a daytime sandwich shop that becomes a candlelit seasonal Italian restaurant
Must-try: Turkey and dill pickle sandwich, Paccheri, Seasonal vegetables
📍 71-08 Fresh Pond Rd, Ridgewood, NY 11385
around since the '60s, and the crunchy Sicilian slice explains why
Must-try: Sicilian slice, Chicken parm pizza, Chicken cutlet sandwich
📍 59-10 Myrtle Ave, Ridgewood, NY 11385
A German bakery founded in the 1930s, still the neighborhood's morning meeting point
Must-try: Bienenstich, Black forest cake, Alfajores
📍 905 Seneca Ave, Ridgewood, NY 11385
Venezuelan street food done properly, with fillings you build yourself
Must-try: Cachapas, Patacones, Arepa with shredded beef
📍 678 Seneca Ave, Ridgewood, NY 11385
the Rolo's team doing rotating jello and a brunch built for groups
Must-try: Small plates, Tacos, Heirloom masa pancakes
📍 68-22 Forest Ave, Ridgewood, NY 11385
A closet-sized counter turning out more than ten kinds of pupusa, all oozing cheese
Must-try: Huitlacoche pupusa, Chorizo pupusa, Pozole
📍 7120 Fresh Pond Rd, Ridgewood, NY 11385
a quesadilla specialist working with thick housemade corn tortillas
Must-try: Cheese and pork quesadilla, Chorizo tacos, Guajillo pambazo
📍 766 Seneca Ave, Ridgewood, NY 11385
a Japanese-inspired konbini making an incredible fried chicken katsu sandwich
Must-try: Spicy chicken katsu sandwich, Cauliflower katsu, Spam grilled cheese
📍 17-11 Grove St, Ridgewood, NY 11385
a casual Dominican room serving very good plates under $20 a head
Must-try: Crispy pernil, Chicharron, Rotisserie chicken
📍 55-37 Myrtle Ave, Ridgewood, NY 11385
Days-long fermented dough giving a thin, crackly crust with big pockets of air
Must-try: Fulgheri with provolone and caramelized onions, Manopella with vodka sauce and pesto
📍 6298 Forest Ave, Ridgewood, NY 11385
Wood-fired, charred, detail-obsessed cooking and the restaurant that reset expectations for the neighborhood
Must-try: Two-sheet lasagna verde, Smashburger, Polenta bread
📍 853 Onderdonk Ave, Ridgewood, NY 11385
Handmade pierogi with a Polish grocery attached, carrying on Ridgewood's oldest food tradition
Must-try: Potato-and-cheese pierogi, White borscht, Kielbasa
📍 57-34 Catalpa Ave, Ridgewood, NY 11385
a corner-store deli counter wrapping momos in flatbread and coating them in cheese
Must-try: Momos in paratha, Samosa chat, Chili chicken
📍 56-09 Myrtle Ave, Ridgewood, NY 11385
an old-school Italian room perfecting the same marsala recipe since 1982
Must-try: Chicken marsala, Meatballs, House red
📍 66-11 Forest Ave, Ridgewood, NY 11385
an '80s-themed parlor whose pies come out thin, crisp and properly charred
Must-try: Maitake mushroom pizza, Nduja pizza, Tomato and cheese
📍 690 Woodward Ave, Ridgewood, NY 11385
a narrow shop with doughy pierogies and a takeout counter at the back
Must-try: Pierogies, Stuffed cabbage, Chicken cutlet
📍 66-65 Forest Ave, Ridgewood, NY 11385
a bright Ecuadorian cafeteria with an enormous glass case of baked goods
Must-try: Guatita, Rotisserie chicken, Steak with eggs
📍 819 Seneca Ave, Ridgewood, NY 11385
a small trattoria where the wine is about $9 and the pasta under $20
Must-try: Orecchiette, Mozzarella in carrozza, Regional wines
📍 68-10 Fresh Pond Rd, Ridgewood, NY 11385
a charming sandwich shop that turns candlelit and Italian after dark
Must-try: Mortadella with pistachio pesto, Eggplant parm, Antipasti
📍 66-01 Forest Ave, Ridgewood, NY 11385
a warm, jazz-filled trattoria with homemade pastas all under $20
Must-try: Gramigna with sausage, Tortelloni in butter sage, Calamari
📍 880 Woodward Ave, Ridgewood, NY 11385