The Brooklyn-based trio of song-slinging scoundrels share their go-to spots for late-night tacos (+ tequila), pizza parties and music both above and below ground
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Brooklyn Natural
Look, we know Brooklyn is chock-full of bodegas turned overpriced organic food shops, but we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention this place because the employees are among some of the best people we’ve met in Brooklyn. They’re all magnificent people with very interesting backstories if you can find a moment to chat with them between customers.
The grill there is also excellent and open late. A few sandwiches we recommend: the Mexican with pesto for a quick evening munch or the 49 Bogart with a fried egg for a bangin’ hangover cure.
49 Bogart St #1, (718) 381-0650
G Train Metropolitan Stop
This one of the most important places in Bandits lore — it’s truly where it all began for us, years ago when Roy Dodger dragged us all down into the subway to play our first Bandits songs. And we weren’t alone down there: the Metropolitan stop is practically an underground venue, a Mecca for all [sorts] of buskers — Bird Courage, Gabriel Royal, and Andrew Kalleen are just a few that we looked up to — looking to try out their songs unplugged in a beautiful acoustic environment in front of a regular audience of commuters who have come to expect their wait to be scored by some platform crooner.
If you’re ever passing through this stop, we encourage you to keep an ear out — you may just happen on a fresh new musical discovery!
Tacos, Twins and Trains Taco Cart
Owned by a pair of twins who love nothing more than listening to bachata, dancing, and throwing down for good time, the taco truck on Bogart Street right above the Morgan L stop is a spot we’ve frequented after many a late-night busking or recording session. The clientele, composed of any old oddball getting on or off the L Train, is top-notch, and if you’re good to the twins they will sometimes invite you into the truck for a shot of tequila [shh-ing emoji].
64 Bogart St
Pete’s Candy Store
This place is a local music mainstay. For almost 20 years, this cozy but surprisingly ornate local joint has been a hub and a home for the off-kilter and under-the-radar, for many years even serving as a sanctuary for the Barstool Tabernacle, quite possibly the only Christian denomination to meet in a bar.
The venue in the back is intimate and memorable, built by creator Andy McDowell to conjure the feeling of a cabaret car on the Trans-Siberian Railroad, behind which lies a small courtyard perfect for the kind of late-night quiet conversations it can be hard to find a suitable place for in Brooklyn.
Pete’s hosts our favorite open mic in Brooklyn every Sunday, which attracts a lively assortment of performers ranging from quirky local comedians to international vagabond singers. Spoiler, there is no candy, but the bartenders there sure are sweet.
709 Lorimer St, (718) 302-3770, petescandystore.com/
Syndicated Bar Theater Kitchen
Syndicated is the best place in Brooklyn to catch an arthouse flick or well-loved vintage cult movie on the big screen. Tickets are super cheap, because the theater in the back is also a restaurant, which means you can grab a brew (or two, or five) while watching, say, Booksmart, or a David Lynch deep cut.
The front bar area is decked out to the nines in an homage to the golden age of studio flicks, complete with wide viewing booths and a three-fourths marble bar. It’s also a viewing room of a sort, complete with two gigantic screens that will be playing anything from random ’90s flicks to the The Bachelor to the Democratic debates. Definitely one of our favorite downtime haunts.
40 Bogart St, Brooklyn, (718) 386-3399, syndicatedbk.com
Carmine’s Pizzeria
Located off the Graham stop on the L train, this place is a local East Williamsburg / Greenpoint treasure… one of the few that has survived the tide of gentrification in the last few decades.
Carmine’s is basically synonymous with topping choices. There are about 20 different varieties of pizza sold by the slice on any given day — and you get to choose your own adventure. This place has been a classic stop on many a Bandit’s birthday night, but we’d highly recommend it for a casual date night or even just if you’re hungry and in the neighborhood.
358 Graham Ave, (718) 782-9659, carminespizzeriamenu.com
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The Bandits are “Roy Dodger” (Adrian Enscoe, guitar and vocals), “Bonanza Jellyfish” (Sydney Shepherd, cello and vocals) and “Clarissa” (Regina Strayhorn, percussion, xylophone and vocals).
Experience the band in action on Tuesday (10/1) at Mercury Lounge with The Wandering Hearts — where, as an example of the trio’s effort to “[take] hostage the idea of mundane everyday life and making it something cool or more interesting,” there will also be a VR petting zoo. (Naturally.)
Find info and tickets here, follow along with Bandits on the Run onInstagram and Spotify, and find more fun at banditsontherun.nyc!
[These travel guide-worthy descriptions were sent over by the Bandits via email and were slightly edited for clarity and formatting.]