246 Best Restaurants in Brooklyn, New York City

We've compiled the best of the best in Brooklyn - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.

Milk & Roses

$$ | Greenpoint

With hundreds of books lining the built-in wood shelves, candlelit marble tables, red leather booths, and a piano, it doesn’t get much cozier than this. The Italian food is good, but the relaxed atmosphere and old-world ambience make this a true haven. The back garden is magical in spring and summer.

Milk Bar

$ | Prospect Heights

The veggie-friendly menu at this snug, Australian-accented corner café includes avocado toast, egg dishes, sandwiches, and salads, plus coffee and tea. There's table seating inside and outdoor chairs when the weather's warm.

Mimi's Hummus

This bright, tiny café makes outstanding hummus; the masabache version (traditional hummus with lemon garlic dressing) and the mushroom version (which also has onion and cumin) are favorites. Other menu standouts include shakshuka (eggs cooked in a tomato sauce) with or without a side of merguez sausage, the vegetarian meze sampling plate, the Moroccan tagines, and the weekly specials. Beer and wine are on the menu as well at this pleasant neighborhood spot.

Recommended Fodor's Video

Mister Hotpot

Diners at this fun, casual restaurant cook their meals at the table, dunking seafood, meat, and vegetables into hot broth. Hotpot meals are meant for sharing, so it's best to come with a group. Be sure to try both the spicy and regular broths, and order a selection of dipping items from fish balls and sliced pork belly to fried tofu skin and lotus root. With its modern decor and pop-music sound track, Mister Hotpot stands out in the neighborhood.

Montana's Trail House

$$ | Bushwick

Comfort food leads the menu at the coolest barn in Bushwick, which started life in Kentucky before being reassembled on Troutman Street and decorated with deer heads and other Americana. The "Appalachian-influenced" food translates into fried chicken, brisket, and hot turkey sandwiches. Hearty brunch dishes include crowd-pleasing fried chicken biscuits, French toast, and a riff on eggs Benedict with hoecakes and collard greens. The bartenders, who frequently share space with a DJ spinning vinyl, prepare exceptional cocktails.

Morgan's Brooklyn Barbecue

$$ | Prospect Heights

This Texas-style BBQ joint a couple blocks south of the Barclays Center pairs well with a night of hoops or beats. A friendly spot with urban-roadhouse decor, a large bar area, and a serious custom oak smoker, Morgan’s scores with its array of well-tenderized meats sold by the pound—beef or pork ribs, pulled pork, smoked chicken—and anchored by exceptional slow-roasted brisket (order it; you won’t regret it). Sides are the typical collards and mac 'n' cheese, but the meat is the power forward.

National Restaurant and Night Club

$$ | Brighton Beach

Wear your dancing shoes and dress to impress and you'll fit right in at this lavishly gilded, Brighton Beach institution. The menu has an outstanding selection of Russian specialties, like smoked fish, caviar, kebabs, and dumplings. Vodka is best ordered by the bottle, especially if you're staying for the Vegas-via-the-Ukraine-style floor show. It's a glitzy spectacle of live music, show girls, and costume changes—this may well be one of the best experiences of your trip. Remember to dress up and be ready to join the convivial spirit!

Noodle Pudding

$$ | Brooklyn Heights

Efficient waiters, consistently outstanding food, and the hum of conversation make a visit to this always bustling Italian restaurant exceedingly pleasant. Squeeze lemon over your calamari, savor gnocchi with sage butter, or dig into lasagna Bolognese: whether you're in the mood for pasta, risotto, meat, chicken, or seafood, you're bound to leave satisfied. Just be sure to hear about the daily specials before making your decision. The wines here are reasonably priced, too.

OddFellows Ice Cream

In summer, lines stream out the door for unique and delicious ice cream flavors like extra virgin olive oil and Thai iced tea. Everything is homemade in small batches, even the cones, which are pressed in a waffle iron and hand rolled. Flavors change constantly and range from standbys like chocolate chunk to only-for-foodies combos like chorizo caramel swirl. There are a few tables in the red and white carnival-theme shop, but it's more fun to head across the street to the North 6th Street Pier, where you can watch people and boats go by from one of the benches.

Olmsted

$$$ | Prospect Heights

Named after one of the two masterminds behind the design of Central Park and Prospect Park—Frederick Law Olmsted that is, of Olmsted & Vaux—this restaurant caused a stir when it first opened in 2016, for keeping live farm animals in its backyard. Today, the animals are gone, but you can still sip a cocktail there before enjoying seasonal farm-to-table fare. The airy space with an exposed-brick wall and a cascade of plants is a welcome respite in any season, but gets especially lively during brunch on weekends.

