Hot Potato House, Brooklyn

As its name suggests, Hot Potato House specializes in numerous potato-based dishes: potato pancakes, potato crepes, and even potatoes stuffed with pork. But the menu here is extensive, and doesn't consist solely of potatoes. In fact, there are a number of Eastern European plates, including beef stroganoff and catfish prepared Kharkov-style.

The portion size of each dish tends to be large—the restaurant itself, however, is not. But despite not being the biggest place on the block, Hot Potato House certainly makes the most of its space near Manhattan Beach. Sunlight floods through its arched, glass-paneled ceiling, and black trim stands out against crisp white tablecloths to help the restaurant feel quite warm and welcoming.