Restaurants in Bensonhurst

Diners take the reins at The Burger Bistro, which encourages them to customize their own burgers with six different patties and more than 20 different toppings. On traditional beef, organic lamb, or even shrimp patties, visitors cobble together a topping spread that might include pickled jalapeños, horseradish cream sauce, fried mozzarella, or applewood-smoked bacon. Each location also keeps diners on their toes with regular specials, which have included a turducken burger and sliders with waffles for buns. The donut burger—an occasional special that replaces buns with glazed donuts—earned the bistro a mention on CBS. For dessert, the eatery invites you to build an ice cream sandwich with vanilla, red velvet, or mud pie ice cream slipped inside a shortbread, Belgian waffle, or chocolate chip cookie sandwich.

At Casaville Restaurant, the chefs draw culinary inspiration from kitchens across the western Mediterranean and add hints of traditional Spanish and French cuisine to Moroccan staples. Time Out New York praised the dishes for their authenticity, noting that “to find better homespun North African cooking, you’d have to travel to Paris or Casablanca—or at least the far reaches of Brooklyn or Queens." Spiced merguez and pillowy couscous help to build upon that reputation, and trays of tapas drift around murmuring groups.

The dining room's yellow stucco walls brim with a number of Moorish-inspired accents, including tiled recesses. Navigating between the tables inside or on the outdoor patio, belly dancers occasionally swirl their hips, jingling pendant-laden belts. Servers dodge past to fill glasses with wine, selected from the restaurant's extensive list to pair with meals or work with the rhyme scheme of an extremely detailed autobiography.

Neon accents give the pristine white interior of Golden Crepes an orange and ice-blue glow. In contrast to the modern decor, however, their crepes and paninis celebrate tried-and-true combinations of flavors. Crepe-makers stuff savory wheat or buckwheat crepes with prosciutto and brie, salmon and cream cheese, or mushrooms and gruyere. Alternatively, sweet crepes tempt tongues with classic fillings such as dark chocolate and dulce de leche, as cups fill with illy coffee. Seated in cherry-red chairs, visitors can pair their crepes with pours from the wine bar or somersaults along a long white banquette.

Ireland is famous for its hospitality, thanks to an old Brehon law stating that every village must have a parlor to welcome passing travelers. Though it's not on the Emerald Isle, The Parlour aims to uphold this age-old principle in its cozy eatery decked with exposed-brick walls and rustic, wood accents. To acquaint diners with Irish flavors, more than 10 draft beers join a pub-style menu that includes such classics as bangers and mash, corned beef and cabbage, and beer-battered fish 'n' chips. The staff keeps the atmosphere lively with weekly specials and events such as karaoke, beer pong, and "Danny Boy" crying contests.

The Old World–inspired eats at Café 50 West import flavors from Mediterranean, rural French, and South American cuisine. Unique ingredients such as guava-based barbecue sauce and caramelized-onion jam add piquant variety to the menu's succinct selection of plates, from slow-roasted duck confit to simple grilled-cheese sandwiches. At night, beats from live jazz musicians echo off the exposed-brick walls, and a selection of specialty cocktails and imported wines plays its own notes on thirsty palates.

The sandwich and salad slingers at Cafe Basil, a casual Midtown East deli, quickly assemble breakfast and lunch fare. Beneath a giant black menu board, gloved chefs toss colorful veggies into custom salad creations, box up meaty entrees with savory sides, and build skyscrapers using paper-wrapped sandwiches and paninis. Metal ladles sit parked in pots of warm self-serve soup, and sushi selections roll across the counter on weekdays. Schools of noodles swim through containers of udon soup, and egg sandwiches may be ordered all day.