Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Food
The Lovely 'Luncheonette And Liquor Bar' Gertie Opens In Williamsburg
By
Scott Lynch
Published Feb 25, 2019
Modified Feb 26, 2019
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Scott Lynch / Gothamist
View all 8
By
Scott Lynch
Published Feb 25, 2019
Modified Feb 26, 2019
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
All-day restaurants, places that are open straight through for breakfast, lunch, brunch, and dinner, pouring coffee and booze with equal enthusiasm, have become increasingly common among each season's new crop of openings. But Gertie, which just started service over the weekend in Williamsburg, deserves your full attention.
The Gertie crew is a formidable one, led by owner Nate Adler, who also runs the well-regarded Basque-bites bar Huertas in the East Village; general manager Flip Biddleman, who, along with Adler, spent time in the Danny Meyer kingdom; and chef Will Edwards, who has worked the kitchen at longtime local favorites Diner, Marlow & Sons, and Reynard. All three are native New Yorkers, and the restaurant gets its name from Adler's grandmother, born and raised in Queens.
The space—designed by Shiber Cohen Studio—is inviting and bright, with a long, windowed frontage on Grand Street across from Emmy Squared. There's lots of light wood, a dramatic crashing-wave sort of thing running the length of the dining room's ceiling, and plenty of pastels, plants and flowers. And of course the seating, for about 50 total, which will increase when the weather gets warm and the small patio out back comes into play. It's a place where you instantly feel comfortable, like as soon as you see it you know you made the right decision by coming here.
The patio is only just taking shape. (Scott Lynch / Gothamist)
Gertie is a counter service restaurant, though you need to check in with the host by the cashier before you grab a seat. Runners bring your food and bus your table, but rather than the usual number flags, Gertie uses a subway-line design to signal which order goes where. Milk bottles of flat or sparkling water are handed out with welcome abandon. The music spins on a turntable behind the counter (The Stones and Gladys Night and the Pips while I was there), and there's a little library/book-swap case by the front door in case you're dining alone and don't want to stare at your phone.
All of that is good news, but the real reason you want to get to Gertie as soon as possible is the food. Dinner starts in about three weeks, and revolves around rotisserie (the Lamb with Horseradish Sauce will be my opening night order) and intriguing-sounding snacks and sides like Smoked Fish and Chips, Everything Rice and Beans, and Sweet and Sour Squash. But there's plenty to keep you satisfied during daylight hours until then.
Subway lines instead of numbers to get you your order. (Scott Lynch / Gothamist)
Breakfast begins at 8 a.m., is available all day long, and involves lots of eggs and superb bread and pastries, courtesy of Gertie's in-house baker Savannah Turley. The build-your-own Egg and Cheese Sandwiches, with add-ons like beef salami, pickled peppers, broccoli, and bacon, available on a bialy or English muffin, have already received a lot of attention, and rightly so. But in my experience the real pleasure here lies in the Gertie Breakfast platter: two sunny-side eggs, a bunch of white beans, fantastic, somehow tangy wilted greens, thick slices of buttery toast, and a crock of first-rate, vinegary house hot sauce. Meat is piled on by request, and many are cravings satisfied at one go.
At 11 a.m. lunch kicks in, which also leans heavily on Turley's great bread. There are six sandwiches at the top of the menu—the messy Miss Patty Rueben is on marble rye, eats like a Swiss burger with sauerkraut, and that first hot, juicy bite will buckle your knees. The open-faced Smoked Fish melt is piled on sesame sourdough, the rich whitefish salad doing a fine job standing in for tuna. Rotisserie meats, Chicken Salad, and a couple of vegetarian options round out the choices. Housemade pickles and well-browned potato chips, the latter fried up right over there in the open kitchen, are able accompaniments to them all.
With dinner will come an expanded list of dessert offerings—I'm particularly excited by the promise of pie—but you don't have wait for something sweet and delicious: all the cookies I ate over the weekend were excellent, especially the little dark-cocoa beauty stuffed with cream. Root Beer Floats, Rainbow Italian Ice, and boozy milkshakes are all in the works. You could probably eat here three times a day, plus a couple of snacks, and not get bored.
(Scott Lynch / Gothamist)
Gertie is located at 357 Grand Street at the corner of Marcy Avenue and is now open daily from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Once dinner starts it will be open until midnight. (718-636-0902; gertie.nyc)
Tagged
gertie
williamsburg
original
Scott Lynch
Photojournalist, food writer, preschool receptionist. Love NYC.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE food
Can opening a restaurant in a New York museum turn the food into a work of art?
These city institutions — including museums, galleries, and auction houses — are hoping customers will find a luxurious meal to be as appealing as the priceless works on the walls.
By
Joshua David Stein
Published Nov 4, 2026
Why NYC restaurants are playing coy about sustainability
Though it has multiple benefits, the practice remains popular for one basic reason: it saves money.
By
Samantha Dady
Food
Why NYC restaurants are playing coy about sustainability
Though it has multiple benefits, the practice remains popular for one basic reason: it saves money.
By
Samantha Dady
Where are the cheapest drinks in NYC? A new report details the city's average prices.
By
Hannah Frishberg
North African restaurants are rare in NYC. These 10 are the best.
By
Robert Sietsema
10 dishes that demonstrate the delicious diversity of curry in New York City
By
Robert Sietsema
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .