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Brooklyn

Midwood

Kosher bakeries on Avenue J, Little Pakistan on Coney Island Avenue, and a slice worth the wait.

Midwood is a residential neighborhood of Tudor-style houses, wide lawns, and apartment buildings, set around Brooklyn College in the middle of the borough. It is home to one of the country's largest Orthodox Jewish communities, including the Syrian Jewish families of Ocean Parkway, and the commercial streets follow the rhythm of the Sabbath: busy on Thursday night and Friday morning, shuttered on Saturday.

Avenue J is the kosher main street, lined with bakeries selling challah and rugelach, dairy restaurants, appetizing counters, and Sephardic and Israeli spots serving shawarma and sabich. A few blocks east, Coney Island Avenue between Newkirk Avenue and Avenue H has been Little Pakistan since the 1980s — kebab houses with charcoal grills, nihari simmered overnight, halwa puri on weekend mornings, and sweet shops lit late into the night.

And then there is the pizzeria on Avenue J, open since 1965, where a single slice turned Midwood into a destination for pizza obsessives from around the world. Pair it with a walk through the Tudor-style blocks around Brooklyn College, and a box of pastries from whichever bakery has the shortest line.

Kosher bakeries and dairy restaurants along Avenue J

Charcoal kebab grills on Coney Island Avenue

A 1965 pizzeria with a line out the door

Tudor houses and lawns on the residential blocks

Local notes

Di Fara Pizza

Domenico DeMarco opened his pizzeria on Avenue J in 1965 and made every pie himself for decades, finishing each with olive oil and fresh basil snipped over the top. He died in 2022; his family keeps the oven going. The wait is part of the ritual.

Coney Island Avenue's Little Pakistan

The mile of Coney Island Avenue between Newkirk Avenue and Avenue H has drawn Pakistani families since the 1980s. Kebab houses, biryani counters, sweet shops, and halal butchers line the avenue; weekend mornings bring halwa puri breakfasts.

Avenue J

Midwood's kosher main street, with bakeries, appetizing counters, pizzerias, and dairy and meat restaurants. Most businesses close from Friday afternoon through Saturday night, so plan visits for Sunday through Thursday.

Through the lens

Avenue J and Coney Island Avenue are best on Sunday afternoons, when both communities are out shopping. The Tudor and Victorian houses south of Avenue H take warm late-afternoon light. Respect Sabbath observance and avoid photographing residents on Saturdays.

Editorial draft — core details last reviewed October 13, 2026. Confirm practical details with the official site before you go.

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