Prospect Heights Restaurants

[catherinejones]

Would love recommendations of good places to eat (and drink) in prospect heights -- of all varieties (cheap, take out, eat in, etc) -- the more the better!

I did some searches of the board, but there don't seem to be any comprehensive lists of restaurants in the neighborhood.

[Barry Strugatz]

Can't understand why first-rate Mitchell's on Vanderbilt is underrated. Is it the bulletproof glass?

[oystersallday]

where is mitchell's on vanderbuilt? i thought it was on flatbush...

[eade]

Mitchell's is on Vanderbilt just below St. Marks, between St. Marks and Bergen.

As for Soda, on a nice weather day, sitting in their back porch with a Brooklyn lager and order of pierogi is a fine lunch (admittedly a meal lacking a few food groups, it's a once in a while treat).

It does not require a big effort to eat at Garden Cafe, likely the brightest shining gem of the neighborhood, and they have price fixe on week nights. My two favorite resturants for above average occasions (for example, when my parents are in town) in all of Prospect Heights and North Slope are Garden Cafe and Convivium Osteria.

Gen's weekend set menu lunch/brunch is excellent, especially on Sunday when the chef/owner is working. They open at noon on Sat/Sun and close I think at 3:00pm. They have a nice back garden too.

Although not a full menu restaurant, the ice cream shop on Vanderbilt below Bergen is welcome. Their pictures of old Flatbush Ave are interesting to look at while your malted is being made.

[bigmackdaddy]

How is Mitchell's now or days? The last time I went everything was drowned in sugar. I do like the place a lot. I'm nt a fan of Zaytoon's. They tend to hide bad quality meat ith a ton of garlic and "minty" mayonnaise. Alesio is great if you can get over the pretentious waiters. The Garden is aces all the way. Beast is so-so as is the Trio owned restaurants Soda, Noona and the "French" place across the street. Chavella's is excellent.

[Barry Strugatz]

Mitchell's is good. I especially like their roast turkey, beef ribs and collard greens. Has anyone tried the place on Washington that serves chicken and waffles?

[cmballa]

They do some great fried chicken and potato salad as well.

[NancyC]

I've never noticed an ice-cream place on Vanderbilt...what's it called?

[cmballa]

The Old Brooklyn Parlor. It's just north of Bergen.

The design is real precious and they use Ronnybrook ice cream and milk, but I wasn't too satisfied with the egg cream I ordered when I went.

http://www.oldbrooklynparlor.com/

[oystersallday]

what's the word on "James"? is it open yet? i was never moved to go to sorrel...

[danielandresleon]

Walked by yesterday and looked like it was in full swing and pretty crowded too.

[DeeDee]

Here are some of my neighborhood favorites:
Gen -- good sushi and interesting appetizers with a friendly staff

Chavella's - tasty Mexican food, very fresh ingredients and lots of veggie options

Zaytoons -- affordable, healthy middle eastern food. great for takeout

Barrette -- it's actually a bar but has great light bites such as a slider, chicken sandwich and the best grilled cheese sandwich ever. fun loving and friendly staff who pour a nice stiff drink

Franny's -- hard to get into since there recent rave review in the NY Times but great pizza and appetizers only drawback is it is a bit pricey

Antonio's -- good for pizza delivery, been around for ever

Places to avoid -- Soda, India Place, Aliseo, Burrito Bar, Tavern on Dean

[cmballa]

I wouldn't knock Soda too hard -- it may not be spectacular but everything is at a good value; for instance: the BLT ($6, which is great) and the burger ($8, which is good) are both quite large and can be split easily.

But that terrible writeup in the Village Voice was way, way, way off about Soda housing the most attractive people in Brooklyn, how ridiculous !

Los Amigos Viejos is on Vanderbilt at Bergen, and I still haven't been and really want to. The bar looks awesome. What do they do well ?

[NancyC]

Kind of puzzled by the inclusion of Soda and Tavern on Dean. Soda's burgers are fantastic and they make onion rings exactly the way I like...big, irregular and battered and not nearly enough people do them that way. Other than that...well, it's a bar! Alcohol = good.

I've only been to Tavern on Dean once, but the fish and chips were excellent. I would go back just for that.

India Place simultaneously worries me and intrigues me because it's so cheap. I don't know if I'll ever find a replacement Brooklyn Indian for Bombay Grill in b-burg, which was replaced by Chimu.

Antonio's to me is meh. I don't think there's good pizza in Prospect Heights. I'm also amazed how rare it is, especially after I moved from Williamsburg where there's like 2 pizza joints per block.

So...Zaytoons is open now?

[cmballa]

Joy on Flatbush and Prospect makes very satisfying Northern Indian and delivers to the entire neighborhood.

[NancyC]

Actually, I've ordered from Joy before. I forgot because it didn't stand out, but it was certainly not bad...I ate all of it for a couple days (the minimum means I order too much for one meal). More expensive than India Place. I just got a menu the other day for Bombay Masala on Franklin, which has the exact same menu as Joy including the font. Do they have the same owners?

