11 New Restaurants In and Around Bushwick That Won Our Hearts and Appetites in 2016

Cristin Noonan

Food and Local Business Editor

@mightynoonmoon

It’s been another yummy year in Bushwick! To cap off 2016, we have compiled a list of 11 new places to eat at in and around Bushwick, in no particular order. We’ve included the most mouthwatering items from these Bushwick restaurants’ offerings for your convenience, too. Enjoy!

Guadalupe Inn, the third restaurant opened by Chef Ivan Garcia, is more modern and sleek than his other establishmets Zona Rosa and Mesa Coyacan, and boasts a stage that has burlesque performances on Wednesday nights!

The sleek, drop-dead gorgeous interior has spacious seating and their flower printed walls are almost as decadent as Garcia’s creations.

Be sure to order the Trompito al Pastor!

What makes Ops Pizza so special is its sourdough crust, for which co-owner Michael Fadem cultivates the wild yeast on premises, giving Ops’ crust the depth and flavor that meets the completely organic and locally sourced fine ingredients on top.

One can appraise a good pizzeria on the basis of its margherita pie. From its carefully made dough to its all-organic ingredients, Ops has one that will bring you back again and again.

We were definitely bummed that Dear Bushwick is gone, but thankfully, the same team opened this bomb build-your-own-burger joint at the same location!

Sincerely Burger has a menu tricked out with heavy “naughty” and healthier “nice” menu items.

The burgers are awesome, but also know that if you like waffles, and you like brunch, the house makes a perfect waffle with whipped cream and fresh berries.

Not too far away from Bushwick on Graham Avenue in East Williamsburg, Taiwanese soul food joint Win Son is open and delivering food that surprised us in how fast it was made and yet still managed to culinarily tear it up on the plate.

The big chicken bun, the pan-griddled pork buns with scallions and chili vinaigrette, and scallion pancakes with sweet soy and chili are a few items that will make your mouth water.

Serving Puerto Rican food with a modern twist, Norwind’s owners Norman Mendez and Nicholas Reyes were both in Bushwick long before it became a culinary hotspot, and the two are cooking up delicious traditional dishes, including Mofongo and carne Frita “the way we are used to eating it from our parents and grandparents,” say the owners.

More often than not, a dj is spinning beats in the outdoor patio, where the picnic table seating is perfect for day drinking!

The enormously popular ramen chain Ichiran opened its first US extension in East Williamsburg in October. With a menu with little else other than pork-bone-broth Tonkotsu ramen that Ichiran has served since the 1960s, many hail this solitary dining experience as Bushwick’s least anxiety-inducing way to dine out.

Ichrian’s flavor concentration booths have call buttons and with the exception of their torso, the diner never has to look into the eyes of their server. The ordering format, also, is done on a sheet where you have the option to choose exactly how you want your ramen: maybe you want half a garlic glove, rich soup broth, and lots of red sauce—no matter how you take your ramen, you’ll leave fully satisfied.

At the former site of Amancay’s Diner, Cape House owner Dana Gardner has imagined an eatery in Bushwick that could transport him back to his hometown of Ipswich, Massachusetts, with a menu delivered seemingly straight from the ocean.

Cape House’s breathable, nautical design echoes the menu, which centers around, in particular, traditional New England fried clams.

Cachapas Y Mas began as a sudden, impulsive career change by owner Larry Villalobos over a decade ago, with the critically acclaimed El Dugout food truck in Northern Manhattan. This brand new family-owned and operated Venezuelan restaurant absolutely requires a visit!

The Yoyo with shredded beef, the favorite dish of Larry’s daughter Ivette Villalobos, is a punch of flavor punctuated by the sweetness of the plantain, which slices through the saltiness.

This wood-fired pizzeria located right off of the Koscuisko Street stop on the J train prepares and cooks its pizzas in the dining room, making your experience at Santa Panza as personal as being in a friend’s kitchen.

House ingredients, which are as fresh as possible, are seasonal, so the menu is constantly changing, save for some of the more classic items like margherita pizza, making every time at Santa Panza unique. Definitely stay for dessert, too, and order the chocolate salami, which is, yes, chocolate molded into a salami shape.

The place in Bushwick that best pairs a bowl of well-marinated oxtail with a crushed ice cocktail is Sally Roots!

Sally Roots was dreamed up by the owners of Featherweight and Sweet Science James Freeman and John De Piper, who imagined their new venture in Bushwick like a hideaway off of the beach. If you don’t already love Caribbean food, this place will make you fall for it.

Serving bomb San Diego-style Mexican food, Lucha Lucha opened this past fall at the former Fritzl’s Lunchbox address, blessing Bushwick with burritos so good it hurts (in a good way). The quintessential burrito served in that part of Southern California is stuffed with french fries, and the shrimp burrito’s signature fixings of sauteed cabbage, fresh pineapple, and house made chipotle aoli will satiate your lunch dreams like no other.

Bon Appetit, Bushwick—here’s to a delicious 2016!

Suzanna Heldring, Briana Seftel and Lia Ryerson contributed reporting.

Featured image: Cod cakes, tostones, and a crushed ice cocktail at Sally Roots. Photo  by Alonzo Maciel for Bushwick Daily.