Long gone are the days when Cesar Ramirez’s 18-seat chef’s table was a BYOB operation, whispered about only by certain BK culinary types who hoped fiercely to keep the secret. They could not. Chef’s Table is now a three-Michelin-starred restaurant, and reservations book six weeks in advance. For committed foodies, it’s an incredible experience thanks to the intimate dining space and the chef’s nightly sense of innovation. The twenty-something tasting menu (which changes daily) is priced north of $200, and there is a well-edited wine list.

The team behind cozy and cool Soho restaurant Cómodo opened their second venture, on Fort Greene's neighborhood-y main street, Dekalb Ave. Also following a Latin American–inspired taste, the kitchen focuses on meats and veggies cooked on charcoal grills (in both the indoor, asado style as well as outside clay ovens). There is a gorgeous outdoor space in the back as well as a sunny, greenhouse-like atrium, a particularly charming seating option for delicious weekend brunches.

On Atlantic Avenue, Colonie is a local favorite for inventive, farm-fresh New American cuisine. Stay for the sticky date cake dessert.

Despite the seemingly endless array of pizza joints studding Brooklyn, foodies are loyal to Emily, which is adored for its delectable pies like the Colony (red sauce, homemade mozzarella, pickled chilis, pepperoni, honey) and the Emily (white sauce, pistachios, mozzarella, honey, truffle sottocenere). Opened in 2013, the Clinton Hill joint has also gained cult status with burger lovers: Emily serves theirs on a pretzel bun and topped with charred onion, melted cheddar and a special “Emmy sauce.” Go early: there are a limited number of burgers served each night.

Making the trek to this industrial stretch of northern Greenpoint, nowhere near any subway, requires some justification—and this truly unique, inspired Middle Eastern–inspired restaurant is it. The small plates (fava bean and chickpea dip served in fried potato husks, hot-grilled radishes dusted with za'atar) dished out in an ever-buzzing dining room outfitted with whitewashed brick and potted succulents are excellent. But really, Glasserie’s large-format rabbit is the jewel in its crown, cooked three ways and served with an addictive flaky griddlebread and myriad garnishes.

Chef Sean Rembold’s (previously at Diner and Marlow & Sons) take on a tavern, with warm lighting, warm service and warming food.

L’Industrie Pizzeria mixes the best of both worlds—the ability to grab a single New York slice with the artistry of gourmet pizza.

Coupling Israeli cuisine with views of the East River and Manhattan, Laser Wolf has become one of NYC's most coveted reservations.

Set in a dreamy French bistro-meets-Brooklyn warehouse interior, Le Crocodile serves up French fare for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Lilia has transformed what used to be a run-down garage into a trendy Italian restaurant with an airy, elegant atmosphere. Missy Robins, who holds a Michelin star at her other two restaurants and was nominated twice for a James Beard Award, runs the kitchen here. The sophisticated Italian menu includes such creative dishes as cacio e pepe fritelle, cauliflower with spicy soppressata and Sicilian pesto and a stunning malfadini pasta with pink peppercorns. Wash it all down with Lilia’s signature Aperol spritz.

Head to Llama Inn for a Peruvian vacation by way of Williamsburg. The restaurant uses exotic ingredients and foreign influences to produce playful dishes like the Llama Del Rey sangria and beef heart skewers. The interior is equally fabulous and channels a sophisticated hipster vibe—artwork made of yarn covers one wall, multicolored lampshades and plants hang above tables and floor-to-ceiling windows allow the space to be flooded with light.

At this revered Carroll Gardens restaurant, only true pizza devotees will find the notoriously lengthy wait worthwhile. (Certain very important people—such as Jay-Z, who is a regular—don’t have to wait.) Owner Mark Iacono spent two years renovating the cozy space, including the wood-fired oven. If you’d like to try one of his legendary pies, arrive at 6pm, when the eatery opens, and (even so) expect to bide your time. The menu features just two items: calzone and pizza, with an incredible paper-thin crust, a fragrant wash of sauce whose recipe is famously guarded, and a mix of mozzarella cheeses topped with Grana Padano. Choose your toppings from the list of available offerings; basil is a must. Service can be unpredictable, but you’ll have eaten one of the best pizzas in the city.

Missy Robbins is growing her Italian Williamsburg empire with her newest spot, MISIPASTA, which doubles as a dine-in restaurant and boutique.

The distinctive brunch and dinner menus at this neighborhood spot in Prospect Heights feature such eclectic items as kale crab rangoon, carrot crepes, spinach shakshouka and highly Instagrammable breakfast egg rolls stuffed with bacon, eggs and cheese. For a particularly memorable meal, enjoy a bite in the vibrant backyard garden where many of the dishes’ ingredients are grown.

Let’s get one thing out of the way: You’ll have to sacrifice some creature comforts at this old-school steak institution, which opened in 1887. But in exchange for surly service, lackluster side dishes and an inexplicable cash-only policy, you’ll receive a spectacularly aged, marbleized and charred porterhouse thicker than your hand. Although steakhouses old and new proliferate around town, this is the place to go for the quintessential New York steak experience.

On Atlantic Avenue, Pips is an excellent natural wine and cocktail bar with a curated selection of interesting bottles from around the world.

This rustic spot, a neighborhood favorite of Bon Appetit editor Andrew Knowlton’s, dishes out hearty, German-inflected fare in a wood-and-brick dining room. A project from Frank Castronovo and Frank Falcinelli’s of Frankies Spuntino fame just up the street, you can rely on Prime Meats for impeccably mixed cocktails, house-made pretzels with butter and Bavarian sweet mustard and exquisite slabs of dry-aged meat. After a day of wandering about the neighborhood and ogling its beautiful brownstones, it’s the perfect place to refuel among the couples and families who actually reside in them.

You know this place is cool because neighborhood hipsters wait hours to eat here. You know it’s worth the wait because the Clintons also eat here (or they did once in 2012, propelling this far-flung Bushwick pizzeria to instant fame). It would be a disservice to classify Roberta’s as a mere slice spot, though, because it also grows seasonal greens on its rooftop garden, broadcasts food-focused shows from its in-house radio station, and creates artfully composed small plates not unlike those you would find at a much more refined restaurant uptown. And, yes, the artisanal pies served in this no-frills garage are whimsically named (Cheesus Christ), perfectly chewy, and utterly delicious. Ease the wait at this no-reservations establishment by throwing back a cocktail or two at its tiki bar in the back.

Though St. Anselm presents itself as a simple steakhouse—and its steak is indeed excellent—you’d be mistaken not to order off the rest of the menu, which celebrates the pleasures of the open fire. It is the grill, rather than red meat, that is given the starring role here, with superlative charred cuts of beef holding court alongside fire-roasted sardines and smoky eggplant slices on the well-rounded menu. Don’t leave without ordering a side of mashed potatoes, which have been, in fact, pan-fried to create a crusty golden top, fragrant with truffle oil and parsley. This Williamsburg eatery doesn’t take reservations, so plan to arrive when it opens or wait (for hours) at its sister craft-beer bar next door, Spuyten Duyvil.