Imagine you are eating a meal during a relaxing tour of the Greek Isles. The sun shines down on you perfectly while you and your pals are passing around aromatic dishes made with fresh vibrant ingredients—the ultimate vacation. This feeling of pure bliss mixed with the blessing of tasty food is something that Danny Minch and Dylan Dodd hope you feel at their restaurant Apollonia.
Apollonia is a cafe by day, and restaurant by night, offering coffee from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. and full dinner service after 5:30 p.m. with a robust selection of wines. They are currently working on their breakfast, lunch, and weekend brunch menus.
They serve fresh, vibrant Mediterranean dishes in East Williamsburg off the Montrose L train stop. When you hear the name Apollonia, Prince or The Godfather probably come to mind, but for Minch and Dodd they has something else in mind.
“It’s a really beautiful name that’s fun to say.. [and] feels part Greek and Italian,” said Dodd.
One of their goals with this North Brooklyn spot is to bring a casual mediteranean vacation vibe to all the meals their patrons enjoy. With three restaurants under their belt ( Walter’s, Walter Foods, and Karasu), Minch and Dodd know a thing or two about crafting the perfect ambiance for a pleasurable dining experience.
The airy and sunny disposition of the corner spot is what initially drew the co-owners to this relaxing and chill ethos of the space.
“I think the space lent itself to a more of a casual vibe. You should be able to roll in at 5:30 on a Tuesday night and not feel like you have to have a huge full dinner. You can have light snacks and sip on wine and have it be super casual and fun,” explained Minch.
The owners are taking a casual approach to their overall menu as well. Instead of entrees, it’s split up into small, medium, and large dishes that are meant to be passed around, split and shared between friends.
A lot of the restaurants you go to you are committed to having to order an entree to have a meal, but at Apollonia you can have three small dishes that are less expensive [and still makes a meal],” said Minch.
The wine is even served in three different ways ( glass, carafe, and bottle) in order to give the customer more flexibility to explore different options. “We aren’t trying to set a specific way that people are supposed to eat. We want you to do what feels right for you,” Minch told Bushwick Daily.
The menu seems to be filled with options for everyone no matter what dietary restrictions you have. Minch and Dodd mentioned the fried cauliflower, white anchovies, spaghetti with clams, and the lamb ribs have been crowd favorites.
Apollonia is not only going to be a place to serve food and drink, but the owner’s are also hoping to serve the community by bringing in local creatives to do residencies with the Apollonia Annex.
“Let’s say you are a shoe designer and you aren’t ready to open up shot quite yet. We’d give you the space for a set time, rent free to showcase and sell your goods,” Minch explained.
It’s only been a couple weeks since it opened, but Apollonia might just be perfect for your go-to staple.
“Our goal is to be apart of people’s everyday life. That would make us really happy,” said Dodd.
Keep up to date with all things Apollonia through their website and Instagram. Also look out for their Wine Time happy hours every Tuesday where they’ll be serving up $6 natural wine and spritz cocktails.
Coffee: 7am–4pm
Wine: 4pm–7pm
Dinner: 5:30pm–11pm
Closed Mondays in June.
All images courtesy of Henry Hargreaves.
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