Brooklyn’s Crown Heights neighborhood is home to a mysterious restaurant that serves delicious home-cooked Caribbean Food through a hole in the wall. That’s actually what the owner, a man named Papa who moved to Brooklyn from Jamaica eight years ago, and his patrons call the unique eatery.
The name ‘Hole in the Wall’ isn’t just clever wordplay, it’s as literal as it gets – from the outside, the restaurant is just a rectangular hole cut out from a storefront grate located on Kingston Avenue. There’s no sign, no hours, no menu, and not even a door to walk through. Papa simply opens up the hole each morning when the food is ready, and closes it when the stock for the day is sold out. His Caribbean dishes are fresh, tasty, and best of all, free from sales tax.
Photo: Scott Heins/Gothamist
The meal options are the same every day – curry goat, marinated chicken, oxtail, or sauteed fish, served with rice, beans, and chopped vegetables. Each dish is packed in styrofoam containers of two different sizes, priced at $6 and $10. There’s no place to sit and dine, but as Gothamist’s Scott Heins points out, “the benches of Brower Park are only a five minute stroll away.”
Photo: Edible Brooklyn
“I sampled his chicken and curry goat, which both arrived in near-bursting containers,” Heins added. “At these prices it’s not just a bargain, but a satisfying break from the bustle of Franklin Avenue, where one can get lost amidst the brunch wait lists and mountains of organic scones. Despite a total lack of advertising and promotion in a neighborhood brimming with West Indian eateries, the chicken cavern has managed to keep its simple and tasty operation running.”
Photo: Michelle Young/Untapped Cities
By all accounts, the food served at Hole in the Wall is delicious, but it’s the eatery’s air of mystery and exclusivity that make it so special. Not many people know about this place so you’re never going to see a line of hungry people formed in front of it, and having to pop by not knowing if food is available apparently acts as a draw for New Yorkers sick of conventional restaurants.
