Red Hook Coffee Shop

the cold brew here has a following for good reason. red hook is one of those brooklyn neighborhoods that still feels like it's operating on its own logic, removed from the subway grid and a little harder to get to, which means the people who show up to 327 van brunt st are mostly people who wanted to be there. that self-selection does something for the atmosphere. you're not passing through, you're choosing it. the shop draws steady, loyal foot traffic from a community that takes its coffee seriously, and the reputation has held. if you're making the trip out to van brunt, go in the afternoon when the neighborhood slows down, and don't leave without trying whatever's on the cold side of the menu.