Take the first sip of a frothy egg cream at Brooklyn Farmacy, and you instantly recognize the taste of good medicine. It helps that you are seated at a classic soda fountain counter in a lovingly restored drug store with original fixtures from the 1920’s. There are endless wooden drawers and nooks stocked with vintage bottles, once containing lotions and potions for the folks of Carroll Gardens. Syphoning the last taste of a milk shake, or scraping the bottom of a sundae dish— you can’t help but reminisce about the good old days.

This soaring, sexy bi-level restaurant is sure to impress your out-of-town guests, but the Asian-inspired food is good enough to merit a visit on its own. Have a cocktail at the bar upstairs while you wait for your table, then descend the long staircase – perhaps to the huge communal table lit by dramatic chandeliers or a more intimate spot – and settle in for some family-style noshing.

Thanks to a recent expansion, this popular budget Greek spot is now enormous (and takes credit cards and reservations) — but there’s still a mob scene at the hostess stand every night.