On a charming corner of Montague Street in Brooklyn Heights, this outpost of Felice is popular for Italian mainstays.

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.

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.

Dig into a slice of old Brooklyn at this Coney Island institution, frequented by pizza fanatics, residents of the peninsular neighborhood and tourists refueling between Cyclone rides. Founded in 1924 by Anthony “Totonno” Pero, an apprentice of New York’s original pizzaiolo Gennaro Lombardi, the joint is still worthy of an outer-borough pilgrimage. The spare dining room is an exercise in nostalgia, service is gruff but friendly, and the coal-oven pies—bubbling mozzarella cheese and a tangy dash of tomato sauce over an ultra-thin crust—remain peerless.

If its name didn’t already suggest it, Vinegar Hill House is a welcoming and cozy retreat from the bustling Brooklyn streets. The interior features charming touches like antique lanterns, rustic furniture and a colonial flag covering a wall. Vinegar Hill House offers traditional American fare, such as cast-iron chicken, blue corn cornbread with spicy honey butter and a rich cream cheese–frosted Guinness cake. During the summer months, reserve a table in the restaurant’s backyard garden.