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An overhead photograph of a spread of skewers on two colorful tables at Maison Yaki in Prospect Heights.
An assortment of skewers at Maison Yaki.
Louise Palmberg/Eater NY

Where to Eat in Prospect Heights Right Now

Boat blood noodles, backyard petanque, and more in this residential Brooklyn neighborhood

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An assortment of skewers at Maison Yaki.
| Louise Palmberg/Eater NY

Not unlike Park Slope and Flatbush, restaurants in Prospect Heights are best enjoyed before or after a day in Prospect Park. A handful of dining destinations — Oxalis, Sofreh, and Olmsted — make this residential Brooklyn neighborhood ideal for a sit-down, post-park meal. The reverse is also true: Takeout counters including Banh Mi Place and El Gran Castillo De Jagua serve as affordable pit-stops on the way to the park, Botanical Gardens, or Brooklyn Museum, with menus that include oyster po’ boys and flakey beef patties.

The three-lane Vanderbilt Avenue forms the beating heart of Prospect Heights, but for the neighborhood’s best restaurants, head down shaded side-streets and look between brownstones. Here’s 21 of our favorite right now.

Health experts consider dining out to be a high-risk activity for the unvaccinated; the latest data about the delta variant indicates that it may pose a low-to-moderate risk for the vaccinated, especially in areas with substantial transmission. The latest CDC guidance is here; find a COVID-19 vaccination site here.

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Tiny's Cantina

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Tiny’s landed on bustling Flatbush Avenue earlier this year, turning heads with its colorful tlayudas and inventive Pueblan fare. The lively Mexican spot with an L-shaped bar is great for groups and there’s plenty of options for vegetarians, too. Order the chicken milanesa cemita, a sibling of the Mexican torta that’s served on a sesame seed roll, and a trio of tacos to share — we especially dig the suadero — priced between $12 to $16.

A round Mexican pizza covered with red watermelon radishes and squiggled with white sour cream.
Slices of watermelon radish garnish a tlayuda at Tiny’s Cantina.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Chuko Ramen

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When at ramen shop Chuko, designed with lots of light wood and a hip neon sign, it’s crucial not to overlook the non-ramen dishes. The salt and pepper wings have a snappy crunch, and the crispy brussels sprouts with fish sauce are a must-order. The ramen’s great, too, of course. Go with the gooey poached egg add-on — rather than a hard-boiled one — to add an extra, jammy richness to the broths.

An overhead photograph of a bowl of ramen, packed with toppings including ground pork, corn, greens, and a floating tea egg.
A topping-packed bowl of ramen at Chuko.
Chuko Ramen

Ciao, Gloria

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Renato Poliafito, former co-owner of Red Hook bakery Baked, opened this Italian-American cafe, where cinnamon rolls and buns come out of the oven in the morning, and brownies and cookies are made in the afternoon. Its top-tier breakfast sandwiches are available all-day; they come loaded with a slab of frittata and can be topped with prosciutto, avocado, or bacon for an additional charge.

The inside of a restaurant that is empty with large windows, a coffee counter, and blue table and chairs
The bright indoor dining room at Ciao, Gloria.
Ciao, Gloria

LaLou predates newer natural wine destinations in the borough (see also: Winona’s, the Ten Bells Bushwick), but the restaurant remains a stellar spot for sampling of-the-moment wines by the bottle and glass (most priced between $10 and $20). The list from owner Joe Campanale, who also owns Fausto in nearby Park Slope, and partner Dave Foss leans European, with representation from Spain, Italy, France, and a few options from the United States.

LaLou’s bar on the left is round, with wicker and white stools, while blonde wood booths are on the right.
The airy dining room at LaLou.
Alex Staniloff/Eater NY

Many a date night has unfolded under the string lights at Sofreh’s beautiful little bistro, tucked into the corner of St Marks and Flatbush avenues. Here, find artfully composed salads, heartwarming stews, and tender chicken and lamb on the ambitious, modern Persian menu, led by chef Nasim Alikhani. Don’t leave without trying dessert, especially the rosewater sorbet with frozen vermicelli noodles.

