NYCGuide

The Best Restaurants In Prospect Heights

Noteworthy sushi, classic Dominican food, and a few of the best backyards in Brooklyn.
The Best Restaurants In Prospect Heights image

photo credit: Kate Previte

Prospect Heights is only a few blocks wide, and you could explore every inch in under an hour. But if you tried to eat at every restaurant in the area, it would take you several weeks, assuming you ate like Joey Chestnut. The main avenues are lined with spots where you can grab good food, and it seems like new ones open every day. If you’re finding it hard to keep up, here are the places you should be prioritizing right now.

THE SPOTS

American

Prospect Heights

$$$$Perfect For:Casual Weeknight DinnerDining SoloFirst/Early in the Game DatesWalk-Ins
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There aren’t many places in NYC where you can find incredible New Orleans-style food, like seafood étouffée or a perfectly crunchy po’ boy. But Lowerline is one, and Prospect Heights is extremely lucky to have it. We like to come here for a dinner at the bar featuring oysters and a half sandwich, or for a casual date night at one of their little marble tables. There are only about 12 seats inside, but the tightness only adds to the charm.


If you want to metamorphose from an average New Yorker to an average New Yorker who has tasted seared salmon that was flown in from Tokyo the night before, and then topped with fried onions, come to this little spot on Flatbush. The omakase experience at Sushi Lin is incredible, with a few different options ranging from $35-$120, and you can also order a la carte. Don’t leave without trying the salmon nigiri topped with sauteed tomato, or the bluefin tuna with mushroom.


photo credit: Emily Schindler

It’s easy to be skeptical of a place that has the audacity to attempt both pizza and bagels. But Omar’s pulls it off, and, somehow, they also serve the best Indian food in the area. Operating out of a generic, fluorescent-lit room, the restaurant is a true hat trick, perfect for any weeknight when you’re feeling indecisive. Your order should look something like: biryani, goat chettinad, and chicken tikka masala pizza.


Gertrude’s looks like your grandmother’s house and serves Jewish-inspired food that’ll remind you of a 1950s dinner party. Grab a little table beneath an antique chandelier, and enjoy some crispy beef tongue followed by a burger on challah and a slice of seven-layer cake. The mood is casual and kid-friendly, although you could also come by for a date night, split a big smoked fish tower, and drink a few pickle-brine martinis. They’re very good at cocktails here.


Sofreh feels chic and comfortable simultaneously (an ideal balance in all facets of life), and it’s one of the best Persian restaurants in the city. Come here for smoky roasted eggplant with flesh that falls apart in the middle, a hulking lamb shank in a dill and dried lime broth, and a side of saffron rice that goes with everything. We typically reserve Sofreh for special date nights or a catch-up meal with a friend visiting from out of town, but you could happily have a solo dinner at the bar, too. 


The sequel to a now-closed Williamsburg staple, Little Egg is a daytime specialist where you can sit in a bright white space and get a great brunch on a Friday afternoon. Their eggs rothko—a fancy take on toad in the hole—is a classic, but you should also try the sandwich with a deep-fried, panko-crusted block of fluffy eggs. This place is closed Tuesday through Thursday, but you can swing by any other day of the week starting at 7:30am.


The Nuaa Table is one of Brooklyn’s top Thai restaurants, serving dishes like crunchy papaya salad, a sour sausage and crunchy rice salad, and Jasmine tea-smoked ribs that any pitmaster would fall for. Split a bunch of dishes in the attractive dining room with yellow walls and glowing lamps hanging from the ceiling, or, if it’s warm out, eat under some string lights on Vanderbilt Ave.


Even after all these years, Chuko remains the most consistently great spot for a big bowl of ramen in Prospect Heights. Start your meal with pork buns, then move on to the quintessential kimchi ramen, and be sure to get an egg on top. It’s worth noting that the vegetarian ramen is considerably more flavorful than other vegetarian versions we’ve tried around the city. This place gets busy, and you’ll probably have to wait for a table, but if you don’t mind eating at a bar, you should get seated faster.


Natural wine is not unlike abstract art. Everyone has an opinion on it, even if they have no idea what it is. But whether you have thoughts on how minimal-intervention winemaking fosters a true expression of terroir, or you have the urge to slap anyone who says the word terroir out loud, you’ll enjoy LaLou. The long bar and private backyard are nice places to hang out for hours, which is exactly what you should do while enjoying a few rounds of small plates like chicken liver mousse and endive salad with a friend.

People continue to travel across the city just to eat Olmsted’s carrot crepe or have a cocktail in their backyard, and we understand why. The back garden is happily overrun with kale and cabbage, Brooklyn celebrities, and the occasional quail chirping in their little quail home. Head over for a date night, an extravagant brunch, or really any special occasion when you don’t want anything stuffy. Expect seasonal, experimental, and generally delicious dishes like a beef tongue katsu sando and duck pastrami with rye spaetzle.


The Dominican food at El Gran Castillo de Jagua rivals what you’ll find in Washington Heights and Inwood. The menu is enormous, with mofongo, fried fish, juicy rotisserie chicken, and pernil that tastes like it was cooked in its own flavorful pork fat for days. Come here for dinner on a casual weeknight and watch whichever sport they’re playing on the TV, or for their special sancocho on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays.


If you’re with a big group of people who love seafood and sourdough, bring them to Leland Eating & Drinking House. This Mediterranean spot on a quiet corner serves everything from a whole fried fish and trout rillettes to pollack fritters and lemon-soaked mussels, in addition to some non-aquatic options like brussels sprouts and chicken. If you want to try their mind-blowing sourdough cinnamon bun, stop by for brunch.


Every neighborhood needs a couple of spots where you can take all of your first dates, pretend you’ve never been before, and act surprised by the secret patio with string lights. In Prospect Heights, one such destination is Ogliastro, a pizza place with candlelit marble tables and a bar that we wouldn’t mind sitting at once a week. We always order the classic margherita, but everything here is relatively reliable, so go forth and explore.


When you absolutely can’t go to another place with a natural wine list and a menu designed for sharing, head to Mitchell’s on Vanderbilt Ave. Around since the 1970s, this little soul food spot feels like a time warp. Grab a table in the plain, homey room, and a big plate of crispy fried chicken or BBQ ribs with some collard greens and a pile of well-spiced yams on the side.


This bakery on Vanderbilt is a jack of all trades. In the morning, they serve coffee and egg sandwiches with sauteed kale on homemade Portuguese muffins. Later in the day, you can pop in for a salad or turkey meatball hero, or pick up some dried pastas and other specialty groceries to cook at home for dinner. Use this counter-service place often, especially for a casual meet-up with a friend, or a picnic in Prospect Park.

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