Welcome to the Eater Heatmap, focusing on the hottest new openings in Brooklyn this month.
The Best New Restaurants in Brooklyn, According to Eater Editors
Fish Cheeks in Brooklyn and a pizzeria that debuted a slice shop
Eater editors do thorough reporting on the most exciting restaurant openings to hit their city, as well as smaller openings worth having on the radar. Last month alone, New York saw around 50 new restaurants open their doors. In this map, we narrow the field to those places in Brooklyn that are drawing the most excitement, buzz, crowds, and early positive chatter, focusing largely on restaurants that have only been open for six months or less. When an Eater editor has already been to a place — even if it just opened — we share insider tips on what to expect and what’s worth ordering as well.
New to the list in June: Fish Cheeks, a Brooklyn offshoot of the Manhattan location; Cafe Brume, an Alpine taste of Brooklyn Heights; Brooklyn DOP Fast Life, a slice shop outpost of a Brooklyn pizzeria; Juici Patties, the first New York location of a patty chain hailing from Jamaica.
For more New York dining recommendations, check out the new hotspots in Manhattan and Queens. And for an insider’s perspective on how to eat well no matter where you are in NYC, pick up our new book: The Eater Guide to New York City.
The Best New Restaurants in Brooklyn, According to Eater Editors
Fish Cheeks in Brooklyn and a pizzeria that debuted a slice shop
Welcome to the Eater Heatmap, focusing on the hottest new openings in Brooklyn this month.
Eater editors do thorough reporting on the most exciting restaurant openings to hit their city, as well as smaller openings worth having on the radar. Last month alone, New York saw around 50 new restaurants open their doors. In this map, we narrow the field to those places in Brooklyn that are drawing the most excitement, buzz, crowds, and early positive chatter, focusing largely on restaurants that have only been open for six months or less. When an Eater editor has already been to a place — even if it just opened — we share insider tips on what to expect and what’s worth ordering as well.
New to the list in June: Fish Cheeks, a Brooklyn offshoot of the Manhattan location; Cafe Brume, an Alpine taste of Brooklyn Heights; Brooklyn DOP Fast Life, a slice shop outpost of a Brooklyn pizzeria; Juici Patties, the first New York location of a patty chain hailing from Jamaica.
For more New York dining recommendations, check out the new hotspots in Manhattan and Queens. And for an insider’s perspective on how to eat well no matter where you are in NYC, pick up our new book: The Eater Guide to New York City.
The Snail
The Snail may stick to a pretty straightforward bistro format (steak au poivre, pasta), but it still pleasantly surprises. Just off McCarren Park, the Snail comes from chef-owner Austin Baker, previously at Saraghina, and before that, one of Chicago’s biggest restaurant groups Hogsalt. It’s crowd-pleasing for a reason.
Bettina Makalintal/Eater NY
Fish Cheeks
The beloved seafood-heavy Noho Thai restaurant Fish Cheeks has opened a Williamsburg addition with an airy new dining room on Driggs Avenue. Expect items like the duck curry, whole fried fish, and items distinct to this location, such as the marinated blue crab.
Connie Zhou/Fish Cheeks
JR and Son
JR and Son opened in May, so give it time to get its bearings: a reborn crusty dive bar-turned-Italian American spot of the same name, only this time from the Kellogg’s Diner team. Italian American cooking is influenced by chef Patricia Vega’s experience working at Thai Diner. Fish and soy sauce give an unexpected umami boost across the offerings: from the onion rings sauce to its spicy chicken Parm. Meanwhile, an herbaceous arancini salad also has roots in her experience cooking Thai American food. Pastry chef Amanda Perdomo, known for that beloved strawberry pretzel dessert at Kellogg’s, made a very good cake slice version of the Italian rainbow cookie (it’s vegan, but you’d never know it!) Last call on food is 1 a.m.
Nick Johnson/JR and Son
Birdee
At Crown Shy, pastry chef Renata Ameni served stellar desserts that cemented the restaurant’s success. Now, Kent Hospitality Group (Saga, Time and Tide) has opened their first Brooklyn spot in the old Domino sugar factory: Birdee, with Ameni at the helm. Yes, it’s a bakery, with a rotating pastry case — but more than that, it’s an all-day cafe serving breakfast sandwiches and a tuna melt on a croissant.
Natalie Black/Birdee
Patio Tropical
If you’re looking for the kind of cafe where you can have a casual full breakfast or lunch and linger for a while with a laptop, Patio Tropical should be on your radar. Tucked behind an artisan shop called This Is Latin America, it is a heated atrium that streams with natural light, evoking a little tropical oasis. Here, Stephanie Bonnin explores her South American background — she’s from Barranquilla, Colombia — as well as wider Caribbean influences. Pastries like pan de bono, a Colombian cheese bread, alongside dishes like the beef dish sancocho, are all made in-house. The menu plans to change frequently, with occasional pop-up dinners by rotating chefs at night.
