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A cross-section of a sandwich with grilled artichoke, hot peppers, and provolone.
The grilled artichoke sandwich at Misipasta.
Luke Fortney/Eater NY

The 15 Hottest New Restaurants in Brooklyn, September 2023

The new restaurant from the owners of Lilia and a sandwich shop from Di Fara join the list this month

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The grilled artichoke sandwich at Misipasta.
| Luke Fortney/Eater NY

Eater editors get asked one question more than any other: Where should I eat right now? While many people still consider Manhattan the locus of New York’s dining scene, some neighborhoods in Brooklyn have become dining destinations in their own right. On this map, you’ll find the latest Brooklyn debuts drawing NYC’s dining obsessives.

New to the list in September: Misi Pasta, the new restaurant from the owners of Lilia, and 1012 Kitchen, a sandwich shop run by the legendary Di Fara Pizza.

For more New York dining recommendations, check out the new hotspots in Manhattan, Queens, and the Hamptons.

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Mitica is the new restaurant from the owners of Mariscos El Submarino, a popular seafood shop in Jackson Heights, Queens. The menu here is geared toward sit-down service, making Mitica feel like an upscale cantina, or maybe a Mexican steakhouse. On the menu: pork shank with mashed potatoes, a massive tomahawk steak for two, and sliced duck breast served over a bed of risotto. Aguachile, one of the most popular dishes at Mariscos El Submarino, is on the menu, but the portions here are smaller and more expensive than in Queens.

A hand holding a fork and knife cuts a taco in two on a crowded table.
Mitica is the new restaurant from the owners of Mariscos El Submarino.
Cole Saladino/Eater NY

The stretch of Greenpoint, near Transmitter Park, has seen a wave of openings in recent years, including the tapas bar El Pingüino and the Mexican restaurant Panzón. Lingo, which landed on the block this spring, is leading the pack. The restaurant serves comforting Japanese American dishes, like a pot pie filled with beef curry and bone marrow and a whole fried chicken with chili crisp and lemon. The large dining room and back patio make it possible to walk in.

A collection of dishes on a table from Lingo.
Lingo opened in Greenpoint in April.
Andrew Bui/Lingo

Misipasta

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Misipasta is the new restaurant from Missy Robbins and Sean Feeney, the owners of Brooklyn’s popular Italian spots Lilia and Misi. It’s really a pasta shop: Fresh noodles, sauces used at Lilia, and packaged cheeses are sold on shelves to take home. But there are two counters inside and more seating in a shaded backyard for customers to order from a short menu with grilled artichoke sandwiches and spaghetti with breadcrumbs, plus cocktails and wine. Half of the restaurant is set aside for walk-ins.

A sandwich and smoked anchovies share a table.
The grilled artichoke sandwich at Misipasta.
Luke Fortney/Eater NY

Lala’s Brooklyn Apizza

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Lala’s Brooklyn Apizza is a new pizzeria on the rooftop of Grimm, an East Williamsburg brewery known for its sour beers. The specialty is thin, oval-shaped pies that are influenced by New Haven, Connecticut, pizzerias like Frank Pepe’s, Sally’s, and Modern Apizza. The pizzeria has limited hours but its pies are worth planning a trip around. There’s a clam pizza with butter and parsley, and a range of unusual toppings like mashed potatoes, honey, and egg yolk. It’s open for dinner from Thursday to Saturday and for lunch on Sunday.

An overhead photograph of a pizza topped with slice squashed, mozzarella, and olive oil.
A pizza with squash and mozzarella at Lala’s Brooklyn Apizza.
Rachel Vanni/Lala’s Brooklyn Apizza

Oh Boy Brooklyn

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Beck and Call, a cafe in Williamsburg, closed earlier this year, but the owners held onto the space and opened a new restaurant, which makes perfect smash burgers and serves alcohol starting at 8 a.m. The restaurant’s most popular dish is a $16 breakfast sandwich that riffs on the McGriddle from McDonald’s.

A hand holds a piece of a smash burger at a restaurant in Brooklyn, Oh Boy.
The smash burger at Oh Boy.
Luke Fortney/Eater NY

Super Burrito

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Williamsburg is home to some of the city’s best burritos right now, with help from New Mexican restaurant Santa Fe BK and the popular cafe Ceremonia Bakeshop. Rounding out the scene is the new location of Super Burrito, which started with a stand on the Rockaway Beach boardwalk in 2017. The shop specializes in massive Mission-style burritos filled with rice, beans, cheese, and meats like al pastor or carne asada. Keep an eye on the restaurant’s Instagram for weekly specials, like California burritos and a riff on Taco Bell’s Crunchwrap Supreme.

