Our 11 Best Places to Eat in Sunset Park, Brooklyn
The mofongo de camarones at the musical-sounding La Fe comes with an extra large cup of Creole sauce to moisten the mashed plantain.
Presenting the fare of two opposing hemispheres -- the East and the West -- in a segregated setting, Sunset Park is unique in New York's gastronomic demimonde. In other words, the Domincan, Mexican, Peruvian, Ecuadorian, and Salvadoran places, and the stray diner and Hasidic spot, are all tumbled down the hill toward the Upper Bay, while an ever-expanding Chinatown on top lures you with Vietnamese, Yunnan, Sichuan, Cantonese, Malaysian, and the occasional Thai place. You pick. Either way, dinner will be cheap and tasty. Sunset Park is one of the city's great unsung food destinations.
11. La Fe -- Though it flies the flags of a dozen Spanish-speaking countries in its comfy dining room right on the corner of 36th Street and Fourth Avenue, La Fe represents the Dominican Old Guard that once dominated the neighborhood. You can dash in for a snack from the steam table or a Cuban sandwich, or order one of the more elaborate Latin-Caribbean preparations, such as mofongo de camarones (shown above, originally a Puerto Rican dish), arroz con gandules, or the vinegar-laced chicharrones de pollo. 941 Fourth Avenue, 718-788-0139
10. Ba Xuyen -- The beloved Vietnamese sandwich shop is open only from 7:30 a.m. till 6:30 p.m., but I've known people to hurry home from work just so they could score a banh mi for supper. Dark-horse favorite is the one made with canned sardines. It works. Over the last few years, the place has added sidelines that make good apps (spring rolls, for instance) to its original one: Chinese pastries and cakes in the Hong Kong style. 4222 Eighth Avenue, 718-633-6601
9. Green Fig Bakery Café -- Conveniently located just uphill from the 36th Street express stop, this newcomer is seen by some as a sign of gentrification around Green-Wood Cemetery, by others as an excellent source of coffee, overstuffed sandwiches, darling little square slices of pizza, and even vegan cakes, cookies, and pastries. And you know what? Everything is solidly good. 462 36th Street, 718-369-8937
Found among the vegan baked goods at Green Fig is some seriously tasty stuff.
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