There’s never been a better time to eat out in Brooklyn, where comfort-food staples are prepared with well researched back-to-nature classicism and respect, or innovative foodie flair—or both. The same holds true for ethnic foods, where long-refined skill meets all sorts of new influences. So, in a borough so spoilt for choice of everything from salad to dessert, what is there to do but argue over who does it best?.

Lobster Rolls	BBQ	Tacos
Burgers	Pizza Pies	Market Greens
Ice Cream	Mac 'n' Cheese	Ramen
	Fried Chicken

#1. Red Hook Lobster Pound
Choose from two classic New England styles: Maine (with cool celery and mayo) or Connecticut (warm and buttery) on a buttered and grilled bun at this longstanding shop and truck. Thanks to their daily stock of fresh lobsters (to purchase as well), it’s always fresh as can be.
284 Van Brunt St, Red Hook

#2. Littleneck
Done Maine style (the way lobster rolls should be). Plus a great setting, with a nice beer list and music curated by a former rock-journalist co-owner.
288 Third Ave, Gowanus

#3. Brooklyn Fish Camp
Succulent chunks of lobster come kissed with (not drowned in) a creamy coating of mayo and dill, and accompanied by a big heap of crisp shoestring fries.
162 Fifth Ave, Park Slope

#1. Fette Sau’s Pork Cheeks
Proven experts in pulled pork and Texas brisket, Fette Sau also occasionally stocks their intimidating case of carnivorousness with Berkshire pork cheeks. And when they do, order them! The small slabs are perfectly charred and crusty on the outside, tender on the inside and, really, a moral must for head-to-tail eaters.
354 Metropolitan Ave, Williamsburg

#2. Fort Reno’s St. Louis-style Ribs
A chunky, molasses-based sauce is slathered on these meaty pork ribs before they’re tossed on the grill, rendering them messy (but not overly sweet and sticky) and mouth-wateringly tender in equal measure. Ask for a char-grilled whole jalepeño on the side!
669 Union Ave, Park Slope

#3. Mable’s Smoke-House’s Brisket
A good brisket is hard to find north of the Mason-Dixon line, but luckily Mable’s brings the beef: nicely fatty, lip-smackingly smoky, and over the top when taken for a dip in the prized family-recipe house sauce.
44 Berry St, Williamsburg

#1. Chavella’s’ Pescado
Delicately seasoned fresh fish fillets with a crisp slaw topping, these and the rest of the tacos at this authentic Mexican restaurant are a great bargain and fun to mix and match. (Try the nopales—cactus—and the trio of salsas.)
736 Franklin Ave, Crown Heights

#2. Oaxaca’s Camarón
Quality of carnitas and carne asada can vary depending on time of day, so best to stick with these juicy morsels of stewed shrimp. Smothered with pickled onions, this homey snack from the streets of, well, Oaxaca lends a luxurious taste of this coastal Mexican state; it just might remind you of a shrimp roll—a warm, spicy one.
251 Smith St, Carroll Gardens and 250 Fourth Ave, Park Slope

#3. Whirly-bird’s Breakfast Taco
Eggs scrambled with Oaxaca cheese, a saucy and salty salsa, a sprinkle of cilantro, and some crushed jalapeño potato chips, wrapped in a griddled soft corn tortilla. In a city low on quality Tex-Mex, this is the closest you’ll get to breakfast in Austin.
251 S 2nd St, Williamsburg

#1. Double Windsor
Excellent beef (from Pat LaFrieda), perfectly seasoned, perfect toppings, and a rich brioche bun. Everything you need in a burger, and nothing out of place.
210 Prospect Park West, Windsor Terrace

#2. Prime Meats
Rich, dry-aged beef, fancy fixins and a side of superior French fries justify dropping 18 bucks. The thick and super-juicy Black Angus patty comes on a house-made sesame roll with impeccably fresh lettuce and tomato, plus a house-fermented pickle.
465 Court St, Carroll Gardens

#3. Dram Shop
When you’re in the mood for an old-school, no-frills pub burger. A double patty of fresh-ground grass-fed beef, shredded lettuce, tomato, diced onion, pickles, mayo, and mustard, sandwiched on a soft bun and served with crisp and salty hand-cut fries.
339 9th St, Park Slope

#4. Watty & Meg
With Prime Meats nearby, W&M’s burger flies under the radar. But the thick and juicy patty—best when topped with sweet onions and gruyere—is every bit as good. On Mondays, $10 gets you said burger, crispy hand-cut fries and a cold can of Miller High Life, the champagne of beers.
248 Court St, Cobble Hill

#5. Downtown Bar and Grill’s Veggie Burger
This house-made patty of carrots, green beans, sweet peas and corn is packed with vegetarian-friendly flavor. Topped with smoked gouda, herb mayo, buttery avocado, lettuce and tomato, it’s simply the best veggie burger in the land—and it comes with a surprisingly zesty little salad or a big old pile of fries.
160 Court St, Cobble Hill

#1. Paulie Gee’s’ Hellboy
A 900-degree wood-burning oven lights the flames under this fiery, one-of-a-kind pie. Topped with imported tomatoes, Berkshire sopressata piccante and parmigiano Reggiano, the Hellboy is taken into otherworldly stratospheres with a final slathering of Mike’s HOT Honey, a chili pepper-laced condiment that strikes a devilishly delicious balance between spicy and sweet.
60 Greenpoint Ave, Greenpoint