Two hands hold unwrapped burritos.
Super Burrito started as a stand on the Rockaway Beach boardwalk.
Luke Fortney/Eater NY

Williamsburg is home to some of the more interesting hotel restaurants in the city right now: Le Crocodile at the Wythe Hotel, Laser Wolf on the rooftop of the Hoxton, and now Mesiba, at the Moxy Williamsburg. The modern Israeli restaurant has an upbeat vibe and a menu that’s great for sharing, making it a nice option for groups. There’s a fennel salad topped with a yogurt stone grated tableside, fluffy flatbread for sopping up dips and sauces, and large entrees, like a lamb neck with pickled vegetables and herbs.

An overhead photograph of a colorful bowl with orange liquid and pieces of raw fish.
The fluke crudo at Mesiba.
Liz Clayman/Mesiba

Lula Mae

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Lula Mae opened earlier this year in Clinton Hill, giving the neighborhood a dedicated home for Cambodian cooking — still a rarity in most parts of the city. Helmed by Dan San, a chef who used to work at the Manhattan restaurants Chinese Tuxedo and the Tyger, the atmosphere is casual, with a menu that lists oysters with fried shallots and a Chinese kway teow (fried pastry) served warm with tom yum butter and chicken pate.

A plate of dark noodles with a fried egg on top.
Lort cha, stir-fried rice noodles with an egg.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Ursula is off to a hot start at its new location in Bed-Stuy, a welcome expansion for a restaurant that previously operated out of a small storefront with no indoor seating. The new building has a full dining room and bar: It’s barely enough to contain the many customers who line up here on weekends in search of one of the city’s best breakfast burritos. The vibe is more relaxed at dinner when a separate food menu with enchiladas and lamb carnitas is served.

A child on a scooter is surrounded by a handful of adults waiting for a table in a restaurant.
A crowd out front of Ursula.
Luke Fortney/Eater NY

Gertrude's

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James, an American restaurant in Prospect Heights, closed after more than a decade last fall. Gertrude’s opened in its place last month, giving the neighborhood a New York bistro with Jewish flair: burgers come on challah rolls, martinis are mixed with pickle brine, and sides of french fries can be swapped out for latkes. The restaurant is run by Nate Adler and Rachel Jackson, the owners of Gertie in Williamsburg, and Eli Sussman, the chef behind Samesa in Rockefeller Center.

An overhead photograph of a plate of three latkes with creme fraiche and roe.
The latkes at Gertrude’s.
Liz Clayman/Gertrude’s

Café Mars

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Café Mars is the city’s newest maximalist Italian restaurant — over-the-top spots with greyhound dog statues and three-foot-tall pepper grinders in their dining rooms. This one, in Gowanus, comes from a pair of chefs whose resumes list some of the biggest names in the fine dining world: Noma, Momofuku Ssam Bar, and Wd~50. The restaurant is known for unusual dishes like olives in Negroni jelly, watermelon pudding, and “music crackers” (chicken liver mousse with plums).

A selection of dishes made by co-chefs Paul D’Avino and Jorge Olarte.
Café Mars calls itself an “unusual Italian restaurant.”
Lanna Apisukh/Eater NY

Little Egg

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Egg anchored Williamsburg’s breakfast scene for more than a decade, serving pancakes and French toast until it closed during the pandemic. The restaurant returned earlier this year at a storefront in Prospect Heights, where Evan Hanczor, its longtime chef, is now running the show. He’s serving several of Egg’s most popular dishes, including its famed eggs “Rothko” with boiled tomatoes, plus new items like an egg katsu breakfast sandwich and seasonal pastries.

An overhead photograph of a plate with french toast.
The French toast at Little Egg.
Audrey Melton/Little Egg

Bar Mario

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Bar Mario is a small Italian spot that’s worth a trip. The restaurant with throwback chandeliers and retro tile floors serves some very good pastas — a creamy rigatoni with bacon, gnocchi with crushed hazelnuts — and tends to be less crowded than other big-name spots in the area, like Hometown Bar-B-Que and Red Hook Tavern. True to its name, the restaurant also serves Italian wines and a perfect Negroni.

A bowl of bright red rigatoni at Bar Mario.
The rigatoni at Bar Mario.
Luke Fortney/Eater NY

Fatima's Grill

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During the pandemic, Fatima’s Grill went viral in Los Angeles for its Hot Cheetos burritos. The fame helped it spin-off a few locations on the West Coast — and one in Brooklyn, its first restaurant outside of California. There are around 70 dishes on the menu, and while most of them feel like stunt menu items — burgers with Hot Cheetos dust, Taco Bell “crunch wraps” with shawarma — several are quite good. Burgers, burritos, and quesadillas are priced at around $20.

