Updated: March 19, 2026
A longish list of my favorites in Brooklyn, the borough I spend the most time eating. Its a huge Borough, fourth-largest city in the United States by population, if it was a city. Hence plenty of great dining that I miss in neighborhoods I dont frequent much, mainly due to where I live. Bushwick is one example. But there are plenty of juicy nuggets in there. The list includes some bakeries, and fast-casual places as well. Happy eating!
Berikoni Georgian Bakery – My go-to for Guruli, a type of khachapuri that’s shaped like a calzone, stuffed with egg and cheese. The cooked kebabs are quite good as well. 125 Brighton Beach Ave
German Doner Kebab – Excellent Doner kebab. Newish as of this writing, and not well know yet. 224 Brighton Beach Ave
Kashkar Cafe – The legend, the OG for Uyghur food. 1141 Brighton Beach Ave
Ocean View Cafe – A Brighton classic for Russian/Ukrainian. Best Pelmeni in the city. 290 Brighton Beach Ave.
Burchak Pide – Delicious Turkish Pizza by a friendly stuff. 1614 Sheepshead Bay Rd
Laghman Express – Fast/Casual Uzbek. Multiple locations
Lucia Pizza Of Avenue X – My slice go-to in South Brooklyn. 2201 Avenue X
Mtskheta Cafe – My favorite Georgian restaurant these days. We are normally the only none-Georgian there. 2812 Ocean Ave
Falafel Tanami – A Celebrated Falafel joint, especially since the NYT discovered it and lines doubled. 1824 Avenue M
Werkstatt – A versatile Austrian/German like no other in the entire city. 509 Coney Island Ave
Taste of Akko – A newish Israeli hole in the wall dishing out a taste of one of the best food cities in the middle east. 1724 Coney Island Ave
Coszcal De Allende – One of the only authentic Mexicans in South Brooklyn. Or at least unlike the rest of the bunch. Great drinks as well. 7506 3rd Ave.
Xin Fa Bakery – Best egg tarts on the planet. Ok, in Brooklyn. 5617 8th Ave
Kai Feng Fu Dumpling House – Great pocket change dumplings. 4801 8th Ave
Hainan Chicken House – Fantastic Malaysian. 4807 8th Ave
Chuan Tian Xia – Our favorite all around Chinese in Brooklyn’s Chinatown. 5502 7th Ave
La Brasa Peruana – Peruvian Chicken fast food. Part of a monthly takeout routine. 4618 5th Ave.
Tacos El Bronco – Sensational food truck tacos. I prefer over their restaurant on 4th. 860 5th Ave
Red Hook Tavern – One of the best burgers in Brooklyn, if not the entire city. 329 Van Brunt St.
Hometown Bar-B-Que – NYC’s Texas style BBQ Mecca. 454 Van Brunt St
Hoek Pizza – Exceptional Roman style thin pies. 117 Ferris St
Cafe Kestrel – Small elevated New American. Best thing to open in Red Hook since Hometown BBQ. 293 Van Brunt St
Popina – Tiny Italian with a big heart by an experienced chef. 127 Columbia St
Swoony’s – Solid American comfort food. Prefer over popular sister Cafe Spaghetti. 215 Columbia St
Haenyeo – Superb Korean in Park Slope. 239 5th Ave
Bar Bête – French inspired fair by a very capable chef. 263 Smith St
F&F Pizzeria – My favorite slice in North Brooklyn. 459 Court St
Claro – Fancy, ingredient driven Mexican. Former Michelin. 284 3rd Ave
Cotra – An Izakaya that gets better and better. Top 5 in Brooklyn for us as of this writing. 451 Carroll St
Panzerotti Bites – A delicious empanada like Italian snack filled with top notch ingredients. 235 Smith St
Indian Table – Easily my favorite Indian in Brooklyn, maybe the entire city. 234 Court St
Shawarma Mia – Quality lamb and chicken shawarma in a fast food setting. 67 6th Ave
Theodora – One of the toughest tables in Brooklyn and for good reason. 7 Greene Ave
LaRina Pastificio & Vino – Outstanding Italian that flew under the radar for far too long. 387 Myrtle Ave
Nan Xiang Express – A NYC chain now, but you may not find better soup dumplings. 148 Lawrence St
Le Crocodile – Always reliable American/French. 80 Wythe Ave
Taqueria Ramirez – The NYC taco standard with often lines around the block. 94 Franklin St
Lilia – Legendary Italian with legendary pastas. One of the toughest reservations in Brooklyn. 567 Union Ave
Eating With Ziggy 
Hi Ziggy
My mum and I came to NYC (from Australia) in October 2016 and booked a food tour with you. It was so wonderful, we booked two more on the spot – I know we did Hells Kitchen, LES and I think maybe Brooklyn also. My mum’s name is Kim Abbey and I’m Katie York. I am sure you don’t remember us! I am coming to NYC again – bringing my 15 year old daughter this time, her name is Maddie. I am wondering if you still do food tours? We keep up with your blog but I’d love to book a tour if you are still running them.
Hope you’ve had a great 9 years! Thank you for the wonderful tours back in 2016 and your fantastic reviews via TA and the blog – you are helping shape our trip once again!
Thank you Katie York
Hi Katie, welcome back and thanks for thinking of me. Unfortunately I dont run the tours anymore. Try one of the Ultimate Food Tours, like the Chinatown tour. Cheers!