506 Best Restaurants in New York City, New York

This family-friendly burger joint on the bustling, brownstone-lined corner of 124th Street and Malcolm X Boulevard has a retro malt-shop interior adorned with headshots of Black entertainers, vintage Jet magazine covers, and even a Wall of Fro dedicated to customers with afros. The name is a clever take on the world-famous Harlem Shake dance made popular by Harlem resident Al B, and also gives a nod to its rich organic milk shakes—such as the signature Red Velvet, locally made with real cake and Blue Marble ice cream. Creative burgers include the award-winning Hot Mess, which is topped with pickled cherry pepper and bacon relish, American cheese, and smoky chipotle mayo. Tasty nonbeef alternatives, like the house-made veggie burger, the Hot Honey Chick sandwich (dark meat fried chicken drizzled with Mike's Hot Honey), or the simple, yet satisfying cheese fries are staples of the reasonably priced menu. There's happy hour on beer and wine, or go booze-free with a myriad of old-fashioned soda options.

Its noise-dampening acoustics and maze of underground nooks combine to make Harry's—the fine-dining half of the restaurant (Harry's Side Bar at 62 Stone Street is more casual, with similar small-bites menu)—one of the city's most intimate and exceptional steak houses. Settle into a leather booth and start with a jumbo shrimp cocktail, shellfish platter (serves up to four), or other classic appetizer. Then turn to choices of prime dry-aged beef or fresh fish dishes, and choices of Harry's special sides like its hash-brown potatoes or polenta fries. Weekend brunch is popular, too.

Roughly the size of a studio apartment, this homey bar and restaurant is the epitome of a neighborhood spot; just keep in mind that advance reservations aren't accepted. The short menu of comfort foods—hamburgers, a pasta of the day, macaroni and cheese—changes frequently. Specials like homemade gnocchi with duck ragout never fail to impress. Their salads, such as roasted artichoke with baby arugula and white truffle oil, and their date pudding for dessert, also stand out. Heidi's House is better suited to smaller parties, and takes same-day reservations, but at its charming little bar next door—Ed's Elbow Room—you can also order from Heidi's full menu or have a drink while waiting for a table.

Featured on numerous best barbecue lists of New York City (and beyond), this critically acclaimed, Texas-style smokehouse has been serving up brisket, pulled pork, ribs, and more since 2013, when it made Red Hook a destination for carnivores. Tender meats are served in trays by the half pound, or within sandwiches and tacos. Vegetarian options are also available.

Famed Washington, D.C., restaurateur and chef Philippe Massoud brings his culinary talents—emphasizing cuisine from his native Lebanon—to New York City at this bi-level, 400-seat eatery. The menu of innovative Middle Eastern fare includes a mouthwatering variety of shareable hot and cold meze, as well as mains that run the gamut from lamb chops with za'atar to chicken livers with pomegranate molasses to duck shawarma with fig jam. Waiters never fail to refresh the basket of hot, fluffy, house-baked pita bread. A glass of Lebanese or French wine is a nice accompaniment to the cuisine.

Don't let its generic-sounding name mislead you into thinking they serve the usual Indian fare; this contemporary eatery specializes in dishes from the Indian state of Goa, whose long history of trade has led to a fusion cuisine of Indian and Portuguese flavors. In fact, a lot on their menu uses Portuguese words, including xacuti de galinha (a curry with chicken) and caldinha de bhendé (a curry with okra).

Just try sitting still at this lively outpost of a popular restaurant of the same name in Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. Set in the new Radio Hotel in Manhattan's Washington Heights neighborhood, home to the largest Dominican community in the United States, the Latin rhythms are playing, the waiters are swaying, and the diners---mostly locals---are breaking into song with every chorus. Add delicious tropical cocktails like the signature Mamajuana Manhattan with sweet vermouth and house-made mamajuana (a spiced rum; it's the national drink of the Dominican Republic), sizzling bocaditos (snacks), and vibrant furnishings that include authentic carnival masks and D.R.-crafted cane-back chairs and stay-a-while banquettes, and you'll feel you have been transported to the Caribbean island. Menu musts include the croquetas de chivo (braised goat croquettes), sea bass ceviche served with crunchy plantain and cassava chips, chicharrón y casabe (hunks of crispy pork belly served with caramelized plantains), pecao frito (deep-fried red snapper), and seafood mofongo. It will be hard to leave room for dessert but you deserve the delicious cinco leches Dominicana soaked sponge cake. A spacious attached courtyard takes this party outdoors with live music in summer.

