Great Gowanus Grubs

We at Gowanus Guide love to eat around our hood, so we thought focusing the spotlight on some of our favorite restaurants and dishes around Gowanus would only be right! Presenting: Great Gowanus Grubs.

First off, we love Mighty Quinn’s Barbeque – their motto itself is “Cooking the Old School Way with wood and time!” They have everything from brisket and brontosaurus ribs, all the way to pulled pork, meat platters and wings (Sampler platter pictured below). You also can get the traditional barbeque sides – sweet corn fritters, baked beans, mac and cheese, or upgrade to more gourmet fare, such as brussels sprouts, mac and cheese fritters and roasted sweet potatoes with candied pecans (Southern sides pictured in featured image). They have a selection of non-alcoholic drinks, from sugar cane and fountain sodas, all the way to Joe’s Sweet Tea or Joe’s lemonade, plus bottled beers, or drafts on top. Whatever you choose, we’re sure you’re going to love Mighty Quinn’s, and be back soon!

And if you don’t live in NYC, you can still partake in some Great Gowanus Grubs! Mighty Quinn’s delivers all across the country – thanks to Gold Belly.

If you’re feeling less brontosaurus ribs, and more bison, we wholeheartedly recommend Bison and Bourbon! This is a Glatt Kosher restaurant, for our readers who keep kosher, with a spectacular menu. Starting with bison pizza with smoked salami, truffle, and mushroom oil, and ranging to bison shawarma – you’re bound to get a mouthful of mind melting flavors with every bite! They also have other eats such as crispy cauliflower, prime rib risotto, tuna tartare, and the toasted chicken waffles, if you’re not game for gamey food. And that’s just the appetizers!

Entrees include the chicken breast shawarma, baby chicken marinade with ribs, and seared sesame crusted salmon as well as steaks of every variety you can think of, from skirt and filet mignon, to tomahawks and Delmonicos. They offer mouthwatering sides to complement any choice of food, such as onion rings and creamy mashed potatoes, and you can top it off with desserts such as crème brulee, bison donuts or peanut butter cake. Yum!

Our next pick is either pickup or delivery but hear us out – pie! That’s it: Pie. Pie. Introducing Four and Twenty Blackbirds Restaurant in Gowanus, known for its dedication to decadence and commitment to quiche. Of course, you’re going to get lemon chess, bittersweet chocolate pecan, and brown butter apple streusel, but you’re also likely to find matcha custard, brown butter pumpkin and peacoconut – all of which sound so deeply appetizing that maybe tighter pants is a reasonable trade-off.

Not to be outdone by Mighty Quinn’s, Four and Twenty Blackbirds Restaurant also does next day and nationwide shipping. As well as wholesale and catering orders for their pies. Moreover, pie lovers can buy their merchandise – like their cookbook, tote bag, or gift card – on their website.

The final pick on this list of Great Gowanus Grubs is Whisk and Whiskey – a bar/bakery/event space turducken of a heavyweight. Serving food focused on Trinidadian and Cambodian culture, you’re sure to find crowd pleasers here with fare such as the Sweet Cambo Crispy Chicken Bake, the weekly soup special or their morning bites. However, if your appetite was more inclined towards baked goods, they could oblige you with treats such as their tiramisu cookie, boozy banana pudding, as well as any of the mini cakes they offer for only $6! Flavors for these cakes range from your classic birthday cake to the more exotic coconut lovers dreams!

If you’re not that hungry, they also carry a full selection of coffee, mocktails for the non-alcoholic drinks among us, and interestingly named beer and wines. Personally, we’ve loved the Wild East Patience and Fortitude beer, the KCBC Young Fruitkenstein, the Graft Salt and Sand as well as the Black Girl Magic Rose. They also have a menu of seasonal or signature cocktails, with hits such as the Tamarind Sunrise, Magenta Vybzz and Good Thyme Spritz. One unique thing about Whisk and Whiskey is that they specially call out their commitment to local small businesses, by highlighting their suppliers who are woman, Black or minority owned – we love a business with a focus on inclusivity!

If you loved this list of Great Gowanus Grubs, let us know! We’d love to highlight more of Gowanus’ best in the Gowanus Guide!