Park Slope’s Beloved Eateries of the Past

700+ locals shared which Park Slope eateries they remember most fondly - here are the first 7 we’re celebrating.

Aug 22, 2025

Last year on @parkslopeliving, we asked followers: “If you could bring back a past Park Slope restaurant or bar, what would it be?”

We received an overwhelming 700+ comments, and I’ve been wanting to cover each of these places in depth on Park Slope Pulse - revisiting them in their glory days, including your favorite dishes and drinks.

We’re kicking off this series with the top 7 most-mentioned spots. I was fortunate to have dined at 5 of them before they closed - and wish I could have tried Applewood & Dizzy’s Diner (I got very hangry while writing this post)!

Do you have memories to share about these spots, or other favorites you’d like to see featured? Drop a comment below! If you enjoy this post, please like it - and if there’s enough interest, I’ll continue covering 7 more places in the series.

Applewood

Applewood, a beloved New American restaurant that closed in 2016 after nearly 12 years in business, was known for its commitment to the Slow Food movement and farm-to-table cuisine. Applewood hosted monthly "Meet the Farmer" dinners where farmers would bring their produce, and the restaurant's chef, Sam Sherman, would prepare a six-course tasting menu.

[Photos of Applewood from Yelp]

Owners David and Laura Shea sourced ingredients mainly from local farms, featuring hormone- and antibiotic-free meats and poultry, and wild-caught fish. Laura Shea ran a cheese shop upstate called Bimi's that supplied cheese to the restaurant.

Red wine braised short ribs with polenta and carrots (prix fixe summer 2015 menu)

Located in a beautifully restored townhouse, the restaurant had a cozy, farmhouse atmosphere with wide-planked wooden floors, exposed brick, and a crackling fireplace.

📍 501 11th St, Brooklyn

Now: Park Slope Desk

Cafe Steinhof

Cafe Steinhof, which closed its doors in October 2020 after two decades in Park Slope, was a beloved Austrian restaurant known for its authentic comfort food and cozy atmosphere.

Dishes & drinks people loved:

Authentic Viennese Cuisine: traditional dishes like Wiener Schnitzel, goulash, and a variety of sausages, alongside classic desserts like apple bread pudding and linzer torte. I personally loved the spaetzle!
Extensive drink menu featuring Austrian and German beers on tap

[Photos of Cafe Steinhof from Yelp]

Debreziner with buttered sauteed spaetzle and roasted potatoes

📍 422 7th Ave, Brooklyn

Now: Miolin Bakery

Dizzy’s Diner

Artwork of Dizzy’s via alltherestaurants.com (you can purchase this artwork from Park Slope artist John Donohue!)

Dizzy's Diner, a beloved Park Slope eatery, sadly closed its doors in October 2020 after a 22-year run at the corner of 9th St & 8th Ave due to the financial strain brought on by the Covid pandemic. Dizzy's served as a local hub where neighbors gathered for all meals through the day.

~~~ This post continues after the paywall, including 4 more Park Slope eateries from the past ~~~

Photos of Dizzy’s Diner from Yelp

Dishes & drinks people loved:

Corned beef hash, eggs benedict, and according to Yelp reviewers their Mac and Cheese topped with Rice Krispies
Dizzy's famously served breakfast throughout the day and offered a special brunch menu on weekends. Their brunch was particularly popular, known for its included bottomless coffee or tea, a mimosa or bellini, and complimentary mini muffins and scones with strawberry butter.

📍 511 9th St, Brooklyn

Now: Parkview Market

Franny’s

Franny's, an iconic Park Slope restaurant, was a neighborhood fixture on Flatbush Avenue for 14 years before closing its doors in 2017. It quickly gained a reputation that drew diners from across the city.

Opened in 2004, Franny's was ahead of its time with a strong commitment to the Slow Food movement and utilizing local, seasonal ingredients. Their focus on sustainability extended to their sourcing, ensuring vegetables, fruits, eggs, dairy, and fish were either local or organic, and meats were from sustainable sources, hormone and antibiotic-free.

Photos below of Franny’s via Google Maps & Yelp

Dishes & drinks people loved: For its pizza, with a perfectly charred thin crust and flavorful toppings like their famous clam pizza and anchovy and red chili flake pie. The menu also featured a rotating selection of seasonal pasta dishes and other Italian specialties.

Artwork of Franny’s via alltherestaurants.com (you can purchase this artwork from Park Slope artist John Donohue!)

📍 348 Flatbush Ave, Brooklyn

Now: Fausto

Korzo

Korzo was a beloved Eastern European gastropub in Park Slope, Brooklyn, known for its unique deep-fried burgers, closed its doors in December 2022 (likely due to increased rents during the pandemic). It was operated for nearly 15 years by Slovakian couple Otto and Maria Zizak.

Photos of Korzo via Yelp

Dishes & drinks people loved:

Signature deep-fried burger: the patty was wrapped in Hungarian lángoš dough and fried, creating a unique and delicious experience. I was fortunate to try one myself and I can confirm they were rare inside as they look in this photo - and very tasty.
Eastern European classics: halušky dumplings, goulash, and pierogi
Their own organic ale
House-made condiments like beet ketchup

You can still get Otto and Maria’s famous deep-fried burgers at their store ottoburger in Hopewell, New Jersey!

📍 667 5th Ave, Brooklyn (no longer on Google Maps - here is the Yelp reference)

Now: Raíces Argentinas

Park Slope ChipShop

Park Slope ChipShop was known for offering an authentic British fish and chip shop experience. It won "Best Fish & Chips in New York" award from Time Out Magazine and The Village Voice.

Photos of ChipShop from Google Maps & Yelp

Dishes & drinks people loved:

Authentic British Fare: Park Slope ChipShop brought the taste of the UK to Brooklyn with classics like fish and chips (offering cod, haddock, and plaice), full English breakfast, shepherd's pie, mushy peas, and bangers and mash.
Deep-Fried Delights (and Oddities): The ChipShop was renowned for its adventurous deep-frying, starting with Mars bars and expanding to include Twinkies, chocolate bars, and even customer-requested items like beef jerky and sushi. They were particularly proud of their "Twice Fried Cherry Pie," which was once banned by the NYC Health Department for its potentially hazardous (but delicious) nature.
Other dishes: steak and kidney pie, chicken curry, and various puddings

📍 383 5th Ave, Brooklyn

Now: Peppas Jerk Chicken

Talde

Talde, the restaurant of celebrity chef and Top Chef contestant Dale Talde, opened in Park Slope in 2012 and quickly became a popular spot for its inventive Asian-American cuisine. Sadly, the original Brooklyn location closed its doors in January 2019 after nearly 7 years in the neighborhood.

Chef Dale Talde, known for his appearances on reality cooking shows including Top Chef, brought his Filipino-American heritage and a playful approach to the menu.

Photos below of Franny’s via Google Maps & Yelp

Dishes & drinks people loved:

Creative dishes like Pretzel Pork & Chive Dumplings, Crispy Oyster-Bacon Pad Thai, Korean Fried Chicken with Spicy Kimchee Yogurt, Grapes and Mint, and even a "breakfast ramen" during brunch.