An overhead photograph of several dishes arranged on a table at Sofreh in Prospect Heights.
Saffron plum chicken (center) and other dishes at Sofreh.
Alex Staniloff/Eater NY

Look by Plant Love House

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A successor to Elmhurst’s short-lived Thai restaurant Plant Love House, this narrow cafe is one of few places in the area specializing in Thai noodle soups. There’s no going wrong, but don’t miss the “spectacular” boat blood noodles, says Eater critic Robert Sietsema; a piquant broth enriched with blood and pork balls. Bar snacks, including fermented sausage and a sizable papaya salad platter, round out a three-page menu of appetizers, soups, and sides.

An ornate, blue-and-white bowl of noodles with chopsticks placed over it.
The boat blood noodles at Plant Love House.
Paul Crisipin Quitoriano/Eater NY

The Nuaa Table

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The Nuaa Table might not have its liquor license, but that’s easy to forget once you’re tearing into chef Pitipong Bowornneeranart’s intricate Thai cooking. Bowornneeranart, who previously ran the kitchen at Nuaa on the Upper East Side, offers an inventive selection of Thai dishes, including stir-fried pork with holy basil, as well as a rack of Jasmine-tea smoked ribs that comes with some of the best french fries available in this Brooklyn neighborhood.

A fried egg on top of coarsely ground pork with a chile here and there.
Sauteed spicy holy basil, decorated with a fried egg and coarsely ground pork.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Mitchell’s Soul Food

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“There’s no better old-fashioned Southern cooking in the city than at Mitchell’s Soul Food,” writes Eater critic Robert Sietsema, and indeed this Vanderbilt Avenue restaurant has been drawing crowds for more than four decades, even as the neighborhood has gentrified around it. The fried chicken here is fabled — crisp and moist, with plenty of spare flesh — while slices of cornbread come warm from the oven. Whatever you order, expect some of the neighborhood’s largest portions at some of its most reasonable prices.

An overhead photograph of a piece of fried chicken besides sides of mashed potatoes and mac and cheese.
Fried chicken and sides at Mitchell’s.
Khushbu Shah/Eater NY

The closure of neighborhood hangout MeMe’s Diner hit hard for the restaurant’s most avid fans, but this neighborhood cafe from MeMe’s Libby Willis has since opened in its place. KIT — short for “keep in touch” — is part cafe, part “pop-up incubator”: serving wine, sandwiches, jelly cakes, and other items from local businesses that operate out of the space. The cafe is backed by former MeMe’s Diner co-owner Libby Willis, who also sells pastries from the shop.

A person stands behind the counter pointing at a back shelf of wines while a customer on the other side of the counter makes a selection.
Libby Willis standing behind the counter at KIT.
Clay Williams/Eater NY

Maison Yaki

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Grilled skewers are the calling card at this French-Japanese restaurant, but let’s be honest: We’re also here for the backyard petanque court that stays heated through fall and winter. Maison Yaki is from the same team as Olmsted across the street, and while that restaurant is often difficult to get into, you can usually stroll into the colorful dining room here on a whim. Order the duck a l’orange and the “shatteringly crisp” chicken wings, which come two to a skewer.

Duck a l’orange skewer at Maison Yaki
An order of duck skewers.
Gary He/Eater NY

The Islands

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This reboot of the Islands, which used to operate out of a two-story restaurant down the street, is one of the neighborhood’s best sources for Caribbean cooking. When the restaurant relocated to this bigger space in 2018, the menu grew with it and now includes curry vegetables, barbecue chicken, and roughly two dozen other Jamaican specialties. Plates come in small or large portions, and the large is more accurately a “massive.”

Outside of the Islands, a Caribbean restaurant in the Prospect Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn, photographed before sunset.
The exterior of the Islands.
Luke Fortney/Eater NY

Olmsted

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Across the street from Maison Yaki, chef Greg Baxtrom is serving ambitious, new American fare from his first restaurant, where a reservation will likely save you a few hours. The seasonal menu shifts constantly — at times, it’s pumpkin spice spare ribs; at others, it’s flaming s’mores marshmallows — and most plates are priced between $15 and $40 each. Seating is available out back, too, in a whimsical backyard garden that’s lined with benches year-round.

