the song received critical acclaim. miriam coleman of "rolling stone" described it as a "dreamy song... with a breathy vocals and a melody before moving into del rey's typically languid, dreamy soundscape". duncan cooper of "the fader" stated that "brooklyn baby" is the standout track of "ultraviolence", pointing out the "uncharacteristically self-assured gem", "yeah, my boyfriend's pretty cool/ but he's not as cool as me.". sharan shetty of "slate" complimented the melody of the song, however disliked the lack of "big, chewy vocal hooks". the song was placed at number twenty two on "rolling stone"s 50 best songs of 2014 list.