Flea Food and Beer under the Manhattan Bridge in DUMBO

If you can’t get enough of the vendors at the Brooklyn Flea, or just feel like eating your Asia Dog in a change of scenery then you should swing by the Archway in DUMBO.   Every Thursday and Friday through August you’ll be able to dine on Landhaus, Brooklyn Oyster Party, Mile End, Asia Dog and a local DUMBO vendor under the shade of the Manhattan Bridge.

Asia Dog Under the Archway

Normally this flea fest is a dry event but for today and the next 2 Thursdays (July 26th, August 2nd and 9th) you’ll also be able to buy Brooklyn-based Kelso beer and wine (the pilsner is truly delicious).   It’s a great watering hole for cooling off and fueling up before heading to Brooklyn Bridge Park for the Thursday night movie, and aligns perfectly with the park’s best offerings- Clueless and Wet Hot American Summer.

But the Archway wasn’t always the heart of DUMBO’s social scene; just four short years ago it was locked up as a DOT storage area.   For 17 years this restricted passage way acted as a barrier between both sides of DUMBO, and the neighborhood ended up developing with two of everything- banks, dry cleaners, even grocery stores.

Thanks to the hard work of the DUMBO Improvement District, the Archway was reclaimed in 2008 and now features picnic tables instead of roadway repair tools.   It not only serves as a pedestrian highway through the neighborhood, but is used as an event space as well.

So if you’re heading to Clueless or just happen to be in DUMBO, I highly suggest checking out the Archway.   Great food, beer, architecture, and you might even see some of DUMBO’s celebrity residents- Anne Hathaway, Busta Rhymes, or Rutina Wesley!