It’s a paradox, but maybe blogging about Bushwick makes you not realize all the changes that happen right in front of your eyes. “Everything is different! Look at all those new bars!” said Over Under, one of my all time favorite street artists who was working on a mural with N’DA when I ran into him biking down Jefferson St. yesterday. “True...there are at least 10 new bars,” I thought to myself. Over Under left Brooklyn a couple of months ago to spend some time on the West Coast; his absence probably made him see all the changes more clearly.

Bushwick is clearly becoming the hot destination for entrepreneurs in the bar and restaurant business. The question is whether the neighborhood really needs so many new bars. Try to walk into any of these places on a Saturday night and the ratio of staff to guests will be your answer (I think it varies from very crowded to very empty). It also seems that most of these new establishment owners are seriously nice people who came to Bushwick to fulfill their life-long dream, and are really supportive of each other. It really shows if someone is running a place with love, and the new places are mostly really great. The last, probably the most important questions on everyone's mind is, how will all the new places influence the rents in the area...

Let’s count the new bars and/or restaurants together….

View New Bars & Restaurants in Bushwick in a larger map

#1 Mazelle

Eastern European flavors inspire the menu at Mazelle. The cheese and charcuterie plate offers a selection of Russian and Ukrainian meats, and the kachipuri bread is hand made by an old man with the only oven of its kind outside of Georgia. So there you have it. A nod, apparently, to yesteryear baking. [Read full article]

#2 Cobra Club

How wobbly does my tree pose really need to be? Cobra Club, Bushwick’s newest yoga studio, is also a fully licensed bar. Let’s be clear here, though: the tipple is a post-practice activity at Cobra Club. Although there is a Sunday ‘hangover session’, where I can only hope the headstands are optional. [Read full article]

#3 Heavy Woods

At the stainless steel bar — which was constructed by a local ironworker — patrons can sip on special varieties of tequila, whiskey and mezcal, and in the morning hours they can come in for coffee starting at 8am. [Read full article by DNAinfo.com, our review coming up]

#4 Mama Joy's

Being a barfly doesn’t mean that one would be excused for not trying that food, at the very least one must sample the hushpuppies. Hushpuppies are another southern delight that I associate strongly with frying freshly caught catfish. Another corn creation, hushpuppies are made from a cornmeal batter (here with celery, corn and jalepeños added to the mix) that is then deep fried. They come with a dipping sauce that makes the hushpuppies worth having every time. [Read full article]

#5 Alaska

It’s a spacious bar, dimly lit and has many little design details to pay attention to. Also, since it’s around the corner from 56 Bogart you may catch a few art-heads in there having a drink and a chat over a selection of bourbons, beers, house drinks [try the Alaska if you're in the mood for gin], and Bourbon Milkshakes. [Read full article]

#7 The Well

The Well is a high-end venue, and by high-end I mean high-end in the best possible sense. The creators of the venue took the Bushwick hipness, industrially romantic aesthetics and world class music, and mashed them together, arriving on the scene just in time. [Read full article]

#8 983

A month ago, we informed you that Bushwick’s cult spot Life Cafe under the ownership of Kathy Kickpatrick was closing down. New owners were set to open a spot of similar vibe in its place. After the August renovations the restaurant closed as Life Cafe, and reopened as 983. [Read full article]

#9 Dear Bushwick

We had the pleasure of tasting wine-barreled smoked eggs with horseradish butter, house beer pork sausage with rhubarb and pickled mustard seeds (a favorite of mine), and whiskey-infused chicken pâté on sourdough bread. Each had an unforgettably flavorful taste. The pairings were strange, much like what you find in modern English restaurants today. [Read full article]

#10 Skytown

The sign on the front of the door says “Best Egg Sandwich in Brooklyn” and, boy, was it one of the best egg sandwiches in Brooklyn with arugula, goat cheese, and tomato on a roll. The olive oil granola with yogurt had seasonal fruits, a perfect healthy meal. The Skytown bowl is a medley of grains (in this case rice), the vegetable of the week (green cauliflower), beans, avocado, kale, red cabbage and cheese cooked together. It reminded me a bit of a bibimbap without the egg and the crunchy part. [Read full article]

#11 Cafeteria La Mejor

BushwickBK founder Jeremy Sapienza and his partner Luis Velazquez are opening a cafe at 146 Wilson Avenue in Bushwick. Cafetería La Mejor will serve the food and drink they remember from growing up in Florida. The menu will include Cuban-style espresso drinks made with Stumptown beans, Cuban sandwiches and house-made pastries with fillings such as guava, coconut and key lime. [Read full article on Brownstoner, our review coming up]