Brooklyn Safehouse: Yet MORE New Eats on Franklin Street

On a gorgeous springlike evening last week, Jen G and I popped into the newly opened Brooklyn Safehouse for an early dinner. This is the place at 120 Franklin Street, which seems to have been in the making for at least two years and finally opened its doors last month.

The friendly host Miguel told us that Brooklyn Safehouse used to be just that: a refuge for sought-after locals to lie low and out of harm’s way. Now Franklin Street is so gentrified that there’s very little to hide from (unless you count gentrification itself), which must be why the space has been reimagined as a cafe (and bar, pending liquor license).

The no-nonsense menu lends well to daytime eats: Small bites, salads, sandwiches and burgers.  Sandwiches include the likes of BBQ Pulled Pork, Tempeh BLT, and Curry Chicken, whilst the signature Safehouse Burger boasts bacon, caramelized onion, swiss cheese, sautéed mushrooms and chipotle mayo.

We opted for a few small plates to share: Wasabi deviled eggs, mac & cheese and a kale salad. The deviled eggs ($4) were good and came with crunchy slivers of pickle. The mac & cheese was a fair size for $6 and definitely filled a hole, and the kale salad ($8) was huge and came laced with parmesan and little nuggets of roasted squash.

The surroundings were pleasant, if a little sparse, with wooden booths, unobtrusive chandeliers and a de rigueur single wall of intricately patterned wallpaper. It definitely felt as though the place will develop more of an atmosphere once their liquor license is approved, but for the time being it certainly makes for another affordable lunch option in the area.