clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

The Brooklyn Heatmap: Where to Eat Right Now

View as Map

12355134111232008_10_hasmaps%20%283%29%20%281%29%20%281%29.jpgDoes Brooklyn have its own unique culinary identity apart from Manhattan? Are all the young, ambitious chefs and restaurateurs opening in Brooklyn these days? And are any Brooklyn restaurants worth the train/cab/boat/helicopter ride from the Upper East Side? These are all questions that can be debated, endlessly. But one thing's for certain: There are a lot of terrific new restaurants in Brooklyn right now. Here they are, in map form.

Take a peek at Eater's Brooklyn Heatmap:


04/05/13: Added: Xixa, Mama Joy's, OTB
05/03/13: Added: Alameda, Franny's, Fritzl's Lunch Box
06/07/13: River Styx, The Grand, The Bounty, Old School Brooklyn
07/12/13: The Elm, Glasserie, King Noodle, Motorino

Read More

The Elm

Copy Link

Corton's Paul Liebrandt makes the jump from Manhattan to Brooklyn with this new stylish, casual restaurant in the King & Grove hotel. Liebrandt's menu features things like Swiss chard angolotti, duck with pickled cherries, a chicken for two served "Kiev style," and pork belly with squid and pan con tomate. This is the first time that a chef with two Michelin stars has opened a restaurant in Brooklyn.

Glasserie

Copy Link

Restaurateur Sara Conklin and chef Sara Kramer recently opened this spacious new Mediterranean restaurant, which is located on the ground floor of a century-old warehouse near Newtown Creek. It's an unusual, but very charming location. The menu includes a lot of vegetable dishes, as well as things like lamb tartare, flatiron steak with trout roe, and a whole rabbit for two. Make sure to order the fresh breads and the lamb and bulghur croquettes.

KING NOODLE

Copy Link

King Noodle is the inexpensive new Asian restaurant from Nick Subic, who previously worked at Roberta's and Do or Dine. Roberta's pastry chef Katy Peetz is overseeing the dessert program, and Keith Kenji Cochran of The Narrows is in charge of the cocktail program, which has a Tiki slant. The menu includes things like kimchee carbonara, Spam fried rice, glazed ribs with pineapple, and green curry flat noodles.

Motorino

Copy Link

The new and improved Motorino Brooklyn is bigger and brighter than the East Village location, and this one's got a fully-stocked bar. The menu includes all the classic Motorino pizzas, plus a few dishes that you can't find in the East Village like chicken wings and a porchetta calzone.

River Styx

Copy Link

The team from the Roebling Tea Room recently opened this laid-back restaurant near Trasmitter Park in Greenpoint. Chef Dennis Spina's menu includes a number of roasted fish and meat dishes, as well as things like fish stew, fried squid in a peppery "suave" sauce, fancy nachos, and a cheese and coppa-topped baked dough creation he calls the Big Chef. Spina has a bit of a whimsical streak, but he's a talented chef and his food is never fussy. Many of the entrees are priced under $20.

The Grand

Copy Link

Like a lot of the places on this map, The Grand feels more like a bar than a restaurant, but the food is worth seeking out. The menu includes oysters, bar snacks like chicken wings and braised pork ribs, and entrees like veal meatloaf, roasted chicken, fried rabbit, and a terrific steak frites. You can try a lot of things here for under $40 per person. The chef at The Grand previously worked at Dressler and Miller's Tavern.

The Bounty

Copy Link

Head to this new bar and restaurant from the owners of The Drink for cocktails, oysters, and a serious cheeseburger. The menu also includes whole fish, cheese plates, and a few seasonal salads and vegetable dishes. The Bounty has a nautical vibe, but thankfully, the owners didn't go overboard with the decor here.

Alameda

Copy Link

Alameda is the new Greenpoint restaurant from design duo Evan and Oliver Haslegrave, and Brooklyn Star veterans Nick Padilla and Waine Longwell. The space is an absolute stunner and the menu is full of inexpensive crowd-pleasers, like a sausage sandwich, fried baby artichokes, and frisee salad with pork belly. Right now, Alameda feels like a fun neighborhood bar that happens to serve great food.

Fritzl's Lunch Box

Copy Link

Fritzl's Lunch Box is the Bushwick luncheonette from Fatty 'Cue veteran Dan Ross-Leutwyler. The eclectic menu has sandwiches, salads, pastas, and snacks. So far, the early word is very strong, and the prices can't be beat — most dishes are around $9, and the most expensive dish is just $13.

Franny's

Copy Link

A few months ago, Francine Stephens and Andrew Feinberg moved their beloved restaurant Franny's up the block to a much bigger space that includes a downstairs room that can be reserved for private parties and large groups. (The old space is going to become their new Southern Italian restaurant, Marco's.) Although the vibe is slightly different, the menu is exactly the same. If you haven't had a pizza at Franny's in a while, now is a great time to reacquainted.

