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Brooklyn

Brighton Beach

Little Odessa by the sea: pelmeni, smoked fish, and borscht one block from the boardwalk.

Brighton Beach Avenue runs in perpetual half-shadow under the elevated B and Q trains, and one block south the Atlantic opens up beyond a wide wooden boardwalk. The neighborhood has been called Little Odessa since the 1970s, when Soviet Jewish émigrés began arriving, and it has since absorbed Ukrainians, Russians, Georgians, Uzbeks, and Central Asians from across the former Soviet world.

The food shopping is extraordinary. Supermarkets stretch deep into their buildings, with smoked fish counters, dozens of kinds of herring, sausages by the meter, farmer's cheese, and prepared foods sold by weight: vinegret, olivye, stuffed cabbage, blini. Uzbek bakeries pull samsa from tandoor ovens, Georgian kitchens serve khachapuri and chicken tabaka, and cafés ladle out borscht and pelmeni all day.

Then there is the boardwalk, where restaurant terraces face the ocean and the old supper clubs still put on a show — sequins, live bands, and long tables of vodka and zakuski. Come for a summer evening on the boards, or a winter afternoon of soup and the empty beach. Both are Brighton at its best.

The B and Q trains rumbling over Brighton Beach Avenue

Smoked fish counters and prepared foods sold by weight

Uzbek samsa and Georgian khachapuri from neighborhood ovens

Boardwalk terraces facing the Atlantic

Local notes

Tatiana

The boardwalk restaurant and supper club at the foot of Brighton 6th Street, known for Russian banquet dining and weekend shows of dancers, costumes, and live music. A casual grill on the same block serves the boardwalk crowd. Go for the spectacle as much as the food.

Brighton Beach Avenue's markets

The avenue between Ocean Parkway and Brighton 15th Street is lined with Eastern European and Central Asian groceries — some sprawling supermarkets with self-serve hot bars, others narrow shops of smoked fish, pickles, and sweets sold by weight. Bring a bag and an appetite.

The Riegelmann Boardwalk

The wooden boardwalk that runs from Brighton Beach west to Coney Island, opened in the 1920s and still the neighborhood's front porch. Restaurant terraces, chess players, and walkers share it year-round; a stroll west reaches the Coney Island amusement district.

Through the lens

Shoot the boardwalk at golden hour, when the low sun skims the sand and the terraces fill. Under the elevated tracks on Brighton Beach Avenue, the light falls in slats; overcast days flatten it nicely for storefronts. Winter brings empty beach and strong graphic shapes.

Editorial draft — core details last reviewed October 13, 2026. Confirm practical details with the official site before you go.

Where to eat & drink