New Yorkers are in the midst of the coldest winter of the last decade. And back-to-back days with single-digit “feels like” temps can make leaving the tight four walls of your apartment at least highly undesirable, at most, absolutely futile.
But listen: we’re all a little Vitamin D deficient, TikTok’s infinite scroll is operating on borrowed time, your cat isn’t likely to start talking back any time soon, and seeing your friends in person will inevitably spike morale. You have to go outside.
Here are some cozy (and sweaty) spots that make leaving the house in a polar vortex worth your time. And, we’re talking cozy by definition, not how Brooklyn listing agents use it. Once you step into these places you won’t want to leave.
View this post on Instagram
Grand Army
336 State St.
Sure, when we think about cozy spots in a Polar Vortex, cocoa and hot toddies probably come to mind. Almost certainly, the group text does not say, “Let’s head out into the cold to this oyster bar.” But Grand Army in Boreum Hill is exactly the type of spot to change that. With its six-month rotating cocktail theme, seafood and small plates can make for a cozy bar, especially with a fire roaring in the fireplace below an enormous framed E.T. pencil drawing (yes, as in “phone home”). Sit at the bar or in the back booths and park it. Low lighting, quirky art, and sparsely placed plants make for a good destination, no second stop necessary.
View this post on Instagram
Olea
171 Lafayette Ave.
A beloved Fort Greene establishment since 2005, Olea is a Pan-Mediterranean restaurant. Great for warm and fuzzy dinners with friends or when your family visits and it’s too cold to go anywhere. This rustic tavern is so good the menu rarely deviates. Although it’s touted as tapas, most plates are anything but small. The trio of dips, hummus, feta labneh, and romesco is a must, at least a carafe of sangria has to happen, and their Orecchiette Pasta has been good for years. Terracotta floors, big leafy plants, and unpolished decor offer diners the feeling of being in someone’s cool auntie’s parlor-level brownstone apartment kitchen. Most importantly, the meal moves at a leisurely, enjoyable pace and they serve hot cider.
View this post on Instagram
World Spa
1571 McDonald Ave.
If you really want to forget how frigid, salty, and gray it is outside, make the trek to World Spa in Midwood. Located directly below the F train, you can walk into the subterranean spa and completely turn down the volume of the icy outdoors. Spend the day in a robe and rotate between all the options.
World Spa has both Turkish and Moroccan Hammams, a pool, a jacuzzi, and lounge chairs alongside traditional Japanese Onsen pools, and a snow room (if you must revisit the cold). The Himalayan Salt Room is like lounging inside a giant salt lamp. And, there are so many saunas and traditional Russian Banyas. Each has a subtle but distinct purpose and look, and they even operate at different temperatures. The infrared and aroma saunas are a must, but it’s worth checking out each and every one.
View this post on Instagram
June
231 Court St.
It certainly doesn’t need to be a new venue to afford you the escapism necessary to get through winter. A 10-year-old Carroll Gardens outpost, June wine bar offers a northern Italian menu, natural wine, and a nod to old Parisian design. Romantic globe lights line the dark wood slated ceiling and candlelit bar. But it’s sitting in the booths where you can be out and still have a bit of privacy from the rest of the room, whether you’re enjoying a spicy catch-up sesh with friends or sitting super close to a hot date.
View this post on Instagram
Dynaco
1112 Bedford Ave.
Arguably Brooklyn’s most comfortable and functional fireplace set up, Dynaco is at the top of mind whenever anyone wants to find a bar with manually controlled climate in the borough. A Bed-Stuy staple, Dynaco has been open since 2013 and consistently pulls a steady crowd —no frills. It’s cash-only, serves classic cocktails and slices of cake, and the candlelight, in addition to a mid-century modern fireplace, brings supreme levels of cozy no matter how freezing it is outside. Leaving the Bedford Ave. dive feels like you should be heading to an A-frame in the woods rather than the G train. (And, honestly, maybe you should be.)
View this post on Instagram
Turk’s Inn
234 Starr St.
Originally opened in the 1930s in Wisconsin, Turks Inn’s first owners and operators ran the Middle-East-Meets-Midwest supper club for 80 years. When it was announced the place would shutter, the current owners, who spent summers visiting the original location as kids, dropped everything in their lives to buy the entire collection that made up Turks Inn at auction.
Now, it’s a perfect spot to escape the cold with the maximalist, kitschy decor bathed in red light. The food smells incredible, the music is nostalgic and the faux fireplace might give off heat, but it might not. And it literally doesn’t matter. You could sit in there for hours and still not see all of the eclectic art and figurines that line the walls floor to ceiling.
The menu is a “contemporary American comfort food take on 70’s Middle Eastern dishes,” which means there are cheese curds and plenty of lamb plates. And, of course, on the coldest days, the Turk’s Hot Cider is the best option.
The post Where to Cozy Up and Stay Warm During a Polar Vortex appeared first on BKMAG.
