Carroll Gardens
Carroll Gardens
4.5
Tours & experiences
Explore different ways to experience this place.
What is Travellers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Top ways to experience Carroll Gardens and nearby attractions
Are you currently on your trip?
Help us find experiences available for you.
The area
Neighbourhood: Carroll Gardens
How to get there
- Carroll St • 6 min walk
- Smith–Ninth Sts • 8 min walk
Best nearby
Restaurants
4,939 within 5 kms
Attractions
2,406 within 10 kms
Contribute
Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
135 reviews
Excellent
73
Very good
54
Average
6
Poor
1
Terrible
1
Thomas V
Oakland, CA19,504 contributions
Sept 2024 • Couples
We stayed close to here, so we wandered down Court Street to find what was in this part of town. We found lots of coffee and bagels, plus some good ethnic restaurants and some little shops. A brownstone/townhouse part of town, fairly near downtown.
Written September 14, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Grumo
New York City, NY1,121 contributions
May 2022
Lovely neighborhood with beautiful homes. I have found the best way is along Carroll Street (of course!) walking up from Bond Street to Smith. The block between Hoyt and Smith is stunning. Beautiful yards. The commercial block of Smith Street has local stores and eateries with a nice feel. A great neighborhood to bike through.
Written June 25, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Angela O
Bloomfield, NJ4 contributions
Oct 2012 • Solo
I was born in Carroll Gardens, back in 1948 at St. Peter's Hospital which was on Henry Street, but which is no longer there, it was torn down years ago. I lived on 4th Place between Henry and Clinton Streets and went to P.S. 142, right down the block - I attended that school from Kindergarten until the 3rd grade, and then they opened up P.S. 58 on Carroll Street. I was a flag bearer at the dedication of that school when the Mayor came to the ceremony. It was the latest in modern schools and I remember it was beautiful. The principal at that time was Mrs. Sloan, and you did not want to mess with her. My best friend Maria Esposito's mother used to bring lunch for us and we would eat it across the street in Carroll Park. Maria lived on 2nf Place in the top floor of a huge brownstone. What a gorgeous apartment she had, all French Provincial. We lived in a basement apartment in one of those huge brownstones with the large gardens in the front. In the summer, we would all play outside, everyone knew everyone, all the mothers knew each other and they would sit out at night in the summer. The ice cream truck would come around at night and the rides would come down the block - the half moon, the merry go round, the whip - it was a wonderful time in my life. There were no big supermarkets until they built an "Associated" across Hamilton Avenue, but before that my mother and I used to go shopping on Court Street - we went to the butcher on the corner of Clinton and 4th Place, then it became a Pizza place, there was a vegetable store on court street, a fish store, a dry cleaners, a bank and an ice cream parlor, and we used to go there and get a chocolate malted. Mr. Schweid owned it. There was also a five a dime store (that's what they called it then) and you could buy all kinds of stuff, I liked to go there to get my coloring books and crayons. I went to St. Mary's Star of the Sea Roman Catholic church and behind the church my friend Joy lived - it was Dennit Place but everybody called it "cat's alley" because it was so narrow, and the doorways were so low. Very turn of the century with cobblestone streets. I received my Communion and Confirmation in St. Steven's - forget what street that was on - but it was on Henry Street. In the summertme they would have the feast of St. Rosalie. It was mostly Italians that lived there and most of the men worked down the docks as long shoremen. My father did not though, he worked in the city and took the subway from the Smith Street station. I remember there used to be a huge gas tank at the end of 4th place past Smith Street, I was always afraid it would explode. We were poor, we lived in the basement apartment and it had no central heat or hot water, my mother had to light a boiler in the bathroom in the hall for hot water to take a bath. We just had a claw foot tub, no shower. We had a kerosene stove for heat. All my friends hat nice homes, with beautiful furniture, drapes and carpeting. I didn't know any better back then. The brownstone houses at that time sold for $5,000 and that was a lot of money. I wish my father had bought the house we lived in, its worth several million now. I was a yuppie and never knew it, now I see all the up and coming young families that cannot afford Manhattan so they move to Carroll Gardens. That's good, so this way the neighborhood will always be nice. Of course, i couldn't afford to live there anymore, even though I'm not poor anymore, but the price range of the homes is out of my reach. Probably even the basement apartment my parents rented for $26 a month goes for a couple of thousand now! In 1961 we moved to Bay Ridge in Brooklyn, my parents bought a brownstone there, but it wasn't as spectacular and the one in Carroll Gardens, at that time they called it South Brooklyn, I don't know when they started to call it Carroll Gardens but it sounds nicer than South Brooklyn or Red Hook. Some day I would like to own a brownstone just so I can get it out of my system and decorate it like I always wanted to. But one things is for sure, I never got rid of my Brooklyn accent, wherever I go, as soon as I open my mouth they say, "Are you from New York? And I say, "Yeah, how did you know?"
Written October 28, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Shirley C
Riverhead, NY1 contribution
Apr 2020 • Family
This is so sad. Brooklyn has been gentrified so much! Just pushed residents that lived there, and raised their families, for, DECADES, right out! I often wonder, just how many young people, who grew up here, could even afford to come back to the neighborhoods they grew up in, and raise THEIR families, if they wanted to? Actually, I'm sure I know the answer to that. How great that these people get nice, cushy, neighborhoods to dwell in. How disgusting that they get to have it at the expense of the despair of those less fortunate families, and their younger generations. That's all.
Written December 26, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Paradise32907
1 contribution
As you walk down Clinton Street, towards the Brooklyn Bridge, you feel as if you're traveling back in time in Carroll Gardens. Each building whether on Clinton Street, or its sidestreets, has a story to tell.
