21 showing · 197 on the list
Ba Xuyên
Regularly named the best banh mi in the five boroughs, from a no-frills shop at the quiet end of Sunset Park's 8th Avenue. Crackly bread, cold cuts, pate, proper pickles.
Order: The #1 dac biet (everything) banh mi and an avocado shake.
verified operating 2026 (Yelp 2026 area listings, nyctourism); counter service, go before mid-afternoon — they sell out
4222 8th Ave (near 43rd St), Sunset Park · map
added 2026-08-07 · verified 2026-08-07
Di Fara Pizza
The DeMarco family shop that pizza pilgrims have argued about since 1965 — olive oil drizzle, scissor-snipped basil, no shortcuts. Expect a wait; that's part of the deal.
Order: A classic round slice; if you're settling in, the square pie.
verified open Jul 2026 (Yelp/Slice listings); closes 4:30-6pm daily between lunch and dinner service
1424 Avenue J (at E 15th St), Midwood · map
added 2026-08-07 · verified 2026-08-07
Gloria's West Indian Food
Trinidadian roti shop holding it down on Nostrand Avenue after the original Gloria's location closed — the flavors moved, not the standard. Doubles and roti made the right way.
Order: Shrimp or goat roti with pumpkin and channa; grab doubles if they haven't sold out.
verified operating Jun 2026 (Yelp) — note the OLD Gloria's at 764 Nostrand is closed; this 987 Nostrand shop is the live one
987 Nostrand Ave (between Empire Blvd and Sterling St), Flatbush/Crown Heights border · map
added 2026-08-07 · verified 2026-08-07
Kai Feng Fu Dumpling House
Basement-level Sunset Park counter where a few bucks buys a plate of pan-fried pork-and-chive dumplings made in front of you. One of the best cheap meals left in New York.
Order: Fried pork and chive dumplings (they come by the plateful) plus a sesame pancake.
verified operating 2026 (ZipPicks Jun 2026, current listings); cash only, minimal seating
4801 8th Ave (at 48th St), Sunset Park · map
added 2026-08-07 · verified 2026-08-07
Karczma
Greenpoint's wood-beamed Polish tavern, 17-plus years running, where waitstaff in folk dress bring out pierogi and a liter of beer without blinking at the bill. The neighborhood's Polish soul, still intact.
Order: Mixed pierogi (boiled, with fried onions) and the kielbasa plate; split the potato pancakes.
verified open Aug 2026 (Yelp + OpenTable); open daily from noon
136 Greenpoint Ave (near Manhattan Ave), Greenpoint · map
added 2026-08-07 · verified 2026-08-07
Kashkar Cafe
Uyghur lamb temple on Brighton Beach Avenue, curtained booths and all — cited among the best restaurants in the whole city. Central Asian food you cross boroughs for.
Order: Lamb rib kebabs, lagman (hand-pulled noodles), and an order of manty dumplings for the table.
verified open Aug 2026 (Yelp); open daily from 10am, reservations recommended on weekends
1141 Brighton Beach Ave (near Brighton 14th St), Brighton Beach · map
added 2026-08-07 · verified 2026-08-07
L'industrie Pizzeria
The Williamsburg slice shop that beat the old guard at its own game — long-fermented dough, imported Italian ingredients, named Pizza Today's 2026 Pizzeria of the Year. Lines move fast.
Order: The burrata slice; add a soft-serve if the machine's running.
verified open Aug 2026 (Yelp + Pizza Today 2026 award coverage); original Williamsburg location
254 S 2nd St (at Havemeyer St), Williamsburg · map
added 2026-08-07 · verified 2026-08-07
L&B Spumoni Gardens
Bensonhurst institution since 1939, still family-run, still mobbed on summer nights. The Sicilian square — sauce ladled over the cheese so it never goes soggy — is its own genre of NYC pizza.
Order: A Sicilian corner square, then a rainbow spumoni cup from the walk-up window for dessert.
verified open Aug 2026 (official site spumonigardens.com + Yelp Aug 2026); open daily 11am-11:30pm
2725 86th St (at W 11th St), Bensonhurst · map
added 2026-08-07 · verified 2026-08-07
Lucali
Mark Iacono's candlelit Carroll Gardens pizzeria in a converted candy store — thin wood-fired pies, one at a time, no reservations. People start lining up around 3:30pm for a 5pm list.
Order: A plain pie with basil; BYOB a bottle of red — there's no liquor license and no corkage drama.
verified open Aug 2026 (Yelp); cash only, BYOB, no reservations — put your name down at 5pm and come back
575 Henry St (at Carroll St), Carroll Gardens · map
added 2026-08-07 · verified 2026-08-07
Peppa's Jerk Chicken
Flatbush's 24-hour jerk standard-bearer since 2004 — drum-smoked chicken with blackened skin and heat that builds. The line at 2am tells you everything.
Order: Jerk chicken (dark meat) with rice and peas; ask for extra jerk sauce on the side.
verified open Jul 2026 (Yelp + peppasonline.com); open 24 hours, takeout
738 Flatbush Ave (at Parkside Ave), Flatbush · map
added 2026-08-07 · verified 2026-08-07
Peter Luger Steak House
The 1887 Williamsburg original — dry-aged porterhouse served sizzling on a tilted platter by waiters who've been there decades. Still the benchmark every other steakhouse gets measured against.
