Ingas Bar: How Sean Rembold and Caron Callahan Built a Brooklyn Heights Restaurant Meant to Feel Like It’s Always Been There

A Place That Feels Like Home From Day One

If you find yourself wandering the leafy streets of Brooklyn Heights, it’s easy to imagine you’ve stepped into a different era. The neighborhood, known for its historic brownstones and timeless charm, has long craved a restaurant that feels like it belongs — a spot that doesn’t chase trends but embraces the simple pleasure of being a reliable local fixture.

Ingas Bar, tucked into a quiet corner just a half mile from the more commercial Montague Street, feels like exactly that place. For Sean Rembold, the seasoned chef behind some of Brooklyn’s most beloved kitchens, and Caron Callahan, a designer with a keen sense for timeless style, the goal for Ingas Bar was clear from day one: create a restaurant that feels like it’s been there forever.

The Story Behind Ingas Bar: Roots in Brooklyn Heights

Brooklyn Heights has no shortage of charm, but for years, locals noted its lack of restaurants that felt truly neighborhood-driven. While the main stretch of Montague Street is lined with practical chains and big-name storefronts, Rembold and Callahan saw an opportunity to open a spot that could bridge old Brooklyn and the vibrant energy of the borough’s dining renaissance.

For Rembold, whose past includes celebrated kitchens like Marlow & Sons and Reynard, this new venture felt like a natural evolution — less about reinventing the wheel and more about quietly perfecting it. Partnering with Callahan, who brings her thoughtful design sensibility from the fashion world, the duo envisioned Ingas Bar as a place that would slip seamlessly into the neighborhood’s fabric.

A Chef’s Philosophy: Honest Food, Classic Techniques

At Ingas Bar, the menu reads like a collection of dishes you crave without ever realizing you’ve been missing them. There’s no gimmick or culinary stunt. Instead, Rembold’s cooking is grounded in the timeless values of good sourcing, careful preparation, and the comforting familiarity of European bistro and American tavern fare.

The food is both refined and accessible. Starburst tin ceilings overhead and vintage glassware on tables set the tone, but it’s the food that does the real talking: plates that feel generous, humble, and rooted in the seasons.

What’s on the Menu: Refined Classics With a Local Heart

The dishes at Ingas Bar are designed to be the kind of food you can come back to week after week — a far cry from the one-hit wonders of the Instagram era. While the offerings evolve with what’s best at local markets, a few early standouts hint at the restaurant’s approach:

Seasonal Vegetables, Simply Done

Rembold gives fresh market produce the spotlight, whether it’s roasted root vegetables with herbs or a crisp salad dressed just enough to complement — never overshadow — the star ingredients.

Handcrafted Pastas and Warm Plates

Expect plates like house-made pappardelle tossed with a ragù that balances richness with bright acidity, or a classic roast chicken with perfectly crisped skin and a side of buttered greens.

Unpretentious Snacks and Starters

Ingas Bar’s starters nod to classic tavern fare: think warm bread with salted butter, a smoked fish spread that tastes like old New York, or pickled vegetables that open the palate.

Thoughtful Desserts

The meal often ends on a subtle sweet note — maybe a slice of olive oil cake, a warm pudding, or seasonal fruit with a touch of cream, channeling the same restraint and honesty as the savory plates.

Designing Timelessness: Caron Callahan’s Touch

If the menu feels like a quiet conversation with the past, so does the design. Caron Callahan’s work as a designer is evident in every corner of Ingas Bar. The tin ceilings evoke Brooklyn’s historic taverns, while warm wood, soft lighting, and vintage fixtures bring a lived-in charm that feels authentic rather than staged.

There’s nothing overwrought about the interiors — no neon signs or loud murals demanding selfies. Instead, it’s a space designed for conversation, shared plates, and the comfortable sense that you’ve stumbled into a bar that’s been there for decades.

Why Timelessness Matters Now

Ingas Bar’s philosophy feels like a quiet rebellion in a dining landscape where new concepts often chase virality. For Rembold and Callahan, success isn’t about lines out the door for the first month only to fade when the hype moves on. Instead, they hope for neighbors to pop in for an early dinner on a Tuesday, or regulars to settle into the bar for a glass of wine and a snack after work.

It’s an approach rooted in the belief that the best restaurants aren’t the ones that scream for attention — they’re the ones that earn it, year after year, by simply showing up and doing things right.

Serving Brooklyn Heights: A New Old Favorite

For a neighborhood long defined by its history but yearning for dining spots that feel special yet familiar, Ingas Bar hits all the right notes. It’s the kind of place where the bartender knows your name by the second visit, where parents feel comfortable bringing their kids for an early meal, and where solo diners find a welcoming bar stool and a warm plate waiting.

Conclusion: A Spot Built to Last

At a time when much of New York’s restaurant scene can feel like a race to reinvent or shock, Ingas Bar stands out precisely because it doesn’t. With Sean Rembold’s honest cooking and Caron Callahan’s timeless design, it’s a place that invites you to settle in, slow down, and trust that the basics — when done well — are more than enough.