At the northern end of Vanderbilt Avenue is Ciao, Gloria, an Italian American cafe known for its breakfast sandwiches and baked goods. The pastry case has black and white cookies, coffee cake, cinnamon rolls, banana bread, and a whole lot more, including custardy bomboloni on Saturdays. Its popular breakfast sandwiches are available all day; they have a slab of frittata and can be topped with prosciutto, avocado, or bacon for an additional charge.

Sofreh is the neighborhood’s only Iranian restaurant, and six years after opening, it’s still going strong. The modern Persian restaurant serves artfully composed salads, heartwarming stews, and tender chicken and lamb. Don’t leave without trying dessert, especially the rosewater sorbet with frozen vermicelli noodles.

Leland Eating and Drinking House is an any-occasion restaurant. The bright corner spot has excellent pastries — sourdough cinnamon rolls, cheddar jalapeno biscuits — and a dining room with lots of seats, making it great for a last-minute brunch. At night, larger dishes like duck frites, whole fried fish, and garlicky mussels feel fitting for a birthday or special occasion.

“There’s no better old-fashioned Southern cooking in the city than at Mitchell’s Soul Food,” says Eater’s critic. This Vanderbilt Avenue restaurant has been drawing crowds for more than four decades, even as the neighborhood has gentrified around it. The fried chicken here is fabled — crisp and moist, with plenty of spare flesh — and the cornbread comes warm from the oven. Expect some of the neighborhood’s largest portions at a reasonable price.

Little Egg is the neighborhood’s best option for breakfast. The restaurant is open starting at 8 a.m. on weekdays, and half an hour earlier on weekends, with a menu that has breakfast sandwiches, pancakes, grits, and excellent pastries. The dining room is fairly small, so put your name down early or plan for a wait, especially when dining with a larger group.

The neighborhood’s best Caribbean food is found at Little Miss Muffin, a small bakery with no indoor seating. Flaky, baked patties come in several flavors — curry chicken, barbecue chicken, and spicy beef — for a few dollars each. For something more filling: There’s roti, oxtail, jerk chicken, and rice and peas.

Tom’s is a no-frills diner that’s been open under different owners since 1936. The menu serves endangered New York classics, like egg creams and breakfast plates for about $10. Breakfast is served all day, and the menu doesn’t have many surprises: It’s just dependable, filling food.

Banh Mi Place serves reliable Vietnamese sandwiches, and the location makes it a convenient stop on the way to several destinations in the area, like the Brooklyn Museum and Prospect Park. Sandwiches cost about $10 each. They can be ordered with different meats — pate, ham, ground pork, sardines, or dark meat chicken — on a crusty baguette with cucumber, pickled carrots, cilantro, and more.