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This venue is closed.

Just across the street from verdant McCarren Park, the Kachulis family has run this restaurant since 1931—opening it first as a soda shop, and reinventing it most recently in May 2005 as a bistro and brunch spot. The pendant lights and candles spruce things up, and while the remaining linoleum tile floor isn’t exactly romantic, the red counter stools, root beer barrel and signs for 50-cent sandwiches add a little funk and old-time flavor. The kitchen prepares a simple menu of American basics—burgers, steaks, crispy chicken, and fish, enhanced with produce from the park’s farmer’s market. The delicate grilled salmon sets off the flavors of roasted corn-fennel relish and baby spinach. A strip steak ordered medium rare arrives cooked just right, its juiciness mingling with a cabernet garlic reduction and herbed potatoes. Among sweets, the rich chocolate espresso torte finds an old-fashioned complement in a scoop of malt ice cream. Customers can be sparse on cold nights, but they pack the sidewalk tables on sunny weekends, dining on prosciutto eggs Benedict, smoked salmon omelets, and brioche French toast. — Karen Hudes

Steak frittes, $25