Inside the dining room at Olmsted, a well-lit dining room outfitted with dark wood tables and chairs set for service.
The dining room at Olmsted.
Nick Solares/Eater NY

Prospect Butcher Co.

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This employee-owned butcher shop announced itself last winter with a hand-painted sign and a staff that’s happy to make suggestions. Its display case shines with housemade hot sausages, slabs of pork belly, and other meats that can be ordered by the pound or repurposed as the fillings for a half-dozen sandwiches on ciabatta. The turkey with bacon jam is surprisingly light — with help from dabs of Duke’s mayo and Crystal hot sauce — while the chopped liver with pickled tomato packs a piquant punch.

Outside of a red and yellow restaurant whose hand-painted sign reads “Prospect Butcher Co.”
Outside of Prospect Butcher Co.
Luke Fortney/Eater NY

El Gran Castillo De Jagua

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El Gran Castillo de Jagua excels at reasonably priced Dominican fare — a takeout container brimming with rice, beans, sweet maduros, and a generous portion of meat should cost around $9 after tax — and it’s hard to go wrong. Head to the back of this Flatbush Avenue restaurant upon entering, and steaming trays of pernil, fried plantains, and carne guisada await. The menu will implore you to order the rotisserie chicken — one of two “house specialties” — and those who enjoy their birds with moist meat and deeply flavorful skin would be wise to listen.

Two hands diligently assemble a takeout container of beans, rice, maduros, and meats at Dominican restaurant El Gran Castillo De Jagua.
Bubbling steam trays at El Gran Castillo De Jagua.
Luke Fortney/Eater NY

Little Miss Muffin 'N' Her Stuffin

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Head to this unassuming Washington Avenue bakery for the neighborhood’s best beef patties, flakey to the touch and kept warm in a display case at the front of the shop. Despite the “stuffin” alluded to in the name, the patties here are thinner than we’re used to, but flavorful fillings — jerk chicken, curry chicken, a not-to-be-trifled-with spicy beef, and more — pack more than enough flavor to compensate.

Signs advertising various messages — beef patties, Brooklyn, and so on — hang in the front window of a Prospect Heights restaurant.
Little Miss Muffin ‘N’ Her Stuffin is home to the neighborhood’s best beef patties.
Luke Fortney/Eater NY

Tom’s Restaurant

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On weekends, a line often snakes around the corner outside of Tom’s Restaurant. Its popularity has lasted for good reason. Family-owned since 1936, this Prospect Heights diner serves otherwise bygone New York fare like frothy egg creams and under $10 breakfast combos. Breakfast is available all day, and the menu doesn’t really have any surprises. It’s just dependable, filling, hangover-curing diner food.

Two people wearing hats stand behind a row of menu’s at Tom’s Restaurant, a corner diner in the Prospect Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn.
The countertop at Tom’s Restaurant.
Tom’s Restaurant

Lowerline

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Lowerline is easy to miss — improbably narrow, and partially occluded by an outdoor dining structure — but difficult to forget once inside. The restaurant is an homage to chef John Verlander’s native Louisiana, where a bottle of Crystal hot sauce sits on most tables and red beans are not to be served without rice. All of its sandwiches are available by the half and whole: Try the muffuletta, stacked with prosciutto, capicola, salami, and olive salad on a roll, or the overachieving oyster po’ boy, which “hits the nail on the head.”

The fried oyster po’ boy at Lowerline hits the nail on the head.
Two halves of a fried oyster po’ boy.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Cheryl's Global Soul

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Food Network star Cheryl Smith pulls influence from around the world at this lively neighborhood restaurant, with particular attention paid to Asia and Northern Africa. Though it’s technically anchored in the tradition of soul food, Moroccan stew over couscous, Korean bulgogi with French fries, Creole jumbo shrimp, and steamed mussels in coconut curry live side-by-side on this eclectic menu.

A faded grey sign is decorated with the word “Cheryl’s” in faded red paint.
Soul food anchors the wide-reaching menu at Cheryl’s.
Luke Fortney/Eater NY

The Social

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The Social isn’t winning any awards for its name or branding, but its thoughtful flavor combinations rein supreme, even in a neighborhood teeming with scoop shops (see also: Blue Marble, Van Leeuwen). This corner scoop shop comes from the co-founders of Ample Hills Creamery, also in the neighborhood, and here they’ve created a new lineup of flavors — monkey bread with coffee, croissant and raspberry jam — that often incorporate pastry.

