L&B Spumoni Gardens

2725 86th St, Brooklyn, NY 11223

(718) 449-1230

If you’re from South Brooklyn and you’ve never heard of L&B’s, where have you been? This establishment is everything you’ve ever wanted and needed and then some! Opening in 1939 by founder Ludovico Barbati, L&B resides in the neighborhood of Gravesend, Brooklyn and operates three businesses in one, combining the fast and efficient pizza slinging shop right next door to their spumoni and Italian ices and finally a fully sit-down family style Italian American restaurant to finish it all off. L&B’s is a one stop shop for all your foodie needs. There is something for everyone and it’s evident during the summer months when hoards of locals and tourist alike come here for a slice of L&B’s famous rectangular Sicilian slice and finish it off with an italian ice while enjoying the sun and it’s ourdoor seating. The place has history, long history, so long that some families even have 2-3 generations that enjoy L&B pizza til this day. Businesses that succeed through generations are very rare and a true gem in the ever changing Brooklyn.

New York is known most for their triangular, easy to fold thin crust pizza. It’s the most popular slice everyone gets because it’s affordable, fast and portable. I can’t tell you how many times I grabbed a slice “to go”, and walked out of the shop using a white round paper plate for leverage to keep my pizza uniformly folded for consumption. I’d munched on the goodness while walking down half a city block, hoping the oil from the pizza didn’t drip or soak into my hands before I could finish.

• 

• 

NYC thin crust pizza is arguably the best but in this post, I want to showcase the famous L&B Sicilian Slice. The Sicilian slice is what every frozen pizza company aimed to achieve back in the 90’s. It includes a base whos texture is more like a pillowy bread than a thin crust, formed into a uniformed rectangular shaped pizza topped with smooth and slighty sweet tomato sauce finished with a light dusting of cheese. You can buy it by the slice for ($3 each), or if you’re feeding a group get a full pie (12 slices for $24). The Sicilian slice is noticeably different than it’s New York counterpart since it’s sliced into 5×4″ rectangular shaped servings. It’s a total opposite from the thin crust triangular slices we’re all used to but the distinction of a Sicilian slice cannot be missed. It can be addiciting and a fresh take on pizza that you’re used to.

Soft pillowy dough almost like Chicago deep dish style pizza.

After grabbing a slice or two, I highly recommend you walk over to their Spumoni shop right next door. If you’re new to Spumoni, think of this dessert as a napoleon ice cream. The spumoni has three different layers of flavored “gelato”; pistachio, chocolate and almond that all work wonderfully together. The texture and consistency of the spumoni isn’t rich like gelato though, it’s a mixture of that and italian ice so it’s light and airy but packed full of flavor. It’s tasty but does not make you feel guilty even after consuming a whole pint.

• 

• 

• 

that old school note. you pay and go based on a trust system.

& finally, the restaurant section (not pictured) is more for planned gatherings so think of birthday parties, anniversaries, date night. Things of that sort. They have a full menu and you can check the menu out right HERE.

• 

• 

• 

• 

So there you have it guys, the famous L&B Spumoni restaurant. It’s been talked about by many major food network and publications but one this is for sure, the recipes will never change even after 50-60 more years and L&B will always carry a family first vibe. That’s what this area of Brooklyn is all about!

Happy Eating!

-Shannon Z

Dinosaur Bar-B-Que

604 Union St, Brooklyn, NY 11215

(347) 429-7030

Dinosaur Bar-B-Que is one of a few chain barbecue joints in New York among the others such as Mighty Quinns and Hometown Bar-B-Que that I used to frequently visit when living in Brooklyn. Dino BBQ has a long history, opening its business in 1983 (heck thats older than me!) and serves a fusion of good ol’ slow cooked meats touched with American diner influences in addition to a good sized alcohol menu. They offer a pretty solid menu so everyone in your group can find something they would like, picky eaters included. Food ranges from the typical ribs, brisket, chicken wings, chicken/brisket/pork sandwiches, crossover to diner inspired sliders, nachos, salads etc. You see how the menu reminds me of a diner with the salad and nacho options?

