Gus and Marty's
Restaurant · Greenpoint
232 N 12th St, Brooklyn, NY 11211
Highlights
Brooklyn’s Gus & Marty’s serves approachable, modern Greek fare with fresh pita, lively natural wines, and warm, family-tuned vibes in Williamsburg.
Brooklyn’s Gus & Marty’s serves approachable, modern Greek fare with fresh pita, lively natural wines, and warm, family-tuned vibes in Williamsburg.
"I stumbled upon Gus and Marty’s, the new Greek spot in Williamsburg, a few Friday nights ago. The floor-to-ceiling glass entrance, right off McCarren Park, drew me in. As I approached, I asked a super-hip, local-looking guy sipping orange wine what the place was. Over the lively chatter of the dinner crowd, he giggled and echoed my overly-excited curiosity: “Right?” It turns out he was Demetri, a co-owner, and he graciously scored me two seats at the bar as others were leaving (rare luck at a place this swanky in NYC.) Curated by, and co-owned with, wife Sarah, both with Greek-American roots, the restaurant serves delectable and elevated traditional dishes. To start: the mezza, a velvety Taramasalata with trout caviar and the freshest fire-roasted lavraki as one of the dinner mains (of course, plated with perfect execution). It’s not your average blue-and-white taverna; the space has a cozy, lounge-like vibe with candlelight and framed family photos from the couple’s family in Greece from the ‘70s. Sarah and Demetri work together on the floor—chatting with local friends or new faces alike, all as if they’re family, making sure everyone has a smile on their face. At night, shadows from the tree leaves outside dance on the floor through the large window. Gus and Marty’s is exactly what this corner of Brooklyn needed—elevated yet un-fussy, an essence of real warmth, and genuinely great food. After three visits since its brand-new opening—no notes. —Jessica Chapel, commerce writer" - CNT Editors
"Gus and Marty’s, a Greek spot in northern Williamsburg, right off McCarren Park, fits very neatly into a category of restaurants that include places like Shukette and Frena. Excellent fresh bread coming out of a very visible oven, dips that make that bread even more exceptional, plenty of options for wine by the glass (in this case natural wines from Greece), and mains that you’re a bit too full to care about by the time you’re done with the dips. photo credit: Jovani Demetri photo credit: Jovani Demetri photo credit: Jovani Demetri From the founders of brunch spot Egg Shop, Gus & Marty’s is also a loud restaurant—the kind of large, cement-walled, smoke-filled space where you’ll have to yell to be heard by your group of friends (see also: Theodora). All this can be helpful to get the energy up if you’re pregaming for a night out in Williamsburg. Use this spot for that, as well as for eating whole, fried anchovies with slices of battered lemon. Seriously. Besides the pita and dips, the crunchy, salty morsels of fish are our favorite thing here. Food Rundown photo credit: Jovani Demetri Dips The taramasalata with trout roe that pop like candy is the dip to focus on, though we like the tzatziki as well. But the real reason to order the dips is for the hot pita dotted with leopard-like black spots. It comes out of the big oven in the open kitchen (the main reason for all the smoke). A trio of dips is $32, and comes with as many pitas as you need. If you’re with more than two people, get the trio. Fried Anchovies You must order the anchovies. Please, for your sake, order at least one plate of these for every three people. Make sure you get one of those slices of fried lemon for yourself—they make the dish. video credit: Sonal Shah Feta Saganaki A nice shareable add-on to your dips, the filo-wrapped hot cheese arrives sizzling with thyme-infused honey to your table. It's sweet and salty and pretty filling. photo credit: Will Hartman Crispy Whole Shrimp While there’s nothing wrong with these six well-fried, shell-on shrimp, it does feel like a dish we’d prefer to eat with our toes covered in white sand, and not steps away from McCarren Park. Eat while hot. photo credit: Sonal Shah Petit Gyro When they say petit, they mean it. Each of these gyros consists of about 1/3rd of what you might get from a more casual Greek deli, and there are two of them, plus a mound of fries and some spiced tzatziki. We like the version with pork souvlaki and sweet peppers. photo credit: Will Hartman Minced Meat Pie This is the kind of dish that feels a little better suited towards picking up from a bakery than eating in a restaurant, but we would order it again—except this time at the end of the meal to take home and eat the next morning. The beef ragu inside is nice and bright with tomato paste, and the pastry is flaky and crunchy. photo credit: Will Hartman Lemon Chicken The jus of this half chicken is nice and lemony, but overall, this isn’t the roast of our dreams. The breast was a bit dry, and we wish that the lemon potatoes had more of a crunch. photo credit: Will Hartman Baklava Sundae Excellent vanilla ice cream, a few squares of nutty baklava, honey, and luxardo cherries. Get it." - Will Hartman
"Going to Gus and Marty’s and not experiencing the bliss of eating fried anchovies with a sliver of fried lemon would be a real shame. Thankfully, you’re not going to have that problem, because when you visit the Greek restaurant in Williamsburg from the people behind Egg Shop, you’re going to make sure you order them, or we’ll have failed you. They’re the best thing on the menu in this loud, smoky spot that’s full of wooden chairs and old family photos on the walls. The menu is full of shareable, comforting things like dips and freshly baked pita, garlicky braised swiss chard, and little gyro sandwiches with deliciously fatty grilled pork, served with a mountain of fries and a lemony mayo." - will hartman, willa moore, neha talreja, molly fitzpatrick, bryan kim, gabe bergado
"Something we’ve been trying to figure out recently—after hearing about a $25 dip at The Corner Store—is the average price of dips. We have a new data point at Gus and Marty’s, a Greek restaurant in Williamsburg from the people behind Egg Shop. Here, the a dip trio is $32, which includes a caviar-topped taramasalata. In a space decorated with family photos, this place serves staples like moussaka, fried sardines, and a spinach pie." - will hartman
"Williamsburg: The team behind Egg Shop, which has locations in Nolita and Williamsburg, has expanded with Gus and Marty’s, a Brooklyn take on homestyle Greek cooking, right off McCarren Park. Chef Kenny Cuomo (formerly at Per Se) has been brought on to help develop a menu that includes taramasalata with caviar, moussaka, grilled fish, and more." - Emma Orlow
