Pepolino opened in 1999 and was almost impossible to get into for months. Every meal should begin with sformato, a pretty spinach flan, then progress to dishes like polenta with shaved black truffles, papparedelle in a wild-boar ragu, and roast lamb shank in red wine. The bilevel decor recalls both a Tuscan farmhouse and the Renaissance-era buildings of Florence.

Westside Coffee Shop is a throwback to the days when Tribeca was part of the “West Side” as in “West Side Story,” and its lunch-counter layout betrays its age. It has accumulated cuisines for 60 years and more, and advertises Spanish, American, and Mexican chow on its awning — and does all of them well. Try the Cuban sandwich or the salad-topped chicken enchiladas, which are served with a separate bowl of chile guajillo

Grandaisy started as an unconnected offshoot from a former partner of Sullivan Street Bakery, and at this showroom and cafe across the street from a very pretty pocket park, the vegetable-topped focaccia squares, Italian butter cookies, tiny tartlets with a shifting roster of fruit ingredients, hand pies, and sandwiches on distinguished breads continue and even extend the tradition.

French-focused, Michelin-starred Batard features Daniel Boulud alum Doug Brixton running the kitchen of this Tribeca staple founded by Drew Nieporent. Choose between two courses for $79, three courses for $95, or four courses for $105, with at least five options to select from for each course.

Puffy’s is a very plain pub that dates to the 1940s, but in 1977 it was taken over by artists fleeing Soho’s rising rents and growing invasion by art-hungry agents and tourists. At first it was a secret, but by the turn of the century had become a tourist destination unto itself, a vestige of Tribeca’s receding artistic past. Nowadays, it’s a fine place for a draft beer and an Italian pressed sandwich.

This tiny Finn Square diner, manufactured by the Kullman company of New Jersey to resemble a railroad dining car and dropped here in the 1940s, is a reminder of Tribeca’s manufacturing past. Now it’s a relaxing hang with a specialty in omelets and other all-day breakfasts, plus the usual evolved Greek diner fare of burgers, fish tacos, pot pies, lamb gyros, and Cuban sandwiches.

Zutto is one of those places you spot on the way to the Holland Tunnel and make a mental note to stop there sometime. Well, we did and this long-running izakaya remains a pleasant place to have a drink or eat a meal, with a Japanese American menu that includes sushi, ramen, steamed buns and other small dishes. As of late it’s offering DIY handrolls.

This small chain began with three branches upstate and one on the Jersey Shore, then came here recently. It brings with it a menu vaster than our previous (and sadly paltry) collection of Moroccan restaurants. One memorable dish is rfissa, a comforting stew of spiced chicken in lentils and currents deposited on a bed of torn flatbreads, turning them pudding-like.

Khe-Yo occupies a dark and almost-Gothic dining room with bare brick walls, making a pretty romantic date spot. But the menu comes as something of a surprise, with its emphasis on Southeast Asian food, especially the hard-to-find Laotian. Choices run to spring rolls of Berkshire pork, crunchy rice balls, pork curry noodles, and a bowl of pho, Laotian style. Banh mi sandwiches available at lunch.

Fonda is located on a quiet side street, part of a mini-chainlet of great Mexican restaurants that trace their lineage to Austin’s Fonda San Miguel. Recipes come from all corners of Mexico, with a particularly rich tortilla soup, a watermelon salad with bouncy Oaxacan cheese, and large pork carnitas served with shredded onions and charro beans.

The strip of Church running north from Chambers has long been an inexpensive eats refuge, a couple of gritty blocks that stand in contrast to the rest of Tribeca. In their midst find Fresh Curry, a Pakistani steam table joint enveloping the patron in delicious smells. The goat curry is particularly notable, richly meaty with even a marrow bone or two, whether served over white rice or biryani, for which there’s an extra charge.

There’s a renewed trend of ambitious restaurants opening just off fancy hotel lobbies, as a quasi-amenity that guarantees you’ll be able to go for breakfast and lunch. Smyth Tavern also channels the city’s earliest taverns, not only in its woody decor and pub-like darkness, but in its menu of parker house rolls, deviled eggs, uni lobster malfadine, roast chicken, and steaks. Don’t miss the hidden next-door bar and lounge with a fireplace, Galerie.

Chambers is an exemplar of the new breed of French wine bars, with food that’s unusually creative for a wine bar — replacing the usual charcuterie and tartines with seasonal vegetable melanges and main courses featuring steak and beans, both cooked to perfection. It’s one of the chillest spots in the neighborhood, with the kind of sign seen in old railroad stations next to the bar rolling out the specials of the evening.