Ox Cart Tavern

The extensive “burger board” (beef, turkey, fish, or veggie patties with delectable toppings), brunch, and beer options draw a crowd of regulars to this homey gastropub that often has a sporting event on its TV. The menu, though, runs the gamut from fish-and-chips and roast chicken to pasta dishes and salads—but don’t miss the sides, like the soft-baked pretzel with Dijon mustard and cheese sauce, and beer-battered fried pickles. Sunday means the Evil Ox Sauce chicken wings are on the menu. There are two daily happy hours (5 to 6 pm and 10 to 11 pm).

Paneantico

This seemingly always busy corner bakery and café has been serving Bay Ridgers since 2000, with menu offerings that include hearty salads, sandwiches, fresh breads, and prepared foods to go. Its long glass cases are filled with tempting traditional Italian and American desserts; the cannoli are delicious. The hero with hot soppressata, Bel Paese cheese, and green olive tapenade is a lunch favorite, as is the one with broccoli rabe, mozzarella, and fried eggplant. Grab an espresso or cappuccino from the coffee bar in the back and linger outside at a table.

Patti Ann's

$$ | Prospect Heights

This diner-inspired eatery has been described as "a love letter to the Midwest." Named after the mother of restaurateur Greg Baxtrom—illustrious chef of several prominent eateries—this family-friendly restaurant has pivoted its menu from elevated renditions of nostalgic Midwestern dishes like fish sticks and French bread pizza, to a focus on all-day breakfast items, some classic diner sandwiches, and most prominently, Chicago tavern-style pizza pies—flat, circular pies with crispy crusts—not to be confused with Chicago deep-dish.

Paul's Daughter

$ | Coney Island

This open-air clam shack right on the boardwalk has been shucking bivalves for more than 50 years. Perch on a stool or just lean against the counter to enjoy a plate of fresh, briny-tasting clams on the half-shell, accompanied by one of the beers on tap, preferably a cold Brooklyn Lager. More substantial items like Italian sausage, calamari, and an excellent version of funnel cake are also on the menu. This is a great spot to settle in and watch the world walk by.

Peter Pan Donut & Pastry Shop

$ | Greenpoint

This doughnut shop looks like a 1950s lunch counter because it was one, and the current owners preserved the original decor—the servers even wear 1950s-style uniforms. Old-fashioned doughnuts, bagels, and egg sandwiches are made fresh daily. You'll find all the classics, from glazed and cake doughnuts to coconut cream and red velvet. You can order your doughnuts to go, or grab a seat for counter service. Everything is inexpensive and delicious.

Pies 'n' Thighs

$$ | Williamsburg

This acclaimed corner restaurant takes its name seriously, specializing in sweet dessert pies—apple, pumpkin, and banana cream, to name a few—and the fried chicken thighs to eat before them. Amid vintage decor, diners enjoy Southern-style meals that include catfish, burgers, pulled pork, and, of course, fried chicken (the other parts, too). Sides and breakfast items also abide by the Southern-inspired fare, including biscuits and grits.

Pilar Cuban Eatery

Though the Cuban community hasn’t yet found Bed-Stuy, a stellar Cuban restaurant will be waiting when it does. White walls with splashes of bright turquoise have a definitively retro art deco vibe of Havana, matched by Caribbean staples like the pressed roast pork and ham Cuban sandwich, house-cured chorizo, garlic-sautéed shrimp, and tender pernil (slow-roasted pork shoulder), or modern riffs like Cuban nachos with plantain chips. There's Spanish sidra (cider), Malbec, and beer on tap. Cap the night with a Bustelo café con leche.

Ponte Vecchio

Classic Italian fare like veal marsala, linguine alle vongole, and pasta e fagioli isn't hard to find in Bay Ridge, but this lively, upscale Italian eatery has the street cred that comes with being in business since 1978 and having a famous sister restaurant (Angelo’s of Mulberry Street, open since 1902) in Manhattan's Little Italy. The namesake Pollo Rollatini Ponte Vecchio—chicken stuffed with prosciutto, mozzarella, and mushrooms, in marsala sauce—is one of the standout entrées. Ask to sit in the garden during the summer months for a more intimate dining experience.

Poppy's

$$ | Cobble Hill

What started 10 years ago as a catering business is now also a beloved, women-owned café, with attractive baked goods, as well as sandwiches, soups, frittatas, and focaccia for lunch. There's also a smattering of pantry items, as well as prepared foods to take home, plus outdoor seating on one of Cobble Hill's prettiest little streets.

