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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.
The Mexican-style grilled corn, liberally sprinkled with chili powder, lime, and cotija cheese, is undoubtedly worth getting your hands dirty at this hip luncheonette that's become something of an institution on this well-traveled corner of NoLIta. Follow up with a classic Cuban sandwich (roast pork, ham, Swiss cheese, pickles, and chipotle mayo), fish tacos, or one of the innovative salads.
An updated ice-cream parlor that combines the best of American and Italian coffee and ice cream seems like a revelation: what took so long to come up with this idea? This is dessert adultified, but the kids will be happy, too.
Named for a border town between Mexico and California, this casual, easygoing Cal-Mex restaurant originated as a street cart in SoHo before opening a number of storefronts, three of which are in Brooklyn. At the Upper East Side outpost, you'll find Calexico's usual staples of burritos, quesadillas, tacos, and enchiladas. Items to try include frozen margaritas, chipotle-marinated pork tacos, and esquites, a grilled corn salad mixed with cotija (aged cow's milk) cheese, lime mayo, chili powder, sour cream, and cilantro. There's also a kids' menu, weekday happy hour and a weekend brunch.
Set on a nondescript block of Broadway, the original branch of the small, now-national chain is a favorite for families celebrating special occasions, preprom groups of teens, and locals looking for reliable Italian food. They come for mountainous portions designed to share, family-style, of tried-and-true Italian favs like fried calamari, linguine with white clam sauce, chicken parmigiana, and veal saltimbocca, all loaded with garlic or red sauce—or both. Family photos line the walls, an antipasti table groans under the weight of savory meats, cheese, and salads, and there's a convivial feeling amid the organized chaos. If you want a quiet or romantic dinner, this is not the place.
This fast-casual spot serves up possibly the best chicken on the planet. Servers hand you plastic gloves with your food because the chicken is so fall-off-the-bone tender and juicy that using anything but your hands to eat it is an exercise in futility. The secret is that they marinate the whole chicken in in a secret mixture of Chinese spices for hours and then braise the bird for an eternity. There are long list of sides, including scallion pancakes, pan-fried dumplings, and onion rings.
Named for a legendary ice-cream shop in Havana, Coppelia is neither Cuban nor an ice-cream parlor. Chef Julian Medina has created a 24-hour pan-Latin diner that works on many levels—for a quick breakfast, casual lunch, or late-night bite—with a continent-size menu that emphasizes comfort food. Some satisfying dishes include the pork-belly-spiked mac 'n' cheese, mountainous nachos, grilled cheese with jalapeño and bacon, and oxtail empanadas. If you did have your corazón set on ice cream, there's plenty of it on the dessert menu.
Dinosaur Bar-B-Que's origins are in Upstate New York, but its massive Harlem location brings smoked, homemade barbecue to the Big Apple. Big appetites will be happy with the huge platters of St. Louis–style ribs, Memphis-style ribs, and pulled pork and brisket here, as well as sides like mac'n'cheese, Asian cucumber salad, corn bread, slaw, and barbecue baked beans. Smaller appetites can opt for chicken wings, sliders, sandwiches, fried green tomatoes, salads, or Creole deviled eggs.
There’s a reason why these doughnuts in multilicious flavors have become a signature at so many cafés throughout Manhattan and Brooklyn, and at this Manhattan outpost of the Bed-Stuy original, you can get them fresh out of the oven. The ever-popular (though odd-sounding) hibiscus doughnut looks gorgeous and has just the right amount of tart fruitiness to balance the sweetness of the dough; other favorites include passion fruit, salted chocolate, and cinnamon and sugar. Some are made vegan, too.
Both a bustling food hall and a marketplace where you can shop for produce, baked goods, prepared foods, and kitchen staples, Eataly is a temple to all things gourmet Italian. You can graze at individual stands, sit down for a meal at one of several restaurants that each specialize in different aspects of Italian cuisine, or head upstairs to Serra by Birreria, a covered rooftop space that's open year-round and serves Italian specialties and microbrews that change with the seasons.
The Edge Harlem is housed in what was once a meeting place for key figures of the Harlem Renaissance like Zora Neal Hurston and Langston Hughes. Known for its cozy, rustic decor and creative food, this quaint but upbeat eatery is brought to you by a family unit, including two sisters, Juliet and Justine. With their British and Jamaican heritage driving the menu items, the shrimp and Parmesan grits are a standout, along with the codfish fritters and jerk chicken. On the weekends, don't miss out on the national dish of Jamaica, ackee and saltfish, best served with festival, a fried, crunchy bread.