Order: Porterhouse for two, thick-cut bacon to start, and spoon the platter butter over everything.
verified open Aug 2026 (official site peterluger.com + Yelp); reservations strongly advised, now takes credit cards
178 Broadway (at Driggs Ave), Williamsburg · map
added 2026-08-07 · verified 2026-08-07
Skovorodka
Old-school Brighton Beach Russian dining room — look for the giant bear out front — serving the classics without irony. The kind of place where lunch turns into three courses.
Order: Pelmeni in broth and the beef stroganoff; herring under a fur coat if you're committing.
verified open Jul 2026 (Yelp + OpenTable 2026); open daily from 11am
615 Brighton Beach Ave (at Brighton 6th St), Brighton Beach · map
added 2026-08-07 · verified 2026-08-07
Tacos El Bronco
The brick-and-mortar anchor of Sunset Park's taco row, open past midnight every night. Double-tortilla street tacos at $3 with the trompo doing real work.
Order: Al pastor and campechano tacos; the campechano (beef, sausage, crispy pork skin) is the sleeper.
verified open Aug 2026 (Yelp); open till 1am Sun-Thu, 2am Fri-Sat
4324 4th Ave (at 44th St), Sunset Park · map
added 2026-08-07 · verified 2026-08-07
Toné Café
First Georgian clay-oven bakery in New York (since 1997), a few blocks off the Brighton Beach boardwalk. Watch shoti bread get slapped onto the walls of the toné oven.
Order: Adjaruli khachapuri — the boat with the egg yolk you stir into molten cheese — plus a hot shoti to carry home.
verified operating 2026 (Yelp May 2026, active delivery menus, tone-cafe.com)
265 Neptune Ave (near Brighton 4th St), Brighton Beach · map
added 2026-08-07 · verified 2026-08-07
Totonno's Pizzeria Napolitana
Coney Island coal-oven pizza since 1924, run by the same family the entire time. Whole pies only, weekends only — the scarcity is real and so is the pie.
Order: A plain margherita pie, maybe half white — the coal-charred crust is the point.
verified operating Jul 2026 (Yelp) — takeout only, Sat-Sun 12-5:30pm ONLY; whole pies, no slices
1524 Neptune Ave (near W 16th St), Coney Island · map
added 2026-08-07 · verified 2026-08-07
Yun Nan Flavour Garden
Kunming couple cooking Yunnan province food you barely find anywhere else in the city, in the heart of Sunset Park's Chinatown. Bowls that eat like a whole meal for lunch-counter money.
Order: The crossing-the-bridge rice noodle soup; add the cold rice noodle salad in summer.
verified operating Jul 2026 (Yelp listing current); small room, mostly takeout
5121 8th Ave (at 52nd St), Sunset Park · map
added 2026-08-07 · verified 2026-08-07
Acme Smoked Fish — Fish Friday
The wholesale smokehouse that supplies half the city's appetizing counters opens its Greenpoint factory door to the public one morning a week — same fish as Russ & Daughters at a fraction of the price.
Order: Whole sides of nova and smoked whitefish at wholesale prices; pre-order online Tue-Fri for curbside, or line up early.
verified operating Aug 2026 (official site) — Fridays only, roughly 8am-1pm; order window opens Tuesdays noon
30 Gem St (at Meserole Ave), Greenpoint, Brooklyn · map
added 2026-08-07 · verified 2026-08-07
Sahadi's
Lebanese fine-foods institution on Atlantic Avenue since 1948 — bulk nuts, spices, olives, and the best hummus counter in Brooklyn, run by the fourth generation of Sahadis.
Order: Pistachios roasted in-house from the bulk counter, a pint of fresh hummus, and whatever prepared mezze looks good.
verified open Aug 2026 (Yelp Aug 2026 + official site) — open daily 10am-7pm
187 Atlantic Ave (btwn Court & Clinton St), Brooklyn Heights · map
added 2026-08-07 · verified 2026-08-07
Irie Jerk
Flatbush jerk done the right way: chicken smoked outdoors in a 60-gallon steel drum, char-crusted and moist, sold from the sidewalk setup on Nostrand.
Order: Jerk chicken with rice and peas, festival on the side, and a ginger beer that actually burns.
verified open 2026 (Yelp updated Jul 2026, listings updated Feb 2026); drum fires outside, storefront behind it; noon-9pm, later Fri-Sat
1142 Nostrand Ave near Maple St, Flatbush, Brooklyn · map
added 2026-08-07 · verified 2026-08-07
Makina Cafe (truck)
Eden Gebre Egziabher's Eritrean-Ethiopian truck — the city's only one — spooning spiced stews over injera-lined bowls. New Sunnyside storefront, but the truck still roams.
Order: The combo platter with doro wat and misir (red lentils) over injera; ask for extra awaze.
verified operating 2026 (QNS Apr 2026, Resy Mar 2026, Yelp Aug 2026); truck moves — check @makinacafe day-of
Fort Greene Park, Washington Park side, Brooklyn (Mon-Sat; also LIC 30th St and Rockefeller Center) · map
added 2026-08-07 · verified 2026-08-07
Tacos El Bronco (truck)
Sunset Park's defining taco truck — al pastor carved to order, tortillas doubled, salsas that mean it. The truck outlasts the night shifts; one unit opens at 2am.
Order: Al pastor and lengua tacos, salsa verde, with a bottled Jarritos from the cooler.
verified operating Aug 2026 (Yelp updated Aug 2026); trucks on 5th Ave and 9th Ave, late night; cash smart
5th Ave near 44th St, Sunset Park, Brooklyn (restaurant at 4324 4th Ave) · map
added 2026-08-07 · verified 2026-08-07