I came here a while back with my college friends Jinhyun and her boyfriend Chris during a weekday happy hour and we ordered a variety of items from their happy hour menu so we could try a litle bit of everything. Here’s a rundown of the food below.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

If you can’t make it to this particular spot in Brooklyn don’t worry. Since Dinosaur BBQ is expanding rapidly, they have locations all over the east coast such as Harlem, Newark NJ, Stamford Connecticut, and a few locations in upstate NY such as Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse and Troy.

I believe that for anyone who has not tried traditional bbq before start with the beef brisket or pork sandwich with your choice of 1 or two sides. This option will introduce you to the true essence of bbq in its original form. Once you’ve tried it there’s no going back! You’re going to crave a meal like this at least once a month, I guarantee it! 😀

Happy Eating!

-Shannon Z

An Update:

Hello all my fellow foodies!

It has been a while since I wrote a new post, 10 months to be exact and I’m so sorry that I have been away for so long. A lot has changed since I started this blog. I moved across the country from Brooklyn, New York all the way to Fort Collins, Colorado. In addition to this big change, I left my first corporate job of two years that I worked at right after graduating Hunter College to explore + experience the “other” lifestyle America has to offer. I wanted move in order to develop myself in a place that isn’t New York so that I can be a more well rounded person in the future. I know, crazy right? Who leaves New York, the city that has it ALL to a state such as Colorado in the Midwest for “a different experience?” This girl right here! After being in Colorado for a few months, I can definitely attest to the quote:

New York City: If You Can Make it Here, You Can Make it Anywhere

Me at the bus stop near my house

Since moving to Colorado in August I have realized that New York and Colorado are extremely different states in each their own respect but they cannot be compared because each state is special in it’s own way. New York is where you need to be if you love convenience, everything is where you need it to be. The abundance of ethnic enclaves in each borough makes it extremely easy for one to get whatever food they crave in a very short amount of time and it’s always a subway or bus stop away. Public transportation is the #1 way to get around in New York while in Fort Collins, a car is needed since everything is so spread out. The Transfort bus system here gets the job done however the bus only comes once and hour and the bus service ends pretty early (6:30pm) compared to New York’s 24/7 MTA service. If you want to be out later than 6:30pm, you’d have to catch a Lyft to get back home.

Fort Collins is known to have an abundance of food establishments (yay), but sad to say so far it lacks a variety of authentic Chinese food (that I miss so much) however I don’t fear because the trend seems to be that many people of all diverse cultures are starting to see Fort Collins as a more affordable place to live and to start a business than the city of Denver; soooo hopefully in a few years I’ll see more authentic Chinese restaurants such as Beijing Noodle. It’s hard to group Chinese food into one category though because theres so many different types of chinese restaurants ranging from cantonese dim sum, hotpot + bbq, bubble tea joints with desserts, szechuan restaurants, fujianese eateries, etc.

I also want to mention that Fort Collins offers a ton (like 20+) of breweries if you’re all about drinking alcohol. People are encouraged to drink beers and bike. I think some of the bike messengers in NYC would love this culture, but I personally don’t know how safe it is to be riding a bike while intoxicated.

I first started this blog about a year ago as a way to express my love for food. It was an outlet I used to share my experiences with fellow foodies and in doing so, many people who did read my posts have given me great feedback and admiration. The lovely Joyce, a coworker from my previous job mentioned to me that she really enjoyed my content and that I should continue to write these posts because she enjoyed reading them. Because of Joyce’s appreciation for these food posts, my general love of writing about food, and a fresh start from the typical corporate job I am enlightened to restart this blog and trust me I am so ready. I’m currently super backed up with the amount of dining establishments I need to write about from this past year so I’ll try my best to crank out as many as possible while keeping my quality of posts. I am super excited to restart this journey after a long haitus. So without further adieu I will end this post and I’ll see you on the next post!

Happy Eating!

Shannon~

In front of the History Colorado Center in Denver