The Best Restaurants in Bay Ridge - New York - The Infatuation (2024)

Along the last stops of the R train line in Brooklyn, just before the Verrazano Bridge, you’ll find some of the city’s best restaurants for Lebanese, Yemeni, Syrian, Palestinian, and Turkish food in Bay Ridge. You'll also encounter Georgian cheese boats, Italian red sauce, and lobster newburg—plus more specialties from around the Middle East and beyond—as you wander between 65th and 86th Streets, and down further to Fort Hamilton. It's hard not to keep stopping every few minutes to take a whiff of some juicy roasting shawarma, dip into a market for some fresh Lebanese cheese, or pick up just one more piece of syrupy baklava. Here are all the spots you should prioritize.

THE SPOTS

Open since 1998, Tanoreen is a New York City staple and an anchor of the neighborhood. Bring the whole family to this Bay Ridge spot to enjoy a meal of shareable Palestinian, Syrian and other Levantine food at a big round table under a glowing chandelier. The baba ganoush is lemony, the fetti with sumac-spiced lamb is crunchy with almonds and fried pita, and the gooey knafeh is worth every bit of its 20-minute wait.

This counter-service spot has everything from foul mudammas and kebab platters, to manakish covered in za’atar, and our go-to: Palestinian-style shawarma. You can get the shawarma inside a fluffy pita, but we prefer the laffa wrap, with juicy, tender meat and crunchy pickles neatly packed inside. There are only a couple of cramped tables, which are usually occupied, but the wrap is easy to eat on the go if you feel like window shopping for gold jewelry and Islamic fashion along 5th Ave.

If you’d rather sit down somewhere with your shawarma, head to Ruzana. You’ll also order at a counter here, but they have cushioned seating inside, and a covered outdoor dining structure. Behind the counter, you can see a chef in the corner kneading dough, stuffing grape leaves, and making fresh batches of hummus, whipped to airy perfection. Take a friend so you can also order a mansaf platter with fluffy rice and tangy yogurt-covered lamb, or some freshly fried falafels with still-crispy crusts.

The cheese and bread in question at this Georgian cafe is khachapuri, which they have in at least five different varieties, baked fresh each morning. Pick up a flaky piece of khachapuri penovani and a coffee to-go, or stay for a full meal at one of the cafe tables. There isn’t much ambience, but they serve a full menu of solid Georgian food until 11pm. Stop by for a late dinner of khinkali and lula kebabs, or take home some pre-made soups, salads, and cheeses from the refrigerators on the side.

This slice shop feels like it’s stuck in the 1980s, and we love that. We also love Elegante’s square slice, which feels a little like an , but with the sauce and cheese order reversed. The cheese (on top) is satisfyingly stretchy, and the crust is thick and chewy, but still light enough that you could easily eat more than one slice.

Known for its lamb haneeth that’s slow-cooked for hours, Yemen Cafe is a New York City institution. The setup is as casual as a cafeteria, with families hanging out with platters of kebabs, and servers passing around hubcap-sized Yemeni flatbreads and cups of marag that tastes like the pure liquid essence of lamb. Start with some spice-dusted hummus and baba ghanoush, then move on to a bowl of foul with mashed fava beans and the signature fall-off-the-bone lamb shank.

This large, tile-floored restaurant gets some sparkle from chandeliers and gold appliques, but it’s the food that makes a group dinner here feel lavish. Rally a few friends and order the mixed grill. It comes with a piping hot bread cover that the server cuts open to reveal the kebabs. Round out the meal with a cold appetizer platter and slowly-deflating balloon bread, cheesy spinach pide, and gooey slices of kunefe. They also have two locations in Bensonhurst—one sit-down, and one express.

Open since 1993, this scrappy-but-spirited, diner-like restaurant serves breakfast and lunch that’s much better than your average diner food. We love it for weekend brunch. They pull out all the stops, with special menu items like peaches and cream french toast and avocado pesto smash. Or, get their corn beef hash and eggs with super creamy potatoes. You might have to put your name down and take a 30-minute stroll, but it’s worth it.

The veggie-forward food at this super casual cafe feels more exciting than dishes we’ve had at big-name farm-to-table restaurants in Manhattan. Yes, Beets and Carrots has beet and carrot hummus, but they also have beet bucatini with an unexpected chili-almond crunch, and a springtime gnocchi with artichoke barigoule. Bring your meat-eating friends too—they have an ultra luxurious lobster newburg, and sometimes do elk and boar burgers.

Every Georgian restaurant in New York has its two show pieces: the famous cheese boat, and their big, brothy khinkali. Ubani has great versions of both, but don’t sleep on the rest of the menu. They've got good co*cktail game too, and an enclosed backyard, with picnic tables and blue couches.The Georgian salad and its creamy walnut dressing is our favorite dish here, and the cauliflower in walnut sauce and veal stew are tied for second. Choose Ubani over Cheese & Bread when you need some ambience for date night.

The old-school Italian restaurant has been hosting big parties for life milestones since 1964, and it’s where you should come for a big, red wine-soaked evening. They have a take-out pizza counter up front, so start with a slice—which they’ll bring to your table, cut into the correct number of slivers for your party size. Then move on to the hot antipasto platter, chicken parm, and orecchiette with sausage and broccoli rabe. If your table gets overloaded, they'll just bring over another one.

Walk into Ayat and you’ll immediately be tempted by the spits of shawarma and deli case full of hummus and tabbouleh. All of these things are worth your time, but this Palestinian restaurant’s signature platters are the main event. The portions are huge, so you’ll need a group to help get through the six layers of meat, rice, chickpeas, tahini, almonds, and mint in the platter of fattat lahma. Decked out in faux flowers, Ayat's breezy dining room is perfect for a group dinner or casual summer celebration. They now have multiple locations all over the city, but this is the original.

Kimchi Kooks is an adorable place where you can pick up some freshly made banchan. The family-run operation looks like a studio apartment that was converted into a boutique, with some potted plants, a few shelves of pantry items, and a couple of fridges stuffed with small containers of fish cakes, burdock root jorim, and various other Korean sides. Grab a few (we’re partial to the spinach namul), and don’t leave without at least one jar of kimchi. They also make some takeout dishes in the little DIY-looking kitchen right behind the counter, with weekend specials like bibimbap and doenjang jjigae.

Nablus Sweets is named after the West Bank city that’s known as the Palestinian capital of sweets—specifically, knafeh. Nablus has two types, and you need to try both. There’s the coarser khishne—warm, gooey cheese topped with thin, crispy kataifi noodles—but we’re partial to the meltier na’ame, layered with a softer dough, soaked in syrup, and served hot. The barebones counter-service shop serves a number of other sweets, which they’re happy to heat up for you and dress with honey. Enjoy your cheesy dessert and some tea in their outdoor structure.