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When Sweet Melissa opened its doors in Cobble Hill in 1998, savvy locals might’ve guessed that it would herald a flood of new yuppie-oriented restaurants. Today, the bakery café is a neighborhood institution. Decorated in florid, floral patterns with Earl Grey–and–scone Edwardian details, this life-size dollhouse has a manicured garden area that’s easily the prettiest greenscape in a neighborhood full of “garden” restaurants. In 2006, a second branch—less frilly and less cramped—opened in Park Slope, also with a back garden. Though both shops get a lunchtime rush on weekends, Sweet Melissa’s built a solid rep as a pâtisserie, and the seasonal menus of fruit tarts, buttery pastries, and rich, chocolate desserts have droves of takeout devotees. But don't miss the hearty soups and a surprisingly tasty chicken salad, along with other humble but filling lunch entrées like quiches, baguettes stuffed with thick slices of juicy filet mignon and sweet onion relish, and a Cobb-salad wrap brimming with chunks of fresh cucumber, tomato, and greens. — Michael Y. Park

Sweet Melissa offers custom cakes and pies, like the chocolate-bourbon pie and chocolate soufflé cake. In the summer, try the Key-lime pie. Wedding cakes are also available, and the shops can be rented for birthday parties and special events.

Tarragon chicken salad, $10.95; roasted-pear tart, $6.95; chocolate-peanut-butter indulgence, $6.50

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