A head dips the quesa tacos birria into the consome.
Birria tacos at Fatima’s Grill.
Scott Semler/Eater NY

1012 Kitchen

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Di Fara, a Brooklyn pizza institution since 1965, opened a small sandwich shop in Midwood last month. 1012 Kitchen is a small takeout counter that sells affordable Italian heroes with sliced eggplant, chicken cutlet, meatballs, and melted cheese. They cost around $10 each. The shop is run by Maggie DeMarco-Mieles, the daughter of Di Fara’s founder, who says all of the recipes for the sandwiches come from her dad.

A hand holds half of an eggplant parmesan sandwich.
The eggplant Parm at 1012 Kitchen.
Luke Fortney/Eater NY

Mitica

Mitica is the new restaurant from the owners of Mariscos El Submarino, a popular seafood shop in Jackson Heights, Queens. The menu here is geared toward sit-down service, making Mitica feel like an upscale cantina, or maybe a Mexican steakhouse. On the menu: pork shank with mashed potatoes, a massive tomahawk steak for two, and sliced duck breast served over a bed of risotto. Aguachile, one of the most popular dishes at Mariscos El Submarino, is on the menu, but the portions here are smaller and more expensive than in Queens.

A hand holding a fork and knife cuts a taco in two on a crowded table.
Mitica is the new restaurant from the owners of Mariscos El Submarino.
Cole Saladino/Eater NY

Lingo

The stretch of Greenpoint, near Transmitter Park, has seen a wave of openings in recent years, including the tapas bar El Pingüino and the Mexican restaurant Panzón. Lingo, which landed on the block this spring, is leading the pack. The restaurant serves comforting Japanese American dishes, like a pot pie filled with beef curry and bone marrow and a whole fried chicken with chili crisp and lemon. The large dining room and back patio make it possible to walk in.

A collection of dishes on a table from Lingo.
Lingo opened in Greenpoint in April.
Andrew Bui/Lingo

Misipasta

Misipasta is the new restaurant from Missy Robbins and Sean Feeney, the owners of Brooklyn’s popular Italian spots Lilia and Misi. It’s really a pasta shop: Fresh noodles, sauces used at Lilia, and packaged cheeses are sold on shelves to take home. But there are two counters inside and more seating in a shaded backyard for customers to order from a short menu with grilled artichoke sandwiches and spaghetti with breadcrumbs, plus cocktails and wine. Half of the restaurant is set aside for walk-ins.

A sandwich and smoked anchovies share a table.
The grilled artichoke sandwich at Misipasta.
Luke Fortney/Eater NY

Lala’s Brooklyn Apizza

Lala’s Brooklyn Apizza is a new pizzeria on the rooftop of Grimm, an East Williamsburg brewery known for its sour beers. The specialty is thin, oval-shaped pies that are influenced by New Haven, Connecticut, pizzerias like Frank Pepe’s, Sally’s, and Modern Apizza. The pizzeria has limited hours but its pies are worth planning a trip around. There’s a clam pizza with butter and parsley, and a range of unusual toppings like mashed potatoes, honey, and egg yolk. It’s open for dinner from Thursday to Saturday and for lunch on Sunday.

An overhead photograph of a pizza topped with slice squashed, mozzarella, and olive oil.
A pizza with squash and mozzarella at Lala’s Brooklyn Apizza.
Rachel Vanni/Lala’s Brooklyn Apizza

Oh Boy Brooklyn

Beck and Call, a cafe in Williamsburg, closed earlier this year, but the owners held onto the space and opened a new restaurant, which makes perfect smash burgers and serves alcohol starting at 8 a.m. The restaurant’s most popular dish is a $16 breakfast sandwich that riffs on the McGriddle from McDonald’s.

A hand holds a piece of a smash burger at a restaurant in Brooklyn, Oh Boy.
The smash burger at Oh Boy.
Luke Fortney/Eater NY

Super Burrito

Williamsburg is home to some of the city’s best burritos right now, with help from New Mexican restaurant Santa Fe BK and the popular cafe Ceremonia Bakeshop. Rounding out the scene is the new location of Super Burrito, which started with a stand on the Rockaway Beach boardwalk in 2017. The shop specializes in massive Mission-style burritos filled with rice, beans, cheese, and meats like al pastor or carne asada. Keep an eye on the restaurant’s Instagram for weekly specials, like California burritos and a riff on Taco Bell’s Crunchwrap Supreme.

Two hands hold unwrapped burritos.
Super Burrito started as a stand on the Rockaway Beach boardwalk.
Luke Fortney/Eater NY

Mesiba

Williamsburg is home to some of the more interesting hotel restaurants in the city right now: Le Crocodile at the Wythe Hotel, Laser Wolf on the rooftop of the Hoxton, and now Mesiba, at the Moxy Williamsburg. The modern Israeli restaurant has an upbeat vibe and a menu that’s great for sharing, making it a nice option for groups. There’s a fennel salad topped with a yogurt stone grated tableside, fluffy flatbread for sopping up dips and sauces, and large entrees, like a lamb neck with pickled vegetables and herbs.

