Traditional Austro-Hungarian revelry done the New York way

Popular plate: The beer brings the crowds, but the food keeps them here - don't miss classics like veal schnitzel and apple strudel, both of which taste completely authentic.

Word to the wise: On Thursdays half liters are only USD 5, and you get free bratwurst with every liter bought.

Beer rules supreme in Brooklyn, and many connoisseurs say that rowdy Radegast is the best place to drink it. There are more than 70 Central European brews on offer here, and no shortage of burly barmen and traditionally dressed beer-maids to steer you toward the right one.

Drink in hand, choose from the 'Hall' or the 'Biergarten'. The former feels like the setting of a medieval palace feast, complete with hefty wooden tables and chatter reverberating off the high ceiling; while the latter has an ironic summer camp vibe with long wooden benches filled with the more excitable of Brooklyn-ites. Live bands and dancing often commences.