PHORUM Cafe Wine Bar

Don’t live in Brooklyn anymore, but when I went back there a year ago, the business changed again to something else… It may have gone back to being a wine bar.
But the pizza was really good at the time.

Dead
Again.
Tapas bar
Coming soon called
El Mio Cid to see if the corner’s cursed.

I went here when it was the wine bar and was a bit disappointed, but I was excited to see it remade as a pizza café and went over for dinner. The service was awkward and uninformed (he told me they did not have something they in fact do) and the food to follow was mediocre at best. The chopped salad is italian dressing soup and the pastas are bland. To top it all off there was an argument with the owner about how much cash the waiter was handed. I was really sad to have to write off a place SO close to mine.

sadface to see this place sitting empty every day :(
+the food here is great!
+the pizza slices are only $ 1.50! and they’re ACTUALLY good!
+the owners are nice, and are fulfilling a dream, and all that.
+they have a cool counter you can sit at for the five minutes it takes to eat your cheap/​good pizza.
i think what’s wrong is that they have no marketing scheme/​no buzz/​they kept opening and closing at first, so everyone was confused. plus i have a real problem with the décor; it does not look very thoughtful at all, unlike other successful restaurants in the area. these folks can’t seem to figure out if they want to be a hipster-​hangout, or another generic neighborhood pizza place.
still! give it a chance. you might be pleasantly surprised.
***update*** well, i guess they’re shut down and renovating again??? i saw them spray painting the chairs black one day when i walked by. on another, they were ripping off the phorum sign on the awning. :confused: poor businesses… all not surviving and all that. maybe they’ll come back with a more streamlined idea this time.

Now a Pizza Café with the same beautiful bar and new menu if we stayed in to dine. Slices are $ 1 :) Nice big oven. I want to try their coffee.

Unfortunately, the original Phorum is no more. The replacement has only the name in common — the menu is completely different. Instead of an adventurous, wine-​bar menu, it’s standard-​fare pies and pasta dishes. Not terrible, but I miss the original Phorum, and wish the owners hadn’t given up so quickly.

This place is closed as predicted, Thank God!!!

I’ve been to this place three times so far. Twice for dinner and once for brunch. I really want to like this place, but it’s hard. I find the food to be extremely bland.

There are a few things to love about this place. First, that it is the lovechild of a couple who literally turned their apartment into their dream — a restaurant in Bushwick. Second, that the couple is so very friendly, and Sicilian. In fact the owner informed us that soon there will be complimentary lemoncello made of lemons from his mom’s place in Sicily. Wowzers. Can’t wait for that!
I liked the stuffed pork chop a lot, but it wasn’t love. I also tried the duck pizza, which was just ok. I’ve also had the skirt steak, very nice. The ambiance is nice, but seems a little out of place and fresh for the neighborhood. Oh, but do see the tiniest sink in the world in the bathroom! It’s the bathroom on the left. Amazing!
The standouts were the apps — beets and new potatoes, and the pancetta and brussels sprouts. Both are really excellent. The owner also sent over a warm plate of freshly made mozzarella balls one night — nice touch!
And oh god, the dessert, the frozen lemon soufflé — be still my heart. Don’t miss it! The chocolate tart is also very nice. Cappuccinos were very good.
Oh and the wine is fab. I had a very nice Malbec the one night, and while I forget what I had the other, but it was also quite good and reasonably priced.
This place has been pretty empty both times I have been there, but it is really worth the trip — if only for a glass of wine and dessert. Highly recommended.

I was very surprised to walk into an actual restaurant in Bushwick. The outside is nondescript, I didn’t even see a sign, but I’d heard good things, and I wanted to try it.
My boyfriend ordered the mussels appetizer, which was a large portion, and very delicious for the price (9 $)
I ordered the Apple Cinnamon Ravioli, which I was a little skeptical about. Both of the orders were absolutely delicious. We also ordered a bottle of wine, however they were out of what we selected, and the waiter graciously let us choose a new bottle of wine, while still charging us for the other selection (which was 7 $ cheaper).
I found it to be such a treat that such a restaurant could exist in this part of town, and I would encourage anyone who is willing to venture a little bit farther into Brooklyn than Williamsburg to try this restaurant– as this is on par (if not better/​less expensive!!) with many Billyburg restaurants.
****Update: We went here for brunch and things needed to be reevaluated. They did not have salt and pepper on the table (a must for eggs). An order of a medium rare burger turned into a welldone chunk of meet between two pieces of toast, no veggies, ketchup, mustard, anything. They need to get the kinks worked out on their brunch menu!!!

I got pizza and wine here last night with my girlfriend. It was all tasty. The owners came over and asked if we wanted the windows closed because the street preacher on the megaphone outside was being loud and annoying. It wasn’t really that big a deal. It was a nice night and we preferred the breeze. We’ll probably check out their live jazz brunch sometime.

Very good overall. Enzo and AnnMarie were so sweet. If your lucky, you might even get the most delicious mozzerella cheese made to order. Good prices. Good food. Good times. Loved the appetizers especially.

Great place. Main meal started off good and only got better by the time dessert came round. Coffee was good, really good.
We had a few appetizers — the broussel sprouts were probably my favorite. Duck pizza and pork for main, both good, although the pizza could maybe do with some more herbs.
Frozen lemon soufflé thingy kicked ass; chocolate cake was also good.

This place JUST opened. Even professional food critics give a place a month or so to work out their kinks before reviewing a new restaurant. So, I think the poor reviews here should be taken with a grain of salt.
I’d heard about Phorum on neighborhood websites so I looked forward to its opening. There was a PDF link to their menu on Phorum’s website before it even opened and I was a little dismayed at how high the prices were, so I was pleasantly surprised upon my actual visit to the restaurant that the prices had been lowered! Good move.
The service was also excellent which can’t be said for Northeast Kingdom. The owner also said they’re going to be featuring live jazz soon which is something to look forward to.
The food was very good and I hope that Phorum will take off and give North Bushwick a restaurant triangle in the shape of Robertas, Phorum, and NE Kingdom.
PS: The Frozen Lemon Soufflé desert was amazing!

For a new place in the hood I was very happy with my meal the other evening. The desserts are priced around 6(Frozen lemon soufflé is worth it) yet I got a perfectly cooked stuffed pork chop for 14 $(good deal) and a good portion of mussels for 9 $. The wine list is priced right and the staff was very friendly and helpful.