Hip EV restaurants follow cheaper rents, former clientele to Williamsburg

The same cheap rents that attracted so-called hipsters across the river to Williamsburg from the East Village and Lower East Side, are bringing their favorite restaurants to Brooklyn, the Wall Street Journal noted.

With Williamsburg’s dining scene now firmly established, restaurateurs can take advantage of the lower rents and incur less stress over profits. Whereas rents in the East Village and Lower East Side range from $100 to $150 per square foot, in Williamsburg prices are just $30 to $80 per square foot, according to Peter Levitan a broker with Lee & Associates.

That has attracted standbys like the Meatball Shop, Momofuku, Vanessa’s Dumpling House, Max and Mama’s Food Shop to open in recent months. Other restaurateurs are using the cheaper rents to experiment more with their concepts.

“The rent is a little more forgiving,” said Alla Lapushchik, who helped open Death & Co. in The Village Before Opening Post Office On Havemeyer Street on her own. “When you’re not super stressed because your rent is $10,000 a month, you can focus on the parts that you like.” [WSJ]