Chef célèbre Jean-Georges Vongerichten's prix-fixe–only culinary flagship focuses wholly on his spectacular dishes, which either approach the limits of the taste universe (perhaps foie-gras brûlée with fig jam and ice-wine reduction) or are models of simplicity (say, toasted egg yolk and caviar). The dining room is sleek but understated, with floor-to-ceiling windows adding sparkle to the white leather furnishings, white walls, and white linens; fresh-cut flowers adorn every table. Exceedingly personalized service and a well-selected wine list contribute to an unforgettable meal. For a less expensive lunch and brunch, try the less formal front room, Nougatine.

Easy to spot from its vintage sign outside, the self-described “saloon with food” has been serving its famous hefty burgers and cottage fries, along with thick sandwiches and drinks like Bloody Marys, since 1972. Its decor is warm and woody, the tablecloths are checkered, the tables are packed close together (so it’s noisy when crowded), and there’s an everybody-knows-your-name vibe. Save room for dessert, because the chocolate chip cake and pecan pie are worth the calories. This place also is known for its late hours—the kitchen is open until after midnight on most nights—and its old-time jukebox.

This British-style gastropub with exposed brick walls and wooden tables and floors is named for—and located in—the iron foundry that was located here in the late 1800s, when it created staircases, doors, and even manhole covers for a growing city. There’s an extensive list of beers, ales, and wines, and the Euro-style menu includes beef bourguignon alongside light and flaky fish-and-chips. Traditional favorites like bangers and mash, Scotch egg, and sticky toffee pudding are also available. The lovely garden dining area is open in season.

In Serbia, a kafana is a neighborhood tavern with a menu of hearty Serbian staples like ćevapi, finger-size minced beef sausages, or karadjordjeva, a tubular pork schnitzel stuffed with ham and rich, creamy kajmak cheese. This rustic cash-only Serbian eatery, located in the wilds of the East Village on Avenue C, has excellent artery-hardening fare and an impressive list of natural wines from Serbia. Top off your meal with a shot of rakia, the potent fruit brandy that is ubiquitous in the Balkans. 

Everything and nothing has changed at Katz's since it first opened in 1888, when the neighborhood was dominated by Jewish immigrants: lines still form for the giant, hand-carved corned beef and pastrami sandwiches, soul-warming soups, juicy hot dogs, and crisp half-sour pickles. You get a ticket when you walk in and then get it punched at the various stations where you pick up your food; don't lose it, or you'll have to pay the lost-ticket fee.

The New York outpost of the 154-year-old pizzeria in Naples that the travel memoir "Eat, Pray, Love" single-handedly turned into a must-visit stop on the tourist trail, this West Village pizzeria opened in late 2022 and has managed to quickly become one of the best Neapolitan-style pizzerias in the city. The menu here is much more expansive than the original, treading into all-encompassing trattoria fare, such as pastas and salads, but stick to the classic Margherita pie and you'll walk out of here a very happy eater.

One of Brooklyn's most celebrated slice joints made the leap over the East River in late 2023 and a line formed immediately. The owner of L'Industrie is originally from Tuscany and it shows in the crispy, ultrathin-crust pies. There are usually 10 varieties of pizza available daily, but first-timers should opt for the burrata slice: thin, crispy crust topped with sweet tomato sauce and gooey flavorful globs of burrata cheese. Limited seating is available, plus a small selection of natural wine and beer. 

Brought to you by the pasta company Pastaficio di Martino from the renowned pasta-making town of Gragnano near Naples, Italy, La Devozione is: (1) a retail shop where you can purchase packages of the company's 126 different pasta shapes and (2) an exquisite restaurant, complete with an oval-shape table setting around the open kitchen, so diners can watch their four-course lunch or seven-course dinner get made. Diners who don't want to commit to a long tasting menu can sit at other tables and choose from classic à la carte options like cacio e pepe and carbonara.

