Totonno’s
1524 Neptune Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11224
Since 1924, the pizza parlor Totonno’s has been operated by the same family. The restaurant is only open for a few hours on Saturday and Sunday afternoons, for takeout only, and the menu is just two items deep (a traditional pie and a white pie). Still, the ten-minute trek inland to Neptune Avenue is worth it. The crust is a sturdy, crisp base for the milky mozzarella and astoundingly fresh-tasting tomato sauce. Pick up a stack of the paper plates and napkins on offer, and bring your pizza box back to the beach to eat on the sand.
Georgian Corner
626 Sheepshead Bay Rd, Brooklyn, NY 11224
About a mile east down the boardwalk from Luna Park, you’ll find Brighton Beach, which is the place to be in New York City to eat Russian, Azerbaijani, Georgian, Ukrainian, and Uzbek food. If you don’t have time for a full pelmeni-fueled detour, stop at Georgian Corner, on the border between Brighton Beach and Coney Island. This cafe sells everything you need for a picnic on the sand. On a brisk day, pick up a deli container of hot kharcho or borscht. If you’re not in a soup mood, focus on the stuffed breads, steamed khinkali, the deli display of cold salads, and the refrigerator case full of mineral water, tarragon soda, and quince juice.
Doña Zita
1221 Bowery St, Brooklyn, NY 11224
If you find yourself weaving between oversized stuffed animal prizes and fried Oreos looking for a shady spot to sit down for lunch and an agua de jamaica, stop by Mexican restaurant Doña Zita. The cemitas are sky-high, stacked with chipotles, stringy Oaxaca cheese, and grassy pápalo leaves. At one end of the ordering counter, diners with iron stomachs can purchase elotes dusted with the spicy powder of blue, red, and orange Takis. If you can’t decide between chili dogs and tacos on this Coney Island outing, get a chorizo-topped dog at Doña Zita and smother it in salsa. The restaurant has its own enclosed patio, restroom, and michelada stand.
