242 Best Restaurants in Brooklyn, New York City

The best way to sample the diverse flavors of Ethiopian cuisine is by dining at this restaurant that transports you to Addis Ababa through its decor, music, and above all, it's selection of traditional dishes. All dishes are plant-based, including chickpea-based shiro, lentil wot, and a mushroom version of tibs (typically a stir-fry with meat and veg). It's all served with injera, a sourdough flatbread used to scoop up the various stews, with your hands. The drink menu includes traditional t'ej (honey wine), cocktails, and wine and beer from Ethiopia. The namesake bunna—Ethiopian coffee brewed with cardamom and cloves—is worth a try, too. 

The key to this restaurant's success lies in its use of ultrafresh ingredients, sourced from local purveyors and presented with style in an upscale, yet casual space that honors its neighborhood's historical roots. A selection of small plates and crostini complement popular main dishes like bison steaks, bone-in pork chops, and homemade pastas. Weekend's offer popular brunch fare including shrimp and grits and "eggs in purgatory" (spicy tomato pomodoro).

At this unassuming storefront, you wouldn't be able to tell that this Nigerian restaurant has garnered high praise from many food critics but owner/chef Ayo Balogun doesn't just prepare a meal for an intimate party of 16 guests sitting around a communal table, he takes diners on a nostalgic journey, through food and personal storytelling, to the north-central Nigeria of his childhood in the early 1980s. Classic dishes like pepper soup, asaro (yam porridge), and egusi (a creamy, nutty soup) are elevated through plating, while old Nigerian tunes play on vinyl, and art and old photos hang on the wall. There are two seatings at 6 pm and 8:30 pm each open evening, for the $97.20 prix-fixe experience.

Di ăn Di differentiates itself from the hordes of Southeast Asian–fusion restaurants in the city with a light- and plant-filled dining room and great recipes made using quality ingredients. Diners rave about the beef pho ha noi, served with an egg yolk, scallions, and Thai red chiles, and the papaya salad with house-made beef jerky, peanuts, and big sesame cracker.

The word "diner" might evoke a greasy spoon, but this trendsetting restaurant under the Williamsburg Bridge is nothing of the sort. It occupies a 1927 dining car, and foodies cram into the booths to partake in eclectic dishes from the regularly changing menu, based on seasonal ingredients from farms in the Greater New York area. They're also known for their grass-fed burger, available year-round. Andrew Tarlow—the godfather of Brooklyn's farm-to-table culinary renaissance—opened it in 1999 and launched an entire movement. 

There are enough transplants from Texas and the South bringing their pitmaster experiences to Brooklyn that "Brooklyn style BBQ" has become formidable fare. One of the first purveyors of Brooklyn barbecue is this joint inside a former auto-body repair shop, where a huge wood-and-gas smoker delivers rotating meats, including brisket, pork belly, sausages, ribs, and chicken—all sold by the half pound. Sides include potato salad, broccoli salad, and baked beans, but other pairings come in the form of one of over 100 American whiskeys and 10 microbrews. Come early, especially on warm afternoons, when carnivores line up to order meat and then vie for a table inside or out on the former repair shop's driveway.