Owners are constantly working on maintaining them, making sure they preserve their uniqueness. Although Carroll Gardens is a beautiful place to visit to see its old buildings and churches, some of which have been converted to condominiums, there is also the night life.
The Smith Street Strip, amongst others such as Court Street is home to a mixed variety of restaurants, bars and specialty stores. Each restaurant and bar are just as unique as the old residential buildings in Carroll Gardens. Block after block you can't help but to peer into each and every single estalishment, and wonder "I wonder what the food is like", or "I love the lighting in that bar". You can visit as many times as you like, and each time, there will be something different to look at and something different to feel.
-dc
Owners are constantly working on maintaining them, making sure they preserve their uniqueness. Although Carroll Gardens is a beautiful place to visit to see its old buildings and churches, some of which have been converted to condominiums, there is also the night life.
The Smith Street Strip, amongst others such as Court Street is home to a mixed variety of restaurants, bars and specialty stores. Each restaurant and bar are just as unique as the old residential buildings in Carroll Gardens. Block after block you can't help but to peer into each and every single estalishment, and wonder "I wonder what the food is like", or "I love the lighting in that bar". You can visit as many times as you like, and each time, there will be something different to look at and something different to feel.
-dc
Written June 24, 2003
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
damifu
london103 contributions
Oct 2019
this is where the mob houses their mum's and grannies ... so pretty safe to wander about - leafy green wide streets
Written October 13, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ecnyc7
Gothenburg, Sweden12 contributions
Jun 2014 • Family
Pleasant neighborhood, full of shops & restaurants on Court St, the main drag... many/most of them Italian. Tree-shaded side streets with very large, attractive front gardens.
Thanks to the predominantly Italian residents of the area, it's also one of New York's safest quarters for a stroll.
Thanks to the predominantly Italian residents of the area, it's also one of New York's safest quarters for a stroll.
Written July 7, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
frank g
Staten Island, NY254 contributions
Jun 2014 • Family
I lived here and so did my family on Henry St.My mother in law still live on 1st place.This is one great neighborhood,with good restaurants and great stores.Great old brownstones which were poor tenements when I was a kid .Now through gentrification and major upgrades in the housing and the neighborhood in general.The area is one to visit and stroll down Clinton St. up to the Heights. A true gem.
Written June 30, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
newjerseyusa
Brooklyn, NY20 contributions
Aug 2015
This former decidedly working-class Italian, other European, and Puerto Rican area once known as a part of South Brooklyn has morphed into a high-rent district and foodie destination that at times is overrun with hipsters but, fortunately, retains some of the long-time residents who along with new homeowners maintain their homes and gardens and a genuine neighborhood vibe. Taking the F train to Carroll Street will leave you in a very walkable Brooklyn brownstone neighborhood we've all seen in the movies or on TV. The diverse crowds and and eclectic shops make for great people watching and window shopping.
The local restaurant scene has gained international popularity. Sadly, one of my favorite restaurants, Casa Rosa, was forced out by an outrageous rent increase. My favorites that remain include Ferdanando's Foccacceria on Union Street for traditional Sicilian fare (panelle special made from chick pea pattie on hard roll with ricotta and parmesan); Chance on Smith Street (dim sum boxes and Asian-inspired fusion); El Nuevo Portal on Smith Street for Spanish; Avlee on Smith Street for Greek; Queens on Court Street for Italian, just to name a few. I do like other places but they will remain nameless as they're already overrun with people who want to see rap artist eating a burger!
Go Monteleone's on Court Street for ethereal gelato and D'Amico's down the street for coffee that makes the stuff "that America runs on" taste like swill and swallow like slime!
Hopefully, height restrictions recently put in place will save the neighborhood from the greedy developers who want to transform my beloved Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn into another characterless cavern like Downtown Brooklyn and parts of Manhattan.
The local restaurant scene has gained international popularity. Sadly, one of my favorite restaurants, Casa Rosa, was forced out by an outrageous rent increase. My favorites that remain include Ferdanando's Foccacceria on Union Street for traditional Sicilian fare (panelle special made from chick pea pattie on hard roll with ricotta and parmesan); Chance on Smith Street (dim sum boxes and Asian-inspired fusion); El Nuevo Portal on Smith Street for Spanish; Avlee on Smith Street for Greek; Queens on Court Street for Italian, just to name a few. I do like other places but they will remain nameless as they're already overrun with people who want to see rap artist eating a burger!
Go Monteleone's on Court Street for ethereal gelato and D'Amico's down the street for coffee that makes the stuff "that America runs on" taste like swill and swallow like slime!
Hopefully, height restrictions recently put in place will save the neighborhood from the greedy developers who want to transform my beloved Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn into another characterless cavern like Downtown Brooklyn and parts of Manhattan.
Written September 2, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
goodtripgoodprice
new york city6 contributions
Sept 2013 • Family
Now it's full of yuppies, I'm trying not to slam the place because I have lived here all my life. But the new residents can be very snobby and the shops and restaurants they bring basically copy manhattan.
It's gotten super expensive, it was ridiculously safe when I was a kid, now these people invite crime with no shades on the windows and thier love to display thier iphone gadgets late at night everywhere.
Contact me for a real tour and history of the place, I grew up here in its heyday.
It's gotten super expensive, it was ridiculously safe when I was a kid, now these people invite crime with no shades on the windows and thier love to display thier iphone gadgets late at night everywhere.
Contact me for a real tour and history of the place, I grew up here in its heyday.
Written September 25, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
No questions have been asked about this experience
Related Stories
*Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing