12 Best Restaurants in Ditmas Park and Midwood, New York City

Brooklyn legend Domenico De Marco has been handcrafting pizzas with top-quality ingredients in this Midwood storefront since 1965, and even the locals wait upward of an hour (and sometimes two) for pizza that's a contender for best in the greater New York area. You can order a slice ($5), but you're better off with a whole pie, because the pizza maker waits until there are enough slice orders to complete a pie. The "classic" is topped with sausage, peppers, mushrooms, and onions ($33), but the "regular" ($29) lets you appreciate the pure goodness. The small, worn space has a handful of tables (no table service), so don't expect anything fancy. For a shorter wait, arrive well before they open at noon.

This rustic-chic farm-to-table American restaurant put Ditmas Park on the culinary map when it opened in 2006, and it continues to draw local regulars as well as an in-the-know crowd from Manhattan and beyond. The vegetarian-friendly, locally sourced menu changes seasonally, although the burger, house-made pickles, and award-winning fries with curry mayo are staples. Weekend brunch is especially popular—try the "adult grilled cheese" with apple slices or the smoked pollock cakes, and don’t miss the chocolate bread with sea salt or the spicy Bloody Mary. In warm weather, tables are set out in the backyard. Check the website for wine dinners and other events.

Pizza is the thing at Wheated, and the menu lists nearly 20 Neapolitan-style pies—all named after neighborhoods in Brooklyn, which is fitting for this laid-back, local's-favorite spot. There are several white (no sauce) and vegan options, but meat eaters should try one with Faicco’s sweet fennel sausage. Add a kick to your pie with locally produced Mike’s Hot Honey and the owner’s blend of ground, roasted Thai chili pepper. The cocktail menu has creative options that stand up to the pizza, so sipping drinks in the separate bar area is equally enticing.

In addition to excellent coffee, tea, and even kombucha (on tap), this bustling café near the Q train serves local farm-fresh and homemade fare from eggs and biscuits to veggie and poke bowls. Sandwiches come piled high with organic ingredients such as fresh avocado, leafy greens, and the "world's best" pastrami. You'll want to try all 10 grilled cheeses, be it classic cheddar, fig and apple, or another delectable variation. Though a tad cramped, the café's more than 30 tables are spread out in two rooms.

This brightly painted Tibetan restaurant perched above the subway tracks next to the Cortelyou Road station draws a crowd. The budget- and vegetarian-friendly menu is strong on homemade traditional Himalayan dishes like momos (dumplings), curries, tsam-thuk (barley soup), baklap (patties of minced beef, garlic, and onion), and butter tea, which is salty and usually an acquired taste. Order the thali platter for a complete meal with daal (lentil soup), mustard greens, salad, and papadum flatbread. With only seven tables, there’s often a wait.

Colorful textiles adorn the windows of this tiny taquería that serves a sizable, affordable menu of authentic dishes. The “super” tacos (choice of meat with lettuce, cheese, sour cream, pico de gallo, and guacamole), mole entrées, quesadillas, and hearty chicken, goat, and pozole (hominy) soups go well with the refreshing tamarind juice or horchata (a rice-milk drink with cinnamon)—both house-made. With fewer than 10 tables it can get crowded on weekends. Sidewalk seating is available in warm weather.

Attentive baristas expertly prepare luscious lattes and single-origin cold-brewed coffee in this stylistically minimal corner coffee shop. Owner Buck Berk personally travels to farms around the world to find Coffee Mob's beans, which are roasted at Brooklyn's Pulley Collective. Enjoy your coffee with pastries or a bagel and feel revived with both caffeine and the shop's abundant natural light.

Each dish is an experience in layered flavors at this American Asian eatery, from the Szechuan pepper "Pangry" wings to the "misotto" (an Asian twist on risotto) to the beignets with salted caramel sauce. Chef Medwin Pang, who grew up in the neighborhood, trained at Balthazar and Nobu. Evenings, the intimate space has a candlelit, loungelike vibe. A large painting of General Guan Yu, the patron saint of Chinese martial arts, oversees the beer, wine, and sake bar.

This bright, tiny café makes outstanding hummus; the masabache version (traditional hummus with lemon garlic dressing) and the mushroom version (which also has onion and cumin) are favorites. Other menu standouts include shakshuka (eggs cooked in a tomato sauce) with or without a side of merguez sausage, the vegetarian meze sampling plate, the Moroccan tagines, and the weekly specials. Beer and wine are on the menu as well at this pleasant neighborhood spot.

The extensive “burger board” (beef, turkey, fish, or veggie patties with delectable toppings), brunch, and beer options draw a crowd of regulars to this homey gastropub that often has a sporting event on its TV. The menu, though, runs the gamut from fish-and-chips and roast chicken to pasta dishes and salads—but don’t miss the sides, like the soft-baked pretzel with Dijon mustard and cheese sauce, and beer-battered fried pickles. Sunday means the Evil Ox Sauce chicken wings are on the menu. There are two daily happy hours (5 to 6 pm and 10 to 11 pm).

The menu at this low-lit, atmospheric pan-Asian restaurant has a heavy Filipino influence, with Korean and other flavors at the forefront. The juicy chicken adobo braised in vinegar, garlic, and soy sauce is the signature dish, but the bibimbap (Korean for "mixed rice," with vegetables) is excellent, and adventurous eaters swear by the sisig, a succulent Filipino dish of pig cheeks with lime and chilies. Dine at the bar and you might end up chatting with the chef, or head to the back garden in summer. If the "dumpling of the day" is pork buns, go for it—they're right up there with the famous Momofuku buns in Manhattan.

This homey café brews daily-changing coffee roasts (also sold by the bag) and serves a variety of tasty teas, but the real treats are the breakfast pastries and Mediterranean-influenced menu—especially the Egyptian poached eggs with house-made hummus, arugula, and za’atar spices. The expansive patio is lovely in summer.