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Ready to take a bite out of New York? Hope you've come hungry. In a city where creativity is expressed in innumerable ways, the food scene takes center stage, with literally thousands of chances to taste what Gotham is all about. Whether lining up at street stands, gobbling down legendary deli and diner grub, or chasing a coveted reservation at the latest celebrity-chef venue, New Yorkers are a demanding yet appreciative audience.
Every neighborhood offers temptations high, low, and in between, meaning there's truly something for every taste, whim, and budget. No matter how you approach dining out here, it's hard to go wrong. Planning a day of shopping among the glittering flagship boutiques along 5th and Madison Avenues? Stop into one of the Upper East Side's storied restaurants for a repast among the "ladies who lunch." Clubbing in the Meatpacking District? Tuck into a meal at eateries as trendy as their patrons. Craving authentic ethnic? From food trucks to hidden joints, there are almost more choices than there are appetites. Recent years have also seen entire food categories, from ramen to meatballs to mac 'n' cheese, riffed upon and fetishized, and at many restaurants you find an almost religious reverence for seasonal, locally sourced cuisine.
And don't forget—New York is still home to more celebrity chefs than any other city. Your chances of running into your favorite cookbook author, Food Network celeb, or paparazzi-friendly chef are high, adding even more star wattage to a restaurant scene with an already through-the-roof glamour quotient. Newfound economic realities, however, have revived appreciation for value, meaning you can tap into wallet-friendly choices at every level of the food chain. Rest assured, this city does its part to satisfy your appetite. Ready, set, eat.
At this casual retro-diner restaurant, weekend brunch brings a line down the street for what many believe to be the best blueberry pancakes in the city, if not the whole country. Lunch and dinner options include a variety of burgers, sandwiches, and salads—and you can get those pancakes at dinner, too, without as long a wait.
The key to this restaurant's success lies in its use of ultrafresh ingredients, sourced from local purveyors and presented with style in an upscale, yet casual space that honors its neighborhood's historical roots. A selection of small plates and crostini complement popular main dishes like bison steaks, bone-in pork chops, and homemade pastas. Weekend's offer popular brunch fare including shrimp and grits and "eggs in purgatory" (spicy tomato pomodoro).
Chef Fidel Caballero mines his upbringing on the U.S.--Mexican border, as well as his time cooking in award-winning restaurants in Spain's Basque Country and in Shanghai by producing dishes that marry all these cultures into one unique and delicious meal. The 54-seat eatery is split in two: more casual à la carte options up front and a tasting menu (with a counter overlooking the kitchen) in the back. Expect wow-inducing dishes with multilayered flavor strata, inventive cocktails, and a nicely curated wine list with bottles from Spain and Mexico.
Cote has blown up the staid New York steak-house formula by infusing the experience with Korean twists: that shrimp cocktail might look classic, for instance, but just wait 'til the hot gochujang hits your palate. The steak omakase "tasting menu" is unique, allowing you to compare several cuts of meat, but you can go old-school and just focus on your favorite; everything is cooked table-side—by you or your server—at a smokeless grill. If you're into fried chicken, check out their new nearby sister restaurant, COQODAQ on 22nd Street.
At the flagship of Top Chef head judge Tom Colicchio's nationwide, mini-empire of excellent restaurants, the top-notch seasonal fare is exceptionally prepared with little fuss and served in a cozy-yet-minimalist space with exposed brick details, wood floors, and bare lightbulbs. Expect a menu that hits a variety of high notes, from exuberantly fresh hamachi or braised octopus to start, stylish salads, hearty but not overpowering pastas, and perfectly cooked mains.
Occupying a prime corner in the base of historic 70 Pine, Crown Shy draws even uptowners down to the Wall Street area for its creative menu that plays with international cuisines. Don't be surprised to find brilliantly fused flavors from Italy, Japan, Mexico, or the Middle East here, all deliciously vegetable-forward and elevating the best of the season's produce. Decor is understated modern-deco, with high ceilings and big windows, a large dining area, and a long, friendly bar. Expect to find plenty of businesspeople on weekdays, giving way to a lively mix of foodies on evenings and weekends. Dishes are priced to invite multiple small-dish tastings, along with a few standout main courses, and creatively balanced desserts.
