Brighton Beach

Not the greatest NYC beaches but one of the better ones. Wish they had more staff for maintenance.
It’s near public transportation, lots of restaurant and stores (which one of the main reasons we come here).

Ich habe mehr erwartet…
Russen überall! Mittags schon Wodka und Radio Moskau tönt aus den kleinen Radios, die Oma und Opa überall mitnehmen.
In allen Geschäften wird man zuerst auf Russisch angesprochen. Das ist leicht irritierend in den USA.
Sauberer Strand, aber man kann leider keine lügen und /​oder Sonnenschirme ausleihen.
Die Polizei ist sehr hilfsbereit.

Want to hate it, hate to love it, one and only, can not live with it, can not live without it, wormhole to my russian identity… Brighton Beach, Brooklyn. Its loud, its busy, its got an attitude all its own, its grimy, its poetic, it’s way an excessive amount of cologne and make-​up on… Brighton Beach, Brooklyn. Where else can you’ve got a filthy atlantic ocean view while being surrounded by seagulls and pigeons because there are at least a dozen senior citizens around you feeding them while drinking kvas (russian beer) and eat everthing from blini w/​caviar to escragot to vareneki to lobster… Brighton Beach. The land of visions, the american type.

I will write the review as someone who has been visiting this beach for the pass 8 years, and I will share few things I leaned:
Avoid weekends. If you want to be able to actually smell the ocean. At summer Saturday’s and Sunday’s the beach is so full that you may find yourself sitting too far from the water.
Try to use public transportation. There aren’t enough parking solutions.
Come early in the morning. The ocean is the best at the hours before it get over populated.

I love me a day at the beach where I don’t have to trek over the hill and over and through a forest to get too.
Brighton beach is an easy hope on the Q or F train to the sun, surf and sand. It is far enough away from the oddities and rambunctious of Coney Island unless of course you want that.
What do you get are some quite time on the beach and the occasional quirky oddly dressed Russian on the beach.

Better than Coney Island in that it’s less crowded (just a little less), and dirty (just a little, again) but the crappy Russian-​Ukranian food that is available along the boardwalk, is over priced. The water is always filthy and the beach too.

Rating the beach, not the neighborhood, which is also worth the visit. This is really the «people’s beach.» It is difficult to park nearby, so the best plan is public transportation — the Brighton Beach subway stop. The beach is well maintained, generally clean, with changing rooms available, and a long, pleasant boardwalk with views of Coney Island. Also important, especially with children, is that the water is sheltered by the Rockaway peninsula, and therefore FAR safer than the open ocean at the Rockaway and Jersey Shore beaches. The waves won’t knock you over while you are swimming.

Out of all the other beaches in the area– this one is by far the best in Brooklyn. Coney Island is too crowded, Plumb Beach is where the mafia buries their casualties, and don’t even bring up Manhattan Beach in my presence.
You got body issues? Not an issue in this beach. You think you’re too pale? No one cares. You wanna throw a ball around? No one will yell at you. You wanna sunbathe nude? Go to Jacob Riis Park.
Anyway, this place is accessible and there’s a lot of food options on the boardwalk and if you walk farther down to Brighton Beach Avenue.

Beautiful place to watch the sun set or sun rise. Plus, it’s not terribly crowded. Sand was clean, and water was relatively clean.
Just remember to be wary of the seagulls if you’re eating food, they can sense it a mile away. Otherwise, I’d definitely recommend you check out New York’s version of the original beach in Melbourne.

This is, hands down, one of my favorite beaches in all of NYC… hell, ANYWHERE. Maybe it’s because I have so many wonderful memories of that beach with close friends and lovers, both old and new. ;-)
Having so many friends with Russian heritage, Brighton Beach was a natural draw for them, and I usually found myself tagging along since 2010. It sure gets crowded on hot days, but it’s to be expected. I’d rather be there than a mile or two west at Coney Island. The rocky piers with Breezy Point just to the south are a site to behold. It’s easy to reach via the Q on the weekends (or the B if you’re lucky enough to go on a weekday).
From experience, I can attest that it’s about an hour from the Upper West Side via the 2 to the Q, and about an hour 30 to an hour 45 from Inwood /​Washington Heights via the A to the Q at Times Square. After Prospect Park on the Q, it can get very crowed VERY fast, so consider yourself lucky to get on the Q in midtown and snag a good seat.
Forget you’re technically within the bounds of New York City for a few hours and enjoy the experience.