A person wearing a blue sweater and a yellow hat walks a dog past an unopened storefront with a colorful sign that reads “the Social”
Outside of the Social ahead of its opening.
Luke Fortney/Eater NY

Banh Mi Place

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Walk up to this Vietnamese sandwich counter on a weekday night, and you might think you’ve ended up at Tom’s Restaurant down the street, given the crowd that’s probably amassed out front. Most of those gathered are waiting for orders, so head inside and choose from a lengthy list of banh mi. The sandwiches are all priced under $10, and while the classic, made with pate, ham, and ground pork is an obvious order, the saucy dark meat chicken version comes in close second.

Outside of Banh Mi Place in Prospect Heights, a small Vietnamese takeout counter with a bench for outdoor seating.
An open sign shines in the night at Banh Mi Place.
Luke Fortney/Eater NY

Prospect Heights’ only Michelin star goes to this seasonal restaurant from chef Nico Russell, an alum of Daniel on the Upper East Side. Though not a contender for Eater’s list of tasting menus under $100, Oxalis is still a reasonably priced entry point to upscale dining. It’s nine-course menu is priced at $105, before a $60 beverage pairing. An a la carte menu is available in its bar room and back garden, and and brunch is available on Sundays as part of a $40 pre-fixe menu.

The indoor dining room of a restaurant is outfitted with light wood furniture, white walls, and tables set for service.
The indoor dining room at Oxalis.
Oxalis

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Tiny's Cantina

Tiny’s landed on bustling Flatbush Avenue earlier this year, turning heads with its colorful tlayudas and inventive Pueblan fare. The lively Mexican spot with an L-shaped bar is great for groups and there’s plenty of options for vegetarians, too. Order the chicken milanesa cemita, a sibling of the Mexican torta that’s served on a sesame seed roll, and a trio of tacos to share — we especially dig the suadero — priced between $12 to $16.

A round Mexican pizza covered with red watermelon radishes and squiggled with white sour cream.
Slices of watermelon radish garnish a tlayuda at Tiny’s Cantina.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Chuko Ramen

When at ramen shop Chuko, designed with lots of light wood and a hip neon sign, it’s crucial not to overlook the non-ramen dishes. The salt and pepper wings have a snappy crunch, and the crispy brussels sprouts with fish sauce are a must-order. The ramen’s great, too, of course. Go with the gooey poached egg add-on — rather than a hard-boiled one — to add an extra, jammy richness to the broths.

An overhead photograph of a bowl of ramen, packed with toppings including ground pork, corn, greens, and a floating tea egg.
A topping-packed bowl of ramen at Chuko.
Chuko Ramen

Ciao, Gloria

Renato Poliafito, former co-owner of Red Hook bakery Baked, opened this Italian-American cafe, where cinnamon rolls and buns come out of the oven in the morning, and brownies and cookies are made in the afternoon. Its top-tier breakfast sandwiches are available all-day; they come loaded with a slab of frittata and can be topped with prosciutto, avocado, or bacon for an additional charge.

The inside of a restaurant that is empty with large windows, a coffee counter, and blue table and chairs
The bright indoor dining room at Ciao, Gloria.
Ciao, Gloria

LaLou

LaLou predates newer natural wine destinations in the borough (see also: Winona’s, the Ten Bells Bushwick), but the restaurant remains a stellar spot for sampling of-the-moment wines by the bottle and glass (most priced between $10 and $20). The list from owner Joe Campanale, who also owns Fausto in nearby Park Slope, and partner Dave Foss leans European, with representation from Spain, Italy, France, and a few options from the United States.

LaLou’s bar on the left is round, with wicker and white stools, while blonde wood booths are on the right.
The airy dining room at LaLou.
Alex Staniloff/Eater NY

Sofreh

Many a date night has unfolded under the string lights at Sofreh’s beautiful little bistro, tucked into the corner of St Marks and Flatbush avenues. Here, find artfully composed salads, heartwarming stews, and tender chicken and lamb on the ambitious, modern Persian menu, led by chef Nasim Alikhani. Don’t leave without trying dessert, especially the rosewater sorbet with frozen vermicelli noodles.

