Where to splurge and how to save at the just opened DeKalb Market food hall

In the bowels of the Downtown Brooklyn mega-development bringing the neighborhood’s shopping to a new level of upscale is the long delayed DeKalb Market food hall which, as of Friday, is now open to the public. Evoking the neon glow of Time Square in a 60,000 square foot Brooklyn basement, the windowless bottom floor of City Point truly does an excellent job of uniting a variety of local New York City food spots into one accessible brick-and-mortar location.

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There’s Bunker, the Vietnamese street food joint previously only accessible by traipsing the eastern borders of Bushwick to a single-story yellow structure; Steve’s Key Lime Pies, a Red Hook hole-in-the-wall out where the borough still has nautical vibes; and Lioni Italian Heroes, the Bensonhurst sandwich and mozzarella stronghold which could’ve been a Saturday Night Fever filming location. There’s a Katz’s Deli outpost, an Ample Hills and a yet-unopened Trader Joe’s.

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The aesthetic is wildly Instagrammable, the food choices are impressively diverse, and the price range is, for the most part, bougie. While the outlets tend to the high-end and thus pricey, there are a few exceptions, as well as some choice options for those in the know looking to appease their foodie side without emptying their wallet. Here’s Brokelyn’s recommendations for the best deals in DeKalb (read before you go, Wi-Fi down there is iffy).

Plan A: Cheap as possible

To nosh on
– Fletcher’s – $2 coleslaw, pickles, or cornbread
– Andrew’s Classic Bklyn Bagels – $3 veggie cream cheese bagel

For a full meal
– Wiki Wiki – $11 spicy tofu mushroom poke
– Likkle More Jerk – $9.99 for a jerkito burrito (fish or chicken)
– Hana Noodle Station – $9.75 beef noodle soup

For dessert:
– Cuzin’s Duzin – $8 for 14 mini donuts. An expensive concept which is surprisingly affordable (likely because each mini donut is so rich) in practice
– Ample Hills – Kiddie scoops for under $5

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Plan B: Splurgin’

To nosh on:
Cafe D’Avignon – $3.75 pistachio chocolate escargot

For a full meal:
– Fletcher’s – BBQ chicken sandwich for $10
– Pierogi Boys – $12 sample platter with 3 of each pierogi + sour cream and caramelized onions
– Jianbing Company – $13 spice spork jianbing
– Forcella – personal pizza pie for $8

For dessert:
– Steve’s Key Lime pies – $5.50 four-inch single serve tart

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Plan C: Goin’ broke for the flavor

To nosh on:
– Belle Cheese – sweet Jesus, just everything

For a full meal:
– Katz’s – $12.50 for three potato latkes. Or, owner Jake half-joked, “you can get one huge latke.”
– Fletcher’s – $15 for 4 rib bones
– Fortina’s – located off to the side of the food hall, this is the only true sit down spot in the house. If you’re with family, or an employer and looking for a nice all in one place meal, you might come eat at Fortina’s and then dig the rest of the food hall after

For dessert:
– Pop Cake Shop – $6.99 create your own cake pop (you get to choose your own frosting, topping, and cake base)

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Plan V: Vegans and veggies

Unfortunately, if you’re vegan or veggie, there aren’t too many cheap full meal options for you, but Brooklyn Juicer is fully veggie friendly, and Two Tablespoons‘ menu has only vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free choices. Some other good options:

– DeKalb Taco – $7 for 2 tacos with guac; $3.75 mushroom & corn taco; $9 mushroom & corn quesadilla
– Lioni Italian Heroes – $8 half sandwich. Veggie options include #4, #11, #51 and #53

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