Not as rowdy or crowded as Coney Island (which is a stones throw away) so it’s a popular family beach. A plus for me and my two littles. Cleaner than the Coney Island end as well. I mean you will find trash scattered around but that’s to be expected for a NYC beach.
There are your run of the mill foot vendors that patrol the beach looking to get all your money. Icee lady, cotton candy guy, cold water dude and can not forget the cold beer and nutcracker dude. The last time we came he was so eloquently shouting «if you don’t drink a nutcracker today you will DIE!!!» Which was a little humorous but annoying after having to explain that to my very literal six year old. All in all I love hanging out at Brighton Beach, it’s very low key and when you are ready for more excitement simply stroll on down the boardwalk!

The most Russian place in NYC! A great place to find whatever the Russian version of knishes are. The lady at one of the backeries was selling them outside «Potato, Beef, Cabbage» she said slowly when she learned we did not speak the language of the czars. These pasteries were certainly fit for a king and at a buck fifty who could argue with the doughy goodness!
Also the beach is a lot of fun and a great place to dip your feet on a hot day.

There is Brighton Beach the beach and there is Brighton Beach the shopping district. The beach is much less rowdy than at the Coney Island end (usually) and overall quite clean. There is also Brighton Beach along Brighton Beach Avenue and as long as you are prepared for some people who are arrogant and pushy, dirty streets, obnoxious drivers, sales people who only speak Russian until they want money from you and waiters who will come out of the restaurants to bring you in, then act like you don’t exist until it is time to pay, you will be just fine!
I worked in Brighton Beach for a year and it was definitely a unique experience. Of course there are also many very nice people here and the stores offer many items that are difficult to find elsewhere and usually at pretty good prices. So if you haven’t been to Brighton Beach, ride the B/​Q train and visit… it is an experience you will not soon forget!

Came here today.
Great waves and all the stuff you’d want at a beach.
However the sand is filled with broken glass at times and just play garbage which can make it hard to walk.
Other than that, a great family beach!

So this place i kind of under rated I feel. People always mention the Jersey shore and I understand why but this place isn’t a slouch. The beach is huge, with a lot of restaurants that I’m not a fan of the ones on the boardwalk but atleast they are there. The atmosphere is interesting, cause all of the Russian population here, so you do feel as if you aren’t in NYC (least to me).
The boardwalk goes all the way down to coney island. A lot to do in the area because unlike the shore you have people who live here year round.
Negative here is the beach doesn’t feel as clean as places like Belmar etc etc
Couldn’t think of any other negatives for me atleast. It’s definitely not posh and is open to the public
Oh and I wish they had Quality food choices here, or maybe even a nice little lounge for hippies :)
That being said the best part of this beach is the location.
You are in New York City, enough said!

I’ve been coming to this beach since I was a kid. It’s clean, quiet and has lots of space. It’s a NYC beach so please don’t expect the clearest water. However, the water is clean and calm. It’s a great beach for kids for that reason.

Great beach. Evidently not as packed as the other beaches, and not as far out. Came here with my partner a few weeks ago and we had a nice time laying out in the sun. It was a little vexing listening to other people’s inane conversations, but I’ll just bring some headphones next time.

I really love Brighton Beach. It’s not the sexiest but it’s clean, quiet, and spacious.
I come here a lot with my swim coach who takes us open water swimming on weekends and I often end up spending the entire day here. I like Brighton compared to Coney because it’s not crowded and a block away, you can have delicious $ 1 piroshkis.
There are bath houses here but like any parks department restroom, there are no mirrors and flip flops should be worn.
Coney is only a 10 minute walk from Brighton so if laying out on the beach gets boring or if you need a Frank’s hot dog, relocating is not difficult.
Enjoy!

Many of the shops outside of the Brighton Beach subway station were Russian, which was pretty cool to see.
One of the cleanest beaches I’ve seen in a while. However, my family and I felt quite uncomfortable while we were there. Being the only Asian family, we felt that the local community was not happy with our presence.

If you’re someone who enjoys some quite peaceful time by the shore, then is your best option close to Manhattan. This beach is between Coney Island beach on the west and Manhattan beach on the east.
It takes an hour to get here from Midtown Manhattan via B subway line, but the good thing is that the beach is just a block away from the Brighton subway station. It’s a narrow, pretty beach with a promenade full of benches. The restaurants along the boardwalk offer good food but are also expensive. Weekday evenings are usually crowded with old people who come there for a swim or for dining.

