If there’s one thing that the 70s cult classic “The Warriors” taught us, it’s that getting to Brighton Beach and Coney Island can be one heck of a trek. Coney Island might be a bit crowded, but Brighton Beach is spacious, rarely overcrowded and not nearly as far out as the Rockaways. The crowd here is always diverse, ranging from local Russians to visitors from elsewhere, and is free to both families and those on their own. The boardwalk doesn’t feature amusement park rides like Coney Island or fancy taco trucks like the Rockaways, it has a special charm to it. The streets by the Brighton Beach subway stop feel like another world; indeed, they don’t call it “Little Russia” for nothing. It’s packed to the gills with small shops and bakeries, which offer all sorts of snacks and meals. Here are a few of the best spots to visit:
Best Buy International Food: This supermarket has a huge buffet that offers all sorts of hot and cold foods. Some major draws here include pierogis and a traditional Russian cold salad known as “Olivye”, made with carrots, pickles, cucumbers, potatoes, eggs, ham and plenty of mayo. It’s surprisingly tasty, and refreshing on a hot day.
Skovorodka: If you’d rather eat at a sit-down restaurant instead of having a picnic by the beach, then Skovorodka has got you covered. This little Russian cafe is a great sit-down spot that offers all sorts of traditional Russian dishes you can’t pick up at a grocery store. My personal favorites include a bowl of pelmeni (a Russian dumpling that I’ve written about before) and some beef stroganoff, but you really can’t go wrong with anything on the menu here.
Brighton Bazaar: Another Russian supermarket, you can find just about everything there, ranging from pickled fruits to dried fish. Many of the products sold here are Eastern European standards that are nigh impossible to come by anywhere, even in Queens. If you want to make some sandwiches on the beach, grab some pickled food, a half pound of smoked sausage from the butcher counter, a jar of ajvar (a delicious Balkan vegetable spread made from eggplant and roasted red pepper) and some rye bread.
La Brioche Café: If you want to grab some dessert, here’s where you can get all sorts of pastries. This is an open-air bakery where both locals and visitors can be found looking at the fares, whether it’s sour cream cake, savory pirozhki or freshly-baked breads.
Berikoni: Just around the corner from the Ocean Pkwy subway stop is Berikoni, a traditional Georgian bakery. Georgian food is sort of like a combination of Eastern European, Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisine, and is wildly popular among Russians. The centerpiece of Georgian food is khachapuri, a traditional type of bread loaded with cheese, but just calling it “cheesy bread” doesn’t to justice to how tasty it actually is. Khachapuri comes in a variety of versions, the most popular being imeruli and adjaruli. Here, you can pick up a loaf and bring it out to the beach with you, where it makes a great addition to any Brighton Beach picnic.
Maria Haymandou 