Antidote

"If you walked into Antidote without prior knowledge, you might not guess they serve Sichuan food. There are no hanging lanterns or red dragons and, like many restaurants on the Williamsburg waterfront, it looks more like a concrete bunker with plants sprouting up inside of it. But this one serves fresh baskets of dim sum, pungent, pickled fish stew, and tea-smoked duck with crispy skin that tastes like candy. It’s a solid date spot, especially when they have live music in the center of the serene space. " - neha talreja, hannah albertine, diana kuan

"The Williamsburg waterfront has a lot of restaurants that look and feel like Antidote. They’re spacious, airy, and could double as plant nurseries—but this is the only one that also serves great Sichuan food in a big, concrete bunker with skylights, a random terrarium, and a ton of foliage. Plan it right, and this is a solid date spot, especially when there's live music. Order some dim sum and the whole tea-smoked duck with candy-like crispy skin. If there are no tables at Antidote, try Birds of a Feather a few blocks away. It has a different, neighborhood restaurant vibe, but they also do some quality Sichuan." - willa moore, neha talreja, bryan kim, kenny yang, will hartman

"Antidote is a modernistic, warehouse-y Sichuan restaurant in a remote corner of Williamsburg. The soup dumplings come three to a steamer, are rather thick-skinned, bulging with a mucilaginous broth, and more meat than most. They are an enjoyable contribution to the city’s soup dumpling panorama." - Robert Sietsema

"It’s a follow-up to Williamsburg’s excellent Antidote, which caused a stir when it opened last year by rendering the pungent and incendiary flavors of Sichuan cuisine without pulling punches (also throwing some Shanghai dishes into the mix)." - Robert Sietsema

"This is mainly Sichuan restaurant with Hunanese and Shanghainese flourishes. In addition to great soup dumplings from the latter, it offers food from the first two localities heavy with chiles in every form (try preserved duck egg with pickled chiles). Don’t worry, a glug of beer neutralizes the heat. And don’t miss the epic green-peppercorn fish stew." - Robert Sietsema