TAUT VOLLEYBALL NETS ya heard?
Hop on the air-​conditioned Q in Manhattan and get transported to this beachy otherworld in under an hour? God, yes. I love NY.
Do not compare this beach to the white sand resorts of your favorite Caribbean landing. That’s not the point.
This is your ½ day getaway, to detox from a crowded stinky city, and retox on an almost-​as-​crowded and stinky beach. UV rays, sea salt + garbage air, quality beach volleyball courts, ice cold Corona peddlers, tetanus + glass and cig butts in the sand… Ignore everyone else and do your own thing. Don’t go barefoot. Water’s chilly. Weed smells abound.
Plan on amazing, cheap Ukrainian Jew food (or one of any of the other fantastic Eurasian fusions — Korean/​Russian!!! Uzbek/​Chinese??? GIMME DAT!) in the neighborhood for lunch/​dinner. As the food coma wears off peel yourself off your towel and get back to volleyballin.
It’s a wrap.

Kool beach if you really dont like crowds. I like its easy access and quaint little strip. I dont usual dont come on the weekend only the weekdays.
Its a little more narrow compared to Coney Islands spacious sands. Though you can usual find a nice spot to camp out.
Also the selection of food on Brighton Beach Avenue is ok, wish Irvings Deli was still there. Nice boardwalk and Manhattan Beach is right around the corner.

Brighton born and raised. To all these haters complaining about the beach get over yourself seriously. BB is the hidden gem of NYC hands down and I will tell you why!
The community itself is so diverse and loving. I know all my neighbors and several have become adopted ‘aunties’ as my family has been natives of the area for 25+ years.
After the disaster that was Sandy the community has rebuild and come back stronger than ever. From September to May Brighton Beach is beautiful, clean, serene, quite, and lovely. As soon as June to August rolls around tourist absolutely destroy the area! The masses do no respect the neighborhood and its beaches and it hurts it truly does.
During peak season the cleaners roll around after 10pm and the absolute best time to hit the beach for a clean unique experience is from 11pm to 11am. That 12 hour window grantees you a great opportunity to experience BB at its finest during the summer months. There are several areas on the stretch that are secluded and empty during peak hours known by the diehard locals and will remain that way!
Listen I may be bias but this is my home i grew up in the water, playing in the sand. The water is clean people! Please refer to the Natural Resource Defense Council’s rankings of beach water quality for Brighton Beach if you need proof!
TO ALL NATIVE NEW YORKERS! Get off your bum and make the trek out to Brighton during the off season! You will not regret it! The water is warm from late September to November with 50 – 60 degrees being the mean temperature. As a cold water swimmer with a wetsuit if you have the gear hit up BB during the winter months especially for the polar bear dives!
The community during the holidays is so cute! There are decorations and festive atmospheres, great restaurants, and convenient specially shops with an array of jewelry, clothes, and shoe shopping.
I love my neighborhood. I love Brighton Beach and it is honestly one of the reason I have not left NYC for college.
Have an open mind and be respectful of your surroundings!
Come ready to swim in the atlantic ocean because that is what beaches are for!
I hope next time you visit Brighton you have a great time!

Non-​residents, adjust your expectations. Part of me loves that you all come here to enjoy the beach and spend money on our businesses, but damn it all if you aren’t the most needy, complicated, whiney people ever …
No, we don’t HAVE to speak English. That’s the beauty of New York, particularly South Brooklyn … English is optional, and yes, we do talk in our languages about how ridiculous you look in your Crocs and khakis. Just like you think we don’t understand you when you make fun of our elderly in their speedos and brightly dyed hair (we do, we just don’t care) … it’s a give-​and-​take, and when you’re at this beach, we’re mostly giving, so you need to sit down and take it.
Some will smoke on the beach, because even the police officers have learned to turn a blind eye. They know where they are, they know the majority ethnicity they’re dealing with … you should, too. I KNOW it’s a law that’s been enforced for ages … but, also, no one here cares. So get over yourself.
Some will also drink on the beach — and then proceed to NOT make fools of themselves and vomit on the nice, quiet people tanning next to them because they know how to handle our liquor.
The beach is dirty at times, particularly as the day closes … this is a free space in New York. Assume all things that are free, public gathering spaces will be dirty. People are animals in free spaces. The good thing is, you get to go home to your over-​priced apartments in the cool areas of the city and never think about it again — this is our home, and you left your garbage behind for us. Spasibo bolshoe.
Yes, the bathrooms by Brighton 1^st leave a lot to be desired — coincidentally, they’re also shared with the entire amusement park and beach area of Coney Island, so don’t judge the entirety of Brighton just because its public restroom was gross.
Brighton Beach is the best beach in the city. The further down the boardwalk from Coney Island beach and that monstrosity they call an amusement park, the true-​er this is. It’s free, there’s sand, there’s water, there’s space, no one is going to bother you, you have all the time in the world to just soak it up and watch a great collection of natives get together and enjoy some good weather.
So stop complaining and lower your expectations. Life is a whole lot better that way.