Brooklyn food guide: Sunset Park, Brighton Beach and Coney Island

Brooklyn is bigger than most American cities, and eating well in it means choosing a neighborhood. Each part of the borough has a different story: Chinese and Latin American families in Sunset Park, Russian-speaking communities in Brighton Beach, artists and restaurateurs in Williamsburg, and amusement-park food at Coney Island. Choose one or two neighborhoods, eat locally and save the rest for another day.

What is Sunset Park known for?

Sunset Park holds a second Chinatown that rivals the one in Manhattan, centered on Eighth Avenue, alongside a long-established Latin American community along Fifth Avenue. The neighborhood is underrated for food, with affordable dim sum, noodle shops, bakeries and Mexican and Ecuadorian restaurants. The park for which the neighborhood is named gives views of the Statue of Liberty and Manhattan, a good place to walk off a meal. Take the D, N or R train.

What is Brighton Beach like?

Brighton Beach is called Little Russia of New York City, with grocery stores, bakeries, restaurants and boutiques serving Russian, Ukrainian and other former Soviet communities. The boardwalk is calmer than Coney Island's. Expect long tables, dumplings, smoked fish, pastries, salads and live music in the evenings at some restaurants. Groceries sell prepared foods by the pound, and bakeries sell pastries and breads. The neighborhood is at the end of the B and Q lines.

What is Williamsburg known for?

Williamsburg is Brooklyn's best-known dining neighborhood for newer restaurants. Breakfast places, oyster bars, barbecue restaurants and dessert shops cluster here, and new ones open all the time. Bedford Avenue is the main street, and the waterfront has views of Manhattan. The neighborhood also has a large Hasidic community, with kosher bakeries and shops in the south.

What is Smorgasburg?

Smorgasburg is a weekly open-air food market held outdoors in the warmer months, with dozens of vendors. Go hungry, go early, and share dishes to taste more.

What about Coney Island and pizza?

Coney Island means the boardwalk, the amusement park, the beach and the famous hot dog stands. Brooklyn is a pizza borough too, with old-school pizzerias in Midwood and newer ones in Dumbo and Bushwick. The best draw lines, so go early. New York slices are sold by the piece, folded to eat, and a whole pie is cheaper per slice.

How do you plan a day in Brooklyn?

Choose one or two neighborhoods. For example, take the subway to Sunset Park for dim sum, walk to the park for the view, then travel to Brighton Beach for an afternoon on the boardwalk and a late dinner. Or spend the day in Williamsburg and Greenpoint. Brooklyn's subway lines run on different schedules on weekends, so check for changes.

What should you know about prices and tipping?

Prices in Sunset Park and Brighton Beach are lower than in Manhattan, and prices in Williamsburg are similar to or higher than in Manhattan. Sales tax is added at the register, and a tip of 18 to 20 percent is customary at a table. Cash is welcome in smaller shops. Many Brooklyn restaurants add a service charge for large parties.

What are the classic Brooklyn foods to look for?

Brooklyn's culinary heritage includes bagels and bialys, egg creams, cheesecake, pizza by the slice, hot dogs at Coney Island, and the ethnic foods of each immigrant wave: Italian in Carroll Gardens and Bensonhurst, Caribbean in Flatbush and Crown Heights, Polish in Greenpoint, and Middle Eastern on Atlantic Avenue. Most of these communities still have bakeries, delis and restaurants that predate the newer wave of restaurants, and they are often cheaper. Ask a local which bakery they prefer, and buy a pastry to eat on the walk.

A final word on planning: Brooklyn is easy to underestimate. Distances between neighborhoods can be an hour by subway, and weekend repairs change lines. Choose a starting point near a station, and leave an hour of slack for transfers. Many restaurants close one weekday, and some of the oldest take cash only.

Seasons matter in Brooklyn too. Coney Island's boardwalk stands are busiest from Memorial Day to Labor Day, and many close in winter, while Brighton Beach restaurants run all year. Williamsburg's outdoor tables appear in spring and fade by November. Plan around the weather, and carry an umbrella for sudden showers that empty the sidewalks and fill the doorways.

If you are traveling with others, agree on a budget before you set out. A pastry and a coffee in Sunset Park costs little, while a tasting menu in Williamsburg costs a great deal, and a mixed group can feel awkward if tastes differ. Choose a neighborhood that suits everyone, and split bigger meals evenly.

How do you keep track of Brooklyn one neighborhood at a time?

Brooklyn is too big to hold in your head, so write it down by neighborhood. In the Mosey app, rate the dim sum in Sunset Park, the smoked fish in Brighton Beach and the slice you waited in line for by the dish, add a tag, and make one list per neighborhood. Share a list with the friend visiting from out of town, and let them add their finds. Follow friends who live in the borough and their ratings show up beside yours when you plan a weekend.

Rate your next Brooklyn dish in the Mosey app and add it to a neighborhood list.

More guides to read next:

• Manhattan Chinatown food guide: dim sum, dumplings and bakeries
• Harlem food guide: soul food, West African cooking and Lenox Avenue
• Lower East Side food guide: delis, knishes and Essex Market

More in the US food guides and the ranked lists of places.