Dekalb Restaurant

Can any new business survive in this neighborhood? The place is closed but when i did frequent the drinks were good and the atmosphere was chill.

Great atmosphere and extremely average fare. The service was sluggish, but maybe this was because it was Sunday brunch, but it was not at all full. The live music was a bonus but it is not worth the price or the wait.
If you feel like lounging around lazily with mediocre mimosas, have cash to spare, live nearby, and don’t mind dressed up diner-​esque food, it might be worth coming here, otherwise, just fry some eggs at home and get on with your day.

The following review is about my most recent brunch experience at the restaurant which was this morning. When I visited last year, there were similar issues but I wrote them off as growing pains since they had just opened.
My partner and I went here for brunch this morning. Upon arriving, there was a man playing the guitar and a woman playing a saxophone. That immediately started my visit off on the wrong foot. It’s Sunday morning, I’m a bit hungover and the last thing I want to do is try to have a conversation over the fairly loud live music.
Our server greeted us and got us seated right away. He came over and filled up our water glasses and took our drink order. Our drink order came out pretty quickly but that’s where the speed slowed down to a crawl. The server didn’t come to check on us or take our food order for over 20 minutes. And it wasn’t because they were slammed. There were maybe 4 – 5 other 2-​top tables. Our server just kept walking right past us, not refilling our water, not asking if we had questions about the menu or if we were ready to order.
We ended up flagging down the server to put in our food order. I ordered the Potato Pancakes which come with bacon, salmon and strawberry butter. When I told the server what I wanted he said that they were out of salmon that comes with the dish but I decided to get it anyway as I’m not a big seafood person. My partner ordered the eggs benedict.
After some more waiting and some more loud conversing over the «band» playing, our food arrived. The first thing that I noticed was that there was literally one piece of bacon on my plate. One. I imagined that there’d be at least 3 – 4, especially considering that they were out of the salmon that comes with my meal. I spread the strawberry butter (which is actually pretty tasty) on the potato pancakes and had my first bite. The potato pancakes were incredibly greasy– it was a grease bomb in my mouth. I couldn’t eat more than a few bites of them because the greasiness was making me ill. My partner says his eggs benedict were just fine, nothing to write home about.
During our time eating, the server didn’t come back to check on us once. He didn’t stop by to ask how the food was or to refill our drinks (my mimosa had been empty for well over 15 minutes). After a few bites of my potato pancakes and eating my one piece of bacon, I was ready to leave. We flagged our server down once more and asked for our check. He didn’t even bother asking how the meal was even though I noticeably didn’t eat most of it. They still charged me $ 14 for the potato pancakes even though the dish was missing one of the key ingredients.
I’m not going to be coming back here, even though it’s down the street from me.
TL;DR — The brunch food here isn’t great. It’s just okay. If you do go for brunch don’t expect great service and don’t get the potato pancakes– they are a grease explosion. Oh and prepare for blaring live jazz.

This is where you go to watch $ 50,000 get pissed away. Someone spent so much time and energy and thought in creating a beautiful space to open a business only to miss all the important details. I will list them.
Water glasses were empty for most of the meal. had to ask twice for refills
The meat of the pork loin was so tough and chewy that the knife given to me couldn’t cut through it
Most of the wine list was out of stock
Only 2 of the beers on the list were actually cold
When we walked in a hand truck was blocking the entrance next to a pile of junk by the front door
Asking if a dish had an ingredient, The server went to the kitchen to ask. And came back with a simple no but then didn’t tell us what was In the dish.
I know this could sound like nitpicking. But if you’re going to squeeze $ 100 out of me for dinner these details are important. There are places that do a much better job with better food at a better price.
The space is amazing though. Go for a drink cuz it feels great in there.

Great neighborhood spot. I had an excellent brunch with friends there, and we loved every bit of it. The menu is original but is not overdoing it, so you get interesting dishes with homey and familiar flavors. It has a great vibe and we really enjoyed the life jazz music — not too loud, just perfect. And, as a tea lover, I really appreciated their collection if loose leaf Kuzmi teas! So many restaurants serve you great coffee but cheap, crappy tea, so Dekalb won me right there.