Nightingale 9

Copy Link

Kerry Diamond and Robert Newton of Seersucker recently opened this hip Vietnamese restaurant on Smith Street in Carroll Gardens. The menu has noodle soups, fried chicken, salads, rice dishes, banh mi-like sandwiches, and shareable meat and fish entrees, all made with locally-sourced ingredients. Newton occasionally folds in elements of American cuisine, but all of his dishes have those big, bright flavors that you find in traditional Vietnamese cuisine.

OTB is the new racetrack-themed bar and restaurant from the team behind Post Office. There are classic cocktails, a menu of bistro dishes from Momofuku Ssäm alum Sam Glinn (coq au vin, steak frites), and old-school payphones.

Loading comments...

The Elm

Corton's Paul Liebrandt makes the jump from Manhattan to Brooklyn with this new stylish, casual restaurant in the King & Grove hotel. Liebrandt's menu features things like Swiss chard angolotti, duck with pickled cherries, a chicken for two served "Kiev style," and pork belly with squid and pan con tomate. This is the first time that a chef with two Michelin stars has opened a restaurant in Brooklyn.

Glasserie

Restaurateur Sara Conklin and chef Sara Kramer recently opened this spacious new Mediterranean restaurant, which is located on the ground floor of a century-old warehouse near Newtown Creek. It's an unusual, but very charming location. The menu includes a lot of vegetable dishes, as well as things like lamb tartare, flatiron steak with trout roe, and a whole rabbit for two. Make sure to order the fresh breads and the lamb and bulghur croquettes.

KING NOODLE

King Noodle is the inexpensive new Asian restaurant from Nick Subic, who previously worked at Roberta's and Do or Dine. Roberta's pastry chef Katy Peetz is overseeing the dessert program, and Keith Kenji Cochran of The Narrows is in charge of the cocktail program, which has a Tiki slant. The menu includes things like kimchee carbonara, Spam fried rice, glazed ribs with pineapple, and green curry flat noodles.

Motorino

The new and improved Motorino Brooklyn is bigger and brighter than the East Village location, and this one's got a fully-stocked bar. The menu includes all the classic Motorino pizzas, plus a few dishes that you can't find in the East Village like chicken wings and a porchetta calzone.

River Styx

The team from the Roebling Tea Room recently opened this laid-back restaurant near Trasmitter Park in Greenpoint. Chef Dennis Spina's menu includes a number of roasted fish and meat dishes, as well as things like fish stew, fried squid in a peppery "suave" sauce, fancy nachos, and a cheese and coppa-topped baked dough creation he calls the Big Chef. Spina has a bit of a whimsical streak, but he's a talented chef and his food is never fussy. Many of the entrees are priced under $20.

The Grand

Like a lot of the places on this map, The Grand feels more like a bar than a restaurant, but the food is worth seeking out. The menu includes oysters, bar snacks like chicken wings and braised pork ribs, and entrees like veal meatloaf, roasted chicken, fried rabbit, and a terrific steak frites. You can try a lot of things here for under $40 per person. The chef at The Grand previously worked at Dressler and Miller's Tavern.

The Bounty

Head to this new bar and restaurant from the owners of The Drink for cocktails, oysters, and a serious cheeseburger. The menu also includes whole fish, cheese plates, and a few seasonal salads and vegetable dishes. The Bounty has a nautical vibe, but thankfully, the owners didn't go overboard with the decor here.

Alameda

Alameda is the new Greenpoint restaurant from design duo Evan and Oliver Haslegrave, and Brooklyn Star veterans Nick Padilla and Waine Longwell. The space is an absolute stunner and the menu is full of inexpensive crowd-pleasers, like a sausage sandwich, fried baby artichokes, and frisee salad with pork belly. Right now, Alameda feels like a fun neighborhood bar that happens to serve great food.

Fritzl's Lunch Box

Fritzl's Lunch Box is the Bushwick luncheonette from Fatty 'Cue veteran Dan Ross-Leutwyler. The eclectic menu has sandwiches, salads, pastas, and snacks. So far, the early word is very strong, and the prices can't be beat — most dishes are around $9, and the most expensive dish is just $13.

Franny's

A few months ago, Francine Stephens and Andrew Feinberg moved their beloved restaurant Franny's up the block to a much bigger space that includes a downstairs room that can be reserved for private parties and large groups. (The old space is going to become their new Southern Italian restaurant, Marco's.) Although the vibe is slightly different, the menu is exactly the same. If you haven't had a pizza at Franny's in a while, now is a great time to reacquainted.

Nightingale 9

Kerry Diamond and Robert Newton of Seersucker recently opened this hip Vietnamese restaurant on Smith Street in Carroll Gardens. The menu has noodle soups, fried chicken, salads, rice dishes, banh mi-like sandwiches, and shareable meat and fish entrees, all made with locally-sourced ingredients. Newton occasionally folds in elements of American cuisine, but all of his dishes have those big, bright flavors that you find in traditional Vietnamese cuisine.

OTB

OTB is the new racetrack-themed bar and restaurant from the team behind Post Office. There are classic cocktails, a menu of bistro dishes from Momofuku Ssäm alum Sam Glinn (coq au vin, steak frites), and old-school payphones.

Related Maps