Broadway lovers hungry for more music and dance will get a kick out of Ellen's, a 1950s-style, multilevel diner with a singing waitstaff and all-day breakfast. The menu focuses on all-American classics like meat loaf and chicken potpie, and the servers serenading you on roller skates dazzle with Broadway-caliber talent. It's the kind of over-the-top family fun that makes sense in Times Square, so expect a vivacious dining experience.
New Yorkers in all neighborhoods were delighted to welcome this second branch of the famed Friend of a Farmer, if only because a second outpost means a second chance at scoring a table for their legendary weekend brunch. The Gramercy location opened in the 1980s and is known for its cottage-core vibes, hearty servings, and as a pioneer in the farm-to-table movement offering seasonal and locally sourced ingredients. This Upper West Side location offers the same wholesome appeal and experience. While the brunch gets most of the attention (a fallout of the original location appearing on best-of NYC brunch lists for the last decade), the supper menu is as comforting as the farmhouse decor suggests. Look for all your favorites, from Chicken Pot Pie to Shepherd's Pie (there's a vegan option, too), burgers, fish, grain bowls, and duck.
If you can't get to Vermont for the weekend, a meal in the brick-and-wood dining room at Friend of a Farmer is the next best thing. This restaurant was one of the pioneers of the farm-to-table movement and the high quality of everything, from the ingredients to the service, have made this a standout since it opened in 1986.
A traditional New York diner, this place has been slinging the classics since it opened in 1979. The diner recently has undergone a renovation and made changes to their kitchen and menu, while still continuing to be a local favorite spot. Breakfast is a popular time to dine here and lunch and dinner hours also draw in patrons. Sure bets are many styles of omelets along with waffles, and pancakes with a choice of delicious add-ons like fresh berries or chocolate chips. Other favorites among the regulars include beef burgers, salads, and triple-decker sandwiches such as the turkey club.
Although the soups and the noodle options are consistently excellent at this no-frills restaurant, what you should really order here are dishes that involve the hanging lacquered ducks and other window "decorations." These are listed on a simple board and superbly served with pungent garlic-and-ginger sauce on the side. Seasonal specialties like duck with flowering chives and salt-baked soft-shell crabs are memorable.
George Motz is a well-known historian of the American hamburger and in late 2023, he fulfilled a dream by opening up his own burger joint. Grab a stool at the counter and watch Motz, the burger-flipper-in-chief, go to work. The casual and affordable spot serves up single and double-patty smash burgers, as well as a regional special burger that changes every few months. Crispy fries, grilled cheese sandwiches, and flavored milk round out the menu.
As diners have become more aware of regional Asian dishes, hot pot has come to play a large role in cuisines that are more like communal experiences. Here, the whole idea is to go with a group, and the practice of gathering around the broth and chatting as you dip sliced marbled meats, seafood, tofu, and veggies into it to cook, achieves the status of ritual. The boiling soup is split down the middle, and it’s advisable to get both spicy and mild options, so you can alternate between fiery and soothing flavors. Come with an appetite, because portions here are all-you-can-eat.
After doing some shopping at NiLu next door, stop into this spacious, rustic café with exposed brick that serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Specializing in Italian American cuisine with popular options like penne alla vodka, there are also Asian-inspired dishes (like the Korean barbecue lettuce wrap made with marinated beef rib eye) and a wide selection of paninis. When the weather’s nice, there’s outdoor seating in the front or you can just grab a quick latte to-go before heading off to explore the area.
You might recognize this Village institution from its frequent cameos in TV and film (in Spider-Man, Tobey Maguire's Peter Parker was a Joe's delivery boy). But it's the classic, gooey, New York slice, dripping melted cheese onto paper plates, that really makes the place famous. And in a city brimming with by-the-slice spots, the crispy-bottomed offerings here are the best.
Joe opened his first Shanghai restaurant in Queens in 1994, but buoyed by the accolades showered on his steamed soup dumplings—filled with a rich, fragrant broth and ground pork or a pork-crabmeat mixture—a Manhattan Chinatown location followed in 1995. After 25 years, it's moved to a new spot not far from the original and although the space is modern and updated, the food is just what fans have been raving about for years.
Famous for its thick slices of cheesecake, Junior's has been a quintessential Brooklyn eatery since 1950, with a menu that also includes their famous steakburgers and matzo ball soup. Their Reubens and thick French fries are first-rate, as are the potato latkes and pretty much all the breakfast offerings. Sink into one of the vinyl booths and enjoy comforting diner and delicatessen classics in this brightly lit space.
