Get a caffeine jolt right out of the gate at Antoinette’s Patisserie. The family-run coffee shop (and spot for a flaky almond croissant) serves Hastings-based GiacoBean coffees, including smooth-yet-potent Sharkbite cold brew — also available to take home in growlers.
Among the hummus bowls, shawarma, and salads, you’ll also find shakshouka on the menu at Taiim Falafel Shack. Swipe a warm pita through the spiced tomato sauce and poached eggs’ runny yolks and wonder why you’ve ever eaten eggs any other way.
Like the rest of the Internet, we love a good spritz. Bread & Brine has five versions, including classic Aperol, a sparkling negroni sbagliato, and a Cava spritz with elderflower and grapefruit. Pair one (or several) with oysters from the raw bar or a crispy fish sandwich with fried lemons.
Cupcakes at By The Way Bakery.
Photo by Quentin Street
Choose (or don’t) between a stop at small-batch Penny Lick Ice Cream Co. for a scoop of Ethiopian macchiato or Mounds-esque vegan chocolate-coconut and a visit to gluten- and dairy-free By the Way Bakery, where, if you’re very lucky, the day’s cake-by-the-slice will be the ethereal Coconut Cloud.
Boro6 owners Paul Molakides and Jennifer Aaronson at the stylish marble table.
Photo by Linda Pugliese
Stop by stylish, European-style wine bar Boro6 for happy hour (Tuesday through Sunday, 3 p.m.–6 p.m.), when a handful of bottles are offered at a discount that will absolve you of any guilt about splurging on a plate of black label prosciutto and a wedge of Jasper Hill Harbison.
Tucked down an alley off Warburton Avenue is the entrance to Divino Cucina Italiana’s new speakeasy. The reward: plenty of pasta and an otherwise-unseen view of the Warburton Avenue Bridge over a tree-covered slope and stream.
Duck-broth-enriched French onion soup at Saint George Bistro.
Photo by Doug Schneider
Cap your night with a drink from the absinthe fountain at Saint George, Chris Vergara’s character-filled French bistro. If you’ve got the room, the pâté de campagne, pork rillettes, and duck-bouillon onion soup are all worth an order.