Brooklyn is artisan everything mecca: cocktails, cuisines, beauty, accessories, beer, chocolate, you name it. Fostering this artisanship is the community commitment to playful innovation and creativity, with an eye always on pushing the envelope. We've always had a soft spot for Brooklyn, but now with the addition of Soul Cycle and other new workouts, we've fallen in love.
Breakfast
Bliss Grand
176 Grand, Williamsburg
Serving vegan BLD daily, as well as a list of classic juices, Bliss on Grand offers plant-based items ranging from healthy to hearty.
Champs
176 Ainslie, Williamsburg
The vegan pastry is tempting (share one four ways?), but the list of breakfast 'slam' items is such a healthfully filling way to start a weekend morning.
Workout
Soul Cycle
196 Kent Ave, Williamsburg (+Manhattan)
Yes, we know this is on our list for every city that Soul Cycle inhabits, but for a very good reason. There is no better place to get your dance-y, sweaty cardio on that on a bike at our spinning obsession.
Sapere
65 Maspeth, East Williamsburg
Barre classes, Pilates reformers, yoga and some strength classes are held in this light-filled, minimalist studio in east Williamsburg. Classes are small and the equipment is gorgeous.
Lunch
Sun in Bloom
460 Bergen St, Park Slope
A sweet spot in Park Slope to find raw, vegan, gluten-free sandwiches, soup and creative scrambles. They also whip up some pretty mean vegan pastry if you want to spin it off later.
Five Leaves
18 Bedford Ave, Greenpoint
The black kale salad is a must (with no anchovy or cheese), as is grabbing a table outdoors overlooking McCarren Park. It's not a quickie lunch, but that's part of why we love it.
Shop
Vaute Couture
234 Grand Street, Williamsburg
The first all-vegan (also locally produced and made from recycled materials) line to show at NYFW, Vaute Couture's flagship shop in Williamsburg stocks sweet dresses, sophisticated outerwear and accessories.
Miomia
318 Bedford Ave, Williamsburg
Just below the craziness of the main Bedford area, Mio Mia can suck you in for hours of cosmetics, fragrance, skincare and accessories shopping. Katie the owner carries lots of small production local, organic and hard-to-find lines.
Yoga
Kula Yoga Project
85 North 3rd Street, Williamsburg
The Brooklyn outpost of Kula offers challenging Vinyasa classes that are just as sweaty and inspiring as at the TriBeca sister studio, but the newer studio just feels a bit more spruced up. It's impossible to find a lackluster class here.
Greenhouse Holistic
88 Roebling, Williamsburg (E Williamsburg + S Williamsburg)
Two Williamsburg locations offer a variety of yoga styles including Jivamukti, Vinyasa and Ashtanga.
Dinner
The Grocery
288 Smith Street, Carroll Gardens
This place is a great quintessential Brooklyn dinner spot, just one that has some wonderful vegan additions to an omnivorous menu. Creative, artisanal, light-handed and simple, our favorite is the farro salad with seared tofu.
Drinks
Donna
27 Broadway, South Williamsburg
A beautiful little gem of a cocktail bar on the southside serving seasonal, artisan concoctions and a short list of wines.
Pinebox Rock Shop
12 Grattan Street, Bushwick
This is the only real vegan bar that we know of. It's a trek from central Williamsburg but totally worth it. They host a 'vegan shop-up' on the second Saturday of every month, all drinks are vegan-friendly and they serve vegan empanadas if you're in need a bite.
Tips
- We stand by our list as a 'best of', but just know that it is hard to find a vegan-unfriendly restaurant in Brooklyn.
- If you find yourself near North 3rd and Berry, stop into Mast Brothers and load up on small batch chocolate.
- If it's your cheat day, and by cheat we mean in calories and dairy, stop by Blue Stove bakery for any one of their classic, magic-tasting baked goods.
- For a run with endlessly Instagrammable views, head over the Williamsburg bridge and back. Prettiest views happen around 6:45a.