Atlantic Avenue—Pacific Street

1 Don Pepe Restaurant Most mornings, you’ll find locals chattering away in Spanish while tucking into diner-style breakfasts at the old-fashioned counter here. It’s a great backdrop for a golden Spanish omelette loaded with green peppers and onions, served with a mound of homestyle potatoes for just $3. 42 Fourth Ave between Dean and Pacific Sts (718-855-7866)

2 Blue Sky Bakery Ask for Blue Sky’s $3.75 combo special and you’ll get one of the morning’s freshly baked goods, perhaps a bran muffin bursting with gooey blackberries and raspberries, plus a small iced coffee that could easily pass for a generous medium. 53 Fifth Ave between Bergen St and St. Marks Pl (718-783-4123)

Lunch

3 Sabaa Let the friendly Yemeni staff steer you toward one of the better homemade delicacies sitting behind the glass: The traditional beef kofta lunch special ($5) is satisfying—three spicy rolls of meat reclining on a heap of basmati rice. 574 Atlantic Ave between Third and Fourth Aves (718-246-9700)

4 Dean Street Grill Unless you grab one of the few pleasant tables out front, you’re ordering your food to go from this place. The top pick on the Caribbean–Middle Eastern menu is the $4 jerk chicken sandwich, which straddles both cuisines: Inside pita bread, strands of nicely blackened jerk chicken nestle with lettuce and tomatoes. 52 Fourth Ave at Dean St (718-596-7586)

5 Mule Café One favorite sandwich at this peaceful spot (popular with the laptop crowd) is the Brer Rabbit ($6): rustic pizza bianca bread slathered with fig jam and topped with melted Brie and watercress. The free side of Kettle Chips adds crunch. 67 Fourth Ave between Bergen St and St. Marks Pl (718-398-6700)

6 Mai The hearty $6 casserole here is a fine lunch alternative at this sanctuary-like Southeast Asian spot. Teeming with tiny discs of Chinese sausage, greens, shiitake mushrooms and jasmine rice, the dish comes to the table sizzling in a skillet that requires a cooling-off period. 497 Atlantic Ave between Third Ave and Nevins St (718-797-3880)

7 Nepon The $7.95 beef negimaki lunch box is so big, you might still be full by dinnertime. Six tender pieces of beef are wrapped around bundles of scallions; soup and salad are also part of the box’s offerings, and the two fried pork dumplings and a piece of fried chicken make for an unusual twist. 52 Fifth Ave at Bergen St (718-230-0301)

Dinner

Stir It Up

8 Stir It Up The Amazing Chicken at this West Indian eatery is aptly named—it’s superflavorful mock poultry sautéed with pineapple and veggies. The delicious, generous portion is served with kidney-bean-studded rice and costs only $8.50, so spring for a bowl of the spicy spinach tossed with garlic and tomatoes ($3) to make your dinner complete. 514 Atlantic Ave between Third Ave and Nevins St (718-643-3716)

9 El Viejo Yayo Restaurant From the overwhelmingly large menu here, we recommend the half barbecued chicken with black beans and yellow rice ($8). It arrives swimming in too much sauce, but this rotisserie-cooked bird is juicy and delectable. 36 Fifth Ave between Bergen and Dean Sts (718-622-8922)
—Alia Akkam

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