{"id":364738,"date":"2025-11-08T14:45:39","date_gmt":"2025-11-08T14:45:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/364738\/"},"modified":"2025-11-08T14:45:39","modified_gmt":"2025-11-08T14:45:39","slug":"brooklyn-jewish-restaurant-gertie-reopens-in-prospect-heights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/364738\/","title":{"rendered":"Brooklyn Jewish Restaurant Gertie Reopens in Prospect Heights"},"content":{"rendered":"

Gertie<\/a> \u2014 the Williamsburg Jewish diner and deli<\/a> that closed in June \u2014 is coming back in full force in a new Brooklyn neighborhood this month. Gertie 2.0<\/a> will open in Prospect Heights at 602 Vanderbilt Avenue, near St. Marks Avenue, on Friday, November 21.<\/p>\n

For the new Gertie, co-owners Nate Adler and Rachel Jackson took over the space that had most recently been prepared foods and sandwich shop R&D Foods, which closed<\/a> in August. (The R&D co-owners are still running the next-door store, R&D Goods<\/a>, which shares the backyard.)<\/p>\n

The new counter-service Gertie will have a latke bar. A rep tells Eater it\u2019ll work like an ice cream sundae bar, where people can pick their toppings at the counter. Those include a variety of smoked fish (lox, whitefish, house-smoked salmon), apple butter, sour cream, pastrami, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, and seasonal ones.<\/p>\n

Otherwise, Gertie leans heavily on bagels. Expect schmears and sandwiches like the Relish Tray bagel made with giardiniera, pickled beets, a soft-boiled egg, lettuce, and dill; the (B)EC with two fried eggs, cheddar cheese, pickled peppers, hot sauce, and optional bacon or beef pastrami.<\/p>\n

Non-bagel items include the Best Bialy (hot and cold smoked pastrami salmon salad, a dill-caper cream cheese, and pickled red onions) and the chicken schnitzel; tuna and whitefish salads, matzo ball soup, pickles, and much more. They\u2019ve also teamed up with Brooklyn Jewish bakery Green\u2019s<\/a> for its black-and-white cookies. Other baked goods span corn muffins to babkas to knishes.<\/p>\n

The team makes sodas akin to Dr. Brown\u2019s, such as their version of Cel-Ray, lime rickeys, and chocolate egg creams. Boozy beverages include borscht bloody marys, Aquavit pickle martinis, and the pilsner that Staten Island brewery Killsboro brewed for sibling restaurant, Gertrude\u2019s. Coffee comes from Brooklyn roastery Parlor, with standard options as well as fun ones like the chocolate egg cream latte and the B&W coffee shake made with nitro cold brew and chocolate syrup, topped with vanilla cold foam and bits of black-and-white cookies.<\/p>\n

In fact, a few menu dishes honor R&D. The K.S.S. is the signature kale salad sandwich<\/a>, and the Amy Hess cookies, the namesake vegan cookie created by the R&D pastry chef with a mess of oats, pecans, raisins, coconut, banana, and plantain chips.<\/p>\n

The revamped 800-square-foot interior space features a yellow-tiled bar, the continuation of Gertie\u2019s duck theme with decoy ducks, ten counter seats, and an over 800-square-foot backyard space that can fit up to 50 people. The deli will also sell retail foods, snacks, and goods, like candy, dried fruit, hot sauces, and coffee.<\/p>\n

Nate Adler originally opened Gertie<\/a> in Williamsburg in 2019. Then he and Rachel Jackson opened Jewish bistro Gertrude\u2019s<\/a> in Prospect Heights in 2023. They shuttered<\/a> the original Gertie over the summer, intending to reopen elsewhere.<\/p>\n

Now, with this relaunch, the couple formed RAD Restaurants, their own hospitality group, which stands for Restaurants Advocating for Democracy (a reference to the couple turning the original Gertie into a pandemic hub for people<\/a>). The group\u2019s culinary director, chef Mike Cain, is overseeing the new Gertie.<\/p>\n

And next up, they\u2019re working on turning<\/a> what was the former Buttermilk Channel (which closed<\/a> at the end of 2024) into Trudie\u2019s Tavern<\/a>, their vision of a Jewish take on a bar and grill with a raw bar, rotisserie chicken, steak frites, and more. The Carroll Gardens restaurant will open in early 2026.<\/p>\n