This Cobble Hill spot calls itself a bar, and a lot of people use it that way. That's absolutely understandable: one of the current owners is widely credited with inventing the Cosmo, the cocktail and wine list is longer than the food menu, and you can easily drink one too many textbook-perfect Negronis at the polished wooden bar. But if you only drink here, you're missing out. Once you try the burger and fried cheese curds at Long Island Bar, this place will be so deeply embedded in your regular restaurant repertoire that you’ll have a hard time drinking martinis and eating burgers anywhere else. The walk-in only corner spot on Atlantic Avenue originally opened in 1951, and it still looks like an old-school diner. Colorful string lights add some festive atmosphere—even when it’s just neighborhood folks eating deviled eggs in the handful of leather booths. It's the kind of place you could come to for a Tuesday date-night in sweatpants, or solo fries and martini at the bar. But you should also consider Long Island Bar for a low-key special occasion: like a birthday you don’t want to make a big deal out of, or a summer Friday when your friends are feeling a bit spendier than usual. For times like those, add a bottle of champagne to your burger order. It's a legitimate menu item (“Add Bottle Of Champagne”), and it costs $100.
Less