The chaotic jumble of nautical curiosities covering the interior testify to Montero’s early days as the choice for workers off the nearby piers and sailors finding themselves beached on Atlantic Avenue. This has been a neighborhood stalwart since 1947. The grill is long gone, and the bar is best for shot-and-a-beer basics, although you can get a standard cocktail without complaint. It is still a family business, as welcoming and without pretension as a visit to a favorite uncle, and with as many stories to tell.

Ever wonder what Arby’s would be like if they served food that was edible? On Mars? This Sheepshead Bay landmark has been dishing up roast beef sandwiches since 1970 with all the honky-tonk of a gigantic fast food chain, but it’s strictly one-of-a-kind. The seats are just as hard, and the worker’s uniforms as humiliating as any Burger King’s, but the food has none of the plastic 1984-ishness of the multinational competition.