An overhead photograph of several dishes arranged on a table at Sofreh in Prospect Heights.
Saffron plum chicken (center) and other dishes at Sofreh.
Alex Staniloff/Eater NY

Look by Plant Love House

A successor to Elmhurst’s short-lived Thai restaurant Plant Love House, this narrow cafe is one of few places in the area specializing in Thai noodle soups. There’s no going wrong, but don’t miss the “spectacular” boat blood noodles, says Eater critic Robert Sietsema; a piquant broth enriched with blood and pork balls. Bar snacks, including fermented sausage and a sizable papaya salad platter, round out a three-page menu of appetizers, soups, and sides.

An ornate, blue-and-white bowl of noodles with chopsticks placed over it.
The boat blood noodles at Plant Love House.
Paul Crisipin Quitoriano/Eater NY

The Nuaa Table

The Nuaa Table might not have its liquor license, but that’s easy to forget once you’re tearing into chef Pitipong Bowornneeranart’s intricate Thai cooking. Bowornneeranart, who previously ran the kitchen at Nuaa on the Upper East Side, offers an inventive selection of Thai dishes, including stir-fried pork with holy basil, as well as a rack of Jasmine-tea smoked ribs that comes with some of the best french fries available in this Brooklyn neighborhood.

A fried egg on top of coarsely ground pork with a chile here and there.
Sauteed spicy holy basil, decorated with a fried egg and coarsely ground pork.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Mitchell’s Soul Food

“There’s no better old-fashioned Southern cooking in the city than at Mitchell’s Soul Food,” writes Eater critic Robert Sietsema, and indeed this Vanderbilt Avenue restaurant has been drawing crowds for more than four decades, even as the neighborhood has gentrified around it. The fried chicken here is fabled — crisp and moist, with plenty of spare flesh — while slices of cornbread come warm from the oven. Whatever you order, expect some of the neighborhood’s largest portions at some of its most reasonable prices.

An overhead photograph of a piece of fried chicken besides sides of mashed potatoes and mac and cheese.
Fried chicken and sides at Mitchell’s.
Khushbu Shah/Eater NY

KIT

The closure of neighborhood hangout MeMe’s Diner hit hard for the restaurant’s most avid fans, but this neighborhood cafe from MeMe’s Libby Willis has since opened in its place. KIT — short for “keep in touch” — is part cafe, part “pop-up incubator”: serving wine, sandwiches, jelly cakes, and other items from local businesses that operate out of the space. The cafe is backed by former MeMe’s Diner co-owner Libby Willis, who also sells pastries from the shop.

A person stands behind the counter pointing at a back shelf of wines while a customer on the other side of the counter makes a selection.
Libby Willis standing behind the counter at KIT.
Clay Williams/Eater NY

Maison Yaki

Grilled skewers are the calling card at this French-Japanese restaurant, but let’s be honest: We’re also here for the backyard petanque court that stays heated through fall and winter. Maison Yaki is from the same team as Olmsted across the street, and while that restaurant is often difficult to get into, you can usually stroll into the colorful dining room here on a whim. Order the duck a l’orange and the “shatteringly crisp” chicken wings, which come two to a skewer.

Duck a l’orange skewer at Maison Yaki
An order of duck skewers.
Gary He/Eater NY

The Islands

This reboot of the Islands, which used to operate out of a two-story restaurant down the street, is one of the neighborhood’s best sources for Caribbean cooking. When the restaurant relocated to this bigger space in 2018, the menu grew with it and now includes curry vegetables, barbecue chicken, and roughly two dozen other Jamaican specialties. Plates come in small or large portions, and the large is more accurately a “massive.”

