gertrude’s
Restaurant · Prospect Heights ·
Jewish-American bistro with comfort fare, cocktails, and desserts
Jewish-American bistro with comfort fare, cocktails, and desserts
"You can feel like you’re in a Brooklyn grandmother’s cute home at this Prospect Heights Jewish bistro: there’s a colorful vegetable mural, mismatched floral plateware, bathrooms with sketches of famous New Yorkers (hi, Keith Hernandez), and mirrored shelves with duck objects. Restaurant meme master and chef Eli Sussman churns out good, easygoing New York comfort foods with higher-end touches, and from co-owners and couple Nate Adler and Rachel Jackson, the restaurant doesn’t take itself too seriously — on a recent visit, the team was playing one of the Austin Powers soundtracks. The latkes are plump potato fritters amplified with dabs of crème fresh and roe, two to an order; the texture is nice and creamy without losing the integrity of the latke. Share the Black and White cake, an ode to the iconic black and white cookie in the form of a six-layer slice alternating chocolate and vanilla. Pickles are often overlooked, but don’t make that mistake here: the full plate comes with slices of beets, carrots, asparagus, and long pickles, lightly spicy in a nice way. For a low-key dinner before a concert or a game at the Barclays Center within walking distance — or just a great neighborhood meal — the prix fixe “Best of Gertrude’s” menu is a great deal at $65, with shareable starters like the seasonally changing spaetzle, a choice of entrees (alas, the burger isn’t included, but the seasonal fish is great and huge — my iteration was a whole trout covered with halved tomatoes and cherries), and that cake." - Nadia Chaudhury
"We chose this Jewish-ish Brooklyn bistro and were glad to find a right-priced $65 three-course prix fixe with entree choices (he went for the chicken; I got the trout covered in lovely, sweet cherries, tomatoes, and pepitas). For shared dishes, the spaetzle was cozy and bright and the pickled vegetables were spicy and sour, but the star was the latkes ($21 for two): two plump fritters with crispy exteriors giving way to almost-creamy, still-shredded potatoes topped with creme fraiche and roe. I could’ve eaten an entire plateful, and we ended with a huge, pleasant slice of the restaurant’s ode to black-and-white cookies in cake form." - Nick Mancall-Bitel
"Gertrude’s serves Jewish-inspired food that’ll remind you of a 1950s dinner party. Grab a little table beneath an antique chandelier, and enjoy some crispy beef tongue followed by a burger on challah and a slice of seven-layer cake. The mood is casual and kid-friendly, although you could also come by for a date night, split a big smoked fish tower, and drink a few Dirty Gertie martinis—they’re very good at cocktails here. You should also keep this place in mind for weekend brunch." - bryan kim, hannah albertine, nikko duren, willa moore
"In Prospect Heights, this “Jew‑ish” bistro opened in 2023 by the Gertie team with chef‑partner Eli Sussman." - Emma Orlow
"If your preferred potato preparation is latke, then your upcoming brunch should go down at Gertrude’s in Prospect Heights. The Jewish-American restaurant from the team behind Gertie serves open-faced bagel sandwiches and larger plates like brisket hash and babka french toast. Or, go all out and get Le Grand Gertrude—an appetizing tower complete with smoked whitefish salad, lox, and other toppings, plus a latke and a bagel for everyone." - bryan kim, willa moore, molly fitzpatrick, will hartman, sonal shah
