Gristmill

This restaurant closed months ago and Google won’t believe me or let me resubmit it. Huge loss for the neighborhood. ————————————— Really excellent food here. They’re known for wood fired pizza, but they’re all about farm-to-table and the ingredients show. I had this wonderful butternut squash soup along with Brussels sprouts with pear and bacon. Really top notch. They get 4.5 stars because there’s a place on the menu under cocktails that says a bartender will help you create something special. I asked for an old fashioned with flavored bourbon of some sort or just a regular old fashioned if that was impossible. Turns out I got just an old fashioned but it was a good one. Still, this was their chance to truly wow me and that fell short. Had that not been highlighted on the menu this would be a 5-Star review.

This is quite the place. For starters, you will not find higher quality, more tasteful breads and doughs anywhere in Brooklyn. The grandma pizza slices are like dessert - perfectly soft, toasty, oily focaccia crust with a delectable layer of sauce and cheese and more on top. You can only eat a slice and be satisfied for the day. Of course, there is more to the menu, and all is composed of high quality and honest ingredients. Didn’t necessarily love everything - the root vegetable hash was ok. The burger was excellent. But, what’s truly to love is the friendly service and the desire to please, in a most subtle and genuine way. Our food took a little long to come out, and the burger was more underdone than ordered, but all of that was swiftly rectified with generosity and grace. It’s becoming harder to come by such pride and service in a New York restaurant these days. Happy to have gone again and will be happy to return.

My friend chose this place after we spent the afternoon wandering Gowanus Open Studios weekend. It was inviting and seeing the wood fire oven walking in and the back outdoor seating sealed the deal. They are serious about their breads and pizzas, along with seasonal ingredients, which is why their offerings are delicious. The waitress was super helpful with her drink recommendations and on point with her food favorites. I didnt think Park Slope had any restaurants to come back to, but I'd be down to check out more of Gristmill.

The back seating at Gristmill is so cozy. Firewood is stacked on wall shelves for the wood fired ovens and herbs are growing from hanging cubbies. There are plenty of delightful unique items on the menu. I had a egg cream soda that was delicious and a first for me. Their pepperoni pizza was delicious too. The style is different from other local pizza shops - the cheese/sauce mixture is thicker or something and the crust is sourdough but the sour taste isn't that strong. Overall it's great. I had a slice of the Concord grape pie and it's out of this world. I was skeptical at first but so happy I had some. Service is excellent. The couple servers were chatting with myself and the other patrons about this and that. They explained the whole prep process involved in making the grape pie.

Lovely outdoor garden seating in the back of the restaurant. The place smells wonderful due to the oven baking all them goodies for us to nibble on. Has a great selection of drinks and small plates to share for happy hour. The entrees were a delight! The food comes out slowly which we didn't mind since my friends and I were catching up. Service was wonderful, constantly checking in on us and clearing our plates, refilling our water, etc.