Olea

Olea has held the corner of Lafayette and Adelphi for some two decades, a pan-Mediterranean taverna with tile floors, wicker, and windows on two sides that make the room feel half outdoors. The menu wanders happily from Spain to Greece to North Africa — tapas, grilled octopus, tagines, paella on the weekend table next to yours.

Brunch is the neighborhood's long-running weekend habit, all eggs and merguez and unhurried coffee, and evenings shift to candlelight and sherry without changing character. Near BAM and the park, it's the Fort Greene standby that visiting friends always assume is a lucky find.