The Bodega

I recently attended Bodega’s drink n draw before the holiday! I had never been to the restaurant but had it bookmarked on my Unilocal for awhile. It was a nice crisp winter evening. I arrived just in time to make myself comfortable. There was a great turn out of fun people. The organizer was extremely friendly. I had never even been to a drink and draw but love to draw. My brother consistently tells me to draw actual people for practice. I ordered a little beer shot special and found a corner seat. I brought my own pencils and eraser. Sketch pads and pencils were also provided. The nude model was bopping around in a robe until her debut. I loved the Xmas tree on the stage and the ornaments and lights outlining the windows.
The first round were quick poses. I ended up drawing the background behind my quick sketch. The second round was longer poses. The model was a true professional. She posed in beautiful elongated poses and contorted herself in interesting profiles. I even liked that she had a top bun. All my sketches flowed and were fun to do.
I ended up ordering a veggie grilled cheese. I loved it’s melty goodness! It also came with some chips and a side pickle! You have to have a side pickle. I had a blast at the event. I would definitely return for a drink and draw or a sandwich anytime!
I also loved that the Graduate was playing in the background.
Side note: this is not the kind of bodega where you find snacks, cats and cigarettes… in case that’s what you are looking for. My friend thought I was drawing at an actual bodega! Ha!

Dim lighting, decent wine selection. Can get overcrowded on a weekend night. It became difficult too order a drink (only one bartender). It’s a solid for a chill night with friends, but be aware it get’s loud!

I want to start off by saying the food we got was incredible. We went here for brunch and we got Huevos Rancheros and another dish that was a Lox on Bread sort of thing (forgot what they called it). Both were absolutely amazing. BUT I think they did not think about both aesthetics and space planning at this restaurant, which are key to a great experience.
The place its self isn’t set up correctly. There are only two tables that felt warm and inviting so we sat at the bar. I started with mimosa but wanted to change to another drink I saw on the menu as my second drink (I think it was a Michalada which is just beer and hot sauce basically) and the bartender, who was quite nice and friendly, was annoyed I wanted this drink bc she had «just thrown away all the ice». When she did that she lost a drink sale which I assume is a big source of revenue for the restaurant. There weren’t too many seats at the bar and the host sat at the end of the bar making it un usable for someone else when they walked in. Its cool to be casual, and I understand this is Bushwick but when your running a restaurant there is certain etiquette and also just plain common (business) sense you must use, and they clearly missed the memo.
It is a VERY small place. The kitchen is exposed, so you see the chef cooking which I don’t mind. But there is a way to do it and make it look very clean and pretty. There was a bunch of junk shoved in the back, they could have easily put behind a curtain or something… or had a storage closet for but instead while I was eating I had to look at it. I found it distracting. Behind the «kitchenette» area was a large video screen and a projector. This could have been cool if they had a video screen on the back wall of the resturant, and had old movies playing or something like that. Could had added to the interest and the ambiance. But someone installed a projector and a screen ($$$$$) but gave NO THOUGHT to functionality! So DUMB.
Qhen you walk in to the resturant on the left there was a small stage, which was not being used for a live band or anything, and therefore a poor use of space. I asked the host about why they had it and he let me know they occasionally do drink and draw and use it for that. I think they are loosing out on $ for that space, bc if they put a booth where that stage is they could seat 4 – 5 more people. When they do drink and draw they can drag in some sort of stand for the model to stand on! What matters most is how many tables they are serving daily not something that goes on maybe once a week (DUMB).
Overall: FOOD WAS AMAZING … physical space is pretty wack. Their lack of food industry professionally leads me to believe that if changes are not made, this place won’t be around for long. Especially when you take a walk around the block in this area and there are a lot of sleek well run places.

Unilocal is for goons, but this place was awesome. Kitchen staff lost our ticket, but server was super cool and gave us all free brass monkeys. Food was worth the wait

Still true, years later, and now this neighborhood is poppin. I’m back in the neighborhood with a new project and would rather walk the few extra blocks here for a glass of wine.

Do yourself a favor and ask about the specials de jour, you won’t be disappointed…
(This place doesn’t do specials FYI)

Perfect chill spot to hangout and drink, great music and great atmosphere. Sandwiches are also amazing!

Love the beer menu and the atmosphere. Will definitely comeback here soon. Too bad the restroom was broken and they only have one. 4.5 stars for that.

Love their platter and selection of beer! Chill place

Is always busy but I got lucky and went there the best time on a Saturday afternoon. The French toast was amazing. The bodega bagel is a unique twist on a New York brunch staple, the bagel with lox. The side salad that comes with it can be used as a sandwich topping yum. The bloody mary is balanced to perfection but they run out so get there early. All in all this is one of the best places to get brunch in Busbwick.

I live in the area, but sometimes I go to Greenpoint and drink. I have a friend over there so I have to. She asks, ‘where do you want to drink in Greenpoint?’ I shrug. ‘Sorry,’ she says. ‘We don’t have cool bars over here like you do in Bushwick.’ She’s right. It’s just better over here. At Bodega you talk to people. They watch movies on silent. Sometimes there’s a boob.

The bartender was rather rude to us. We came in on a Saruday morning and all of the tables were full so she said we could sit at the bar or the table that had the outdoor board menu on it. She said they were all done with it so we said if they did’t mind we would like to sit at the table and then with some attitude she said «Fine. I’ll clear it off.» and then after a few minutes of us standing and waiting she finally went over and picked up the board and put it outside.
The server was friendlier but still not the nicest person to interact with. I liked my food, but my date picked at his Oyster Mushroom Hash, which came highly recommended, he didn’t like the flavor or the textures. Said it tasted reheated.
I don’t expect to ever go back.

