Cafe Madeline has a little bit of something for everyone: smoothies, breakfast bowls, egg sandwiches, burgers, and even a lobster roll. The menu, which showcases local and seasonal ingredients, is prepared behind a service counter on a few induction burners and panini presses. Individual menu items adorn the walls like music posters, complemented by a minimalist decor evoking memories of internet cafes of the late nineties. The popular breakfast dishes range from a grilled salmon bowl to a prosciutto and burrata fried egg sandwich. Be prepared for a short wait on the weekends.

Conveniently located above the Cortelyou Road subway stop, Cafe Tibet pays homage to its homeland with colorful Tibetan prayer flags that hang across the width of its dining room. The requisite steamed and fried momos, a traditional Tibetan dumpling, are served with a tomato-based hot sauce, among a variety of noodles, curries, soups, and fried rice. The cold, spicy noodles and thali are good to share. Bring cash and be prepared to chat over the occasional hum of the B and Q trains zipping by below.

This Filipino restaurant is home to an inviting space with colorful abstract art and an open kitchen. The crowd ranges from Filipino families from afar to neighborhood residents, to those drawn by a 2021 Bib Gourmand review. The menu’s Filipino classics include lumpia, tocino, and lechon Kawali. But the husband-and-wife duo of Amy Besa and Romy Dorotan, who many credit for introducing Filipino cuisine to a wider audience in NYC, have also added not-to-be-missed dishes like the pa jun Korean scallion-and-shrimp pancake, ukoy (a vegetable and shrimp fritter piled high on a plate like a blooming onion), and a velvety, vinegary-sweet chicken adobo. Regulars know to order the mango tart with mango ice cream, an off-menu dessert option. Like most spots in the neighborhood, the breezy, bamboo pole-wrapped backyard is open when the weather is right.

Well-known for its namesake since 2009, Mimi’s Hummus, the ever-popular husband-and-wife-run spot serving no more than six tables at a time, expanded in the spring of 2020 when the couple purchased the adjoining space to open Mimi’s Mini Market. The mini market is stocked with kombucha on tap, a rotation of local beers and Mediterranean wines, a curated selection of Middle Eastern dry and canned goods, and mezze like babaghanoush, tzatziki, chickpea salad, and of course, the beloved hummus made with Moroccan olive oil. For a date night, stop by the front patio for a plate of hummus with steaming hot pita, grab a tub of tzatziki or za’atar feta in oil to take home, and go next door to King Mother for a bottle of wine and a cheese plate.

Named one of ”two killer wine bars in Brooklyn” last year, according to the New Yorker, King Mother has made a name for itself since opening in December 2019 as an approachable place for drinking natural wine. The menu includes varietal descriptions like “not your mom’s Pinot Grigio”, “notes of apricot & happiness“, “aromatic and delish AF”, and “hibiscus tea and grapefruit soda vibes.” Co-owners Erika Lesser and Katie Richey met while Richey was working a few blocks away at Kings County Wines, which Lesser owns with her husband. Their funky, hip sensibility is made all the more inviting by the clean lines of the black and white painted wall, Scandinavian bar stools and tables, and simple cone-shaped light fixtures. To complement the wines, the food menu includes allium focaccia studded with roasted garlic and chunky finishing salt, a favorite that’s often paired with honey and smoked ricotta. ‘Nduja (including a vegan version of it) and chicken schnitzel make an appearance among the heartier offerings. Grab a spot at one of the sidewalk tables on a sunny afternoon or cozy up to the bar with a good book on a chilly night.

At the Farm on Adderley, a Brooklyn farm-to-table experience means the menu rotates every two to three weeks. A few favorites always remain, however, like the burger served on a semolina-studded English muffin or the fries with curry mayo and ketchup. The space invokes a country farmhouse feel with modern touches: bottles of wine and rustic knick knacks line open shelving amidst featured local artwork, accented by red-washed paneling, white-exposed brick, and tables outfitted with mismatched wooden chairs. The year-round backyard is teeming with greenery, white-washed furniture, and sparkling string lights above. For brunch, the breakfast plate, any dish with mushrooms foraged from the Seattle woods, or the cheese grits are a good bet.

This cozy neighborhood mainstay a few yards from the Newkirk Plaza subway station has an affordable menu with nearly all items under $15 running the gamut of traditional Mexican American cuisine: Mexican-style tacos, burritos, sopes, fajitas, and enchiladas. Colorful Mexican runners sit on top of sunflower-yellow tablecloths, matching the awning outside and the stucco walls inside. A few menu standouts include the Mi Pueblo shredded pork and chicken mole poblano burritos, crusted in melted cheese, and the spinach enchiladas, smothered in a tangy tomatillo sauce and topped with sliced avocado. The menu includes cochinita, a Yucatan-style barbecued pork seasoned with distinctive achiote paste, garnished with pickled red onions on top of corn tortillas.

Locals clamor in droves to this pizza joint in the center of Newkirk Plaza, where reliably consistent NY style slices and pies — with a few twists — are sold every day except Sundays. Neighborhood favorites include the Upside Down slice, with spooned-on pizza sauce atop mozzarella on a fluffy-crusted traditional Sicilian dough; the Grandma, a thin-crusted Sicilian slice with chunky marinara, little globs of fresh garlic and carefully sliced basil; and the Grandpa pie, available by the slice only on Fridays, topped off with fried eggplant, fresh mozzarella, and ricotta. The scenic train ride over the Manhattan Bridge from neighborhoods to the north and east is every bit worth the trip to bring home an assortment of slices that will satisfy even the most seasoned of pizza enthusiasts.