The neighborhood’s shops and restaurants along [main thoroughfares] Emmons Avenue and Sheepshead Bay Road are reflective of its growing diversity,” says Keane. Restaurants span from famous retro fast food joint Roll-N-Roaster to Randazzo’s Clam Bar, an Italian Seafood restaurant, to OPera Café & Lounge, a Turkish eatery, to Chayhana Salom, which serves authentic Uzbek food, to Yiasou Estiatorio, which specializes in Greek seafood. For grocery stores, there’s a large Stop & Shop supermarket in the area, as well as a few health food store options, including Forces of Natureand Omni Health.

Besides more affordable living spaces and lots of places to eat, the “appealing and quiet” neighborhood, according to Keane, “offers great quality of living, with access to the waterfront and open spaces,” including Holocaust Memorial Park, at the western end of the bay, which hosts commemorative events throughout the year. Fishing boats galore dock in the bay daily and offer commercial fishing trips, as well as dinner and charter cruises. Locals and visitors can often be found perched on the benches that surround the water watching the vessels go by, or just feeding the ducks.

“Sheepshead Bay has seen a lot of changes over the years. In fact, the region used to be known as the place to go to purchase fresh fish; now, while fishing is still a popular activity, it's usually more for sport than survival. Additionally, after After Hurricane Sandywhich devastated the region when floodwaters flowed over the bay, destroying many of the businesses in its wakesome retailers were able to bounce back, while others were forced to close their doors. “Over the next couple of years, we will see an increase in residential and commercial developments, which will hopefully revive the retail market.”