"This isn't going to be a traditional New York bagel," James Caputo told Brooklyn Paper ahead of the October 5 opening of Caputo Bagels at 81 Fifth Avenue. The bagel is new. The baker comes from a family that has been baking in Brooklyn for five generations.
Several of the operators who opened on Fifth between August and October brought histories from a few miles or a few blocks away. That gives the avenue a particular kind of turnover this season. New names are going up on the awnings, and many of the people behind them already have ties to the borough.
A 1904 Bakery, Reopened as a Bagel Shop
The Caputo family's baking history goes back to 1904, when Giovanni Caputo, a Sicilian immigrant, opened a bakery in South Brooklyn. It became Caputo's Bake Shop in Carroll Gardens, known for Sicilian-style loaves and its lard bread. That Carroll Gardens storefront closed in April.
Six months later, James Caputo, a fifth-generation baker, opened on Fifth Avenue with restaurateur Rafael "Rafi" Hasid, owner of Miriam and 1803 NYC. The bagels are hand-rolled sourdough made from a starter that is at least 45 years old. Plain, sesame and everything cost $2.50. The signature lard provolone bagel costs $4, a clear nod to the Carroll Gardens loaf. Hours are 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekdays and 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekends, according to The Park Sloper.
The shop also sells cream cheeses, smoked fish, sandwiches, pastries and coffee. In practice, this is the Caputo name returning to the Brooklyn morning in a new form, a short drive from where it began.
The Rest of the Avenue, Address by Address
Caputo is the clearest example of the pattern, but it isn't the only one. Going up the avenue by street number, this season's openings look like this.
| Address | Name | Opened | Who's Behind It |
|---|---|---|---|
| 81 Fifth Ave | Caputo Bagels | October 5 | James Caputo and Rafi Hasid |
| 147 Fifth Ave | Voodoo Queen | Early October | The team behind Bogota Latin Bistro |
| 155 Fifth Ave | Aokō Matcha | September 28 | Gelato and cafe chain, acquired by Kyuramen Group |
| 191 Fifth Ave | Apapacho | Early August | Jimmy Placido, Acencion Mendez, Jazmin Suarez |
| 256 Fifth Ave | Sesilya Restaurant & Bar | Soon-to-open as of October 8 | Co-owner David Kitiashvili |
Apapacho has the deepest local roots on the list. In Park Slope Pulse, Jimmy Placido traced his start in restaurants to South Slope's Fonda, and he later worked on the team behind Alma Negra on Fourth Avenue. "I started my first restaurant journey in Park Slope and 18 years later I am back as an owner," he told the newsletter. His partners are Acencion Mendez, also from Alma Negra, and Jazmin Suarez. The menu draws on Mexico City, Oaxaca and Puebla. Two of its dishes are pan-seared scallops with pasilla rice and coconut habanero salsa, and enchiladas norteñas made with braised short rib and mole rojo. The location is between Berkeley Place and Union Street.
Voodoo Queen opened at 147 Fifth Avenue, between St. Johns Place and Lincoln Place. It comes from the team behind Bogota Latin Bistro, and co-owner George Constantinou was featured when Pulse announced the opening. It serves New Orleans-inspired soul food: crispy seafood, smoky barbecue and Southern comfort dishes. Lunch and dinner run 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and until 1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. Brunch is set to start in November, and palm reader and tarot card nights are planned.
Aokō Matcha, two doors up at 155 Fifth, is the exception to the local-roots pattern. It is a gelato-and-cafe chain that was acquired by Kyuramen Group, which planned to expand further, according to Eater.
Negril's Triple-Wide Is Next
As of early October, the biggest arrival on Fifth was still on its way. The triple-wide storefront between Garfield Place and Carroll Street had been empty since Negril moved out last year, and The Park Slope Walk called it the neighborhood's most prime vacant retail space. Sesilya, a Georgian restaurant and bakery, is taking two of the three spaces at 256 Fifth Avenue.
Co-owner David Kitiashvili was born in Georgia and has worked in New York front-of-house roles for more than a decade. He told the Walk that he had been working to secure the location since January. He chose Park Slope because the area has few Georgian restaurants and because "it's family-friendly, it's cool, and with all the new construction on 4th Avenue, it's a neighborhood that's growing, too."
Sesilya has already joined the neighborhood's civic calendar. Pulse's October 8 issue described it as soon-to-open and listed it among the 23 restaurants and businesses in the Park Slope Civic Council's Food For Thought dinner on October 15 at the Prospect Park Picnic House. Proceeds from that dinner support the Council's scholarship program and other neighborhood initiatives.
