Tom's Coney Island

Get a bite of Brooklyn nostalgia at this all-American boardwalk diner. In the old Cha Cha’s space, Jimmy Kokotas debuted this offshoot of his 75-year-old Prospect Heights breakfast standby in September 2012, one month before Hurricane Sandy hit. Luckily for Brooklyn’s egg-cream-loving beachgoers, Tom’s emerged miraculously unscathed, flipping pancakes and burgers less than a week after the storm. The mom-and-pop restaurant—outfitted with photos of vintage Coney Island and cheery-red barstools—does the classics well: Thick-battered onion rings have great crunch; hand-spun shakes (vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, and cookies and cream) are large and luscious; and the brisket wrap has all the sauciness of a double dip, but in a portable, beach-ready package.