My wife and I had our wedding (50 ppl) here last week and when I say everything was perfect, I mean it. Stefan and Mark worked with us extensively to create the most awesome wedding ever. They catered to our every request and need and made sure that every guest was happy, fed and not thirsty.
We decided that we also wanted to have our ceremony there (in the dining room) and they were excited to try it. They were able to turn the dining room into a «church» — pews and all — which made a truly unique Brooklyn wedding.
The décor, rustic, fit perfectly with our theme and what we were going for. There is something intimate and cozy about the place and everyone knew it. If you are wondering about the food, we received nothing but rave reviews from all our guests after — some even saying it was the best wedding food they have ever had. (no joke — we also eat here on the regular andI I can tell you everything is tasty)
If you are looking for a place to have a truly unique wedding or a delicious place for lunch/​dinner/​brunch, Dekalb Restaurant is the place for you. — you won’t be disappointed.

How hard is it to smile? Never been served by a waitress so rude in my entire life. I attempted to make eye contact several times and got nothing. There was no heat and no music. The poor hospitality really ruined our evening.
The food was delicious! Wonderful chef.

Myself (DJ SicksentZ) and Farrington G now DJ happy hour on Thursday and Friday from 4 – 8! Come kick back with some good tunes and great people!

I saw this place on a walk to the Home Depot– was intrigued by the beautiful exterior. Returned later for dinner with my boyfriend. Staff was super friendly and the atmosphere was fabulous. We were both immediately charmed but also saddened by how most of the dining room was empty.
We ordered from the small plates menu– the smoked trout, the pumpkin gnocchi and the brussel sprouts. All was delivered to our table promptly– fresh and delicious. The entire meal was punctuated by my boyfriend and I raving about how good everything was. Though we were full, we wanted to order more. So we’ll definitely be back soon.

Tasty food, stylish décor, friendly staff.
I had the kimchi melt brunch. Came with home fries and small mixed greens. $ 9. It had good flavor and the portion was appropriate. Not too big but definitely filling.
Will surely come back. This place is located maybe a block off the Nostrand/​Bedford G stop. The neighborhood is actively changing, and there are plenty of nearby joints to check out (Dynaco, Black Swan, Project Parlour, Brooklyn Stoops, Colador Café) if you want to hop around.

I waited to review this place till the third time I came to give it more chances to impress me… But it continues to lack fundamentally important aspects of a successful restaurant.
The three stars is for the quality of the food and beverage, which I would actually give five stars because the chef really knows what he’s doing, truly excellent fare. But the food is the only thing that comes out in a timely fashion. In a virtually empty restaurant, the staff is scattered about making no attempts to look busy, and if you order a drink, alcoholic or not, you won’t get it for at least twenty minutes, and if you order multiple drinks (ie: coffee and water and a house made beverage) you’ll get them each ten minutes apart.
The service is always with a smile, but I can’t tell if any member of the staff has any sense of what is going on or what exactly defines his/​her job. This place needs stronger management and a better trained and hospitably aware staff to give it that little push that it really needs. Tremendous potential here… Excellent menu, atmosphere is fantastic, the décor is interesting and reclaimed and perfect, but seriously lacking attention to detail in all aspects of service.

Went here for the second time. The first time I just had French fries, which were amazing. The second time, I ordered the lamb, chilled corn soup, and bread pudding.
What an amazing meal. The soup was sweet with home made sour cream that tasted like heaven. The lamb was to die for. It sat on a bed of bok choi along with apricot sauce. One of the best meals I have had in a long time. I had two different bread puddings and they were warm and crunchy on the outside with cream on top.
I also had some of their sparkling wine.
The place is very clean and inviting. The servers are very courteous and attentive. It is definitely a diamond in the rough.
I would highly recommend it and many compliments to their amazing chef, Damian.

