Skip Manhattan and Head Straight To Brooklyn To Get Your Nosh On

Billed as Taiwanese-American, Win Son has been called one of the most thrilling meals of the moment in NYC. The food at Win Son is playful (sloppy bao with stew pork, chili and peanuts, anyone?) but it also packs a serious punch in terms of technique and homage to its Taiwanese roots. Though Win Son looks like any low-key neighborhood joint, the word's out that it's one of the best places to grub down, so reservations are recommended unless you arrive on the earlier end. In terms of a breeze on your face, there's outdoor seating when the weather cooperates, making it the perfect spot for a casual weekday dinner.

This charmingly dark and just a little bit ruckus pizza joint in Greenpoint, Brooklyn is the perfect old-world-meets-new pie combination. The interior is built from salvaged materials with the help of Build It Green NYC, and a wood-burning oven adds to the cheery ambiance. Craft beers pair well with cheekily named pies (Red, White and Greenberg, or the Ricotta Be Kiddin' Me), and creative toppings like dried sour cherries, fennel sausage, lemon juice and Mike's Hot Honey. During dining, friendly mastermind-owner Paul Giannone - hint: that's Paulie Gee - works the dining room, meandering from table-to-table chatting up delighted guests and divulging secrets on the art of New York pizza.

Ready for some romance? Walk across the Brooklyn Bridge and straight into a dream called the River Cafe. From the sweeping skyline views to the delicious food, this is one spot that's earned its stripes over the years. Dinner is served as a fixed price affair for $145 or as the six-course chef's signature tasting menu for $175. While the menu is subject to changes, you can expect new American bites such as smoked salmon with sturgeon caviar, créme fraîche, pumpernickel, herb leaves, or the Colorado rack of lamb with Swiss chard cannelloni, Sicilian pistachio, arugula pesto, whipped ricotta.

Claro is one of the hottest and most exciting restaurants to open in New York in recent memory, which makes it perfect for impressing that certain someone. In 2018, they were awarded a Michelin star for their take on Oaxacan cuisine mixed with a refinement that's all NYC. The corn for Claro's menu comes from farms that hand-pick the non-GMO heirloom varieties, and the restaurant makes everything by hand, including the masa, cheeses and moles. The meats (chorizo, beef cheek, heritage pork rib) and produce (dandelion, spring onion) are local and organic, and the mezcal list is one of the best in town.

Kings Co Imperial is a small spot tucked onto a nondescript side street in Williamsburg but the kitchen is arguably pumping out some of the best Chinese food in the city. They're best known for the mock eel, a vegetarian marvel that's fashioned out of mushroom and doused in addicting soy. Don't stop there though. The tea smoked mu shu duck comes ready to wrap in a handmade pancake, the perfect accompaniment to a bowl of hot and sour soup, flecked with lily flower, shrimp, chicken, white pepper and red vinegar. You also shouldn't hesitate to order a round (or three) of cocktails - in true Brooklyn fashion, they're pulling negronis, mai-tais and a rye/green tea treat called The Powder Keg on tap.

From their onsite gardening internships to their podcasts recorded at the Heritage Radio Network, pizza doesn't get any cooler than at Roberta's. But lest that dissuade you from trekking out to Bushwick for a nibble, let us ease your fears: while this hipster haven continually makes headlines with head-turning stories like the time they unrolled a weed-tasting menu, their drug-free food more than lives up its own hype. Wood tables and outdoor seating lend an air of casualness to the atmosphere here, and their wood-burning oven is prominently displayed. As for the pizzas? Carlo Mirarchi's pies feature produce grown onsite and have cemented themselves as a must-eat on any New York pizza tour.

Sunday in Brooklyn is what you hope your future apartment looks like when you have enough cash to actually decorate it well. And the food at Sunday in Brooklyn is what you hope your future spouse will be able to whip up in the kitchen. All in all, it's a highly pleasurable experience that'll make you wonder if you should move to Brooklyn immediately. The menu rotates with the seasons, but expect dishes such as asparagus with soft boiled egg, ricotta salata, basil, and mint, or the striped bass with flowering broccoli in pil-pil sauce. If it's a warmer day, grab a sidewalk seat for prime people watching.

Ever since Missy Robbins opened, restaurant reviewers have been raving that finally, she's finally cooking pasta again. Born into a family of hosts, travelers and cooks, Missy Robbins brings the best of Italy to Williamsburg where wood-fired seafood, hand-crafted pasta, classic Italian cocktails and warm hospitality come together to create a casual dining experience. Robbins says she found her Italian soul in her five years as executive chef at Spiaggia in Chicago and now, she's bringing her expertise to Brooklyn. While focusing her skills on fine dining Italian, she found her true passion for cooking a deeper understanding of regional Italian cooking. If you come here and don't get the pasta, you're doing it all wrong.

Is it touristy? Yes. Old school? Absolutely. But sometimes, things are popular for a reason. For over 125 years, Peter Luger has been serving up mammoth porterhouses and fried German potatoes on a nondescript corner in Williamsburg. The two-story structure has seen a lot of changes outside its doors but stepping inside, you'd never know it. The hyper-masculine interior and no-nonsense wait staff give the place an old-fashioned vibe, and the epic steaks keep customers coming back for more. Luger's has since opened a second location in Great Neck, Long Island, but come to the Brooklyn original for the full, meaty Monty.

Located in an 1860's restored warehouse building at the edge of the Williamsburg Bridge, Aska is a modern Brooklyn restaurant run by Michelin-starred Swedish chef Fredrik Berselius. Take a culinary journey of Scandinavian flavors in a procession of specially sourced ingredients from the urban farm down the street to local producers across the Northeast. In its new spacious, yet intimate dining room, Aska offers 12-course dinners for $265 a person with the option to add beverage pairings. Looking for something more low-key? Under an open Brooklyn sky, the Courtyard Garden is where the neighborhood gathers for wine, beer, cocktails and a menu of small plates.