In a city that seems to have one ear perpetually upturned for Mexican food trends, it’s no surprise that Taqueria Ramirez has been turning heads. This Greenpoint taqueria from first-time restaurateurs Giovanni Cervantes and Tania Apolinar serves a game-changing array of Mexican meats, including suadero, longaniza, and chicharron. Best of all is the restaurant’s tripa, beef intestine that stews in a bubbling choricera before being finished off with a blowtorch.

Did Brooklyn need another high-ceilinged, plant-filled restaurant located in a former auto repair shop? No, we thought for sure, and then came Nura. This restaurant helmed by chef Jackie Carnesi, an alum of Roberta’s pizza in Bushwick, opened in October with an American-ish menu built around bread. Garlic naan and Parker House rolls are served fresh from an open kitchen, then dragged through the sauces left behind by grilled prawns and roast koginut squash.

There’s no shortage of French wine bars in New York City, but Bar Blondeau is proof there’s always room for one more. Located on the sixth floor of the Wythe Hotel, this bar with bites comes from partners Aidan O’Neal and Jake Leiber, who also run Le Crocodile downstairs and Chez Ma Tante in Greenpoint. The dining room’s velvet banquettes and floor-to-ceiling windows might call to mind Midtown Manhattan, but O’Neal and Leiber say they’re going for a vibe that’s more casual than a night out in the city.

Fueled by mezcal and house-made tortillas, Aldama might be the closest thing Brooklyn has to the hip, late-night bars of Mexico City. The Williamsburg newcomer comes from Christopher Reyes, a former bartender at Cosme and the Nomad, and chef Gerardo Alcaraz. The duo is keeping the party going with a weekly lineup of live DJs and regional Mexican dishes — carne cecina, pulpo zarandeado, and al pastor — that are served until 10 p.m. most nights.

This Bushwick newcomer has pulled off a rare hat trick by operating a cafe, a taqueria, and a “micro tortilleria” all under one roof. (The high ceilings certainly help.) Its tortillas, made solely from imported heirloom grains, can be purchased at a small retail area at the front of the shop ($8 for a dozen), or ordered in taco form from a restaurant and bar in the back, where chef Zack Wangeman is slinging al pastor costras and griddled gringas.

From the team behind pioneering Persian restaurant Sofreh comes this follow-up Bushwick cafe, where cupcakes and ka’ak bread are served among a half-dozen other Iranian baked goods. One would be wise to order the pirashki, says Eater critic Ryan Sutton, “baseball-sized rounds of soft, doughy bread” that come filled with either mushroom or cumin-packed brisket. Pair one with a cup of cinnamon and rose black tea for a comforting snack rarely seen in Brooklyn.

A revival close to three years in the making, the historic Gage and Tollner returned to Downtown Brooklyn early last year. The restaurant received encouraging reviews from just about everyone shortly after opening, and close to a year later, weekend tables still require some planning in advance. Don’t skip the baked Alaska, a heap of chocolate, cherry, and mint ice creams that’s torched in the kitchen, rather than tableside.

The owners of Ayat, a Palestinian showstopper and one of last year’s best new restaurants, recently opened this second spot in Cobble Hill, called Al Badawi. Named for the world’s oldest olive tree, said to be in Palestine, this follow-up restaurant is larger than its Bay Ridge predecessor, with seating for nearly 100 people between its indoor and outdoor tables. Several items from Ayat — kebabs, shawarma, mansaf — are served here, as are newer items like Palestinian pizzas and ouzi, a rice dish made with beef, chicken, or lamb.

The Prospect Heights stretch of Vanderbilt Avenue is well-equipped with bakeries and pastry shops, anchored by Ciao, Gloria; Dough Doughnuts; and others. Joining them this month is Evi’s Bäckerei, a bakery from Greg Baxtrom and Alex Grunert, who own and run the pastry programs at Olmsted, respectively. The focus is classic European pastry — both German gugelhupf and Austrian sacher-torte cake are on deck — and well-executed loaves of bread.

Jeremy Salamon is the borough’s latest chef to tackle Eastern European cuisine, joining brunch pop-up Dacha 46 and more recently, Evi’s Bäckerei. His first restaurant — named Agi’s Counter, after his paternal grandmother — draws on his Jewish-American heritage with gerbeaud cake (made with apricot gam and chocolate ganache), Ferdinand buns, and other pastries. Time your visit around lunchtime, when the Ritzy Titzy — a fun-to-say riff on the Waldorf Salad — and other sandwiches are served.

With the opening of Winner bakery last year, chef Daniel Eddy turned Park Slope’s stroller-packed Fifth Avenue into a dining destination in its own right. Now he’s going for it again with this outdoor restaurant and wine bar next door, where the rye crumbs for the salt cod croquettes and loaves of monkey bread come from his hit bakery. Most dishes cost between $5 and $20, and a wine list that leans French features bottles in both the $30 and triple-digit price ranges.