Issue №004 · 2026 Brooklyn · NY

Four neighborhoods.
Four ways to eat.
One pursuit of the table.

The Common Table is a Brooklyn hospitality group of four neighborhood restaurants — a bistro in Fort Greene, a wood-fired pizzeria in Carroll Gardens, a 10-seat omakase counter in Williamsburg, and a coffee and brunch room in Park Slope. Different cuisines, different rooms, same belief: that a meal is a small, shared act of attention.

№ 01
Linden Room
Fort Greene · Bistro

French-leaning American cooking, a 14-seat bar, candles by 7pm.

Linden Room dining interior at dusk
Read →
№ 02
Nona Pizza
Carroll Gardens · Pizzeria

Sourdough crust, single-origin tomatoes, no reservations after 6pm.

Wood-fired pizza emerging from oven at Nona Pizza
Read →
№ 03
Kuro Counter
Williamsburg · Omakase

Ten seats, two seatings, fish flown from Toyosu twice weekly.

Nigiri course at the Kuro Counter omakase bar
Read →
№ 04
Perch Coffee
Park Slope · Brunch

Single-origin espresso, all-day eggs, kid-welcome by design.

Pour-over coffee service at Perch in Park Slope
Read →
By the table · 2025 review

The year in numbers.

27,000+
Meals served weekly across the four concepts.
47
Full-time staff. Forty-two received raises in 2025.
4
Cuisines, four kitchens, one shared pastry program.
7 yr
Average tenure of our salaried kitchen leadership.
Letter from the founder

Why we built a group instead of one restaurant.

By Mara Whitfield
Founder & Managing Partner
Fort Greene, March 2026

The original plan was one restaurant. A small French-leaning room in Fort Greene with a bar I could see from the pass. We opened Linden in 2019, and by year two I understood something I had not expected — the people I most wanted to keep working with did not all want to cook the same food. My sous chef wanted to bake pizza. My morning prep cook wanted to run a coffee bar. My fish butcher had spent eight years at a sushi counter in Tokyo before he came to me. They were not going to spend the next decade making coq au vin.

So we built a group, slowly, around the people. Nona opened in 2021 in Carroll Gardens because Vincent wanted to. Kuro opened in 2023 because Hiro was ready. Perch opened in 2024 because Adaeze had run the morning shift at Linden for three years and had a clearer idea of what a Brooklyn brunch room should be than anyone I knew. Each restaurant exists because a specific person was ready to lead it. That is the only rule we have managed to keep.

Filed under Editorial · Issue №004 · pp. 4–5
Pages 6 – 28 · The four concepts

The four restaurants.

Each room runs its own kitchen, sets its own menu, and pays its own staff. They share pastry, accounting, and a phone number you can call after closing if something goes wrong with your reservation.

The bar and dining room at Linden Room in Fort Greene
№ 01 of 04 · Linden Room

Linden Room

Bistro · French-leaning American

A neighborhood bistro you can walk to in flat shoes — fourteen at the bar, thirty-six in the room, candles by seven.

Chef
Asha Brennan, executive chef & partner
Signature
Duck à l'orange for two — twenty-four hour brine, twelve-minute roast.
Address
212 Vanderbilt Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11205
Hours
Tue–Thu 5:30–10pm · Fri–Sat to 11pm · Sun brunch 11–3
Reserve at Linden →
Wood-fired pizza coming out of the oven at Nona Pizza
№ 02 of 04 · Nona Pizza

Nona Pizza

Pizzeria · Wood-fired sourdough

A 700°C oven, a 72-hour cold ferment, and a no-reservation rule after six. The line is part of the room.

Chef
Vincent Carro, chef-owner & partner
Signature
The Margherita — San Marzano, Caputo flour, mozzarella from a single farm in Hudson Valley.
Address
319 Smith Street
Brooklyn, NY 11231
Hours
Daily 4pm–11pm · Reservations Mon–Thu only · Walk-ins after 6
Reserve at Nona →
Nigiri being plated at the Kuro Counter omakase bar in Williamsburg
№ 03 of 04 · Kuro Counter

Kuro Counter

Omakase · Edomae-style sushi

Ten seats. Two seatings. Eighteen courses. Fish flown from Toyosu market twice a week and aged on-site.

Chef
Hiro Tanigawa, head chef & partner
Signature
The fifteen-day aged toro — saikyo-miso cured, brushed with reduced soy.
Address
98 N 6th Street
Brooklyn, NY 11249
Hours
Wed–Sun · Two seatings: 6pm & 8:30pm · Deposit required
Reserve at Kuro →
Pour-over coffee being prepared at Perch Coffee in Park Slope
№ 04 of 04 · Perch Coffee & Brunch

Perch Coffee & Brunch

Coffee · All-day brunch

Single-origin espresso, eggs from 7am to 4pm, high-chairs at every table. The neighborhood living room.

