Welcome to the Neighborhood: Crown Heights, Brooklyn

In the name of small scale adventure, I’m spending one day each month exploring an area in or around New York City that I’ve never been to before. Welcome to the neighborhood. 

For someone who has lived in New York City as long as I have, my Brooklyn knowledge is, admittedly, abysmal. It’s mostly filed under a place I don’t spend a lot of time so when my friend moved from Bushwick to Crown Heights a few years ago I wasn’t sure if that was close or far. When we decided to do this month’s neighborhood tour together in Crown Heights, I was ready to learn. 

Prospect Park sits on its western edge of the neighborhood as does the Brooklyn Museum, one of my favorites in the city. But had I spent much or any time actually in Crown Heights? I opened the map feature on my photos app and saw two pictures from nearly a decade ago, when I went to see another friend compete in (and win) the Miss Grenada pageant. 

This was my first learning. Crown Heights is incredibly Caribbean. Caribbean and Hasidic Jewish. Let’s start with the former. Caribbean culture is everywhere in Crown Heights. From the restaurants to the music to the flags you see hanging on local businesses, it’s evident that there is a deep identity in this neighborhood. 

The first Monday of each September is the West Indian American Day Parade. From the Brooklyn Public Library archives, the tradition as we know it today actually began in Harlem in the 1920s when immigrants from Trinidad and other Caribbean islands began celebrating Carnival during the pre-Lenten season. Starting in the mid 1940s, a street festival was held on Labor Day in Harlem but the permit was revoked in 1964. In 1969, a committee run by Carlos Lezama received a permit to host the parade on Eastern Parkway in Crown Heights. The committee turned into the West Indian-American Day Carnival Association. 

Crown Heights, as mentioned, also has deep connections to the Jewish community. According to the Brooklyn Jewish Historical Initiative, Hasidic Jews represent about 25% of the population in Crown Heights and the neighborhood itself has around 40 synagogues. In researching more about the community, I stumbled upon Jewish Brooklyn, a campaign launched by Rabbi Yoni Katz in Williamsburg in response to gentrification. Now, Jewish Brooklyn offers tours in Crown Heights, led by local Hasidic guides and providing unprecedented access “behind the usually-closed doors of the Hasidic community.” While I didn’t discover this until after my Crown Heights adventure, I’m really glad it’s on my radar and that I could include it in this write-up. 

Crown Heights was teeming with culture and history and my list of things to come back was growing. And nothing represents that quite like Weeksville. The Weeksville Heritage Center is a historic site on Buffalo Avenue between St. Marks Avenue and Bergen Street. It is dedicated to the preservation of Weeksville, one of America's first free black communities during the 19th century. Their mission is to “document, preserve, and protect the history of the free Black community of Weeksville, Brooklyn and beyond.” 

Weeksville is open 10:00 – 5:00, Tuesday through Friday and 11:00 – 5:00 on Saturdays. The Center is free to visit or you can sign up for a 1 hour guided tour ($10 for adults). Do not be like me and plan your Crown Heights day for a Sunday, when they are closed. Needless to say, a return trip is in the works. But on to what we really got into.

Because of weekend train construction, my Crown Heights Day began with the 3 train special. It took me just about an hour to get to the neighborhood and I gloriously spent that entire time sitting on the subway, reading my book and relaxing into the day. 

Our first stop was The Corner Store, a cafe and cocktail bar with weekend brunch and a cozy atmosphere. Over an iced matcha latte, my friend and I built our map. The unexpected delight of this place really came when I heard another friend (who also lives in Crown Heights) ordering coffee at the end of the bar. It was a reminder of the small world moments you can have in a big city. The slow realization. The “what are you doing here?” Somehow, this coffee shop seemed like the perfect place for serendipity. 

Caffeinated and ready to explore, we set off for Anyone Comics, a self-described “oasis of geekdom.” It was excellent. The shop was brimming with comics, manga, and games, but what most inspired me was the way the store serves as a third place. Between drink and draw events for adults and comic art drawing class for the kids, I could see how this would be a regular spot for locals. The person working the store was kind and thoughtful and gave me a great recommendation for a gift which is now hidden under my bed until Christmas. 

Next on the list was Rue Dix Brooklyn, which, per their website, is “a cultural intersection between Senegal and Brooklyn.” Rue Dix began as a Senegalese-Parisian cafe in 2013 and has grown into a full restaurant, beauty salon, and storefront. We walked around the shop, looking at records and beauty products, colorful clothing and cookbooks. Really delightful space. My only regret is not trying any food from the restaurant—which has lots of well-marked vegan options.

Our plans for lunch took us around the corner to Brooklyn Suya, a Nigerian bowl spot. There are a few picnic tables outside the small space which was perfect for us to order and then sit for a moment and catch up on our lives. I hadn’t realized how hungry I was until presented with my tofu bowl (mild spice). I can see why this place was so highly recommended when I’d initially done my neighborhood research. 

Just down the block from Brooklyn Suya is Amani Market, a Black-owned boutique that centers brands by historically marginalized people. Unfortunately, they were closed so we didn’t get to shop, but I wanted to shout it out anyway as this is another one filed under my “next trip to Crown Heights.”

While we were waiting for Amani Market to open, we popped next door to Bien Cuit, a small batch bread company based in Brooklyn. It was a spontaneous stop and we ended up buying a baguette (that they were kind enough to split into two bags for us). The best thing about Bien Cuit was the backyard. Shaded and with plenty of seating, the outdoor space is what urban dreams are made of and I saw myself in the woman sipping her tea and reading a book. A real hidden gem.

The next stop was Franklins Makers, a collective selling art, clothing, accessories, candles, cards, beauty products, and more from local independent artists. There is something about the collaboration in a space like this that I find inspiring. It’s that deep connection to community that feels so special and important and I’m glad we stumbled upon this.

The final shop of the day was Café con Libros, because I cannot go anywhere without seeking out literature. Café con Libros is an intersectional feminist bookstore and coffee shop with a deeply curated collection of books for adults and children. I’ve been wanting to read a non-fiction book about Burma and the woman at the bookstore was happy to look up a few titles and order one for me (The Hidden History of Burma: Race, Capitalism, and the Crisis of Democracy in the 21st Century by Thant Myint-U). I was able to order it through the bookstore and have it delivered to my home. I can’t wait to dive into it (and, I can’t wait to make this a mandatory stop on all future visits to Crown Heights).

By now, the sun, temperature, and humidity were all up and it was time to wind down our Crown Heights Day. Often on these neighborhood tours, I’ll stop at one last restaurant and pick up dinner to go and this time, the recommendation came from my colleague for Ital Kitchen, a plant-based Caribbean spot “born from the idea of food that improves your Happiness.” They were, unfortunately, closed as well but I’m hoping to get back there soon.

My final stop, then, was a pivot to Patty Haus Brooklyn, a vegan and vegetarian patty and smoothie shop located a couple blocks from the train. I ordered (if my memory serves me) plantain, lentil, and split pea patties and guarded them like treasure on my trip home. Once home—showered and recovered from the heat and cozy in my favorite sweatpants—I devoured all three in one go. This felt like the ultimate hidden gem, the kind of place I would go to a little too often if I lived within walking distance.

To say I had a fun day in Crown Heights would be an understatement. And at the same time, I feel like I was really only given a sneak peek into everything this neighborhood represents. I know my return trip will be just as vibrant as this first tour and that is a joyful thing to look forward to.