After several months of joining the late-night menu at Superiority Burger, Chris Hansell finally has his own headquarters. Unsurprisingly, the fanfare has followed. Chrissy’s Pizza — which got its start a few years back selling on Instagram out of an apartment — is the standard bearer for a great New York-style pizza. But note: there are no slices, only pies, and there are no seats (be prepared to take your box nearby to the park).

The Snail may stick to a pretty straightforward bistro format (steak au poivre, pasta), but it still pleasantly surprises. Just off McCarren Park, the Snail comes from chef-owner Austin Baker, previously at Saraghina, and before that, one of Chicago’s biggest restaurant groups Hogsalt. It’s crowd-pleasing for a reason.

JR and Son opened on May 2, so give it time to get its bearings: a reborn crusty dive bar-turned-Italian American spot of the same name, only this time from the Kellogg’s Diner team. Italian American cooking is influenced by chef Patricia Vega’s experience working at Thai Diner. Fish and soy sauce give an unexpected umami boost across the offerings: from the onion rings sauce to its spicy chicken Parm. Meanwhile, an herbaceous arancini salad also has roots in her experience cooking Thai American food. Pastry chef Amanda Perdomo, known for that beloved strawberry pretzel dessert at Kellogg’s, made a very good cake slice version of the Italian rainbow cookie (it’s vegan, but you’d never know it!) Last call on food is 1 a.m., bar stays open until 2 a.m.

If you’re looking for the kind of cafe where you can have a casual full breakfast or lunch and linger for a while with a laptop, Patio Tropical should be on your radar. Tucked behind an artisan shop called This Is Latin America, it is a heated atrium that streams with natural light, evoking a little tropical oasis. Here, Stephanie Bonnin explores her South American background — she’s from Barranquilla, Colombia — as well as wider Caribbean influences. Pastries like pan de bono, a Colombian cheese bread, alongside dishes like the beef dish sancocho, are all made in-house. The menu plans to change frequently, with occasional pop-up dinners by rotating chefs at night.

At the end of 2024, M. Wells Steakhouse closed in Long Island City after a decade. Now, M. Wells is back, only after years in Queens, they’re onto Brooklyn — taking over the food program at Bushwick’s New York Distilling Company. They’re going to be running various pop-up style menus out of their new headquarters with their signature Quebecois flair in warehouse environs.

For fans of the IKEA Swedish meatballs, level up at Hildur in Dumbo. The restaurant, a flip of the Gran Electrica and from the same team, is styled like a bistro and serves Swedish meatballs au poivre. It’s offered alongside a burger with tarragon mustard and the beloved Swedish princess cake for dessert.

Matt Diaz, who opened For All Things Good in 2020, has added three more spots on Franklin Avenue between Greene and Lexington Avenues over the past five years with various partners. Bar Birba, an Italian aperitivo spot; Disco Bottles, a new wine shop; and now, Disco Birdies, a fried chicken spot with Champagne. Also on the menu: a falafel smash burger and fried chicken bites. The new spot, like his others, is walk-in friendly.

Sal Lamboglia has made a name for himself in this part of Brooklyn for his modern spins on Italian American food with Cafe Spaghetti and later, Americana cooking at Swoony’s. Now, he’s made an unlikely left turn, opening a Cantonese American spot in Cobble Hill, partnering up with Wilson Tang, known for Nom Wah. Sal Tang’s sticks to classics done well, like sweet-and-sour pork, pea shoots, beef and broccoli, plus dim sum like shrimp dumplings. They’re bringing back the lychee martini, too.

F&F is by far one of the top slices in the city. That’s what the Franks — Frank Falcinelli and Frank Castronovo — are betting on. The duo have flipped what was their Frank’s Wine Bar and made an expanded dining room where you can enjoy full pies, in an environment more suited for a date than their takeout slice shop next door. But the dining room offers many more dishes, including several pastas, than just its pizza.

Jeremy Salamon had a hit when he opened Agi’s Counter in Crown Heights, focused on modern Eastern European cooking, in a nod to his grandmothers. Now, he’s turned the attention back to his upbringing with a Southern-ish menu, in a much larger dining room in Red Hook. It’s decorated like a country store replete with a goose-lamp and charming art throughout. There’s pimento with fried saltines, veal sweetbreads, cold meatloaf tea sandwiches, and for dessert, options like an already-popular pancake souffle.

Lundy’s, which first opened in 1920, had been a seafood icon of Sheepshead Bay until it closed in 1979, then reopened and shuttered in 2007. Now it has been reborn in Red Hook. The restaurant — under new owners — is slightly downsized from the capacity in its old spot of more than 2500, now a more manageable 100-plus seat count across from Ikea that you can actually reliably walk into with a large group. The menu features items like “the Shore Dinner,” a prix fixe with a choice of seafood starter, fish, chicken, or lobster main, and pie for dessert. But you’d be just as welcome going a la carte, with shrimp cocktail and linguine with clams at a bar stool. Some recipes, like the clam chowder and the complimentary biscuit basket, are leftovers from the old days.