#2. Franny’s’ Clam Pie
Fresh whole clams, parsley and chilies. A refreshing twist on the Italian-American pie made with chopped clams, and here drenched with really good olive oil to finish. The crust has a blistered, blackened, smoky wood-oven flavor and crisp texture that’s just right.
295 Flatbush Ave, Prospect Heights

#3. Sottocasa’s Veggie Pie
Fragrant fresh basil, crispy browned radicchio, and lightly caramelized half-moons of eggplant, onion and mushroom top Sottocasa’s veggie pie. With tangy tomato sauce and creamy, stringy mozzarella spread over a lightly charred, chewy-yet-airy crust, this garden-fresh pizza tastes like summer itself.
298 Atlantic Ave, Boerum Hill

#4. Saraghina’s Prosciutto and Funghi
Simple, classic, elegant. Tucked away in Bed-Stuy, Saraghina is a legit destination for wood-fired Neapolitan pizzas like this ham-and-mushroom beauty.
435 Halsey St, Bed-Stuy

#5. Ortine’s Smoked Trout, Onions and Egg brunch pizza
You can bake an egg on pretty much anything, and this farm-fresh spot generally does. Eat them while they’re still runny enough to be soaked up by the crackly crust, or wait for them to firm up and have them with a schmear of ricotta.
622 Washington Ave, Prospect Heights

#1. Roberta’s
Their stunning salads are definitely fresh: they’re packed with spicy and flowering greens and herbs harvested from their own backyard garden and shipping-container greenhouse.
61 Moore St, Bushwick

#2.Battersby
Fresh ingredients and bright, inventive flavor combinations always play into their market-fresh salads.
255 Smith St, Carroll Gardens

#3. Brucie
Ingredients change frequently, but there’s always a nice balance of sweet and savory, with a bit of bite from a tangy dressing.
234 Court St, Cobble Hill

#1. Ample Hills Creamery’s Salted Crack Caramel
What’s in a name? Everything, when it comes to this dangerously addictive dessert. The salted butter caramel base is dark amber with burnt sugar deliciousness, and hides decadent shards of crumbled “crack” cookies, made from saltines, more butter, more sugar, and chocolate.
623 Vanderbilt Ave, Prospect Heights

#2. Karloff’s’ Cappuccino Kahlua Calypso in a Pretzel Cone
Forget waffle cones or (god forbid!) those Styrofoam cups. At Karloff’s, two extra dollars buys a homemade pretzel cone, which is fabulously crunchy, delightfully salty and, thanks to its thickness, practically drip-free. A scoop or two of the espresso and alcohol-laced cappuccino kahlua calypso ice cream makes the perfect summertime companion.
254 Court St, Cobble Hill

#3. Sky Ice’s Black Seaweed Sesame
Sky Ice’s Thai-style take on ice cream and sorbet takes the savory-dessert craze to the next level (vegan broccoli ice cream, will wonders never cease?). The Black Seaweed Sesame is practically an optical illusion.
63 Fifth Ave, Brooklyn

#1. Jolie Cantina’s French Raviole du Royan
The French version of mac ‘n’ cheese: a deep and dreamy, absurdly creamy bowl of adorably teeny-tiny ravioli with Emmental gratin, truffle oil and beurre blanc sauce.
241 Smith St, Carroll Gardens

#2. Cornelius
Five cheeses go into the sauce, and bacon lardons give it that extra creamy-gooey guilty-pleasure pat-your-belly satisfaction.
565 Vanderbilt Ave, Prospect Heights

#3. Dumont
Macaroni, gruyere, bacon: the classic treatment, flawlessly executed.
432 Union Ave, Williamsburg

#1. Zuzu’s Green Curry Miso
A classically trained ramen master from Japan comes to Brooklyn and helps define this outer borough’s more alternative ramen scene with his non-traditional ramen soups. The Green Curry broth sounds like a misstep, but is actually awesome. The bowls are hearty and plenty for one meal.
173 Fourth Ave, Park Slope

#2. Chuko
Chuko’s ex-Morimoto chef is a legit master of broths, but the mix-and-match meat toppings seal the deal—like a heritage Giannone chicken for tender slabs of breast meat.
552 Vanderbilt Ave, Prospect Heights

#3. Yuji Ramen’s Uni Mazemen
Yuji Haraguchi excels at mazemen (brothless) ramen intertwined with top-shelf under-the-sea delicacies, and the luxuriously silky and saline uni (sea urchin) is a must try. It might sound scandalous to say this, but it’s kind of like the best linguine and clam sauce ever.
90 Wythe Ave, Williamsburg

#1. Buttermilk Channel
The signature dish of this Southern-inspired menu has flown the coop and is now served at Smorgasburg and other pop-up occasions alone. It’s crispy, juicy, well-seasoned enough to moisten its accompanying buttermilk biscuit.
524 Court St, Carroll Gardens

#2. The Commodore
Three super-crunchy and juicy thighs served with hot sauce and honey butter. (Crunchy and juicy thighs is kind of a gross phrase, sorry).
366 Metropolitan Ave, Brooklyn

#3. Talde’s Korean Fried Chicken
The Deep South ain’t got nuthin’ on Talde’s Asian-influenced double-fried birds. Rice flour provides a perfect thin and crispy coat for the expertly moist chicken, pre-sliced for easy handling and served on a puddle of spicy yogurt kimchee, enlivened by a strew of sliced grapes and mint.
369 Seventh Ave, Park Slope