This British-leaning eatery began life as a pandemic-era pop-up mostly serving fish-and-chips. It didn't take long for the city's fooderati to figure out that oh-so-English snack was nearly revelatory here, maybe the best version outside of England. Today, Dame is a permanent fixture on MacDougal Street and serving more than just ultraflakey fish and crispy chips. The menu changes regularly but expect excellent dishes like pan-seared monkfish paired with lentils and bacon, smoked whitefish croquettes, and flakey fish pie. For a meatier take on British food, check out sibling restaurant Lord's, a few blocks away at 506 LaGuardia Place.
This quaint, plant-filled space is brighter and more stylish than your average dumpling-slinger in Queens. That makes sense when you look at the menu, which mixes creative takes on Himalayan classics like perfectly crimped momos (dumplings stuffed with meat or veggies) in a tomato and fenugreek sauce or thenthuk (pulled noodles), as well as American comfort food like buttermilk fried chicken, grass-fed beef burgers, and a kale salad with house-made ricotta. The cocktails are similar global standouts, employing ingredients like masala, tamarind, or tajin spice mix, and there are natural wines on the menu.
At this unassuming storefront, you wouldn't be able to tell that this Nigerian restaurant has garnered high praise from many food critics, but owner-chef Ayo Balogun doesn't just prepare a meal for an intimate party of 16 guests sitting around a communal table, he takes diners on a nostalgic journey, through food and personal storytelling, to the north-central Nigeria of his childhood in the early 1980s. Classic dishes like pepper soup, asaro (yam porridge), and egusi (a creamy, nutty soup) are elevated through plating, while old Nigerian tunes play on vinyl, and art and old photos hang on the wall. There are two seatings at 6 pm and 8:30 pm each open evening, for the $97.20 prix-fixe experience.
Di ăn Di differentiates itself from the hordes of Southeast Asian–fusion restaurants in the city with a light- and plant-filled dining room and great recipes made using quality ingredients. Diners rave about the beef pho ha noi, served with an egg yolk, scallions, and Thai red chiles, and the papaya salad with house-made beef jerky, peanuts, and big sesame cracker.
The word "diner" might evoke a greasy spoon, but this trendsetting restaurant under the Williamsburg Bridge is nothing of the sort. It occupies a 1927 dining car, and foodies cram into the booths to partake in eclectic dishes from the regularly changing menu, based on seasonal ingredients from farms in the Greater New York area. They're also known for their grass-fed burger, available year-round. Andrew Tarlow—the godfather of Brooklyn's farm-to-table culinary renaissance—opened it in 1999 and launched an entire movement.
One of the most inspired vegetarian restaurants in the country, Dirt Candy shines thanks to chef Amanda Cohen, who knows how to coax every bit of flavor out of vegetables—which she has described as "candy from the earth"—so that they dazzle on the plate and the palate. There's just one five-course tasting menu every night, which might include signature dishes like the build-your-own Brussels sprouts tacos, the "Tower of Terroir" deconstructed salad, or the addictive and spicy Korean fried broccoli.
Uruguay is known throughout the world for serving up heaping mounds of high-quality meat and this Jackson Heights corner spot does it just right. With a wide variety of marinated meats to choose from (including beef tongue and blood sausage), all cooked right on the open grill, expect large portions and classic side options like tostones (fried green plantains) and yuca frita (fried yuca). Ask for the homemade chimichurri dipping sauce (a vinegary delight with basil and garlic) that pairs well with just about any dish, or try their empanadas (stuffed with juicy beef, chicken, or spinach) and the signature chivito al pan (a decadent steak sandwich topped with ham, bacon, and egg) for a quick hearty meal.
