Tazza

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The crusty loaves of bread and copper-topped café tables seen through the French doors here signal the kind of casual hangout place that Brooklyn Heights has sorely needed—until now. Tazza, Italian for “cup,” calls itself an enoteca, but this is a loosely fitting term. While it does have plenty of panini and wines by the glass, it’s also a great spot for a morning croissant or an afternoon coffee-and-pastry break. Groups of friends gravitate to the large communal tables, while moms nab the small tables and ply their kids with the truly melony watermelon lemonade. Sandwiches mix and match chewy cured meats and cheeses, such as proscuitto and robiola or bresaola and goat cheese. The ricotta and fig panino is a particularly good sweet-savory combination, with soft bits of fig and a swipe of honey sweetening the cheese. There’s a hunter-gatherer approach to baked goods, as these come from several nearby companies. Bread hails from Sullivan Street Bakery and Balthazar, while sweets come from Baked. The cookies and cupcakes are high points, especially the dried cherry-potato chip cookies. Yup, that’s potato chip. — Jennifer Paull

There’s a no-cell phone policy here, and the lack of wireless access discourages the laptop brigade.

Ricotta, fig, and honey panini, $4.95; prosciutto and robiola Panini, $7.25; carrot cake cupcake, $3.75