The Most Tempting Tasting Menus in Brooklyn Right Now

By Max Kalnitz

Treating yourself to a fancy meal is special no matter the form or occasion. But delving into the wild and wonderfully luxurious world of tasting menus unlocks a new level of dining in which each bite is carefully considered and thoughtfully curated.

Never want for anything really, Brooklyn, of course, has no shortage of tempting tasting menus to experience (one less as of last month—RIP Blanca). Sure, Clover Hill, The Chef’s Table at Brooklyn Fare, and Aska are all phenomenal—and if you can afford it and/or get a reservation, we cannot recommend them enough—but the spectrum of multi-course pre-fixe dining in the borough is so much broader and more diverse than any of your feeds would have you believe.

So, we’re shining a light on the spots your algorithms missed. Here, in no particular order, are our favorite tasting menus in Brooklyn as of late.

Swimmas (Courtesy of Mango Bay)

Mango Bay
271 Adelphi St.

Since opening in January, Mango Bay has perfected Afro-Caribbean fusion. Dishes like the imaginative ackee and saltfish eggrolls, velvety braised oxtail, rasta pasta with generous chunks of buttery lobster meat, and their umami-packed Ōra King Salmon playfully elevate Caribbean flavors. But if you can’t decide what to order (pro tip: everything), the restaurant’s executive chef and partner, Landon Chase, hosts a monthly Sunday Supper series featuring an $80 three-course prix-fixe menu (with a wine pairing, it’s $110), live music, and a showcase of local art. The next supper series is May 25th, and it will feature Afro-centric art exploring the diaspora as a precursor for the Juneteenth Sunday Supper.

Tuwo ati gbegiri ati eja alaran (Photo by Scott Lynch)

Dept of Culture
327 Nostrand Ave.

Much has been written about Ayo Balogun’s James Beard-nominated Nigerian restaurant Dept. of Culture, but let me give you one more reason to add this spot to your to-eat list. Yes, the $75 four-course foray into Kwara cuisine is delicious and a great value. On any given night, you might eat spicy fish or goat pepper soup, a hearty bowl of asaro featuring yams, shrimp, and crayfish, and hopefully the sticky plantain with vanilla ice cream for dessert. But the real star of the show is the context, which is provided by Balogun himself. A natural entertainer, the chef begins each course with a story about the dish, quickly snowballing into anecdotes from his childhood. All the while, you’re sitting at a communal 15-person wooden table that immediately turns into the most fun dinner party in Brooklyn at each seating.

Courtesy of Traif

Traif
229 S. 4th St.

The pork-centered Williamsburg restaurant Traif offers a dynamite tasting menu at $58 per person, making it one of the most delicious and affordable in the borough. The meal consists of nine different savory dishes and two desserts—the tasting menu is an introductory cross-section of the menu, offering guests a vibrant variety of vegetables, seafood, and swine. If you go, expect the fan-favorite little gem salad to make an appearance, but also the dayboat scallops with porcini mushroom risotto, pecan brown butter, and salsa verde, the tuna tartare with Japanese eggplant tempura, the pomegranate cinnamon-glazed Berkshire pork ribs, perfectly seared foie gras, Japanese snapper filet bao buns, and the pork “filet mignon.”

Courtesy of The Lineup

The Lineup
639 Lorimer St.

At fine dining restaurants offering tasting menus, executive chefs typically take center stage, sometimes quite literally. But at The Lineup, the line cooks from some of New York’s hottest restaurants (past participating chefs include cooks from The Four Horseman, Bonnie’s, Rolo’s, SAGA, The Musket Room, 63 Clinton, and Sailor) get a turn in the limelight. Each dinner includes a starter bite and five courses, and the $195 price of admission includes a welcome cocktail and wine pairing.

The dinner series’ sixth season is wrapping up on May 8 with a stellar Filipino-Chinese-inspired tasting menu from Annika Altura of Lola’s, featuring hamachi crudo, octopus arroz caldo, among other bites. The Lineup is an unorthodox dining experience with a boisterous atmosphere guaranteed to leave you with some fun memories. If you can’t make the May 8 dinner, stay tuned for a forthcoming announcement about season seven’s chefs later this year.

Crab Toast (Photo by Ben Hon for Hear and There)

Hear and There
109 S. 6th St.

Within the modern lexicon of fine dining, it’s impossible to escape omakase, the pre-fixe sushi experience that literally translates to “I leave the details up to you.” I’d be remiss not to include one good omakase spot on this list, and newcomer Hear and There is certainly worth a mention and a visit.

Hear and There offers two 13-course omakases—a seasonal nigiri variant for $105 and a “luxury” omakase, which I’d recommend—served at a gorgeous 22-seat Hi-Fi bar from the team behind Eavesdrop. Highlights from the luxury version include chutoro with caviar and walnut cream, crab croquette topped with uni, and an assembly line of high-quality nigiri. But the menu is always changing, so be sure to keep an eye on their Instagram for details.

Blue crab (Courtesy of SSAW Brooklyn)

SSAW Brooklyn
330 S. 3rd St.

When U Omakase co-owner Luis Durand told me I needed to check out what chef Yusuke Fukuzaki, a veteran of a grip of Michelin-starred establishments in Japan, is doing at SSAW Brooklyn, I knew I wouldn’t be disappointed. Fukuzaki specializes in seasonal Japanese-French fusion— SSAW is an acronym for spring, summer, autumn, and winter—that breathes new life into Brooklyn’s oversaturated Japanese food landscape.

This spring, Fukuzaki takes inspiration from cherry blossom blooms, presenting a miso-pickled salmon with grilled white asparagus, which boasts a delicate sweetness. Delicacies like firefly squid and Japanese lobster, whose fishing window ends with the season, star in outstanding soup and deep-fried dishes. And a female blue crab with roe, spring daisy leaves, and a miso vinegar served in its shell is one of the richest—and most delicious—bites imaginable. Even at $160 per person, SSAW’s tasting menu is a steal for the quality of the ingredients and the thought that goes into each dish.

Hoji-cha tiramisu donut (Courtesy of Patisserie Tomoko)

Patisserie Tomoko
568 Union Ave.

Not every tasting menu has to be a super serious dinner—or dinner at all, for that matter. At Patisserie Tomoko—the Japanese-French concept from Chef Tomoko Kato in Williamsburg—it’s all about desserts. For $29.50, the tasting menu includes your choice of amuse and petits fours. There are normally four seasonal options available for the main. We recommend the black sesame creme brulee with sesame kinako mochi and sake ice cream, and the mont blanc with chestnut mousse, dacquoise, pistachio cream, and yuzu ice cream. Both seem to stay on the menu year-round, but there’s currently a cumquat mille-feuille that is perfect for spring. Oh, and if you’ve got room for it, grab one of Chef Kato’s handmade mochi or her famous chestnut tart to go.