☰Cafe Kashkar

Run by a family from Xinjiang, Cafe Kashkar is one of very few Uyghur restaurants in the United States and one of the most distinctive places to eat in New York. The food sits between Chinese and Central Asian — hand-pulled laghman noodles in a lamb broth, samsa pastries baked in a tandoor, skewered cumin lamb, and polo rice. The room is small and often full; arrive early or expect to queue. It sits at the eastern end of Brighton Beach Ave, a short walk from the Sheepshead Bay border.