Sometimes I receive emails from readers saying that I recommend too many Brooklyn restaurants. Though I disagree, I will admit: That’s where I’ve lived since arriving in New York City, so I think it’s a very special place.
When I moved here in 2012, Brooklyn was in the midst of a restaurant renaissance driven by chefs who had been priced out of Manhattan or were chasing a growing customer base in the increasingly gentrified corners of the borough (or both). Many weren’t concerned about attracting diners from Manhattan — they had all the customers they could handle right there.
But wouldn’t you know it, we’re now experiencing something of a reverse migration of Brooklyn restaurateurs to Manhattan. Notably, to the East Village — drawn for various reasons, including some lower rents and a customer demographic similar to North Brooklyn’s.
Last year, the owners of Roberta’s opened an East Village restaurant. But rather than create yet another location of the pizzeria, they went the fine-dining route by opening Foul Witch, on Avenue A. Last week, the owners of the Commodore, an icon of the 2010s Williamsburg bar scene, opened Commodore II on Avenue C. And Eater recently reported that the couple behind Taqueria Ramirez in Greenpoint will soon open Carnitas Ramirez on East Third Street, near Avenue B.
But perhaps the most significant Manhattan newcomer may be Andrew Tarlow, who with restaurants like Diner, Roman’s and Achilles Heel, has become virtually synonymous with cool Brooklyn restaurant culture. The closest he ever got to a footprint in Manhattan was the She Wolf Bakery stand, which has peddled boules at Greenmarkets across the city for years. But sometime in the near future he plans to open his first restaurant in Manhattan, a few blocks east of Madison Square Park.
