Gino's Restaurant & Pizzeria

Gino's has been on Fifth Avenue in Bay Ridge since 1964, family-owned and operated the whole way, and it works the way the big neighborhood Italian places always have: a pizza counter up front for slices, and beyond it a large dining room of white tablecloths and close-set tables, loud with birthdays and three-generation dinners. It isn't fancy and doesn't try to be; the regulars come for the familiarity as much as the food.

Start with a slice from the front counter while the table settles, then the hot antipasto platter — rollatini, fried calamari and baked clams — and move on to chicken parm, veal scaloppine or shrimp oreganata, or one of the red-sauce pastas. Daily specials and family-style dinners suit big groups, and tiramisu or tartufo closes the meal. There's a full bar inside and outdoor seating in good weather, and the R train is a few minutes away.