We’ve been meaning to hoof it over to Clinton Hill/Bed-Sty since last March, when we heard rumblings of a vegan bakery + super-café opening up shop. This past weekend, we finally made the short trip across South Brooklyn and, MOTHERFUCKER, am I glad we did.
Clementine, owned by Michael Glen + Michelle Barton, is just over the Bedford-Stuyvesant border on Greene at Classon, making it a perfect go-to stop when visiting the warm weather Brooklyn Flea in Fort Greene or the Winter Flea in the clocktower, which we stopped by afterwards this past weekend. The café not only features an army of delicious-looking vegan baked goods—many of which are gluten-free—it also offers a considerable array of creative, really tasty savory sandwiches, each available on gluten-free bread.
From the Tempeh Reuben, with tempeh, apple sauerkraut, vegan mozzarella Daiya, vegan 1000 island dressing, + cracked pepper on a sourdough rye, to the Hot-Chick, with roasted red bell peppers, artichokes, + pesto hummus, this is not a place you’re going to walk out of still hungry.
For the devoted sweet tooths…sweet teeth?…you’ll want to head straight to the sizable front displays, both chock-a-block full of vegan baked goodness. In addition to many daily specials, Clementine keeps an impressive list of mainstays like gargantuan cinnamon buns, impressive-looking muffins, sweet breads, scones, sweet + savory danishes, a rotating inventory of cakes, brownies, cupcakes, and even vegan dog treats.
House grind is Brooklyn-based Kitten Coffee, a local business that roasts single-origin micro-lot beans, “sourced from a small group of coffee growers in Brazil who average no more than 300 bags a year.” Meow.
Top all that off with a cute, cozy, sunny space and some really friendly staff and Clementine’s well-worth the trip whether you live in Brownstone Brooklyn or not.
Check out Clementine’s regular menu for inspiration and, if you’ve got a birthday or another event coming up, contact them via their special order page.
Below: A bunch’a baked good, including the English Breakfast Doughnut (still not quite sure what that is); a stack of oat-y cookies; a raspberry coconut roll; très romantique cupcakes; a gluten-free coconut pineapple cheesecake; almond milk latte made with Kitten Coffee; the Autumnal—sweet braised kale, sweet potato, bbq tempeh bacon, + sage aioli sauce on rye; the house Grilled Cheese—a mix of Daiya cheddar and mozzarella with tomato; and some pretty bread. Mmm. Bread.
