1. Fuel Up With Cold Brew and a Croissant
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.
2. Go for the Double Dip
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.
3. Support the Spritz
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
4. Break for Something Sweet
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
5. Take Advantage of Happy Hour
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.
6. Seek out an Epic View
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
7. Go Green
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.
