Food in Gowanus

A small storefront on Third Avenue doing pierogies from the owner's grandmother's recipes, boiled or fried, by the half dozen. There are a handful of tables and a short menu that does not pretend to be anything else. It is the cheapest full plate of food within a few blocks of Littlefield.

Mon, 11:30am to 9:30pm. Tue, closed. Wed to Sun, 11:30am to 9:30pm

A 1920s apothecary on Henry Street that sat empty for years and reopened in 2010 as a working soda fountain, with the original tin ceiling and tile floor still in it. Egg creams, sundaes and a short savory menu, ordered at the counter or at the marble bar. All ages, all afternoon.

Mon to Fri, 2pm to 10pm. Sat and Sun, 1pm to 10pm

The Brooklyn branch of the barbecue business John Stage started from a motorcycle-rally pit in Syracuse in 1988. It is a big loud space on Union Street with long tables, a full bar and ribs by the rack or the quarter. You can put your name down and drink while you wait, or eat at the bar on your own.

Mon to Wed, 4pm to 9pm. Thu, noon to 9pm. Fri, noon to 11pm. Sat, 11am to 11pm. Sun, 11am to 9pm

A bakery at the front and a restaurant behind it, on the stretch of Third Avenue that runs past the Bell House. The bread and pastry are baked on site with whole grain flour, and the same counter sells a croissant in the morning and a plate of pasta at night. It opened in 2012 and has kept the same two functions since.

Mon, 7:30am to 6pm. Tue to Thu, 7:30am to 9pm. Fri, 7:30am to 10pm. Sat, 8am to 10pm. Sun, 8am to 6pm