[cmballa]

Yeah so did I — certainly seems so

[Emmagram]

Burrito Bar is the worst! Avoid at all costs. Overpriced, underseasoned, and unidentifiable "Mexican" food. Chinese owned "Yummy Taco" on Flatbush is better.

[nck]

Le Gamin has the worst service EVER and the food is only mediocre. Once those two drawbacks are factored in the prices start to seem too high. It has a nice atmosphere for brunch, but it's hard not to feel a little ripped off when you have to wait 45 minutes for food prepared on a hot plate to make it to you table.

[Abita7]

Amorina on Vanderbilit is a great gourmet pizza/Italian place with a warm, neighborhood restaurant atmosphere. Soda Bar (Vanderbilt) is always good for cheap burgers, pirogis and, of course, beer. Joyce, also on Vanderbilit, is probably the best bakery I've found in Brooklyn so far, and La Gamin is excellent, especially for brunch.

[ryanpederson]

21 replies and not one mention of Garden Cafe, which may very well be the best restaurant in the 'hood. Vanderbilt Ave., at Prospect Place.

[Sarah McC]

I'd love to check this out, but we haven't made an effort to schedule special occasion meals.

[Sarah McC]

Oh, I love the neighborhood. I can pretty much eat out every night of the week and have good food at a reasonable price. Can't wait for Zaytoons.
My faves-
Amorina
Chavella's
Gen
Geido
Beast
Noona
Islands
Christie's

Haven't tried-
Teddy's
Cheryl's

Don't love-
Gamin
Shane
Aliseo

Want to give another try-
Sorrel

[Zumbi]

All great selections -- if you have some money to spend, the Flatbush Farm is good. Incredibly fresh ingredients. On the complete other end of the spectrum is our new Greek joint, Teddys, for filling and cheap food. Of the Caribbean joints, The Islands, Island Village on Lincoln, and Ginger Root. Don't waste your time elsewhere. Oh and that Trini/Chinese bakery on Nostrand.

[oystersallday]

also amarina on vanderbuilt has good pizza. do franny's and kombit on flatbush count for p-heights? sometimes i like that i don't have a great deal to choose from in the heights and other times i don't. is anybody else sad about the fate of "delicacies" on vanderbuilt? it's just not the same.

[jen kalb]

The North Side of Flatbush Ave down to Atlantic is Prospect Hts.

[JFores]

Where's Ginger Root? I've been going to The Islands somewhat religiously but I need to branch out when I come home for Christmas. Also, where's the Trini/Chinese bakery on Nostrand?

[funkjester]

Los Amigos Viejos is a great, bare-bones Cuban lunch counter. Awesome Spanish food! On Vanderbilt, just can't remember the cross-street...east side of Vanderbilt.

[JFores]

Do tell me where this is in more detail, please.

[funkjester]

Vanderbilt and Dean, or a block in either direction, if memory serves correct. Very no-nonsense decor, with a long lunch counter and a few small tables. Easy to miss if you're not looking for it, but worth checking out. Very good cheap eats!

Will be on the EAST side of Vanderbilt.

I see someone else has posted as well that Los Amigos Viejos is at Vanderbilt and Bergen. Sounds about right.

[sweetpickles]

I enjoy most of the places mentioned already-Tavern on Dean for wings and burgers, Le Gamin for brunch, Christies for pattys, and the Usual for great atmosphere and good basic diner food- but I thought I'd add a couple that I'm surprised were left out. Franny's is my favorite in the neighborhood and now that they have pasta in addition to pizza and small plates, its even better. Also, Geido for sushi, especially if you sit at the bar, and indulge in their freshest catch and unique specials. Both are on Flatbush and both make me happy that I live in the neighborhood.

[NancyC]

The only thing I've had at Tavern on Dean was the fish and chips, but it was one of the best I've had in the city. It's just the style I like, big meaty pieces with thick, very crunchy batter. Not breaded, not uniform fish fingers, not so flat and long as to be floppy and/or with batter steaming itself off the fish. Yum. Anyone know if they do take out?

[dannyo]

They do take-out, but not delivery. Probably for the best -- i'd be eating jerk wings every night.

[Papa.fagiole]

I go to Tavern on Dean probably once of week for the burger. Big, succulent, bloody and delicious. The real reason I'm there though is for the fries. I'll split a platter of those with my partner (smothered in deliadas of course), have a couple of six points and call it a day. She's vegetarian so sometimes we split the veggie burger. From what she says it's one of the best she's had.

www.whorebivore.com

[famdoc]

Sorrel has always been quite good. Haven't been there in about six months, though.
It is a 360 spin-off. Now that 360 is closed, Sorrel is a reasonable choice for a prix-fixe meal in the neighborhood. Their wine list is a real +: good choice of reasonably priced, regional wines, some of which are organic or biodynamic (don't ask me what the difference is).

[soupcommie]

I like Gen very much. It's on Washington, I think on the corner of Prospect. Nice vibe, friendly people and excellent sushi.

