Bed-Stuy’s dining scene is about to get even more vibrant with the arrival of two highly anticipated restaurants: Badaboom and Dolores. Just a few blocks apart, these new spots aim to serve the neighborhood with thoughtful menus, warm atmospheres, and strong local ties.
Say Bonjour to Badaboom
Opening this week at 421 Bainbridge St., on the corner of Howard Avenue, Badaboom is a new French-inspired restaurant focusing on rotisserie chicken and elevated comfort food.
Behind the project are Henry Glucroft, known for Bushwick’s Henry’s Wine and Spirits and Sunrise/Sunset, and Charles Gerbier, who recently opened the nearby wine bar Frog. The pair, both neighborhood residents, say they want Badaboom to fill a void in the area’s sit-down dining options.
The restaurant will start with dinner service Wednesday through Sunday, led by a former chef from Place des Fêtes and Oxomoco. While the rotisserie chicken takes center stage, the menu will also feature steak frites, fish dishes, vegetarian options, and seasonal sides. Appetizers will range from $10 to $20, and entrees will be priced from $25 to $45. Beer and wine, mainly French, round out the drink menu.
Glucroft said they’re aren’t doing anything too adventurous. They just want to make “good food that we’re hoping the neighborhood can say, ‘Man, I just want to go out for a nice steak frites, I just want a good meal close to home,’ kind of hitting that spot,” he added.
Badaboom’s new look includes a bright blue exterior and a tiled entrance bearing the restaurant’s name, transforming what was once a shuttered deli into a welcoming corner bistro.
Meet Dolores, the Cantina with Heart
Just west at 397 Tompkins Ave., on the corner of Jefferson Avenue, Dolores is preparing to open by the end of the month. The cantina is the latest project from Cressida Greening and Emir Dupeyron, the couple behind Winona’s, along with bar director Leanne Favre.
Dolores draws inspiration from the casual, spirited cantinas of Dupeyron’s native Mexico City. The name honors his great-grandmother, Dolores, while also playing on the Spanish word dolor — pain — a nod to the cantina as a place to unwind and decompress.
The menu centers around tacos and small plates, with highlights like “El Rey,” a carne asada taco on a flour tortilla from Caramelo. Expect tacos de lengua, tacos del día, bar snacks, and daily guisados, or braised stews. Cocktails will feature mezcal and other agave spirits, with drinks around $16 and food prices from $5 to $25.
Greening said they want it to feel truly local, which is why they’re not doing reservations. They all live in Bed-Stuy and they want this place to be for Bed-Stuy.
Dolores will open with dinner service from 4 p.m. to midnight, Wednesday through Sunday, with plans to expand to seven days a week and add brunch. The space was formerly home to Oddly Enough, which closed in 2024.
A Culinary Surge for Summer and Fall
Badaboom and Dolores are part of a broader wave of restaurant openings in Bed-Stuy and Ocean Hill this summer and fall. Another newcomer, Olmo, also nods to Mexico City, though it skips tacos entirely.
Together, these new restaurants highlight a growing trend: locally owned, globally inspired dining experiences that are made with the neighborhood in mind.
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