Destination: Cafe Erzulie

Open seven days a week, Cafe Erzulie is our favorite Bed Stuy hang out for a chilled evening, coffee or live music session. Part cafe, part bar and part flower shop, this under the radar hot spot serves coffee by day and cocktails and funky beats by night. 

Photo: Edible Brooklyn

Walking along Broadway during the day, you would be forgiven for thinking the unassuming, plant-covered window of Cafe Erzulie was a flower shop. And you wouldn’t be wrong. Cafe Erzulie sells a selection of flowers and plants, with creeping leaves blending into the decor and adorning the beautifully appointed garden in the back (obviously atmospherically set off by lashings of golden string lights). But Cafe Erzulie is so much more than a flower shop. 

Photo: Cafe Erzulie, Facebook

During the day, the space is a chilled out coffee shop perfect for sitting with your laptop and soaking up some rays in the garden. The hidden nature of Cafe Erzulie means it’s tranquil during the day, providing a great environment to work. Nibble away on everything from sandwiches to salads to pastries, secure in the knowledge that all the food is made from scratch daily. The coffee comes from local roasters, Devocion, and the tea is supplied by popular tea atelier, Bellocq. Espressos start at $3 and you can also get cappuccinos, lattes and all the other usuals to fuel you through that remote working day.

By night, Cafe Erzulie switches into a hip cocktail bar with dim lights, cheap drinks and a laid back atmosphere, open late from wednesdays through Sunday. The Haitian-inspired bar is most known for its live music, with regular jazz nights in the garden during the week and at weekends. You’ll find everything from Afro-Carribean bands to Brazilian funk to hip hop nights and live DJs, all with that classic Brooklyn feel. 

Photo: Bushwick Daily

Kick back with a glass of wine or beer with prices starting at just $6. The delicious cocktails start at $10 and include a range of inventive concoctions as well as the typical classics. We love the “Flowers by Leslie”, celebrating the flowers sold next to the bar itself, which consists of mint and cucumber, St-Germain and vodka. Happy Hour hits every wednesday through saturday from 4pm to 9pm, which includes discounts on both drinks and food. Our favorite Happy Hour eats are the Tacos Crole (chicken or pork tacos with pickle and green cabbage slaw) for just $4.50, and the stuffed plantain ($7).

If music isn’t your thing, there are other themed nights to suit any taste, including free comedy nights every second and fourth wednesday of the month. Recently, we experienced a yoga and meditation session with live music, drinks and positive energy, billed as a “spiritual twerk” night. Being under the radar, all Cafe Erzulie’s events are announced on their Instagram the week or night of the show, so be sure to follow them for the latest news. Just don’t be put off by the flower shop exterior: this is speakeasy-meets-cottage-industry in the heart of Bed Stuy.

Cafe Erzulie

894 Broadway, 

Brooklyn, 

NY 11206