154 Best Restaurants in New York City, New York

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.

Top-quality sandwiches, delicious pastries, market-fresh salads, and a few hot lunch and dinner options are served to eat in or take away at this petite bakery-café that's part of Danny Meyer's empire. There are a few seats but when the weather's nice, take your food to eat on a bench in Union Square.

The cronut, a delectable cross between a doughnut and a croissant, was invented by Dominique Ansel in 2013, and the flaky pastries continue to create a hubbub, with just one inventive flavor available each month. There are plenty of other delightful creations here as well, such as decadent hot chocolate, which you can eat in the café or take with you.

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.

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.

On an out-of-the-way stretch of the Lower East Side, Ernesto's refined atmosphere and creative, daily-changing menu of satisfying Spanish and Basque delights transports diners to coastal Spain. This isn't the small plates, tapas-style Spanish restaurant that New Yorkers are familiar with, though sharing dishes like a tortilla española (egg and potato omelet) or creamy croquetas (ham-filled deep-fried fritters) and heartier fare like seared duck breast slathered in a port and foie gras sauce or baked salt cod in a garlicky green sauce is not frowned upon.

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. 

Decor-wise it’s what you might expect from a diner: a few simple tables plus some counter seating looking over the grill, and the menu seems familiar, but most items have a global twist that reflects the neighborhood, like a club sandwich made with chicken katsu (Japanese-style fried chicken), a Cobb salad with a Thai twist, and lemongrass-accented avocado toast.

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.

It's a stand-up (no seats) or take-out dive, but yes, limos often stop here, too, for the legendary hot dogs—they are fresh grilled on a flattop and delicious, and quite the economical meal, even when they're washed down with the eponymous papaya drink. The ongoing recession special is two grilled hot dogs and a fresh fruit drink for just $7.50, and cheap breakfast offerings include the quintessential egg and cheese on a roll.

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.

Friendly, family-run Gregorys is a staple for hurried New Yorkers, who appreciate the quality coffee, tea, baked goods, sandwiches, and more from this and other Midtown locations. Gluten-free and vegan options also are on the menu. Expect some seating inside, but mostly aim to grab and go.

With colorful bottles of Jarritos (a Mexican soft drink) lining the window and sepia-toned photographs adorning the yellow walls, this small, no-frills café named after the Mayan calendar serves Mexican breakfast all day, as well as an array of tacos, tortas (sandwiches), Mexican coffee (made with star anise, cinnamon, and piloncillo, or Mexican brown sugar), chilaquiles (a breakfast dish made with fried corn tortillas and eggs), and aqua frescas. You can also order beer, cocktails, or a michelada.

With a mission to "change the community, one biscuit at a time," Harlem Biscuit Company is doing just that. Run by chef Melvin “Boots” Johnson (you can call him chef Boots), the biscuits at Harlem Biscuit Company are made fresh in a variety of flavors (classic buttermilk, chive cheddar, everything, and weekend-only black truffle), and can be ordered as is, with a selection of jams and spreads, or in sandwich form. For a hearty meal, go for the Langson, with fried chicken, pickles, and chili garlic honey. To start your day off on the right foot, the Bodega is a solid choice, with bacon, egg, and cheddar. Note that this spot closes at 2 pm every day, so you'll want to plan your visit accordingly. 

Named after architect Hugh Stubbins, who designed the Citicorp Center building in which it's housed, this food court boasts 15-plus eateries, bars, and restaurants whose culinary offerings are as diverse as the city itself. Choices can extend to New York--style pizza, breakfast pastries, masala fries, Berlin-style döner kebabs, and Jamaican patties, among others, or later on order a cocktail at The Boardroom, a speakeasy. Sit at a table or along the adjacent staircase, while looking up at a lighting fixture by Parsons School of Design and School of Visual Arts students. 

Linger over a danish or a slice of Sacher torte and bottomless cups of coffee at this old world–style bakery-café in Morningside Heights, where you'll rub elbows with students and professors from nearby Columbia University and locals who often line up before opening time to get pastries fresh from the oven. It's also near the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine.

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.