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While all of New York City is worthwhile in our eyes, there’s one that stands out among the rest right now.
Last year, we named Fort Greene as the coolest neighborhood in NYC for its family-friendly atmosphere, slew of mom-and-pop shops and cultural hot spots. This year, we’re choosing Flatbush (dubbed Little Caribbean) for its many cultural shops, fantastic restaurants and bars and the community vibes its residents and business owners uphold and celebrate.
RECOMMENDED: The coolest neighborhoods in the world
To come up with the final ranking, our global network of local editors narrowed down the selections by considering community and social ventures, access to open and green space, and thriving street life. Flatbush landed the top spot as the coolest neighborhood in NYC and the 17th coolest in the world (out of 38).
“Yes, you’ll find some of those international hallmarks of ‘cool’. But in every neighborhood on this list there’s something you won’t find anywhere else,” Time Out’s Travel Editor Grace Beard says. “When communities fiercely support and rally around their local businesses, even the most eccentric ideas can become a reality. And that, in our eyes, is what makes a neighborhood truly cool.”
So, why did we choose Flatbush?
South and east of Brooklyn’s leafy Prospect Park, Flatbush has its own gravitational pull. The neighborhood’s bevy of Black-owned businesses—from popular watering holes to restaurants that slap—its perfect proximity to arguably the city’s best park and its rich cultural landscape all play into why it’s the coolest neighborhood.
Rooted along Flatbush, Nostrand, Church and Utica Avenues, Flatbush is home to the largest and most diverse Caribbean-American-Latinx community outside of the West Indies, according to Caribbeing, a cultural organization celebrates and supports this Little Caribbean and its artists, business owners, creators and residents. You see this community thriving in spots like Peppa’s Jerk Chicken, Lips Cafe and Bodega Lounge and, most overtly, at the annual West Indian Day Parade that dances up Eastern Parkway every Labor Day weekend. Its tree-lined streets were once home to icons like Joey Bada$$, Busta Rhymes and Barbra Streisand and still pull big names, especially to its historic Kings Theatre.
Here’s how to have the perfect day in the neighborhood
Wake up in your beautiful VRBO in the neighborhood’s enclave Prospect Lefferts Gardens and make a beeline to Allan’s Bakery to beat the crowd waiting for its flaky currant rolls. Get your coffee a few blocks down at Ciao Bella before a walk in the park, which hosts a Greenmarket on Saturday mornings and the home of the Lefferts Historic House.
Do some shopping at Flatbush Central, the new Little Caribbean’s Duty Free at 1399 Nostrand and Marche de Rue from Cae Rue Dix, a French and Senegalese restaurant, grab a fresh sorrel at Hibiscus Brew, stop by African Record Centre for a new vinyl and Photo Life for your camera needs.
Do lunch or dinner at Aunts et Uncles and Peppa’s, because it’d be a missed opportunity not to, then drinks at Bodega Lounge, which regularly hosts events from wine tastings to mixers, or Miss Barbs, which does coffee and wine.
Here’s our video tour of a “food vacation” in Flatbush and last year, we asked local Flatbush residents where we should eat!
Here’s when to plan your day there
Make sure to visit for Labor Day weekend, when the whole community is out to celebrate the West Indian Day Parade—a joyful gathering of thousands of residents who dance and showcase their incredible regalia down Eastern Parkway.
See the full list of Time Out’s Coolest Neighborhoods in the world, along with details from Time Out’s local experts on why they have made the grade at timeout.com/coolestneighbourhoods.