Restaurants in New York City

Just as the surrounding Theater District transports audiences to faraway places, Brazil Grill's dining room immerses guests in the rich culinary traditions of Brazil. Though it boasts a substantial selection of entrees, the eatery's specialty is radizio, a traditional Brazilian dining style where passadores, or meat servers, present diners with an endless rotation of skewered morsels. Patrons can nosh to their hearts' content on beef, pork, lamb, duck, and the other meats that continually appear tableside during the course of the night. To complement the authentic dishes, servers can also recommend options from the restaurant's selection of wines culled from Chile, Italy, and New Zealand. Most nights, guests eat as they absorb the sounds of live Brazilian music, the play-by-play of Brazilian League soccer matches, or napkins practicing their Portuguese accents.

"I feel a little like a detective," reveals Luke Johnson, overseer of the cheese cave at Stinky Bklyn, to the New York Times. He continues, "I…try to steer people toward something new. If they say they don't like goat, I really push the goat because people don't realize there are so many varieties." And push they do. Staff members pass indulgent segments of their carefully aged cheeses, offering approachable wisdom to novices and a wide-ranging selection for aficionados. The charming Smith Street institution has opened a new location between Baltic and Butler, with fridges and pantries stocked with international morsels such as chocolates, oils, vinegars, and beer, as well as an impressive ham bar.

Visitors can request a peak at the temperature- and humidity-controlled cheese cave, where Luke and staff nurture each wheel through distinct aging processes. Cheeses dwell within the cavern for anywhere from a few days to a few years, undergoing washing, soaking in beer or brine, and the opportunity to view culturally enriching cave paintings. Owners Patrick Watson, Michele Pravda, and Chris Remy also added a green garden and patio behind the shop, providing an ideal place for tastings or a peaceful spot for enjoying one of the shop's artisan sandwiches.

Strains from live DJs and the happy chatter of busy silverware resound off the exposed-brick walls and looping whorls of the wooden bar at People's Republic of Brooklyn. Red tabletops billet platters of seared, fried, or blackened catfish, and plates of free-range chicken don adventurous garnishes such as avocado or the essence of an air kiss. Comfort-fare sides conjure nostalgia among guests perched at the bar, with options including mac 'n' cheese, deviled eggs, and sautéed arugula serving as foundations for a wide range of cocktails.

The epicurean curators at Cachacaria Boteco cultivate hearty meals of traditional Brazilian fare and drinks served beneath soaring ceilings and a chandelier of exposed bulbs. Servers bear morsels of pao de queijo, or cheese buns, and kibe, or fried meatballs, across the black-and-white checked floor during fast-paced games of human chess. The sugar-cane-rum blend of caipirinha, Brazil’s national cocktail, flows as freely as the orange curtains that frame potted palms and flat-screen TVs.

Mercury Bar slings a slate of bubbly brews and specialty cocktails alongside plates of quintessential pub fare within a refined sports-bar atmosphere. Beneath a pressed-tin ceiling, a mirrored bar reflects bottles of spirits and liqueurs that shake and swirl into colorful cocktails as a handwritten chalkboard menu heralds draft and bottled beers alongside the results of barkeeps' algebra tests. Wings, burgers, and other classic bar cuisine served until 2 a.m. joins weekend brunches of eggs and french toast to lavish guests with all-hours edibles, ideal for savoring at elevated tables, in tufted booths, and on the seasonal outdoor patio. To complement each sizzling aroma, five plasma and four large-screen televisions broadcast major games across the world of sports, including basketball, baseball, soccer, football, and mathletics.

In the summer of 2010, chefs at Olympic Pita fried the world's largest falafel ball, a 30-pound behemoth of chickpeas and spices that aimed to put the restaurant in Guinness World Records. Though the chefs' boundless enthusiasm for Middle Eastern fare delighted news crews and fed Upstate's expansive yeti population, it's the day-to-day sizzling of kosher Israeli fare that continues to captivate the taste buds of locals. Foodies at Village Voice called the kebabs "splendid," and marveled at the regular replenishing of steaming pitas. Barkeeps pour imported beers and wines that team up with pitas to ignite appetites for entrees such as the chicken-and-turkey shawarma, which New York magazine praised for its juiciness and knack for accessorizing with eclectic condiments.