Brooklyn based indie pop duo Pueblo is made up of Jonah P. Smith and Julian P. Smith, childhood friends since grade school days in their hometown of Dallas, Texas. The Smiths, who dropped their debut EP, Boring the Camera, earlier this year, are currently on tour in the US.
The two friends may be somewhat new to the five boroughs, having just relocated here in August of last year, but they’ve quickly established their local haunts.
We asked Jonah to put together a guide of his typical weekend spots, partly to get some insight into the artist himself, but also partly because we selfishly want the scoop on where to find a good jukebox bar.
Friday:
Brooklyn Ball Factory
Great little coffee shop/Japanese restaurant that is only steps away from my apartment. It’s a good place to write in a journal.
Russ and Daughters
The “Super Heebster” might be the best food I’ve had in the city. Never tasted anything like it—Whitefish and baked salmon salad with cream cheese and Wasabi roe on a Bagel. It’s an expensive sandwich, so you can’t get it very often, but when you do, it’s worth every penny. There’s nowhere to sit at Russ and Daughters, so order your sandwich and then walk to the park cafe with picnic tables across the street where they play sweet tunes.
WXOU Bar
Jukebox.
Saturday:
Bonchon Chicken
For the nasty meat eaters in the band, Bonchon has become a pre-gig ritual. I hear it’s the world’s best Korean Fried chicken, outside of the real deal.
Rockwood Music Hall: Stage 2
We’re actually most likely to be at Rockwood on a Monday night for Jim Campilongo’s ongoing residency, but it’s one of our favorite spots to see shows any night of the week.
Punjabi Grocery and Deli
After the show at Rockwood, walk a couple blocks to Punjabi for a six dollar, full plate of amazing Indian food.
Pete’s Candy Store
This place is probably the closest to our hearts of any other place on this list. It’s been one of the only constants throughout a full year of trying to navigate this massive, complicated, scary city for the first time. Lots of memories. We love you, Greg.
Sunday:
Trans Am Cafe
This is a great spot for getting in the headspace to do homework for hours on end. It’s also one of the only places I’ve found that has good coffee AND food. There’s a bunch of vegan and vegetarian sandwich options.
Prospect Park
For anyone who misses nature in the city, this is the place to be on a Sunday morning. In addition to all of the greenery, it’s just nice to see some open, unobstructed space.
456 Shanghai
Sunday nights in Chinatown are a much different experience than going on a Saturday afternoon. The streets look abandoned in comparison. Stop at 456 Shanghai for a nice and quiet, romantic dinner.
Emily is an over-enthusiastic lover of music, books, movies, fashion, and culture in general. Her love of music spans across all genres (what is a genre anymore? she waxes poetic to herself), though she was nursed on true punk and will never understand “redneck country” music – tractors are not and cannot be sexy. Emily currently lives in Brooklyn, NY and considers herself to be a great wit, though she is still waiting on validation from a credible source.