Walking south on Court Street past Degraw Street, you may notice the world getting a little greener. You have entered Carroll Gardens. The City reports that 2,102 trees shade the streets of this largely residential neighborhood. This is a part of Brooklyn where “people remember your name” and neighbors watch out for each other. In Carroll Park, the heart of this community, kids play from dawn to dusk. In the summer there are fountains to run through and movies after dark. On Sunday mornings the Farmer’s market is mobbed with eco-conscious locals looking for veggies, poultry and seasonal fruits.
On this stretch of Court Street you will find a mixture of businesses, including delis, banks, pharmacies, boutiques, and antique shops. Court Street is also home to several top-flight restaurants, including Frankie's 457, which features its own home-made olive oil; Prime Meats, where the bar is a popular meet-up spot and the steak melts in your mouth; and Buttermilk Channel, where you can experience this restaurant's well-deserved hype. For a relaxing and unique dining experience, Le Petit Café at 502 Court Street is a well-established café/restaurant; its rear room is a bright and spacious indoor Zen-style garden that makes the experience complete.
The Carroll Gardens Historic District, bounded at Carroll Street on the South, President Street to the North, Hoyt Street to the East and Smith Street to the West, is graced with the finest examples of the classic Brooklyn Brownstone in the Borough. Mostly built in the mid-to-late 1800’s, what makes this collection of homes unique is that they each have a large front garden: Rose gardens, pine gardens, fruit trees, fountains, and statuary make walking in this neighborhood like visiting a country estate.
Carroll Gardens is home to Smith Street’s famous restaurant row, featuring restaurants such as The Grocery, rated “extraordinary to perfection” by Zagat in 2012. For a delicious Italian repast, visit Enoteca on Court Street, which boasts a Johnson & Wales-trained owner/chef and an extensive international wine list at reasonable prices. The nightlife on Smith Street is buzzing with popular spots such as the Zombie Hut, a casual bar with a large rear outdoor garden, and Brooklyn Social, a classic neighborhood favorite.
For elementary public schooling, grades Pre-K to 5,
P.S. 58 has a wide variety of educational opportunities from its international French immersion program to afterschool programs that enrich students in areas that interest them. The neighborhood is home to several private schools, including
the International School of Brooklyn, a Spanish- and French-immersion school for Nursery-6th grade and which is in the process of growing a full middle and high school. The
Hannah Senesh Community Day School is a small private school with a Jewish heritage that is open for all children, grades K-8. For more information on schools see
www.localschooldirectory.com.
Carroll Gardens is primarily a neighborhood of historic homes, though several condominium and rental buildings have been built in the past several years. A converted candy factory now offers luxury loft spaces, and there is a recently built high-end rental building at 2nd Place and Smith Streets. In 2013, most of the block of Court Street between Sackett and Union Streets was transformed, adding 32 condominiums, several single-family townhomes, and new retail space. Carroll Gardens is an attractive and growing neighborhood, yet holds true to its historical and multi-cultural heritage. It is the perfect place to call home, and in one visit you'll easily see why.
Transportation to Carroll Gardens is provided by the F and G trains at the Carroll Street station or the newly renovated Smith & 9th Streets station.
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