Christian Rodriguez/Eater NY
Lulla’s Bakery
Casa Ora, a Venezuelan restaurant in East Williamsburg that opened in 2019, has expanded around the corner with a sunny must-try breakfast spot, specializing in savory pastries. There are cachitos (stuffed with ham and cheese), mandocas (corn doughnuts), and other breakfast items. Unlike a lot of bakeries, there’s plenty of seating here, great for morning meetings in particular (the set-up is ordering at the counter, with food brought to your table). On the weekends, it expands with nighttime service.
Bee the Love/Lulla’s
Hildur
For fans of the IKEA Swedish meatballs, level up at Hildur in Dumbo. The restaurant, a flip of the Gran Electrica and from the same team, is styled like a bistro and serves Swedish meatballs au poivre. It’s offered alongside a burger with tarragon mustard and the beloved princess cake for dessert.
Liz Clayman/Hildur
Cafe Brume
As you might have heard, once-sleepy Brooklyn Heights has seen a fleet of new restaurants in recent years. The latest is the cozy Cafe Brume, with a taste of Alpine cooking that moves from weinerschnitzel with lingonberry to agnolotti with green chickpeas and lamb. A bread basket (served with a creamy cheese called liptauer) comes courtesy of the hot area bakery Laurel.
Disco Birdies
Matt Diaz, who opened For All Things Good in 2020, has added three more spots on Franklin Avenue between Greene and Lexington Avenues over the past five years with various partners. Bar Birba, an Italian aperitivo spot; Disco Bottles, a new wine shop; and now, Disco Birdies, a fried chicken spot with Champagne. Also on the menu: a falafel smash burger and fried chicken bites. The new spot, like his others, is walk-in friendly.
Disco Birdies
Brooklyn DOP Fast Life
Park Slope pizzeria, Brooklyn DOP (the acronym stands for Department of Pizza), has opened this offshoot slice shop in Clinton Hill. While it is not our favorite new-wave slice in the borough (personal preference, the dough here is chewier rather than crispy), it is certainly a very welcome addition to the neighborhood, where it is easily the best in the area. A colorful checkerboard exterior beckons customers off the busy street; inside, there are a couple tables but this is mostly for takeout eating.
Juici Patties
New York has plenty of great patty spots, but none have received as enthusiastic a response as Juici Patties. The Jamaican chain (which first launched in 1980) debuted its first New York location in Bed-Stuy recently, and lines have turned out for beef, curried chicken, and spinach patties, plus coco bread. A follow-up location has since opened in the Bronx, and more are on the way.
Juici Patties
Hungry Thirsty
When news circulated that Ugly Baby was closing in Carroll Gardens, fans — including Eater — rushed for a final taste. But good news followed: the keys were passed onto former employees. They’ve since opened Hungry Thirsty, a new restaurant with an entirely distinct menu, save for a few homages to Ugly Baby like the beef shank curry. While Ugly Baby was known for its extreme spice warnings on the menu, Hungry Thirsty is ever so slightly toned down. Dishes include items like a shrimp-and-mushroom curry or fried snapper with Thai tea slushies served in cartoon mugs.
Hungry Thirsty
Pitt’s
Jeremy Salamon had a hit when he opened Agi’s Counter in Crown Heights, focused on modern Eastern European cooking, in a nod to his grandmothers. Now, he’s turned the attention back to his upbringing with a Southern-ish menu, in a much larger dining room in Red Hook. It’s decorated like a country store, replete with a goose lamp and charming art throughout. There’s pimento with fried saltines, veal sweetbreads, cold meatloaf tea sandwiches, and for dessert, options like the popular pancake souffle.
Pitt’s
Lundy’s
Lundy’s, which first opened in 1920, had been a seafood icon of Sheepshead Bay until it closed in 1979, then reopened and shuttered in 2007. Now it has been reborn in Red Hook, across from IKEA. The restaurant — under new owners — is slightly downsized, but you can still reliably walk in with a large group. The menu features items like “the Shore Dinner,” a prix fixe with a choice of seafood starter, fish, chicken, or lobster main, and pie for dessert. But you’d be just as welcome going a la carte, with shrimp cocktail and linguine with clams at a bar stool. Some recipes, like the clam chowder and the complimentary biscuit basket, are leftovers from the old days. There’s no frills here (complimentary), which is what makes it feel like it could’ve been open in this location for decades.
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Gavin Doran/Lundy’s
Confidant
Confidant opened in March in Industry City from Brendan Kelley and Daniel Grossman, two Roberta’s alums. It brings way more ambition and creativity than you might expect of a full-service restaurant in the same zone as Costco and an outlet Design Within Reach. That is to say, Confidant is impressive: from its trout mousse toast to prawn pot pie, plus more splurgey large-format dishes, meant to share. Mariah Neston, a Le Rock alum, has developed a can’t-miss dessert menu with options like rhubarb upside-down cake and a mille-feuille. Lunch has since launched.
Andrew Bui/Confidant
