2,000 Calories in Brooklyn

We toured Brooklyn, New York to find the best, most nutritious restaurants the borough has to offer. Here's a unique guide to good eating and great exercise for hungry travelers.

How we did the math:
This series is meant as a fun guide to experiencing a city through the Cooking Light lens. All calculations are rough estimates and should be seen as a starting point for your own adventure.

Calorie burns were estimated using this calculator. The approximations are based on how vigorous the activity level is for a 150-pound woman—for example, a stroll around a farmers’ market was calculated at a lower burn than when we tell you to pick up the pace.

We estimated steps at an average of 2,000 steps per mile walked.

All calorie calculations for the meal selections we recommend were rough estimates based on inputting similar dishes and ingredients into this calculator.

Brooklyn is a multicultural food paradise spanning nearly 100 square miles. That's why exploring it via foot and bike is a good idea: You'll find quirky street art, get in great people watching, and make room for feasting.

Begin your journey at Milk Bar (pictured) in Prospect Heights. Snag a seat on the sunny patio, order a coffee and a breakfast salad of kale, berries, and goat cheese, topped with a poached egg. Next, take a 2-mile trek to the Brooklyn Bridge, a journey rewarded with amazing vistas and a deliciously crafted snack or two.

Burn: 170 calories
Eat: 546 calories

This 132-year-old beauty connects Brooklyn to lower Manhattan, offering approximately a million selfie-worthy views during the 2-mile round-trip journey. Once you've crossed back to Brooklyn, head to pier 5, which hosts the ultimate in foodie fare, Smorgasburg (pictured), on summer Sundays (see other locations and dates online). Rehydrate with a Watermelon and Tarragon soda from Brooklyn Soda Works. Then cool off with a small cone of creamy goodness from Ample Hills Creamery.

Burn: 340 calories
Eat: 640 calories

Bike off some of those decadent bites. Walk a quarter of a mile to the corner of Atlantic Avenue and Furman Street to pick up a Citi Bike (find routes and stations for the bike-share program online), then cruise 1½ miles down tree-lined streets before dropping off your bike near the Barclays Center. From there, it's about a ¾-mile walk to Franny's (pictured) for lunch. Speaking to Brooklyn's rich Italian heritage, but with a modern accent, Franny's does a great take on the nouveau pie. Try their pizza topped with clams, chiles, and parsley.

Burn: 187 calories
Eat: 410 calories

Now it's time to play. Walk three-quarters of a mile to Threes Brewing, one of many beer gardens popping up around the borough. Sip one of the 20 beers on tap; then walk a few streets over to the Royal Palms Shuffleboard Club, a swanky indoor arena where you can partake of this trendy "sport"; you'll burn a decent amount of calories and garner a few cheers from enthusiastic observers.

Burn: 289 calories
Drink: 195 calories

Hop on the subway or in an Uber car and head a few miles north to veggie-centric Semilla. Chef José Ramírez-Ruiz (pictured) offers a hyperseasonal tasting menu, and each course is artfully presented (tiny shot glasses encase sips of soup, a crispy cabbage leaf stands in for bread in a sandwich nibble).

End your Brooklyn journey half a mile away at Nitehawk Cinema. Catch a cult classic and a double IPA from Brooklyn Brewery, an excellent accompaniment to the theater's signature popcorn seasoned with truffle butter and citric salt, as the curtain closes on a day well spent eating and exploring Brooklyn.

Burn: 43 calories
Eat: 1,241 calories

TOTAL BURNED: 1,029
TOTAL EATEN: 3,032
TOTAL STEPS: 15,650
[NET CALORIES: 2,003]