with many screaming children. The food is good and quick to get to the table.
Crema- Not a restaurant per se however this space deserves an honorable mention for being super quaint and one of the best places in the Greenpoint area to meet a friend. Pastries from Balthazar and coffee from Toby's estate. It is small but on a quiet morning can fit a stroller or two. It has a small area in front you can easily place and keep a watchful eye on your stroller. It has one large community table a 2 to 3 more smaller nook areas to sit.
egg - One of our top picks to take our kids (just look at our Instagram). This popular eating spot is our favorite for breakfast. It does get packed so get there early if you want a short wait. Super kid friendly.
Five Leaves- This place gets crowded so if your kids are chill then it's worth going for the food for it is amazing. We would say to get there by 8 a.m for the restaurant is full of parents and kids by 9a.m. Our kids are wild so we go for breakfast before it's busy and there is room for the stroller. If you go at a busy time please know that your stroller may have to be parked outside. The wait staff is incredibly friendly even with high energy children.
Frankel's Delicatessen- New-ish deli open up by two brothers and their friends. Super nice staff and delish pastramis, brisket and bagels. This eatery feels hip but not pretentious. The line can get long but this place is worth it.
Little Dokebi- When this second branch opened in Greenpoint we were curious how it would fair in our picky neighborhood. It's doing great. Little Dokebi feels warmer, quainter and although the big one is child-friendly this feels more neighborhood-y. Parents even leave their strollers out front as they eat their meals and the food is amazing to top it all off.
Lobster Joint - This place gets busy but it is totally worth it as the tented back area is perfect for kids. We love the picnic tables, plenty of room for high energy kids.
Marlow &Sons- We've been visiting this restaurant with the best food for years pre-child and post children and we still love it. One of our son's first visit was when he was only three days old and we found that breastfeeding wasn't frowned upon which makes for a calm mama. Warm ambience and wide wine selection also makes for happy parents.
Ovenly- Grab a treat as you head over to Transmitter Park. You won't regret it!
Pearls- We checked out this eatery as a moms night out, we had one child with us as there is always at least one kid in one of our outings. Pearls is warm, friendly and you feel like you are not in Brooklyn...it feels very Caribbean. It is affordable and yummy especially if you love 'island' food. There isn't a ton of room for strollers in the front however there is a back area and not one eyelash was bat when we brought in our stroller and sat in front. Always a plus for us.
Pies 'n' Thighs - We have been visiting PnT when it was in the backyard of a pretty seedy bar area back in the day. The fried chicken was great then and it is still pretty incredible. Kids will love the sides; you’ll flip over dessert. Not huge stroller room but you can ask to sit in the back area and probably find a corner to park your stroller.
Rabbit Hole- Amazing brunch, a bit of a struggle getting the stroller in but worth it once your there for it's a lovely place with space in the back and garden.
Selamat Pagi: This Balinese restaurant is by the same owners of Van Leeuwen Ice Cream which celebrates their love for Balinese food. The food is delicious and our kids are open to eating dishes that are more exploratory especially for our toddlers palettes. There is always room for a stroller but we try to eat on the early side as this popular hang is always busy.
Spritzenhaus: This is our go to stop. Great waitstaff, insane bloody marys and tons of room and patience for the little ones. We prefer to dine there before it gets really pack which is around 9pm weekdays, noon weekends especially when the weather is nice.
The Butcher's Daughter
Pure bliss when this Manhattan and Los Angeles favorite opened in Wburg. This plant-based cafe serves some kick-ass juices and Donna's fave, the green matcha. What we love is that our kids haven't noticed that this is mostly a vegan restaurant. We tend to visit this restaurant after drop-offs or for meeting up with a fellow mom who also appreciates the ambiance and boho vibes that chill even the most frazzled mom.
The Meatball Shop -This spot is located in the heart of busy Bedford Avenue yet we love it for serving something our kids never get tired of, Meatballs! Meatballs are naturally toddler and kid-friendly food and the amazing ice cream sandwiches don’t hurt.
Wholefoods on Bedford- We like this spot for when we are running around or about to jump over to Williamsburg Cinemas for a quick and healthy bite to eat. Open sitting with a small play space (they need to work on this part a bit) for the kiddies. Plenty of room for strollers.
Williamsburger- The cheese dogs are a great hit with the kids and it's not too hipster that parents can bring a group of children to eat for a family outing. Tables are a bit of a tight fit so go a bit early if you and your tribe need some room to move around. The location moved from South Williamsburg and can now be found on Graham Avenue.
Shops for Mom and Babe:
Sarah Bean of Sarah Bean Brooklyn knows her stores and truly feels we have the best shops in our nook of Brooklyn.
Here are her favorite kids and mom stores that best serve the parents in our neighborhood. Shop small and local!
For Organic Kids Clothes, Unique Books , Toys and so much more!
Geometry Kid
48 Grand St
Brooklyn, NY 11249
For Toys and Party Goods
Matt & Juliette
196 N 9th St
Brooklyn, NY 11211
For Gorgeous Books as well as bestsellers for the whole family. Can spend hours at this bookstore.
McNally Jackson Books
76 N.4th Street, Unit G
Brooklyn, NY 11249
For Strollers, everything baby, we visit Jake's at least once a week.
Mini Jake
178 N 9th
Brooklyn, NY 11222
For well curated goods for both mama and baby from post baby and beyond. The classes are SO good.
Wild Was Mama
272 Driggs
Brooklyn, NY 11222
Favorite Parks
Domino Park
This privately operated new-ish park can get pretty busy especially during the summer and weekends, however, we love it. With stunning views of the Williamsburg Bridge and NYC, plenty of green grass to picnic on, a sprinkler system right at the waterfront this park it has been an addition park we have been happy to accept in our this ever-growing nook. We always run into new and old friends, the playground is fun yet be a bit cautious if you have very young children as the slide are is usually a bit chaotic with kids of all ages and at certain times of the day, not super toddler-friendly. For food Tacocina is yummy and quick to serve your food, you can also find a food truck or two on weekends if tacos aren't your thing.
McCarren Park
McCarren is a large park of 35 acres that is broken into 5 parts. One part includes a softball area with plenty of paths for kids to ride their bikes and scooters. With large trees that shade areas for picnics. You can also find a soccer class for the little ones or kite flying. The park also includes tennis courts, a revamped track area, the popular McCarren Pool ( open Summers only). The most popular part of the park at least for parents is the playground that is at the corner of Lorimer and Driggs. The playground is always bustling with slides and swings and the young kids favorite is usually the turtle water park.
McGolrick Park
Located in Greenpoint this spot is a bit of a diamond in the rough. With love the community puts into this park it has become a favorite for the North Brooklyn community. A recently renovated dog park and playground makes this park a lovely staple for the neighborhood.
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