2nd Place to Union (Carroll Gardens)
The intersection of 2nd Place and Smith Street, at the southern entrance to the Carroll Street station, where the commercial corridor of Carroll Gardens truly begins. Foodie favorite Momofuku Milk Bar is on the corner, ready to satisfy your cravings for crack pie and cereal milk–flavored ice cream. Across the street is The Transit Garden, an MTA-owned community garden next to a 1930s Art Moderne substation.
After 2nd Street, Smith Street has a secondary name: the Eileen C. Dugan Memorial Boulevard, named after the 8-term New York State assemblywoman who lived in Carroll Gardens her entire life. This is where Smith Street starts to feel truly lived in. The block between 2nd Street and Carroll Street is wonderfully representative of the overlapping histories present in the neighborhood.
The facades of many businesses on Smith Street still feature evidence of their past lives, such as Swallow at 361 Smith Street, with its quirky new entrance that doesn’t bother to hide the faded remnants of an old “Charming Gift Shop” sign. Inside, owner Ria Charisse has curated one-of-a-kind, handmade pieces ranging from jewelry to home decor items. And don’t forget to look up–original tin ceilings abound in the shops along Smith Street.
- Swallow
At the corner of Carroll and Smith is Nightingale 9, offering Vietnamese street food and classic dishes. The restaurant has an adjacent garden where it grows herbs in wooden troughs and old bathtubs. The interior is decorated with vintage chairs from Indonesia sourced from Find Home Furnishings on 9th Street.
- Nightingale 9
Across the street is Public School 58, The Carroll School, home to Stagecoach Theater Arts, a part-time performing arts academy for kids age 4 to 18.
From Carroll to President you can find the quaint coffee shop Smith Canteen, the kids’ pottery studio The Painted Pot, and the boutique Atmosphere. Atmosphere has been in Carroll Gardens for thirteen years, selling fine jewelry and furniture from the United States and Europe. With exposed brick and a clean white aesthetic, Atmosphere makes a distinctive contrast with the cozy clutter of Swallow. Also on this block is Seersucker, from the same crew as Smith Canteen, serving farm-to-table southern cuisine.
- The Painted Pot
On the corner of Smith and President is the popular outdoor summer spot the Gowanus Yacht Club, with its picnic benches, cheap beer and grilled burgers and sausages. In the same stretch is the brand-new cocktail bar Bar San Miguel, boasting one of the most striking facades on all of Smith Street.
- Bar San Miguel
Kittery, specializing in “Coastal Cooking from Maine to the Gulf,” ends this section of Smith Street on the corner on Union Street. Look up at its roof and you’ll see a great example of the architectural details typical to turn-of-the-century Brooklyn.
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