Greenpoint

Liza Lubell has more than a decade's experience working with botanicals–and her experience shows. Every bespoke piece she and her team creates has an ethereal, organic, whimsical quality, reminding us that to stop and literally smell the roses–and revel in their ephemeral beauty. Simply gorgeous arrangements for wedding, parties, or any occasion, for that matter.

Local restaurateur Andrew Tarlow (who brought you other old-school-Brooklyn-inspired destinations Diner, Marlow & Sons, and the Wythe Hotel) opened this low-key neighborhood gastropub in an early-1900s bar facing the East River that was once frequented by the workers from nearby shipyard docks. The kitchen here is minor, but chef Lee Desrosiers designed a menu of light, gently cooked fare—think poached fish, beef tartare, or heirloom veggies in broth—sourcing ingredients, naturally, from its sister business, Williamsburg butcher shop and artisan grocer Marlow & Daughters.

Whether you’ve had Van Leeuwen on the streets of Brooklyn or parked up on Abbot Kinney, it’s instantly recognizable by its sunny yellow truck. All of their ice cream is hand-made in Brooklyn, and they’re particularly famous for their vegan ice cream, a combination of cashew milk, coconut milk, cocoa butter and carob beans that’s incredibly creamy and indulgent (and a major victory for the dairy-sensitive). They’ve got a few locations now: Greenpoint, Boerum Hill, and Williamsburg in Brooklyn; the East and West Villages in Manhattan; and the Arts District and Culver City in LA. You can always track their many food trucks on their website.

Named after founder Taylor Patterson's childhood farm in Delaware, Fox Fodder is a next-level floral design studio based in Greenpoint. The studio itself is by-appointment-only, but you can order an arrangement online to be delivered anywhere in the city. The seasonal arrangements are anything but ordinary; they feel found rather than fussed over—but they're made all the more special by the custom stoneware, smoked glass, and hand-thrown ceramic vases they arrive in.

What started as a coffee and tea shop with flowers and small succulents for sale—what else?—has quickly become much more of lifestyle shop, carrying a mix of mostly local-made ceramics, books, magazines, and small design goods. Stop in for a Blue Bottle coffee, or a Bellocq tea—their studio is next door—and walk out with a couple of small indoor plants, a Postalco notebook, and a Grain Edit beeswax totem candle.

Founded in 2004 by Erik Johnson and Jen Johnson-Kuhn, Brooklyn-based Argosy Designs specializes in the design and fabrication of custom residential and commercial architectural metalwork, as well as hardware, lighting, and furniture. We know firsthand that their craftsmanship is bar none—they handled the custom steel scaffolding at our NYC goop mrkt.

The walls here are clad in distressed wood that contrasts nicely with the room's main feature: A long, sleek, white marble bar. In short, this is exactly what you'd imagine a great bar in Denmark might look like. To complete the concept, the chef is a Noma veteran, and bar snacks include the requisite rye breads and Nordic-style pickles and smoked fish. The food and the great selection of rare craft beers attracts a pretty hip, Greenpoint crowd. Meanwhile, in the 25-seat back room known as Luksus, it's a decidedly more formal affair, with an oft-changing tasting menu of Scandinavian-influenced fare.

Perched on the northern tip of Brooklyn, and housed in a former glass factory, this is inarguably Greenpoint’s most notable new opening—which says a lot, as it’s a burgeoning culinary scene. Chef Elmdad Shem Tov’s heritage influences the menu significantly, as flourishes from Israel and the Middle East dot the contemporary offerings.

In business since the '60s, this old-school, family-run operation has cracked the code on how to smoke fish in an all-natural way. Their line, Blue Hill Fish, is so popular that they've opened up a West Coast office to keep up with demand. If you can make it to Greenpoint on a Friday morning, you can snag smoked goods at half price until 1pm. Cash only.

In business since the '60s, this old-school, family-run operation has cracked the code on how to smoke fish in an all-natural way. Their line, Blue Hill Fish, is so popular that they've opened up a West Coast office to keep up with demand. If you can make it to Greenpoint on a Friday morning, you can snag smoked goods at half price until 1 pm. Cash only.