Luxury, precision, and creativity are the driving forces at this internationally renowned prix-fixe restaurant in a refined high-ceilinged space. Swiss-born chef Daniel Humm oversees the kitchen, concocting unexpected, often whimsical, dishes that change often but have a solid grounding in locavore American tastes. This is one of the most fine-tuned dining experiences you can have in New York City.
Long before Mr. and Mrs. Obama ate dinner here in 2014, this second-floor spot with minimalist decor had been on the map for those who appreciate chef Ignacio Mattos's deceptively simple cuisine, and it still receives consistent acclaim as being one of the best restaurants in Manhattan. The chef's creativity tends to sneak up on the diner in dishes where rye matzo bread might be used under mashed salt cod or sunchoke chips might be folded into sumptuous beef tartare.
Seafood, spicy, and sharing plates are the key concepts at this convivial and colorful Thai restaurant, where the dishes aren't what you find on typical Thai restaurant menus. Order for the table and if you like spice, make sure to include the zabb (a Thai spice blend) wings to start and move on to the coconut crab curry, among other things.
Entering the large, rustic-elegant dining room of Gabriel Kreuther invites a sense of calm as well as anticipation for a memorable meal—and it delivers. The renowned namesake chef celebrates his native Alsatian culinary influences with sublime tasting menus of three or four courses, or an inspired chef's tasting menu of at least seven courses (wine pairing optional, and worth the splurge). GK's haute cuisine, attentive service, and even its lovely handmade ceramic dishware are all part of an exceptional dining experience. Here's your chance to taste cuisine by a chef who's earned many of the world's most prestigious fine-dining accolades, including a James Beard award, Relais & Chateaux membership, and two Michelin stars. Note: if dinner is too pricey, enjoy a four-course prix-fixe lunch or à la carte menu, or opt for more casual dining in the inviting bar.
Every bit as thrilling as when it opened in 1984, this culinary landmark continues to focus on a foundation of simple, clean flavors to create transcendent preparations: no rack of lamb is more tender, no seafood salad sweeter, and desserts are also memorable. Take a stroll through the Union Square Greenmarket before or after lunch to see the chef's inspirations.
Danny Meyer's perennially popular restaurant tops many a New Yorker's list of favorite dining spots, as much for the exemplary food as for the clubby, art-filled space. In front, the cozy, first-come, first-served Tavern has an à la carte menu (the $35 burger with duck-fat potato chips is a standout) along with great craft beers and cocktails; the more formal dining room in back serves a four-course Greenmarket Lunch and a showstopping five-course tasting menu for dinner.
This gastropub offers Irish and American selections including a delicious and comforting shepherd’s pie, bangers and mash, cheeseburger sliders, flatbreads, wings, salads, and sandwiches. Seat yourself, and grab a plate from the dishware pile on the tables for a meal. The bar is outfitted with flatscreen TVs showing soccer matches and other sports. Come during weekend brunch for a proper Irish breakfast.
Flushing has plenty of casual sit-down spots and street-style hawker stands, but Guan Fu is on another level, presenting legitimately tongue-tingling, lip-burning Sichuan dishes in an elegant, upscale environment. The mapo tofu, a staple of any good Sichuan restaurant, is impeccable over rice, and the boiled fish is a soupy symphony of spicy and sour flavors. What’s more, this restaurant pays homage to the classic Chinese American restaurants of old with its bamboo screens, elaborate metal serving ware, and two lion statues outside.
Fabulous artwork and colorful murals set the tone at this upbeat fusion spot where the flavors of Bombay and the Big Apple come together in creative ways. Order for the table and share so you can sample as many dishes as possible, and make sure to try the fabulous cocktails.
Most Vietnamese food in the United States is inspired by the traditions of southern Vietnam because it was largely Vietnamese from the south who left the country after the war ended in 1975. Hanoi House brings a refreshing—and delicious—taste of the north; the pho here, as done in Hanoi, is meatier, darker, intensely flavorful, and so good.