Purple Yam

The menu at this low-lit, atmospheric pan-Asian restaurant has a heavy Filipino influence, with Korean and other flavors at the forefront. The juicy chicken adobo braised in vinegar, garlic, and soy sauce is the signature dish, but the bibimbap (Korean for "mixed rice," with vegetables) is excellent, and adventurous eaters swear by the sisig, a succulent Filipino dish of pig cheeks with lime and chilies. Dine at the bar and you might end up chatting with the chef, or head to the back garden in summer. If the "dumpling of the day" is pork buns, go for it—they're right up there with the famous Momofuku buns in Manhattan.

Qathra

This homey café brews daily-changing coffee roasts (also sold by the bag) and serves a variety of tasty teas, but the real treats are the breakfast pastries and Mediterranean-influenced menu—especially the Egyptian poached eggs with house-made hummus, arugula, and za’atar spices. The expansive patio is lovely in summer.

Rabbithole

A wooden sign with an illustrated carrot marks the entrance to a charming bistro that serves up well-executed standards from hanger steak to pan-seared salmon to house-made gnocchi and taglietelle. Inside, exposed brick, old wood flooring, and time-worn antiques make for an endearingly low-key atmosphere in the main dining space. In summer, though, the place to be is outside in the garden, where flowering trellises shade mismatched tables and chairs. A treat for brunch (served daily) is eggs Benedict on a homemade herbed biscuit.

Red Hook Food Vendors Marketplace

$ | Red Hook

Food trucks selling top-notch, mostly Central American food have been congregating at the Red Hook sports fields on weekends (April--October, 10 am to sundown) for more than 40 years to feed hungry sports enthusiasts and foodies looking for exemplary cheap eats. The nine fields are undergoing a rotating, several-years-long rehabilitation, and there are fewer food trucks than in years past, but the selection is still tempting. Be on the lookout for the Vendy Award–winning El Olomega, with their famed pupusas (corn tortillas stuffed with delicious fillings).

Red Hook Lobster Pound

$$$ | Red Hook

You may have noticed Red Hook Lobster Pound food trucks hawking lobster rolls around the city, but it all began here at this building that originally served as a lobster pound, selling fresh live lobsters driven down from Maine each week by its founders. Today, it has evolved into their flagship brick-and-mortar seafood restaurant, offering a wide selection of seafood platters, plus happy-hour oysters from 4 to 6 pm.

Roman's

$$$ | Fort Greene

This eatery has a seasonally focused menu that changes often, all with an Italian accent. Farm-fresh dishes include winter fare like chitarra pasta with tomatoes, capers, and tuna confit, or summer delicacies like panzanella with sourdough batard, cucumber, and anchovies. When weather permits, request one of the alfresco tables: there's no better perch from which to soak up the Fort Greene scene.

Root Hill Cafe

This beloved neighborhood café keeps 'em coming with inexpensive and tasty breakfast and lunch, baked goods, and Nobletree Brazilian coffee roasted in Red Hook. Large windows let in lots of light, which is one of the reasons that customers tend to linger.

Rose Water

$$$ | Park Slope

The delicious combinations of tastes and textures at this small restaurant stand out for creativity. Seasonal dishes range from venison to duck breast to scallops, and the accompaniments hit the mark, whether grilled squid with aji dolce and bronze fennel, or fingerling potato with trout roe and crème fraîche. The plant-lined sidewalk seating is coveted at brunch; it's enclosed and heated during colder months.

Runner & Stone

Day or night, bread—everything from brioche to baguettes to ciabatta and more—and house-made pasta are the main draws at this farm-to-table restaurant, café, and bakery owned by baker Peter Endriss and chef Chris Pizzulli. Mornings mean fresh croissants and breakfast pastries, lunch focuses on sandwiches with choice of side, and dinner features seasonally inspired entrées. Homemade ingredients, down to the butter and ketchup, enrich the dinner menu.

Rye

An atmospheric hideaway on a little-trod block, Rye serves French bistro classics and creative American fare. Dark wood, leather cushions, a mosaic-tile floor, and a century-old oak bar hark back to the days of speakeasies and illicit booze. Capture the mood with one of the excellent cocktails, perhaps a Havemeyer, made with overproof rye. The signature meatloaf sandwich, a daydream-worthy delight, comes with crispy buttermilk fried onions and horseradish sauce. After dinner, you can stop for a nightcap at the handsome B.B.R. ("Bar Below Rye").

Sally's

$$ | Bed-Stuy

A spirited vibe and occasional live music sets set the mood for this fun and inventive fusion restaurant where Caribbean flavors and Asian textures come together. The Far East meets the West Indies in dishes including jerk chicken ramen, oxtail and short rib dumplings, cold peanut punch noodles, and Caribbean dan dan noodles.

New York City

New York City

Recommended Fodor's Video

Follow Us

Thank you for your interest!