Outpost

The Outpost will close down at the end of this year.....

The What

Someday this outpost is gonna end...

I am at Outpost right now and there's not an empty seat in the place. I think The What is wrong about this one, even if he was right about the apocalypse and such.

This is just about the best coffee shop I can think of in Brooklyn.

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What, that is "wishful thinking" of the greatest magnitude by you. this place is jammed morning til night and fills a market niche that needs filling so your prediction is one that I will be willing to bet against.

As to the substance of this post, I wouldn't call Outpost a "restaurant" in the generally accepted use of the word. Coffeeshop is much more accurate but as such it is an extremely fine establishment. When I used to live up on Clinton Ave I would continually decry the sorry state of coffee on the Dekalb Stretch (seriously is anyone going to get this right up there--a decent espresso is just not available). Moving to my current pad in the southeastern corner of the neighborhood (with fewer "amenities") I was greatly surprised to find that the best cup of coffee I have had in Brooklyn was just down the street. They really take pride in the quality of the coffee--from the beans to the way that they prepare their espresso drinks. As a former barista myself I know that making good coffee takes skill and craftmanship. These folks really know how to make good coffee. As for the food, the menu is limited but there are some nice solid standards. I generally stay with the egg salad sandwich or the turkey chile, both of which are consistently good.

IT is also a bar at night and that is cool, with a good backyard and a nice selection of wines and beers.

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Eh Wasder, People sitting around all does not mean The Outpost is making money.

The What

Someday this war is gonna end...

Agree with Wasder. Every neighborhood could use a place like this.

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"Eh Wasder, People sitting around all does not mean The Outpost is making money."

Tis true What, but you will find if you go in there that everyone is ordering stuff all the time (food, beers etc). Its not some gadfly lounge but a very successful business. They are very busy in there all the time and have three different "rush" times, morning coffee, lunch and after work drinks, so they cover their bases pretty well.

I like this place a lot. It fits the neighborhood, like K-Dog in PLG, there are all kinds of folks in here spending their money and enjoying themselves. It has become a real neighborhood place. The food and drink is good, and the atmosphere is friendly. When I was there last summer for a lemonaide, the gentleman behind the counter took such care and pride in preparing that simple drink, the pleasure in drinking it was amplified by his attention. You can't say that about too many places. I wish them a long business life and much success

This would be a great place for the next Brownstoner gathering, I agree.

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Used to work around the corner from this place. One of those lost-in-the-city places that is simply wonderful to be in. Cafes open all the time but the ineffable magic that makes a great one is hard to get right.

Side note: the view of Atlantic Tower down Fulton St. is haunting. I see the south face of it from where I live; to emerge from the subway and to stand on Fulton and see the eastern face makes you love Brooklyn a little harder.

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The "BEST THING"? -->The best things about outpost are 1. spacious outdoor, smoker friendly garden seating .

I think that would be the worst thing. And a very reason not to go.

Always seems to me to be a little bit of Billyburg in Clinton Hill - which is good and bad. The wait staff are friendly, coffee satisfactory. It's double entendre name (very gay friendly) struck me as a bit disrespectful to the neighborhood, but I got over it. I know I have become old when I am annoyed that it isn't open before 9!

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outpost is great. they have delicious coffee and the vibe is always friendly. a fun community gathering spot. btw, they open at 8am not 9.

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I love Outpost and wish there were more options around Fulton. I also love to go for a sugar-shot to the newly open Desserts By Michael Allen.
THE WHAT try being more positive....

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I love the outpost and is worth the hile from my house to get away and have some delicious green tea. The staff has been friendly as of late but there is sometimes a vibe that they would rather be doing other things like smoking pot maybe. Wouldn't we all? The food is so-so, nothing to write home about but hey, it is a coffee shop and is certainly better than the crap at Tillies.
It's a good spot, even if some of the furniture looks like it might be a host to bedbugs or other cooties.

I love the outpost and is worth the hike from my house to get away and have some delicious green tea. The staff has been friendly as of late but there is sometimes a vibe that they would rather be doing other things like smoking pot maybe. Wouldn't we all? The food is so-so, nothing to write home about but hey, it is a coffee shop and is certainly better than the crap at Tillies.
It's a good spot, even if some of the furniture looks like it might be a host to bedbugs or other cooties.

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Does anyone else find the name of the 'Outpost' restaurant a bit troubling?

From Merriam-Webster's:

1 a: a security detachment dispatched by a main body of troops to protect it from enemy surprise b: a military base established by treaty or agreement in another country

2 a: an outlying or frontier settlement b: an outlying branch or position of a main organization or group

I'm sure they have good food and it's a lovely place, but to me, this name communicates an amount of hostility towards the pre-existing nabe, intended or not.

What are these people who own this joint? Pioneers? Into the big, bad world of (gasp) broken down brownstones?

Isn't other people's poverty cute.

Livia--I think you may be reading a bit too much into this. I always assumed that the definition below was more in keeping with what they had in mind, given that it is practically the only operating business in the stretch of fulton that it occupies:

outpost(noun) - a station in a remote or sparsely populated location

You could go in and ask what they intended though if you are concerned.

Wasder -- Perhaps I will.

Let's discuss 'sparsely populated' ---- how sparsely populated do you think that area was that The Outpost opened in? Were there no people in the surrounding blocks?

I suppose I started the word parsing, but we all know why they named that place what they did and what it really means: look, a cute cafe in the middle of a crappy stretch! get it, Outpost!

Let's discuss 'sparsely populated' ---- how 'sparsely populated' do you think The Outpost's surrounding blocks were when it opened? Did the owners check? Oh, right, you meant sparsely populated by a certain type of person.

It could be a reference to the # of other similar businesses around, but I remember walking by this place when it opened, and there were other people around, and there were other businesses around.

I suppose I started the word parsing, but we all know why they named that place what they did, and what it really means. It's #$%^ advertised on their awning for all to see.

But you go ahead and play dumb and innocent and believe that no one meant any harm.

I used to live around the corner from the Outpost and never heard anyone say they were offended by the name. And I seriously doubt any "harm" was intended, that's just silly. The immediate area around the cafe really is pretty desolate, but I think the true nature of the name lies in the "double entendre" aspect of it. Hello: gay friendly.

All that said, they make the best damn cup of coffee I've ever had outside of Europe, no joke. They're friendly, too, and overall have done a great job of integrating the cafe nicely into the neighborhood. I don't go as often as I used to since since I moved, but I still stop by every now and then and am always relieved that the product remains consistently top notch.

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Livia - I agree with the name issue. In fact it is part of my review. I mentioned it to the owner when it first opened up. He seemed a little surprised (which I grant is not an excuse), and told me it was the gay meaning which he and his partners were going for. That said, I think you are being less than fair when you don't acknowledge that in fact that stretch of Fulton is more than thinly populated - it is desolate, with abandoned buildings, the empty church parking lot. And until Michael Allen's bakery opened up across the street, the major neighboring business was a funeral parlor. If any place deserves the name "outpost" this is it. In fact they have used it as a filming location for Life in Mars because it resembles nasty New York circa 1973. Oh my, now, no one will be going there... More space for me.