An overhead photograph of a colorful bowl with orange liquid and pieces of raw fish.
The fluke crudo at Mesiba.
Liz Clayman/Mesiba

Lula Mae

Lula Mae opened earlier this year in Clinton Hill, giving the neighborhood a dedicated home for Cambodian cooking — still a rarity in most parts of the city. Helmed by Dan San, a chef who used to work at the Manhattan restaurants Chinese Tuxedo and the Tyger, the atmosphere is casual, with a menu that lists oysters with fried shallots and a Chinese kway teow (fried pastry) served warm with tom yum butter and chicken pate.

A plate of dark noodles with a fried egg on top.
Lort cha, stir-fried rice noodles with an egg.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Ursula

Ursula is off to a hot start at its new location in Bed-Stuy, a welcome expansion for a restaurant that previously operated out of a small storefront with no indoor seating. The new building has a full dining room and bar: It’s barely enough to contain the many customers who line up here on weekends in search of one of the city’s best breakfast burritos. The vibe is more relaxed at dinner when a separate food menu with enchiladas and lamb carnitas is served.

A child on a scooter is surrounded by a handful of adults waiting for a table in a restaurant.
A crowd out front of Ursula.
Luke Fortney/Eater NY

Gertrude's

James, an American restaurant in Prospect Heights, closed after more than a decade last fall. Gertrude’s opened in its place last month, giving the neighborhood a New York bistro with Jewish flair: burgers come on challah rolls, martinis are mixed with pickle brine, and sides of french fries can be swapped out for latkes. The restaurant is run by Nate Adler and Rachel Jackson, the owners of Gertie in Williamsburg, and Eli Sussman, the chef behind Samesa in Rockefeller Center.

An overhead photograph of a plate of three latkes with creme fraiche and roe.
The latkes at Gertrude’s.
Liz Clayman/Gertrude’s

Café Mars

Café Mars is the city’s newest maximalist Italian restaurant — over-the-top spots with greyhound dog statues and three-foot-tall pepper grinders in their dining rooms. This one, in Gowanus, comes from a pair of chefs whose resumes list some of the biggest names in the fine dining world: Noma, Momofuku Ssam Bar, and Wd~50. The restaurant is known for unusual dishes like olives in Negroni jelly, watermelon pudding, and “music crackers” (chicken liver mousse with plums).

A selection of dishes made by co-chefs Paul D’Avino and Jorge Olarte.
Café Mars calls itself an “unusual Italian restaurant.”
Lanna Apisukh/Eater NY

Little Egg

Egg anchored Williamsburg’s breakfast scene for more than a decade, serving pancakes and French toast until it closed during the pandemic. The restaurant returned earlier this year at a storefront in Prospect Heights, where Evan Hanczor, its longtime chef, is now running the show. He’s serving several of Egg’s most popular dishes, including its famed eggs “Rothko” with boiled tomatoes, plus new items like an egg katsu breakfast sandwich and seasonal pastries.

An overhead photograph of a plate with french toast.
The French toast at Little Egg.
Audrey Melton/Little Egg

Bar Mario

Bar Mario is a small Italian spot that’s worth a trip. The restaurant with throwback chandeliers and retro tile floors serves some very good pastas — a creamy rigatoni with bacon, gnocchi with crushed hazelnuts — and tends to be less crowded than other big-name spots in the area, like Hometown Bar-B-Que and Red Hook Tavern. True to its name, the restaurant also serves Italian wines and a perfect Negroni.

A bowl of bright red rigatoni at Bar Mario.
The rigatoni at Bar Mario.
Luke Fortney/Eater NY

Fatima's Grill

During the pandemic, Fatima’s Grill went viral in Los Angeles for its Hot Cheetos burritos. The fame helped it spin-off a few locations on the West Coast — and one in Brooklyn, its first restaurant outside of California. There are around 70 dishes on the menu, and while most of them feel like stunt menu items — burgers with Hot Cheetos dust, Taco Bell “crunch wraps” with shawarma — several are quite good. Burgers, burritos, and quesadillas are priced at around $20.

A head dips the quesa tacos birria into the consome.
Birria tacos at Fatima’s Grill.
Scott Semler/Eater NY

1012 Kitchen

Di Fara, a Brooklyn pizza institution since 1965, opened a small sandwich shop in Midwood last month. 1012 Kitchen is a small takeout counter that sells affordable Italian heroes with sliced eggplant, chicken cutlet, meatballs, and melted cheese. They cost around $10 each. The shop is run by Maggie DeMarco-Mieles, the daughter of Di Fara’s founder, who says all of the recipes for the sandwiches come from her dad.

A hand holds half of an eggplant parmesan sandwich.
The eggplant Parm at 1012 Kitchen.
Luke Fortney/Eater NY

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