Bliss Cafe -www.?
191 Bedford Ave. (N. 6th & N. 7th Sts.)
Brooklyn, NY 11211 718-599-2547
Hours: Mon-Fri, 9am-11pm; Sat-Sun, 10am-11pm
Nearby Subway Stops: L at Bedford Ave
Reviews:
happycow.net, timeout.com, tripadvisor.com
Gayot Top 10 ⇐ © Veg-heads flock to this Williamsburg mainstay on a well-trafficked stretch of Bedford Avenue. The menu is “nearly vegan,” so that means the food focuses more on the basics than approximating the non-vegetarian versions of most dishes. Detractors say that makes for bland grub, but the hordes packing the tiny space come weekends would appear to disagree. We recommend the tofu scramble served with home-fries and whole-wheat toast or bagel, a seitan steak sandwich with caramelized onions and vegan or dairy cheese on a multigrain roll with vegan mayo, or the spicy black-bean burrito stuffed with sweet potato, portobello mushrooms and organic brown rice and topped with pico de gallo and vegan sour cream, served with a side salad.
nymag.com - Possibly the most earnest establishment in Williamsburg, Bliss offers simple, well-prepared vegetarian and vegan food in cramped, boho-shabby quarters. Though unselfconsciously hip itself, it’s a perfect antidote to hipster-saturated Bedford Avenue. With a basic herbivore menu–tofu, hijiki, seitan, beans, greens–the tiny open kitchen here turns out flavorful plates that arrive with thoughtful little touches. The wheat roll that accompanies a bowl of sturdy chili comes jauntily wedged on the rim of the bowl. Vegetables in entrées such as curried tofu and seitan in sweet citrus sauce are just this side of overcooked, but firm, fresh proteins provide good balance. Delicious maple-sweetened desserts are all house-made but sometimes MIA; if it’s the pastry chef’s day off, you’ll be lucky to get a vegan muffin left over from breakfast. The mostly local crowd (a veritable parade of hats, bangs, leggings, body modification, and oversized glasses) seems right at home with spacey service, mismatched wooden furniture, a wall of band flyers, and homegrown art. — Michael Kaminer
