3. Brooklyn Farmacy and Soda Fountain
The Brooklyn Farmacy and Soda Fountain at 513 Henry Street was founded in 2010, but its interior dates back another century. In the 1920s, the building served as an apothecary. The current owners, siblings Peter and Gia, designed the restaurant as a recreation of an old-fashioned soda fountain. They preserved the pressed tin ceiling and tiled flooring inscribed with the name Lonco’s Pharmacy and installed century-old cabinetry to showcase vintage glass drug and capsule bottles. Many of these items, such as Bianca breath drops, vintage Advil and Old Spice products, and old-fashioned electronics, were discovered still perfectly preserved in the basement when the siblings opened the shop.
The soda fountain features a counter with old-fashioned swivel stools and shelves filled with artisanal candy and chocolates, caramel wafers, and chewing gum. Soda jerks dressed in 50s-style uniforms serve up a variety of desserts, including homemade blueberry pie, egg creams, sundaes, ice cream sodas, and ice cream from Adirondack Creamery. Frozen treats are prepared in a Bastian Blessing soda fountain purchased from Ebay, and shelves behind the counter display vintage glassware still used to serve ice cream products today.