Outside of the Islands, a Caribbean restaurant in the Prospect Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn, photographed before sunset.
The exterior of the Islands.
Luke Fortney/Eater NY

Olmsted

Across the street from Maison Yaki, chef Greg Baxtrom is serving ambitious, new American fare from his first restaurant, where a reservation will likely save you a few hours. The seasonal menu shifts constantly — at times, it’s pumpkin spice spare ribs; at others, it’s flaming s’mores marshmallows — and most plates are priced between $15 and $40 each. Seating is available out back, too, in a whimsical backyard garden that’s lined with benches year-round.

Inside the dining room at Olmsted, a well-lit dining room outfitted with dark wood tables and chairs set for service.
The dining room at Olmsted.
Nick Solares/Eater NY

Prospect Butcher Co.

This employee-owned butcher shop announced itself last winter with a hand-painted sign and a staff that’s happy to make suggestions. Its display case shines with housemade hot sausages, slabs of pork belly, and other meats that can be ordered by the pound or repurposed as the fillings for a half-dozen sandwiches on ciabatta. The turkey with bacon jam is surprisingly light — with help from dabs of Duke’s mayo and Crystal hot sauce — while the chopped liver with pickled tomato packs a piquant punch.

Outside of a red and yellow restaurant whose hand-painted sign reads “Prospect Butcher Co.”
Outside of Prospect Butcher Co.
Luke Fortney/Eater NY

El Gran Castillo De Jagua

El Gran Castillo de Jagua excels at reasonably priced Dominican fare — a takeout container brimming with rice, beans, sweet maduros, and a generous portion of meat should cost around $9 after tax — and it’s hard to go wrong. Head to the back of this Flatbush Avenue restaurant upon entering, and steaming trays of pernil, fried plantains, and carne guisada await. The menu will implore you to order the rotisserie chicken — one of two “house specialties” — and those who enjoy their birds with moist meat and deeply flavorful skin would be wise to listen.

Two hands diligently assemble a takeout container of beans, rice, maduros, and meats at Dominican restaurant El Gran Castillo De Jagua.
Bubbling steam trays at El Gran Castillo De Jagua.
Luke Fortney/Eater NY

Little Miss Muffin 'N' Her Stuffin

Head to this unassuming Washington Avenue bakery for the neighborhood’s best beef patties, flakey to the touch and kept warm in a display case at the front of the shop. Despite the “stuffin” alluded to in the name, the patties here are thinner than we’re used to, but flavorful fillings — jerk chicken, curry chicken, a not-to-be-trifled-with spicy beef, and more — pack more than enough flavor to compensate.

Signs advertising various messages — beef patties, Brooklyn, and so on — hang in the front window of a Prospect Heights restaurant.
Little Miss Muffin ‘N’ Her Stuffin is home to the neighborhood’s best beef patties.
Luke Fortney/Eater NY

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Tom’s Restaurant

On weekends, a line often snakes around the corner outside of Tom’s Restaurant. Its popularity has lasted for good reason. Family-owned since 1936, this Prospect Heights diner serves otherwise bygone New York fare like frothy egg creams and under $10 breakfast combos. Breakfast is available all day, and the menu doesn’t really have any surprises. It’s just dependable, filling, hangover-curing diner food.

Two people wearing hats stand behind a row of menu’s at Tom’s Restaurant, a corner diner in the Prospect Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn.
The countertop at Tom’s Restaurant.
Tom’s Restaurant

Lowerline

Lowerline is easy to miss — improbably narrow, and partially occluded by an outdoor dining structure — but difficult to forget once inside. The restaurant is an homage to chef John Verlander’s native Louisiana, where a bottle of Crystal hot sauce sits on most tables and red beans are not to be served without rice. All of its sandwiches are available by the half and whole: Try the muffuletta, stacked with prosciutto, capicola, salami, and olive salad on a roll, or the overachieving oyster po’ boy, which “hits the nail on the head.”

The fried oyster po’ boy at Lowerline hits the nail on the head.
Two halves of a fried oyster po’ boy.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Cheryl's Global Soul

Food Network star Cheryl Smith pulls influence from around the world at this lively neighborhood restaurant, with particular attention paid to Asia and Northern Africa. Though it’s technically anchored in the tradition of soul food, Moroccan stew over couscous, Korean bulgogi with French fries, Creole jumbo shrimp, and steamed mussels in coconut curry live side-by-side on this eclectic menu.