I literally just had the worst experience at this bar food spot that used to be my favorite in the world. I had happy birthdays here for the past two years, and I just left this place crying.
I went for brunch on Fourth of July. The waitress greeted me and then told me how they didn’t have half the menu, it’s 2 pm but that’s fine. So I ordered the Texas Toast with green eggs and jelly.
The food came but it was nothing like what I imagined. I have always trusted their food, so I dug in even though it was a piece of white toast with eggs and some stuff smushed on the side, with a heavily dressed salad.
I got into the toast, ate my fill, and then got into the green salad which tasted a little rotten. No one came to check on how I liked the food. But at the end I told the waitress that it wasn’t what I expected. She told me ok. There was an overflowing garbage in my face at eye level and that didn’t help the experience.
Then the bartender came over and proceeded to lecture to me about how this is how the food comes. I told him I would pay for it, and I didn’t need to be lectured to. They said they wouldn’t have taken it off the bill anyway because I ate half of it. I work in restaurants and I would never speak to or treat a customer, especially a regular (I’ve loved this place for three years) with this disrespect and meanness.
As he was talking to me I started to cry because I really felt he was intimidating me. He continued to tell me not to tell him how to do his job. As I walked out he yelled «Psycho Bitch» at me, when I was in earshot.
I have never had such bad service or treatment in New York in my life. I will never go back to «the bodega». Not only was I insulted but cursed at, and my feedback which I was honestly just giving because $ 12 is a lot for bad food, was thrown in my face.
No one deserves to be treated with disregard or disrespect. And that seems to be the new way to treat guests here. I’m not having it.

Such an easy place to enjoy. Easy drinks. Easy food. Music is nice. Outside patio is really cool. There wasn’t any table service both times I went. But, the blonde girl bartender was really sweet.

Love the atmosphere, great place to grab a few drinks. They usually have good music.

They have craft beer on tap as well as wine. They serve food as well. They don’t have liquor or cocktail though. Staff is friendly and cool. They show old movie via a projector on the wall over the bar. They’ve got books and mags you can read at the little tables along the back wall. The place is small but they’ve said they’re going to renovate the place soon and make it bigger so well see.

One of the main reasons I’m giving this 4 stars is because the service is excellent and on point. The reason I would give it 2 stars is for my food, Bloody Mary and coffee. I never like giving negative reviews, but I was pretty disappointed by my Green Eggs and Jam. The eggs were over cooked and the tomato and onion side was cold. The whole plate combination just didn’t work for me. I should have just settled for the bagel! But my sister’s oyster mushroom dish was pretty amazing. If you go for one of the larger plates, go for the oyster mushroom dish.

I was in Bushwick for an art opening and Bodega was the perfect spot to swing by afterwards. We had a group of 7 and there was a table waiting for us. The food was great!!! We ordered a bottle of wine and a variety of meats & cheeses. It was the perfect 10pm snack and I was very impressed with the prices. Bottle of wine was $ 32 total meal price was $ 88 for 7 people and I was very full! The crowd there was chill as well. Not too cool for school but actually rather lovely. Can’t say that too often when talking Bushwick!

The most impressive thing about this place is that the ‘kitchen’ is basically a hot plate yet the menu is pretty extensive and food comes out FAST. The chef here should do Cutthroat Kitchen — he already cooks like he’s being sabotaged and kills it.
Beer selection? Great. Service? Perfect. Food? Yum.
If you find yourself in Jefftown (which I started to call it as a joke yet somehow that’s what I actually I call it now so joke’s on me) def worth popping into.

Like many NYC based bodegas, The Bodega occupies a street corner, a strategic position where opposite lines of pedestrian traffic meet. Unlike those other mini marts of liquor, lotto tickets and convenience items, The Bodega has a brunch that I will gladly drive 20 minutes along Metropolitan Avenue to experience.
It’s not that I don’t inherently adore the pierogi and pizza shops along the way on Metropolitan but my mission and purpose is to partake in the reasonably priced brunch eats.
The ambiance is relaxed, with a few tables but plenty of counter and bar space to nestle into. During my experiences here I’ve spotted every one from chess players to out of town parents visiting their city living offspring and everyone in between.
I especially appreciate the acoustics and choice of music (at least on Sundays, I haven’t been otherwise). I do want to fly into the danger zone of the Top Gun and Footloose soundtracks! It’s always been a lively best of the 80’s that has rekindled my interest in that decades musical hits and misses.
As for the edibles, I haven’t had a single awful brunch here, the kind that leaves one filled with regret and the desire to go back to the future. (Yes, I have heard Huey Lewis here as well).
So the dilemma I always face is between egg and bread based brunches. Do I choose the 3 egg scramble, always cooked to perfection? Or the French toast served with candied bacon? Let’s not forget our aquatic smoked friend, gravlax on a bagel.
Last time we ordered our respective entrees and then, for sheer gluttony alone, shared the bagel. Factor in cost for coffee (Grumpy!) and tea and the grand total was still less than other brunch peddlers who present a far inferior product. (Approximately $ 30 for two)
Another appreciated touch is the no questions asked presentation of a carafe of water so I can refill my own glass instead of waiting for the whims of a waiter as experienced at other eateries. We’re all adults here and I can actually extend my arm to pour water into my glass from a bottle.
When the weather improves I’ll have to visit in the evening for the non-​brunch experience. Until then, the Bodega is a clear member of our rotating Bushwick brunch spots.