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Mazola Bakery192 Union St.
Classic Italian cookies and their famous lard bread help make this neighborhood staple special.
Frankies 457 Spuntino
457 Court St.
Simple Italian food done well is the philosophy here — think sandwiches and pasta dishes like cavatelli with hot sausage and brown sage butter. The owners (the Frank’s) also own Prime Meats down the block.
Court Street Grocers
485 Court St.
Before this sandwich mecca was famous city-wide, it was a small neighborhood grocery store. Stop by for a fluffy egg sandwich with arugula or an Italian combo or any one of their other 20-plus options.
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Buschenschank320 Court St.
Order a beer at this European-style tavern and sit by the window to people-watch. If you’re hungry, order a slice from neighboring South Brooklyn Pizza from the bar.
The JakeWalk
282 Smith St.
This dimly-lit cocktail bar features hand-crafted cocktails like the Campfire Comrade (tequila, amaro chocolate mole bitters and campfire smoke sea salt).
Bar Great Harry
280 Smith St.
A lively bar with 21 beers on tap and more options in bottles, guaranteed to please even the most discerning Brooklyn beer snob.
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Shop Our Closet319 Court St.
Looking for a discounted Chanel bag or barely-worn Louboutins? Try your luck at this cornucopia of designer duds on the cheap.
Area Play
331 Smith St.
This kid’s toy store has been around since 2003 and has everything from books to DIY crafting projects.
Olive’s Very Vintage
434 Court St.
Scour the racks at this stylish vintage shop for items like a black velvet YSL skirt to unique accessories. Not in the area? Check out the OliveandOlafs Etsy page.
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Carroll ParkPresident to Carroll streets between Court and Smith streets
This neighborhood gem functions as a gathering place for kids and families, a summer stage for Shakespeare, and a quiet place to hang out on off hours. The park itself was originally planned as a private garden in the late 1840s, according to city records. It was named for Charles Carroll, who signed the Declaration of Independence.
The Painted Pot
339 Smith St.
Kids and adults can come to create, paint and glaze pottery. There are adult classes (with wine) and kids’ parties, along with glass fusion and canvas painting.
Carroll Gardens Greenmarket
Carroll Street between Court and Smith streets
A year-round Sunday greenmarket that spans half a block and is open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Pick up cheese, produce, breads, meat and seafood.
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Trains:F, G to Smith-Ninth streets and Carroll Street
Bus:
B57, B61
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Median sales price: $1,650,000
Number of units on market: 185
Median rental price: $2,913
Number of rentals on market: 1,256
(Source: StreetEasy)
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Photo Credit: Linda Rosier
Dozens of young children ran around Carroll Park on a recent, crisp fall Sunday afternoon. Their yelling and laughing voices are often thought of as the symphony of Carroll Gardens, a small enclave of brownstone Brooklyn where several blocks are landmarked, the rent is high, and neighborhood amenities match.
Carroll Gardens was once a stronghold of Italian immigrants, and while that is still visible with some old-school restaurants and other businesses, its proximity to Manhattan, family-friendly vibe, and abundance of new shops and eateries are making it more popular among other newcomers.
Italian staples like the big plate restaurant Vinny’s of Carroll Gardens, at 295 Smith St. since 1997, and Caputo Bakery, at 320 Court St. since 1904, are as popular with locals as kitschy places like the chicken eatery Purbird, which opened at 502 Henry St. in July, and the farm-focused spot Buttermilk Channel, which opened in 2008 at 524 Court St.
“It’s fascinating and frustrating at the same time to watch the old and new cultures mix,” said Craig Hammerman, district manager for Community Board 6, which includes Carroll Gardens.
“There’s an old guard who often is very preservation-minded when it comes to neighborhood customs and traditions,” like maintaining Italian heritage, which is less of a focus for newcomers, he explained. “The parallel to that is that a lot of the newer settlers are the ones who are pushing the notion that the Carroll Gardens historic district ought to be expanded.”
Several blocks — from Smith Street to just past Hoyt Street and between President and First streets — were given a historic designation by the city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission in 1973.
But, he said, “there’s almost an expectation when you move [to Carroll Gardens], you’re joining a community. And when you join a community that means that you’re going to be immersed in a place where people say ‘Hello’ to one another and stop and chat, and where you get to know your neighbors.”
This homey vibe doesn’t come cheap. In 2015, the median recorded sales price for the neighborhood was $1.65 million, according to the listings site StreetEasy. Rentals fetched a median $2,913 per month last year, the site found.
In Brooklyn overall, the median price last year was $648,750 in the sales market and $2,500 on the rental side.
So far this year, however, sales prices have dipped slightly in Carroll Gardens, making it a good time to buy “before the demand gets high again,” said Anthony DelleCave, a real-estate sales broker with Citi Habitats and lifelong neighborhood resident.
The median sales price in Carroll Gardens was $1.52 million as of Sept. 19, according to StreetEasy.
You won’t find large high-rise buildings in Carroll Gardens, with most of the inventory brownstone row-homes, or apartments above shops on the main commercial strips of Court or Smith streets. But a few low-rise apartment buildings have been built on those commercial strips in recent years.
“The market overall is slowing down there because now there are so many neighborhoods outside of Carroll Gardens that have just as good a reputation,” DelleCave explained.
Longtime resident Wanda Lucibello, 60, said she loves the area’s access to arts, like its proximity to the Brooklyn Academy of Music in nearby Fort Greene, and fresh food, which she finds at the Carroll Gardens Greenmarket on Sundays. But she laments the area’s rising housing costs.
“I don’t love the fact that it’s become very expensive for families,” said Lucibello, who has lived in Carroll Gardens for 32 years. “It’s become so pricey that it’s not affordable.”
Families are still moving here, though.
For example, Mary McDonough, 34, moved to the neighborhood four years ago and now has a 2-year-old son and a 1-year-old daughter.
“It’s really perfect,” said McDonough, a writer and producer who moved from the East Village and is renting in the neighborhood. “I love that it’s busy — it still feels busy and energetic and fun as if we were in the city.”