1) brunch food was good quality. Spouse had eggs Benedict and said the hollandaise sauce was good. I had the frittata –it was pretty flavorful.
2) bottomless drinks were a fail. This is why I give them 3 stars. Bloody Mary’s are awful. Basically v8 and vodka. They tried to add spice — it did nothing. No kick. Nada. Go to Maggie browns or head into ft greene/​Clinton hill. I asked for a mimosa since I couldn’t bare the thought of another BM — they said that wasn’t allowed?! Same price. Both bottomless? Eventually they gave me the mimosa.
3) the vibe is very Williamsburg. Service was nonchalant and blasé. Seemed like employees were predominantly transplants and out of towners who were too sensitive to direct questions that are commonplace in NYC .
4) Country music was playing.
5) Due to 2 – 4 above, will most likely not return. Sad because we just bought our first home very close to dekalb. Olea remains as «our local spot».

Kind of a bummer. As the only game in town (immediate area) I had high hopes for Dekalb Restaurant, especially since at first glance it’s a really beautiful space. The front room is what sells you: open and airy, big communal dining table, well kept bar. It feels very welcoming, like a European café. The main seating area is a bit drab since it’s in the back of the restaurant with much less natural light. The service was average at best. The bartender glanced at us when we walked in and then ignored us until the servers reappeared. They were training a waitress when we visited, which is fine, but neither the trainer nor the trainee had much gusto and when I asked what the happy hour wine was they both seemed totally thrown for an answer beyond there being a «red» and a «white».
Which brings me to the food, which was probably the biggest let down. The happy hour is a bit lame, $ 1 off two house wines and their beers, none of which I was terribly interested in. We came for dinner and ordered the gnocchi and the veggie burger. The gnocchi is a significantly smaller portion than other entrees and the flavors were confused and bland. There was what appeared to be deli mustard in the gnocchi sauce, which in addition to the gigantic slab of tough and chewy mushroom on the plate, was really not working. The veggie burger was gray, mushy, and flavorless. They also have no mayonnaise, which the burger really could have used and is in general just a little weird right?
I would maybe give it another try for a drink or small bite, mostly just because sitting at the front communal table seems like it would be pleasant. Unfortunately, not interested in another dinner.

Always a good time at Dekalb. The food is made with love and never makes you feel heavy. Also, Jamie is quite the baker and she can make vegan anything tastes amazing. Also, on the weekends you can find live music.
The veggie burger is a big meal. I like the soup as well.
They used to have string bean tempura, that was heavenly.
Check them out.
Stephan the owner is super nice and you can find him sitting on his laptop in the front sometimes. His dad Mark is there sometimes too. He makes good drinks and knows his stuff. The drinks are hangover free :)

Service? Yes. Food? Yes. Ambiance? Yes. Affordable? Yes. Just read a few reviews and went there to find this out.
This place is a bit new and all I can hope is they keep their realness.
Follow Brooklyn Food Porn on IG for more suggestions and check out this article on them.

Adorable, chill place w live reggae band saturday night. Service was good though we went when it was pretty empty. Though menu was somewhat limited and a lil’ pricey, both entrees were tasty. They were helpful in recommending and accommodating to my food intolerance/​sensitivity.
1. Veggie burger w leeks and pickled onion jam
2. Gnocchi w mushroom

I absolutely love this place! Mark, the man behind the bar has a good head on his shoulders. Friendly, sociable and genuinely excited about what he’s doing! We only came in for a cocktail, and stayed for a few more than that.
As a bartender, I appreciate the small but well selected liquor selection. Mark knows his products and you can tell he selected each one of them for a specific reason. The lamb looks amazing! I’ll have to get it next time.
In terms of the space, it’s absolutely beautiful! I love it here!

This restaurant is just delicious. A great addition to the neighborhood with a very unique menu. You will want to try everything! The food is cooked with love and you can taste it! I crave the fried brusslesprouts — a must try!!!
Service is excellent, they are very attentive and knowledgable about food.

Amazing food– ham, melted leeks, banana polenta, was super great. Braised lamb could add some plain couscous, but super delicious with crispy kale.
Décor is also super Brooklyn brownstone inspired, spacious, and almost church-​like very warm.
Can’t wait for the summer when the gates open and the space will feel even more airy. They also have a garden in the back so fresh veges in summer will be nice too.
Looking forward to it.