Sesilya will be the second Georgian business on the avenue. Lileo, a Georgian coffee and wine bar near Warren Street, opened in early July.
Turnover runs in the other direction too. In South Slope, Chicken Feastin' at 450 Fifth Avenue closed in September, while its Gates Avenue location in Bed-Stuy stays open, Brooklyn Magazine reported. Fred Astaire Studios is coming soon to Fifth between 12th and 13th Streets.
Why the Curb Seats Stay Up This Winter
These openings are arriving just as the city changed the outdoor dining rules. New York has dropped the April-to-November limit on roadway dining structures, and sidewalk cafes can now be enclosed in cold months. Operators still need to be in the Dining Out program and pay its annual fee, which can now be paid quarterly. They also have to end outdoor service by 11 p.m. and keep the structures clean. Park Slope Pulse asked two established owners on Fifth about the change. Gloria Lopez of Black Oak said the extra seating and flexibility would help. Nick Alija of Wild said more seats would mean more hours for his staff.
So in past years, outdoor seating on Fifth would have come down around the time Voodoo Queen starts brunch. This year it can stay up.
Seventh Avenue Keeps the Rituals
While Fifth Avenue picked up new names, Seventh Avenue lost one long-standing tenant and kept its annual traditions. On October 11, the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music held a parade from its brownstone at 58 Seventh Avenue, down Seventh and up President Street, to its new campus at 963 President Street on Prospect Park West. Dozens of its ensembles played along the route. The new building has 13 studios, a performance hall and a community room.
The Conservatory is still part of Seventh Avenue's biggest night. The Park Slope Civic Council's Children's Halloween Parade is on Saturday, October 31. Marchers line up at 6 p.m. and step off at 6:30 from Seventh Avenue and 14th Street. The parade goes down Seventh, turns left on Third Street and ends at the Old Stone House and Washington Park, where the Brooklyn Conservatory plays spooky music. This year's theme is The Haunted Forest of Brooklyn, and an orange-and-black vintage Ford leads the parade.
Here is what's left on the neighborhood calendar from now through the first day of November, in order:
- Fall Civic Sweep, Saturday, October 24, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Civic Council's twice-yearly cleanup starts at the Old Stone House, 336 Third Street. Volunteers sign up for one-hour shifts, and the Council supplies tools.
- The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Sunday, October 25. A reading at Lefferts Historic House in Prospect Park.
- Haunted Carousel, October 29 through November 1. Seasonal rides at the park's carousel.
- Creepy Crawly Halloween, Saturday, October 31. At the Boathouse, hours before the parade steps off.
- Lakeside Fall Festival, through November 1. The LeFrak Center at Lakeside has pumpkin picking, a corn maze, carnival games, seasonal food and a Haunted Hotel. Hours are 4 to 10 p.m. on weekdays and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekends. Prices vary by activity, and the Prospect Park Alliance lists current dates.
Through the end of October, the Brooklyn Bird Club also leads Fall Migration Walks on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, starting at the Grand Army Plaza entrance, according to the Prospect Park Alliance.
The Edges of the Map
Away from Fifth, the openings have also been personal ventures. The Bramble opened September 14 at 459 Sixth Avenue. It is a space for parents and caregivers of infants and toddlers, with areas for tummy time and crawling, changing stations, and classes led by sleep consultants and pediatric nutritionists. Founders Meg and Arnold Glick live up the block and built it while raising their own two children in the neighborhood, they told Park Slope Pulse.
On Flatbush, the newcomers come from farther away. Miami-based smash burger chain Skinny Louie scheduled the grand opening of its first Brooklyn location at 218 Flatbush Avenue for October 16. Bakery and cafe Winner, from chef Daniel Eddy, signed a lease for a 2,726-square-foot space at 100 Flatbush Avenue, at State Street, with a fall opening projected by Commercial Observer in August.
For the summer view of the same blocks, see our Park Slope summer 2026 guide. Our Park Slope neighborhood page covers the streets around them.
Keeping track of which Fifth Avenue storefronts are turning over, and who is opening them, is part of how Limitless LMK knows the brownstone blocks between Fifth Avenue and Prospect Park West. If you're thinking about a home within walking distance of Caputo's 7 a.m. opening or the parade route on Seventh, Arrange a Private Viewing.
