Restaurants We Know You Want to Put on Your Radar: Claudia's

Craving Guatemalan cuisine? You should be, though we understand if you’re not entirely sure of what dishes make up this Central American nation. When we highlight restaurants on Leisurely, we tend to mix things up so we can learn a thing or two ourselves. So when we got word a Guatemalan spot named Claudia’s was now open in Brooklyn - and they’ve teamed with local cocktail pros at Midnights on drinks, we absolutely felt it necessary to share more details.

We love it when we see stew and a corn husk wrapping. Photo: Claudia’s

Located in East Williamsburg - or western Bushwick depending on your perception of whether trendy real estate names count as actual neighborhoods, Claudia’s is an all day cafe spot that mixes traditional Guatemalan dishes with some modern flare. One of those menu items includes hilachas with shredded brisket stewed in a roasted tomato sauce. Since hilachas translates to rags that means you should plan to soak in all the juices that come from this meal. Coincidentally, the dish is similar to ropa vieja which translates to old clothes, which makes us wonder if every dish should have a fun nickname related to things you might find in a hoarder’s basement. Other food you should try includes the pepian de gallina, another stew but made with chicken slow-cooked in a sauce of chiles, pumpkin seeds, and tomatoes and buñuelos, fried dough topped with sugar and served with tamarind honey, because one type of sugar with your dessert is clearly not sweet enough. There’s also a selection of bowls and grilled meats for those who prefer to customize their dinner.

Beans, quinoa, and chicken make one hell of a bowl

Drinks include the frozen coconut cartel which is essentially a rum horchata. If you haven’t had horchata yet, it’s a sweetened rice milk topped with cinnamon that you’ll want to drink quickly but really you should take it easy (we’ve learned the hard way that savoring milk drinks slowly is the right move.) The restaurant is currently open for breakfast, brunch, lunch, and dinner; check out the photos below for a first taste.

Pina Colada french toast? Yup it’s a thing.

Plants help people de-stress #themoreyouknow