A bright yellow facade makes this upscale French bistro easy to find, and inside it's warm and cozy amid its dark wood paneling. Sushi rolls and tuna tartare have been added to the French and Italian menu, which includes traditional onion soup, duck foie gras, steak au poivre, roasted cheese soufflé, and roasted heritage half chicken. The best bet for dessert though is profiteroles—in this case, scoops of vanilla ice cream covered in a thin crust of chocolate.

Staten Island has one of the largest Sri Lankan communities outside the South Asian nation, which means it's the perfect place to taste its cuisine. Along an unassuming strip of restaurants and groceries is this acclaimed, standout restaurant, tastefully adorned with Sri Lankan curios. During the week, different curries accompany à la carte dishes known as lamprais, kottus, and hoppers, however, on weekends there's an all-you-can-eat buffet of greatest hits for $22.

Enter the serene, teak-paneled dining room at this trendsetting French seafood restaurant, and let chef Eric Ripert work his magic with anything that swims—at times preferring not to cook it at all. Deceptively simple dishes are typical of his style, which has earned this restaurant many James Beard and other awards, including a rank among the world's top 20 restaurants and an incredible three Michelin stars. Expect to savor every bite of Le Bernardin's thrilling cuisine, along with exceptional cocktail and wine selections, and some of the finest desserts anywhere. The menu is expensive and prix-fixe only, but you can count on a truly unforgettable gastronomic experience. Along with a vegetarian prix-fixe option, there's also a marvelous chef's tasting menu of at least eight courses, and the option of an over-the-top wine pairing. Opt for the spectacular three-course lounge menu if time (or budget) is tight.

Set in the heart of Midtown, and located on the second floor of One Vanderbilt, a glassy 93-story skyscraper that dwarfs the nearby Chrysler Building (views of which you can appreciate from the restaurant's massive windows), Le Pavillon is named for a French restaurant in 1940s Manhattan that first defined French cuisine in the United States and is itself redefining fine dining in Midtown Manhattan. Immediately hailed a culinary oasis, world-renowned chef Daniel Boulud’s restaurant is also a soothing oasis, with its understated, neutral interiors, 57-foot ceilings, grand views, and lush forestlike setting complete with 20-foot-tall olive trees. The menu is prix-fixe and focuses on locally sourced vegetables and seafood. The Oysters Vanderbilt is named for the railroad magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who built Grand Central Terminal. À la carte menu items are available in the bar and lounge.

When Harlem resident Susannah Koteen opened Lido in 2011, she became one of the pioneers of Restaurant Row, which blossomed along Frederick Douglass Boulevard. A laid-back yet classy restaurant with boundless appeal, this authentic Italian eatery is a neighborhood go-to for a casual dinner and the perfect date spot. The restaurant's interior and its menu were designed by Serena Bass, a James Beard Award winner. Try the Tuscan crostini with burrata and poached pears drizzled with honey and topped with sage as a starter and wash it down with an Emerald City cocktail, made with pineapple-infused mezcal, jalapeño cilantro syrup, and fresh lime. For brunch, don’t skip the braised short rib hash or spaghetti with veal meatballs. And to top it off, add bottomless mimosas and sangria (white or red) for $20.

Even in the most diverse neighborhood of New York City, you are still in New York, after all, so great pizza is a must. This no-frills pizza joint is run by Louie himself. Hailed as a local hero after surviving a horrific stabbing from protecting an elderly woman from being mugged, Louie has become somewhat of a staple figure in the neighborhood. Heroism aside, the grandma slice here is one of the best in the borough, but you also don't want to miss their homemade agnolotti pasta.

If you worship at the altar of Neapolitan pizza---thin-crust pies baked quickly in blistering brick ovens---Lucali is a worthy pilgrimage. Ordering is simple: there's one large pie and a choice of toppings from beef pepperoni to vegetables like grilled artichokes; and calzones in two sizes, which come with a side of marinara sauce. Pizzaiolo Mark Iacono opened his cozy restaurant in a former candy shop to insure his beloved neighborhood haunt wouldn’t turn over to a chain. Lucali quickly established itself as a top-ranked pizzeria. Arrive early and plan to explore Carroll Gardens. They'll call your phone when a spot is ready, which could be hours later.