Madiba (CLOSED)

To be New York’s first and only anything is impressive, so respect is due to this convivial South African eatery—Brooklyn’s first—named for an honorary title bestowed upon Nelson Mandela. Wooden chairs and folk art grace the high-ceilinged space, and music ranges from Afrobeat to Afropop. The menu features fragrant curries and stews, as well as offbeat eats like thin, pleasantly gamey ostrich carpaccio and spicy prawns piri piri. The safari platter, loaded with cured, salted and dried beef tenderloin, is a feast worthy of Mandela himself.