If you build it, they will come (with curly mustaches and flannel shirts). Freemans alums create a homey American dining room on a quiet street, far from any subways. It’s packed every night.
Vinegar Hill House, 72 Hudson Avenue, between Water and Front Streets, Vinegar Hill (718-522-1018 or vinegarhillhouse.com).
Get your sea legs on the 1929 lightship docked on the Hudson. The decor, burgers, and beers are nothing fancy, but the place can turn into quite a party when DJs rock the boat on summer nights.
Frying Pan, West 26th Street, at West Side Highway (212-989-6363 or fryingpan.com).
Raw food was once the province of hippies, but Pure Food and Wine is positioning it for maximum hipster appeal. The space is lush and comfy but not fussy; the patio is stunning.
Pure Food and Wine, 54 Irving Place, between 17th and 18th Streets (212-477-1010 or oneluckyduck.com/purefoodandwine).
It serves the same menu as the Nolita joint (minus the wait) and has twice as much space, including an outdoor garden. Good Cuban eats, cheap drinks, and Brooklyn-cool events. Bonus: It’s NYC’s first solar-powered restaurant. So go heat things up.
Habana Outpost, 757 Fulton Street, at South Portland Avenue, Fort Greene (718-858-9500 or habanaoutpost.com).
Here, piggy piggy. Ah, found ya. Under the picnic table with the other hipsters and up to your elbows in brisket. Shouldn’t expect anything less at Fette Sau (it does mean “fat pig” in German).
Fette Sau, 354 Metropolitan Avenue, between Roebling and Havemeyer Streets, Williamsburg (718-963-3404 0r fettesaubbq.com).
Stop in as early as 7 a.m. for pastries and espresso in the cafe, which spills out onto the sidewalk. Go back for dinner — lots of antipasti (hooray for the legendary Sardinian sheep’s milk ricotta) and pan-Italian favorites.
Locanda Verde, 377 Greenwich Street, at North Moore Street (212-925-3797 or locandaverdenyc.com).
The rustic Brooklyn hotbed for serious food types has a coveted outdoor garden and old stable for private parties. It’s the envy of the neighborhood.
Frankies 457 Spuntino, 457 Court Street, between Luquer Street and 4th Place, Carroll Gardens (718-403-0033 or frankiesspuntino.com).
We like Keith McNally’s Morandi for its breakfast bread baskets (overflowing with bomboloni), lyrical Italian chatter, and location (just off bustling Seventh Avenue South but still in view of the action).
Morandi, 211 Waverly Place, between Charles and Perry Streets (212-627-7575 or morandiny.com).
Hot Bird’s low-key, fenced-in yard lives on an unexpected crop of land off busy Atlantic Avenue. Order beer and small-batch bourbon inside at the white tile bar.
Hot Bird, 546 Clinton Avenue, between Fulton Street and Atlantic Avenue, Clinton Hill (718-230-5800).
The neighborhood gastropub with an old-school feel, tasty bar snacks, and hearty menu items will turn you into a regular. Swap your usual nightcap for a Guinness toffee pudding.
Alchemy, 56 Fifth Avenue, at Bergen Street, Park Slope (718-636-4385 or alchemybrooklyn.com).
A Voce means “word of mouth,” so start spreading the news about its Italian comfort food and lemon tree-lined, 100-seat outdoor patio.
A Voce, 41 Madison Avenue, at 26th Street (212-545-8555 or avocerestaurant.com).
The first thing you notice about Bobo is the stunning and cozy design, done by Dekar. The bar and charcuterie tables are downstairs; the dining room and outdoor patio are upstairs.
Bobo, 181 West 10th Street, at Seventh Avenue (212-488-2626 or bobonyc.com).
Hey there, sailor. This Uptown riverside resto provides prime sunset views and dirt-cheap beer, burgers, and hot dogs.
Boat Basin Cafe, West 79th Street, at Hudson River (212-496-5542 or boatbasincafe.com).
The sweet Austrian restaurant on the corner surprises with modern takes on spaetzle, schnitzel, and strudel.
Wallse, 344 West 11th Street, at Washington Street (212-352-2300 or kg-ny.com).
Beer, pretzels, and other standard German fare are served up seven days a week at the swanky spot under the High Line.
Biergarten at The Standard Hotel, 848 Washington Street, at West 13th Street (212-645-4646 0r standardhotels.com).
Named for the mythical siren who watches over the Rhine, Loreley lures in drinkers with an authentic German menu of beer, bratwurst, and schnitzel.
Loreley, 7 Rivington Street, between Bowery and Chrystie Street (212-253-7077); 64 Frost Street, at Meeker Avenue, Williamsburg (718-599-0025 or loreleynyc.com).
Madison Square Park is where it all began. The classic American food stand still dishes out its burgers, hot dogs, frozen custards, and fountain drinks to mile-long lines whenever the weather heats up.
Shake Shack, Madison Square Park, at Madison Avenue and 23rd Street (212-889-6600 or shakeshack.com).
Grab a pitcher and a picnic table, and while away the afternoon at Astoria’s 100-year-old beer garden. Be sure to sample the traditional Czech and Slovak menu.
Bohemian Hall & Beer Garden, 29-19 24th Avenue, between 29th and 31st Streets, Astoria (718-728-9278 or bohemianhall.com).
There’s always room for one more in Mission Dolores’s courtyard, surrounded by walls that fold and collapse as the crowd expands. Check the day’s draft beer list before you go.
Mission Dolores, 249 Fourth Avenue, at Carroll Street, Park Slope (718-399-0099 0r missiondoloresbar.com).
Longing for a tropical getaway? Leave the land of Brooklyn for Zombie Hut’s never-ending beach party. Thatch-roofed cabanas, tiki masks, and flaming scorpion bowls help you forget your troubles — until you wash up in someone else’s bed the next morning.
Zombie Hut, 273 Smith Street, between Sackett and Degraw Streets, Carroll Gardens (718-875-3433).
A locavore’s dream, The Farm is owned by two neighborhood residents who happily feed their community with ingredients sourced from Upstate New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.
The Farm on Adderley, 1108 Cortelyou Road, between East 11th Street and Westminster Road, Ditmas Park (718-287-3101 or thefarmonadderley.com).
Keith McNally’s overcrowded version of gay Paris. Scene always trumps substance with weekend brunch-fueled frenzies and serious standing lines. Learn to love your neighbor.
Pastis, 9 Ninth Avenue, between Little West 12th and Gansevoort Streets (212-929-4844 or pastisny.com).
Nibble on duck banh mi and charcuterie from El Quinto Pino alum Amorette Casaus while sharing a bottle from the two-story wine wall at Ardesia, the hidden Hell’s Kitchen watering hole.
Ardesia, 510 West 52nd Street, between Tenth and Eleventh Avenues (212-247-9191 or ardesia-ny.com).
People-watch from a sidewalk table at this West Village trattoria-meets-bar. Feast on Italian staples (caprese salad, meatball panini, panna cotta).
Bar Pitti, 268 Sixth Avenue, between Houston and Bleecker Streets (212-982-3300).
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