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Though improbable for a Brooklyn eatery, the Heights Café is a tourist destination because of its proximity to the Promenade. But mostly it’s a local favorite: Sports fans and singles line up at the bar for a drink and the game; stay-at-home writers come for some civilization and grilled wraps at lunch; and everyone enjoys the ample outdoor seating. The interior, decorated in the kind of cheerful, semi-streamlined style (walls patterned with orange-and-red squares, cherry wood fixtures, brightly colored banquettes), probably passed for modern in the late nineties. Though the service is outer-borough pokey, it’s accommodating: They’ll serve you BBQ pulled chicken with the sauce on the side—even if it means the meat is dry—because that’s the way you want it. The menu offers up pizza (Grimaldi’s is still better), pasta, and pan-ethnic foods (quesadillas, spring rolls). The specials branch out further—minted raspberry soup!—but like many neighborhood eateries, any risk-taking fare is hit-or-miss. Stick with tried-and-true favorites, like burgers, salads, and desserts. — Melena Ryzik

Endive, pear, and watercress salad, $10.95; burger, $10.95