[brooklynbyotch]

Aliseo is a major disappointment. I've tried it twice now and won't go back. On the other hand - Le Gamin is always delightful. The only dish I would stay away from is the Oeuf Gamin at brunch - (which is basically eggs served with a hockey puck) The crepes are delicious and not overwhelming. The service is lovely and in the warm weather the garden can't be beat.

[jen kalb]

I beg to differ - we've always had interesting, well flavored food at Aliseo, whereas I found Le Gamin pedestrian foodwise. I mean, what can you do to a crepe. There are different strokes though.

Sorrel is quite good and a bargain, and I'd like to see more people patronizing it - we've always been pleased with our dishes. The prix fixe is a concept that limits the size of the dishes but the meal as a whole is always plenty and the chef is has a good touch - both his meat and fish dishes are very well prepared.

[Steve R]

I read your review of Aliseo and was a little taken aback. There are things about it that I'm not overwhelmed with but, overall, I like it a lot. Very fresh ingredients, well thought out food from a sincere owner more concerned with quality than quantity (this from a c'hound who loves quantity as well). You're paying for the care taken with the food and I've always found the flavors to be full enough. Totally different in style and intent than, say, al di la, but well worth going in my opinion.

[brooklynbyotch]

My experience at Aliseo was a bit of a heartbreak. I had been there once two years ago and was hadn't gotten back there - but was excited to do so. Almost every dish on the table was bad. I'm willing to concede it could have been a bad night... but... everything?? (Again - I'll leave the fantastic wine list out of it) The octupus and pasta (which i was very much looking forward to) was tasteless. the homemade pasta had a good texture but the octopus was overcooked and flavorless. I had two friends with me from Milan. They ordered that and the ragu. There was literally a teaspoon of sauce (maybe a result of a 9pm res?) - I am not a red sauce person. I can tell the difference between Olive Garden and Lupa - I promise you. The sauce was scant and needed spice. My friend was excited to get the last piece of fish but she too had a tasteless experience. I would love nothing more than for Aliseo to be a great place. Maybe I was overcritical because of having Italians at the table. Don't know. But won't go back.

[Claire]

I had a very good meal recently at Cheryl's Global Soul. It's on Underhill Avenue about a block in from the Museum. It's open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, too. The dinner menu is a little pricier than some of the other places in the neighborhood, but I found the food very satisfying.

[ElenaRS]

I also like the brunch and dinner at Tavern on Dean (Dean & Underhill).
At Soda Bar I love their chicken sandwich, but ask for extra mayo - it's kind of a blt meets chicken sandwich on ciabatta bread. YUM.

what we need in prospect heights is decent chinese and thai. i haven't found any worth mentioning!

[kaydeesquared]

Cheryl's brunch is pretty good. I always get the salmon platter which has egg, avocado, capers, and huge fat pieces of salmon. And they do know how to make a Bloody Mary.

[bigmackdaddy]

Vanderbilt Ave seems to be the main strip in terms of variety. Alesio on Vanderbilt between Park and Prospect Places is a paradox in that the food is terrific but the portions small. Beast on Vanderbilt and Bergen is hit or miss. The Usual is pretty good for a greasy spoon. Tom's on Washington and Sterling is a bit pricey for a diner and the food isn't all that but the staff is very professional and friendly and the interior is charming. A new Mexican place opened up on Classon Ave between Park and Prospect and it's pretty good. The "trio". three restaurants under one ownership are decent enough, there's Noona , not authentic Korean but good enough, La Gamin which serves good food as well and Soda bar where the food is average. All three are on Vanderbilt Ave. Mitchell's Soul Food is old style, contract diabetes after a meal or two place. And Sorrell on Carlton and Dean, which I've never been to but have heard good things about. Other than that it's mostly very good Carribean places along a stretch of Washington, Classon and Franklin Avenues. It makes for a great culinary walk. Just outside of Prospect Heights is David's Brisket House, a combo Jewish style deli and Halal soul food place. You can actually ask for your corned beef and pastrami sandwich lean and still get a ton of flavor from the meat. Oh yes! And Taro Suhi on Dean Street between Flatbush and 5th in the Slope.

[NancyC]

I have been living here about a year and am still looking. Best I have found are Christine's patties, most things at The Islands, burger at Soda. Never been to Le Gamin but I've been to one in Manhattan, it's pretty good.

Taro is good, Gen is decent as well for sushi.

Anyone been to Bob Law's? I've been intrigued by the name only (reminds me of Arrested development).

[pitu]

Bob Law's = quality fried fish

[megan]

Never eaten there, but every time I walk by the place I think, "Bob Law's Law Blog!" :)

[NancyC]

SO DO I. I giggle too much to know if I should go in! I have seen the menu and goodness knows I crave fried things, just never looks that popular at the times I walk by so I wasn't sure.

Been to Le Gamin since my last post. Had the croque monsieur which you really can't go wrong with...not sure I've ever had a bad one.