Barker Cafeteria

Barker is one of the new places in New York I’m most excited about, of any category — full stop. It’s a warm, casual lunch counter in Bed-Stuy serving exceptional food, like the herby chicken noodle soup, which comes with a ramekin of chili paste so you can make it as spicy as you like, and the sweet potato sandwich with roasted onion mayonnaise, bitter chicories, and fresh zhug. The oversized glazed apple fritter is wonderful, too, studded with soft chunks of apple throughout. Co-owner Gracie Gardner (who is also a beautiful writer) publishes a Substack with dispatches from Barker, menu updates, and other reflections. It’s worth reading for her prose alone.