The Brooklyn Heatmap: Where to Eat Right Now

The 12 hottest restaurants of the moment in Brooklyn.

by Marguerite Preston Oct 3, 2014, 1:00pm EDT

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by Marguerite Preston Oct 3, 2014, 1:00pm EDT

Does 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:

Restaurants are listed based on opening date. Some of these establishments recently reopened after complete revamps:.

04/05/13: Added: Xixa, Mama Joy's, OTB
05/03/13: Added: Alameda, Franny's, Fritzl's Lunch Box
06/07/13: Added: River Styx, The Grand, The Bounty, Old School Brooklyn
07/12/13: Added: The Elm, Glasserie, King Noodle, Motorino
08/02/13: Added: Atrium Dumbo, Luksus, Court Street Grocers Hero Shop, Home/Made
09/06/13: Added: Whiskey Soda Lounge NY, Fitzcarraldo, Mile End, Shalom Japan.
10/05/13: Added: Marco's, Hometown, La Botaneria, Onomea, Morgan's.
11/08/13: Added: Saul, Bergen Hill, The Randolph Brooklyn, Ethiopian Lunch Box at Mama Joy's.
12/07/13: Added: Dover, Grindhaus, Martha.
01/03/14: Added: 1 Knickerbocker, Luzzo's, Black Forest Brooklyn
02/07/14: Added: Lachlan, Emily, El Born, River Cafe, Hill Country, Union Pizza Works.
03/07/14: Added: French Louie, The Runner, Egg, Colonia Verde.
04/04/14: Added: Docklands, Max, Lucky Luna.
05/02/14: Added: Glady's, Okonomi, Dotory, Dziupla.
06/06/14: Added: Meat Hook Sandwich, Delaware and Hudson, Montana's Trail House.
07/03/14: Added: Meadowsweet, Pacifico's Fine Foods, Shake Shack Dumbo, Bar Chuko, Donna, Ganso Ramen.
08/08/14: Added: Littleneck Outpost, Wilma Jean, Humboldt & Jackson, The Gorbals.
09/05/14: Added: Berg'n, Orleans, 2 Duck Goose.

10/03/14: Added: Kao Soy, Luke's Lobster, Le Fond

Le Fond

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105 Norman Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11222

(718) 389-6859

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Luke's Lobster

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237 5th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11215

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Kao Soy

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283 Van Brunt St, Brooklyn, NY 11231

(718) 875-1155

Berg'n

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Smorgasburg founders Eric Demby and Jonathan Butler have finally opened their massive food and beer hall in Crown Heights. Inside the former garage are food counters from Mighty Quinn's, Asia Dog, Ramen Burger, and Pizza Moto, plus a well-stocked beer bar and plenty of picnic tables. There's also a coffee bar in the morning, oyster happy hours, weekend brunch, and the occasional DJ set. [Bess Adler]

899 Bergen St, Brooklyn, NY 11238

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Orleans

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This po' boy joint from a Roberta's vet is little more than a truck surrounded by a fence and some picnic tables, but Robert Sietsema reports that its New Orleans-style sandwiches are the real deal. The biggest hit is the French fry po' boy, which comes doused a beef gravy that Sietsema describes as being "like someone who went to cooking school might make." [Robert Sietsema]

603 Hart Street, Brooklyn, NY 11221

(718) 574-1000

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The Brooklyn Heatmap: Where to Eat Right Now

2 Duck Goose

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400 4th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11215

(347) 987-4808

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The Gorbals

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Former Top Cheftestapant Ilan Hall just opened this outpost of his LA restaurant in Williamsburg's massive new Urban Outfitters concept store. The menu leans somewhat over-the-top, with dishes like banh mi poutine and chicken schnitzel with the talon on, but Robert Sietsema found some hits and plenty of potential on a recent visit. [Daniel Krieger]

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98 N 6th St, Brooklyn, NY 11249

(718) 387-0195

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Humboldt & Jackson

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This new bar from Brooklyn Star restaurateur Bill Reed offers an all-American list of wines and beers, plus bar snacks like beer cheese and chicken liver mousse. There's also a space filled with long banquet tables in the back, where Reed will have guest chefs like Brendon Doyle of Pork Slope serve their menus of small plates on a rotating weekly or bi-weekly basis. [Daniel Krieger]

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434 Humboldt St, Brooklyn, NY 11211

Wilma Jean

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Wilma Jean is the casual spinoff of Rob Newton and Kerry Diamond's hit Southern restaurant Seersucker, which they closed down last month in order to relocate their Vietnamese restaurant, Nightingale 9, into the larger space. Now Wilma Jean occupies the former Nightingale 9 space, offering a menu of dishes like fried chicken, braised collards, tater tots, and a fried bologna sandwich. [Daniel Krieger]

345 Smith St, Brooklyn, NY 11231

(718) 422-0444

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Littleneck Outpost

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Aaron Lefkove and Andy Curtin recently opened this cafe offshoot of their hit Gowanus seafood shack. It's a daytime spot, serving coffee and breakfast dishes like baked beans with a soft egg, plus sandwiches ranging from the classic lobster roll to chicken confit with bacon jam on ciabatta. There's also a corner full of retail items like aprons and dry goods. [Daniel Krieger]

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128 Franklin Street, Brooklyn, NY 11222

(718) 522-1921

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Meadowsweet

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Polo Dobkin makes his return to the old Dressler space with Meadowsweet. He and his wife, Stephanie Lempert, have brightened up the space, added an herb garden, and are now turning out dishes like chicken and dumplings and a hand-rolled ravioli. Robert Sietsema is already a fan. [Daniel Krieger]