GERTIE

A Brooklyn diner from the Lodge Bread and Gorbals teams that runs Jewish deli classics through a smash-burger, all-day-breakfast lens.

Sam Suchoff and Ilan Hall built Gertie as the kind of counter-and-booth diner Prospect Heights didn't know it needed, plating chopped cheese and matzo ball soup alongside a griddled burger that's become a neighborhood fixture. The room keeps it simple — laminate tables, coffee mugs, a menu that reads like a bodega and a deli had a very good idea together — and the babka French toast alone is worth the wait on a Sunday morning.

Best for: Weekend brunch and casual weeknight comfort food