Chef
Adaeze Okwu, head chef & partner
Signature
The Park Slope breakfast — soft scramble, sourdough toast, hot-honey bacon, single-origin pour-over.
Address
445 7th Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11215
Hours
Mon–Fri 7am–3pm · Sat–Sun 8am–4pm · Walk-in only
Visit Perch →
Pages 30 – 31 · The case

How we are different from most restaurant groups.

The usual model

Restaurant groups usually —

  • — Open the same restaurant in different zip codes and call it a group.
  • — Centralize purchasing to chase margin, which dulls every kitchen.
  • — Pay back-of-house investors first, line cooks last.
  • — Replace chefs every 18 months when revenue dips a quarter.
  • — Treat the corporate office as the brand, not the rooms.
  • — Expand into a fifth concept before the fourth is stable.
The Common Table

We —

  • + Open a new concept only when a specific chef is ready to lead it.
  • + Buy independently per kitchen — Vincent's tomatoes are not Asha's tomatoes.
  • + Pay tipped staff a guaranteed floor and share service charge transparently.
  • + Promote from within — three of our four head chefs were line cooks at Linden.
  • + Run no corporate office. Mara works the bar at Linden on Tuesdays.
  • + Wait roughly 24 months between openings, sometimes longer.
Pages 32 – 33 · Looking ahead

What we look for in a fifth concept.

We have a short list of neighborhoods and a longer list of chefs. We will not move on either until both are ready. These are the rules we measure against.

No. 01

Neighborhood-first.

The chef has to live in the zip code, or want to. We do not open in neighborhoods our team has only visited.

No. 02

Chef-led, not concept-led.

We do not chase trending cuisines. We back a specific cook with a specific point of view and build the room around them.

No. 03

Sub-$80 per person.

Three of our four concepts sit under $80 per head, tax and tip included. Kuro is the exception; the next will not be.

No. 04

Family-owned suppliers.

At least 70% of food cost goes to family-owned farms, mills, fisheries, and butchers. We audit this twice a year.

No. 05

A no-tipping path.

Every concept offers a service-included pricing option for private events. We are working toward making it the default.

No. 06

Walkable from the last one.

We have no plans to leave Brooklyn. Five boroughs is already a wider radius than most groups can hold together.

Pages 34 – 36 · Booking

Reserve at any concept.

Each room runs its own booking calendar. Tap a concept to reach its reservation page directly — or call the group line at 718-555-0140 and we will route you.

Linden Room Fort Greene Reserve → Nona Pizza Carroll Gardens Reserve → Kuro Counter Williamsburg Reserve → Perch Coffee Park Slope Walk in →
Private events

Three rooms for private hire.

We host rehearsal dinners, milestone birthdays, product launches, and the occasional small wedding. Email events@thecommontable.co for date holds.

Linden — Back Room

Up to 30 seated

Private dining room with its own bar. Prix-fixe menu, dedicated server team, full buy-out option for 60 guests.

Nona — Garden

Up to 60 seated · 80 standing

Year-round enclosed garden with heaters and a portable bar. Family-style pizza service for daytime events.

Linden — Full Buy-out

Up to 120 standing

Whole-restaurant takeover for cocktail-format events. Two-bar setup, four passed canapé stations.

Press · Eater Brooklyn
"The rare restaurant group that hasn't flattened the rooms in its own care."

— Eater Brooklyn, year-end critics' list, December 2025

A short list of the people we buy from
Norwich Meadows Farm
Hudson Valley Fisheries
Lewis Waite Mill
Hawthorne Valley Creamery
Brooklyn Grange
Greenmarket Coalition
Pages 38 – 41 · Hospitality

The hospitality team.

Four head chefs and two general managers. Every name below is a partner in the business — meaning equity, meaning a seat at the table where the menus get decided.

Portrait of Asha Brennan, executive chef of Linden Room
Asha Brennan
Linden Room · Chef & Partner

Trained at La Pyramide in Vienne, spent four years on the line at Per Se, opened Linden as Mara's first hire in 2019.

Portrait of Vincent Carro, chef-owner of Nona Pizza
Vincent Carro
Nona Pizza · Chef & Partner

From Aversa, by way of Roberta's and a three-month pilgrimage to study at Pizzeria Da Michele. Believes in the line.

