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How East Williamsburg's Cafe Camellia brought Gulf Coast cuisine to Brooklyn

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Updated  February 26, 2024 7:43pm EST
Restaurants
FOX 5 NY

BROOKLYN - Brooklyn is one of the best boroughs in New York City for gourmands, featuring foods from every corner of the country and the globe. 

Now, you can add Gulf Coast cuisine to that list with a visit to Cafe Camellia, which has carved out a niche by introducing the food of coastal communities across the American South to the New York culinary map.

Under the stewardship of owner and Chef Roger Jacobsen, the restaurant was initially slated to open in 2020 but was forced to wait until April 2023 to make its debut thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since then, the restaurant has flourished, quickly garnering acclaim and featuring on the New York Times' 50 Best Restaurants 2023 list, with additional praise from local publications such as Eater, Time Out NY, and Greenpointers.

The offerings at Cafe Camellia are a celebration of Southern cuisine, reimagined, or, in Jacobsen's words, "authentic, but through a different lens."

The menu boasts an array of delicacies like blackened catfish, grilled royal trumpet mushrooms, crab cake, and a standout roasted rib cap.

During FOX 5 NY's visit to the restaurant, special praise went to the savory hush puppies, creatively seasoned red beans and fried rice (made with Worcestershire sauce for an extra kick), and a key lime pie that lasted long in the memory. 

Complementing the food, the restaurant's cocktail menu offers several inventive twists on traditional drinks. 

Noteworthy selections include "A Margarita, But Different and Special," a refreshing blend of tequila, celery lime, cucumber, mint, and cilantro, and the ‘67 Chevelle, a mix of coconut-infused restoration rye, apple aperitif, brandy, vermouth, and angostura bitters. Both are delicious, but be advised to take care around the ’67 Chevelle, which we found matches its strength with sheer, delicious drinkability. 

Essential Information:

  • Location: 318 Graham Avenue, Brooklyn, New York.
  • Website: cafecamelliabk.com
  • Operating Hours: Monday through Saturday from 5 PM to 12 AM, with the kitchen closing at 10 PM and the bar serving until 11 PM.
  • Reservations: Available via Resy. For large parties or events, contact events@cafecamelliabk.com.
  • Dress Code: None.
Restaurants