Metro

Blocked sidewalks threaten Williamsburg brunch time

The early bird won’t be getting served Sunday brunch in Williamsburg anymore if some churchgoing locals have their way.

The brunch battle royale centers on Brooklyn Community Board 1’s plan to enforce an obscure city law barring outdoor sidewalk cafes from operating before noon on Sundays.

“We need to keep the sidewalks open and accessible for people walking to church Sunday morning,” said Tom Burrows, chairman of the board’s Public Safety Committee.

But Burrows also said the problem is a lot bigger than catering to the church crowd.

“City sidewalk space is valuable, and not only are many of these businesses blocking the sidewalks by serving early, but there’s also the people who hang out on the sidewalks waiting to be served,” he said.

He claimed among the biggest violators of the little-known law are Lokal Bistro on Lorimer Street and Five Leaves restaurant a block away on Bedford Avenue.

Officials at community boards representing some of the largest clusters of sidewalk cafes in the rest of the city told The Post they’ve never gotten a single complaint seeking to enforce the Sunday- morning ban.

As expected, the Williamsburg crackdown isn’t being well received by restaurant owners, who say it will hurt business.

Gino Kutluca, owner of Lokal, which serves a Saturday and Sunday brunch from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., said he’s ready to fight to keep his tables outside.

“My restaurant has no crowding,” he said. “It’s not a good decision. There are 10,000 other streets to get to church.”

“What happened to ‘excuse me’ if the sidewalk’s blocked?” said Camilo Fuentealba, a host at Five Leaves. “I’m not in favor of them taking the benches out. It’s nice that people are able to sit on the sidewalk and drink a coffee. It’s community-friendly.”

The city’s Department of Consumer Affairs, which enforces the regulations when there are complaints, said it would inspect the early-bird eateries at the board’s request. If they’re found to be violating the law, they face fines, and could lose their sidewalk permits.