Portrait of Hiro Tanigawa, head chef of Kuro Counter
Hiro Tanigawa
Kuro Counter · Head Chef & Partner

Eight years at Sushi Saito and a year at Sushi Yoshitake in Tokyo before relocating to Brooklyn with his family in 2022.

Portrait of Adaeze Okwu, head chef of Perch Coffee & Brunch
Adaeze Okwu
Perch Coffee · Head Chef & Partner

Lagos-born, Park Slope-raised. Ran morning prep at Linden for three years before pitching the Perch concept in 2024.

Portrait of Devon Marsh, group general manager
Devon Marsh
Group · General Manager

Oversees reservations, training, and floor operations across all four concepts. Previously beverage director at Maialino.

Portrait of Marisol Vega, events general manager
Marisol Vega
Group · Events GM

Runs private events across Linden, Nona, and Kuro. Spent six years coordinating weddings at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.

Pages 42 – 43 · Promises

What you can expect across all four concepts.

No. 01

Reservation guarantee

If your confirmed reservation isn't ready within ten minutes of booking time, your first round is on us. Every concept, every night.

No. 02

24-hour cancellation

Cancel or modify any reservation up to 24 hours before, no fee. Kuro's omakase requires 72 hours due to fish ordering.

No. 03

Dietary accommodations

Every kitchen builds substitute courses rather than scratch ingredients off your plate. Flag at booking, eat well.

No. 04

Cross-concept loyalty

One membership across all four restaurants. Visits compound, rewards earn anywhere, gift cards work everywhere.

Pages 44 – 47 · Common questions

Things guests ask us.

A short list of what comes up most often at the host stand. If your question isn't here, email hello@thecommontable.co and we'll reply within one business day.

01 Are gift cards good across all four restaurants?
Yes. One gift card, four concepts. Redeemable for food, beverage, private events, and merchandise at Linden Room, Nona Pizza, Kuro Counter, and Perch Coffee & Brunch. Digital cards arrive by email instantly; physical cards mail within three business days. Cards never expire and are reloadable in any amount over $25.
02 Can you accommodate a large party at any of the concepts?
Linden Room seats parties up to 28 in its back room with a prix-fixe menu. Nona Pizza accommodates groups up to 40 with family-style ordering and shared antipasti. Kuro Counter is fixed at 10 seats — full buy-outs are available Sunday and Monday. Perch hosts brunch groups up to 24 on weekends with 72 hours' notice.
03 Do you host private events?
Three of our four venues handle private events. Linden Room offers full buy-out for 60 to 90 guests with two service options. Nona Pizza opens for daytime events of 30 to 80 in its enclosed garden. Kuro Counter offers full omakase buy-outs for groups of exactly 10. Email events@thecommontable.co for date holds, menus, and pricing.
04 How do you handle dietary restrictions across the group?
Every menu at every concept has a vegetarian path, a gluten-free path, and a tree-nut-free path noted at the bottom of the printed menu. For dairy, shellfish, or alpha-gal allergies — and for kosher or halal accommodation — please flag at booking. Our chefs will build a substitute course rather than scratch ingredients off an existing plate.
05 Is there a loyalty program across the four restaurants?
Yes. The Common Table membership tracks visits across all four concepts. Every tenth visit earns a complimentary tasting course at Kuro Counter, a bottle of natural wine at Linden Room, a whole pie at Nona Pizza, or a one-month coffee subscription at Perch. Sign-up is free at any host stand or at thecommontable.co/membership.
06 What is your cancellation policy?
Standard reservations at Linden Room, Nona Pizza, and Perch Coffee can be cancelled or modified up to 24 hours before the booking with no fee. Kuro Counter omakase requires 72-hour notice — inside that window, the deposit covers fish that has already been purchased and prepared for your seating. We do not charge no-show fees on first-time guests.
07 Do you offer outdoor seating?
Linden Room operates a 24-seat sidewalk café from May through October, weather permitting. Nona Pizza has a year-round enclosed back garden with heaters. Perch maintains 12 outdoor seats April through November on its 7th Avenue frontage. Kuro Counter is indoor-only by design — the menu progression depends on a controlled room temperature.
08 Is The Common Table opening additional locations?
We are looking, slowly. Our criteria are listed under What We Look For in a 5th Concept above — neighborhood-first, chef-led, sub-$80 per person, and walkable from one of our existing rooms. We open a new restaurant roughly every 24 months, only in neighborhoods our team already lives in or near. We have no plans to expand outside the five boroughs of New York.
Page 48 · The invitation

Reserve a table tonight.

One booking line, four neighborhoods. Tell us when you'd like to eat and we'll route you to the room that suits the night.

Choose a restaurant →

or call the group line · 718 · 555 · 0140 · open 10am – 11pm daily