The Brooklyn Hit List: The Best New Restaurants In Brooklyn

Brooklyn isn’t the biggest borough in the city, but it has the most people. Consequently, there are a lot of great places to eat, and that’s exactly why the birthplace of Busta Rhymes deserves its own Hit List. Scroll down for our favorite new Brooklyn spots, and check out our NYC Hit List for all the other new places we like across the city.

THE SPOTS

At Gertrude’s, every entree comes with your choice of fries or latkes. This is a brilliant, galaxy-brain policy, and it should only take you a second or two to make your decision (latkes). The menu at this homey little Prospect Heights restaurant was inspired by classic New York City bistros and Jewish American cuisine, with options like a burger on challah, a big chopped salad, and crispy beef tongue fried like bacon. Stop by for a fun, casual night out in the antique-filled space, and be sure to get a cocktail or some housemade Cel-Ray.

If you live in Bushwick, congratulations. You can now plan all your group dinners at Chiangmai Diner. This new spot off the Morgan stop of the L train has a huge space decorated with plants and neon signs, as well as a menu that, in true diner fashion, has around 100 items on it. That might sound overwhelming, but just focus on the Northern Thai dishes. The gaeng hung lay with a big short rib in the middle is great for sharing, as are all the dips that come with fresh veggies, pork rinds, and sticky rice.

The takeaway breakfast burrito with crunchy hash browns won this New Mexican spot a cult following at its old location. Now a vibrant all-day cafe in Bed-Stuy, Ursula offers this burrito on a plate, smothered in chile sauce and cheese—as well as many other sandwiches and small plates that are worthy of a long lunch or a casual date night. In the evening, snag a seat at the bar overlooking the open kitchen and watch the cooks make cheffy little dishes like snap peas with pecan salsa macha while you sip a cocktail made with palo santo-infused rum.

We’d been lurking on Little Egg’s IG page like a thirsty dog for months before it opened. Not only because it’s the resurrection of Egg, a Williamsburg brunch staple that closed in 2020, but because of a new addition to its otherwise familiar menu: the egg katsu sando.  And now that we’ve finally had it, we’re giddily telling everyone about the custardy steamed egg, which is panko-fried with a crisp tissue paper crust and topped with pickled shallots, arugula, and a bright yuzu kosho mayo. The sandwich alone is well worth the 15-minute wait to nab a table in a sunny, yolk-colored nook inside.

Welcome to your dream outdoor wedding reception spot in Park Slope. Completely enclosed by tall, vine-covered walls, the relaxing, plant-filled back patio at Bar Vinazo might even make you forget that you’re in the middle of Brooklyn. Inside this Spanish wine bar from the people behind Fausto and LaLou there’s a louder, more energetic vibe, and cork-top bar stools that compel you to order from an extensive list of glasses and bottles. The small plates are portioned more like snacks—we recommend the boquerones and sobrasada.

Lingo fits right in with its neighbors: a row of buzzy restaurants next to Transmitter Park that serve great cocktails, and food that’s a lot more interesting than wagyu sliders. At this particular restaurant, Japanese ingredients liven up classic cocktails—think sazerac with sakura bitters—and otherwise predictable New American fare. The breezy, spa-like space is a muted backdrop for inventive dishes like bite-size smoked tamago sandos, and a savory pie stuffed with Hokkaido-style curry beef. Bring someone you like drinking with, and try all six of the house cocktails.

Inspired by Mexico City, Panzón is a little spot on the far western edge of Greenpoint serving small plates, interesting cocktails, and a lot of mezcal. The dining room has concrete floors, some homey decor, and a sound system that looks like it belongs in a Bushwick nightclub, and there are only around 10 items on the menu. They include a pair of chorizo gorditas and a simple mushroom quesadilla with a blistered tortilla, as well as a few snacks like a tuna tostada. Grab a seat at the bar, drink a margarita, and have a few small bites while you listen to funk, cumbia, house music, and more.

Hainan Chicken House is a modern Malaysian spot on the Sunset/Borough Park border, and you should make plans to go ASAP. They’re making some of the best Hainanese chicken and rice in the five boroughs, wrapped up in a big square of butcher paper to evoke the feeling of a Hawker stall. The space has a modern farmhouse aesthetic, with wall tiles and decorative plates showcasing different chicken breeds. You’ll want to get some classics like their namesake dish and the excellent curry laksa, but there should be an order of their schmaltzy Hainanese chicken liver mousse on your table, too.

It’s not uncommon for the host at a tasting-menu restaurant to give a little speech before each course. But at House—a French-Japanese spot in the back of a Greenpoint marketplace—you'll also hear the staff recapping their weekends or teasing the chef. While you eat your $180, nine-course meal, you'll feel like you’re in someone’s home, drinking wine in their kitchen while they make you a midnight snack. The menu consists of chic, minimalist dishes that are equal parts fancy and playful. Expect things like a delicate duck liver monaka and dehydrated strawberry burrata.

Baby Blues is a Greek/American spot in Williamsburg that feels like a mashup between a neighborhood coffee shop and an old-school diner. Appropriately, most of the decor is baby blue, including the huge shelf by the entrance that’s stocked with enough VHS tapes to qualify as a Blockbuster. The food isn’t anything fancy, but it’s exactly what you’ll want as you drink some coffee and sort out your plans for the day. Get a plate of buttery scrambled eggs with pita and halloumi, or pair some baklava banana bread with a banana date smoothie.

K’Far’s dining room is a leafy, makeshift jungle in the lobby of Williamsburg's Hoxton Hotel, and it’s our new favorite place to luxuriate with some borekas and a cup of coffee. The Israeli restaurant is from the same team behind Laser Wolf and switches from cafe food during the day to a full dinner service in the evening. The daytime menu is light, but it does have a few bigger breakfast plates, and long, flat Jerusalem bagel sandwiches. Mostly, we love starting our day surrounded by the calm, low hum of the hotel lobby.