Bushwick Neighborhood Review

If you want the artist vibe, energy, and youthfulness of Williamsburg, but don't want the cost, then head over to Bushwick.

A neighborhood perpetually teetering between genuine Brooklyn grunginess and gentrification, Bushwick has all the ingredients for a proper "hip" Brooklyn area even immortalized in this hilarious skit on SNL. 

Where else can you find a plethora of graffiti art, studios, and galleries, or a brand new coffee shop or bar opening up every week?  

Bushwick is a massive neighborhood, larger than most and covers territories that border East Williamsburg, Ridgewood, Queens, Bed-Stuy, Ocean Hill, and Cypress Hills, meaning there are going to be a lot of different vibes in each section.

You get a mix of industrial and a few different types of residential areas, which vary from very busy with a mix of retails to more quaint and almost suburban. 

Fun Fact: Once considered a separate town in Kings County, Bushwick became part of Brooklyn in 1869.

Local Buzz

Celebrities that lives in Bushwick neighborhood:

Public Transportation

The J, Z, and L trains run near the borders of Bushwick, with the L coming in from the northern corner and passing around the eastern borders and wrapping down to the southern tip.

The J/Z line runs simply from the western corner straight down Broadway to the southern corner, while the M train runs straight east and west along Myrtle to Ridgewood and back.

There are plenty of buses that travel across Bushwick almost in a grid-like manner.

While you may find people on bicycles, this is not one of the most bike-friendly areas where bike lanes are scarce and other bike routes are nonexistent.

Restaurants

Bushwick is home to a thriving restaurant and bar scene, particularly in the northern areas near East Williamsburg and neighborhoods bordering Ridgewood, following the L line, with the trendier and pricier establishments being to the northern border.

Tons of amazing restaurants have popped up around the neighborhood like the Faro, an upscale Italian restaurant, the famous Roberta's for pizza on the northern border of East Williamsburg.

The scrumptious vegan Ethiopian place--Bunna Cafe is where you can feast on authentic teff flour-based injera bread and gorgeously tasty vegan dishes. Partake in their traditional sacred coffee ceremonies.

If you have a hankering for authentic Mexican tacos, look no further than Tortilleria Los Hermanos--a small family-run tortilla-making factory, expanded to a taco joint.

Ichiran will sate those ramen hankerings and Momo Sushi Shack won't disappoint when you're in the mood for really good sushi!

Bars and coffee shops number even higher. If you want to try an interesting alternative coffee, check out Brooklyn Kava and House of Kava where you can order the traditional tea from the South Pacific with psychoactive qualities.

If you want to trip up your coffee, head to the Caffeine Underground, one of the few places in the city serving cannibis-infused coffee!

Average Rental Prices

Much of Bushwick is considered affordable especially in comparison to Williamsburg and East Williamsburg, but rental prices have been steadily rising. Look for units closer to Ridgewood or Cypress Hills for best pricing.

Because of the huge variation in the urban landscape in the neighborhood, you can find anything from a classic Brooklyn loft to apartments in multi-family homes.

Many new developments have popped up in the northern territories and areas near Bed-Stuy and Ridgewood, particularly close to the Myrtle-Wyckoff train station.

Expect prices to rise in apartments close to the J/M/Z especially with the temporary shutdown of the L across the tunnel.

Public & Charter Schools

As Bushwick has a lot of groundcover in Brooklyn, there are bound to be a large number of schools serving the area.

While this area has been seen as a hipster haven in the past decade or so, it's still home to numerous families with school-age children.

The entirety of the neighborhood is contained within school geographic district 32. District 32 has generally suffered with low test score and poor performance.

However, stats show that the performance has been steadily rising over the past several years. Bushwick's most notable public option are PS 376 (K-5) and IS 383 Phillipa Schuyler