226 Best Restaurants in New York City, New York

Rangoon offers friendly service and excellent takes on the cuisine of Myanmar, the country formerly known as Burma. Geographically, Myanmar shares borders with Thailand, China, and India, so think flatbread stuffed with masala-laced potatoes, chicken noodle soup spiked with coconut milk, and fried rice mingling with fermented tea leaves and toasted sesame seeds. The cocktail list incorporates Southeast Asian flavors into the drinks and the small, but excellent wine list includes some surprises, like a great natural orange wine from Croatia.

Renaissance Harlem, the third restaurant venture for Senegalese-born chefs (and cousins) Cisse Elhadji and Cheikh Ali, brings upscale American cuisine to the historic neighborhood. Named as a nod to the Harlem Renaissance, the restaurant plays music varying from nostalgic ‘90s to Afrobeats at a volume that still allows for intimate conversation. The menu fuses traditional French, African, and American spices to capture the combination of cultures and foods found in Harlem, while blending fresh local ingredients and traditional French cooking methods. The contemporary rustic interior, attentive wait staff, and friendly bartenders make for a perfect mix of casual elegance. Expect healthy portions and even better presentation. 

New York City has no shortage of Italian restaurants, but Rezdôra stands out among the multitudes with its impeccable pastas with lineage from the underrepresented Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy. The meat and fish secondi (second courses) are wonderfully executed as well, but the pasta (handmade and hand-rolled) steals the show.

Although the spacious, colorfully lighted interior might tip you off that authenticity is best sought elsewhere, if you're looking for flavorful Mex--style fare, step right up, hombre. Start with an order of guacamole (made tableside), moving on to the pork belly and scallop tacos, soul-comforting chicken tortilla pie, or crispy pork shank—all of which taste even better with one of the delicious margaritas. The daily happy hour at the bar is a great deal, but it gets crowded fast. There are other locations, too, including at Lincoln Center and Midtown East.

Originating in Manhattan in 1984, this warm Mexican restaurant now has outlets in eight states. The two-story Lincoln Center location features a small, yet lively bar where the house specialty, the frozen pomegranate margarita, and freshly made guacamole are musts; dishes to try include the enchiladas Suizas in a creamy tomatillo sauce. If you're staying for more than drinks and appetizers, head for a table upstairs past the giant blue tile waterfall lined with figures of divers.

Does New York City really need another Italian restaurant? When it's a long-time beloved favorite eatery from Rome, the answer is a resounding sì! Roscioli was a must-stop for tourists to Rome but now New Yorkers can devour suppli (fried Roman rice balls) and dig into bowls of spaghetti alla carbonara and rigatoni all'Amatriciana without the jet lag. The downstairs room is exclusively for diners partaking in the prix-fixe tasting menu while the ground-floor space is for more casual à la carte options.

The sit-down location of the long-established (since 1914) family-owned Russ & Daughters “appetizing” shop on Houston Street offers the same smoked fish, caviar, bagels, and potato latkes as the original, along with egg dishes, salads, and cocktails in a bright, updated-deli atmosphere. The “boards” are individual (but shareable) platters of smoked fish, accompanied by your bagel, bialy, or bread of choice, so that you can assemble your own sandwich.

Brunch staples like smoked fish, bagels, pancakes, and French toast don’t get more refined than they do at this airy, sophisticated spot in the heart of the SoHo action. Come during the week for a more leisurely experience, because who said brunch has to be relegated to weekends?

A spirited vibe and occasional live music sets set the mood for this fun and inventive fusion restaurant where Caribbean flavors and Asian textures come together. The Far East meets the West Indies in dishes including jerk chicken ramen, oxtail and short rib dumplings, cold peanut punch noodles, and Caribbean dan dan noodles.

Part storefront and market, part restaurant and bar, all cured-meat mecca, this intimate Italian UWS institution offers excellent food and service along with its dozens of varieties of prosciutto, coppa, mortadella, and more. You can have it carved from a professional slicer for consumption on the spot or purchase it as indulgent takeout. There's also a more ambitious Italian menu, including house-baked focaccia bread (ask for seconds), salads, strozzapreti pasta in a flavorful tomato sauce, and a signature homemade lasagna with béchamel sauce.

Lining up for brunch at this bric-a-brac-filled restaurant is as much an Upper West Side tradition as taking a sunny Sunday afternoon stroll in nearby Riverside Park. In the morning, locals love the lemon ricotta pancakes and the "fat and fluffy" French toast served with fruit and organic maple syrup; later in the day, folks come for comfort-food dishes like chicken potpie or steak frites with truffle herb fries. There are several other locations around town, but this is the original—the "mother ship."

It might not be the hot spot it was when it opened back in 2011, but this attractive wood-paneled space—named for two 19th-century racehorses—continues to attract an upbeat crowd thanks to its long front bar and top-of-the-line, meat-and-seafood-centric menu. The burger is one of the best around, though these days, you have to choose between the dry-aged beef version and the Impossible Burger vegetable option—even meat-lovers applaud the latter.

Putting sustainability at the fore, Seamore’s brings local, daily-changing fish and shellfish selections to Battery Park City. Expect a full menu of seafood favorites, from fish tacos, poke, and clam chowder to seared sesame tuna, scallop risotto, and “reel deal” grilled fish with a choice of sides and sauce. The bar stays busy with after-work patrons enjoying weekday happy hours on drinks and oysters. The dining room is spacious and channels an upscale fish-shack vibe, while warm weather and weekend brunch visits are prime times to enjoy the big outdoor terrace.

At this vegan and raw eatery just a few blocks north of Central Park, you won't be tempted to ask "Where's the beef?" Mother-and-son team Brenda and Aaron Beener take tasty comfort food staples and "veganize" them. For example, the raw lasagna consists of raw zucchini, spinach, cashew cheese, and marinara sauce; the barbecue riblets are a blend of lotus root and fermented soy; and the po'boy sandwich is made with fried yam or burdock root protein that mimics shrimp or crawfish, respectively.

If you're a restaurant that only serves one main item, you better be good at it. Fortunately, for Skirt Steak, the namesake item is excellent at this casual, rustic spot from chef Laurent Tourondel. For one price—$45—diners get a hunk of juicy skirt steak, cooked to the temperature of their liking, a small green salad, and an unlimited amount of crispy French fries. Dessert costs extra. There are also off-menu items such as burgers and seasonal vegetable sides, which diners can access by telling the servers that they "heard it from the chef." 

Subterranean and almost hidden, the Smile turns frowns upside down if you're into lounging among a fashion-conscious clientele in a cozy, brick-walled space. The brunch and lunch menu leans to comfort foods like waffles, egg sandwiches, and avocado toasts, while dinner options, like whole trout, brisket, hanger steak, or roasted chicken, are more ambitious.

Celebs, fashion-industry insiders, and the common folk, too, all cluster at this buzzy restaurant inside The Standard, High Line hotel. The menu is Gallic-accented comfort-luxe, with dishes like the heritage pork chop with burned apple sauce and whole roasted branzino. For dessert, there's the nearly obscene "Deal Closer": a chocolate mousse, devil's food cake, and vanilla whipped cream concoction for two. In warm weather, the spacious outdoor seating area is perfect for sampling creative cocktails; there's an indoor bar, too, and two dining rooms—a casual one in front and a larger room in back, with a floor whimsically made up of thousands of glittering pennies.

A Harlem mainstay, Sylvia's has been serving soul-food favorites like smothered chicken, barbecue ribs, collard greens, and mashed potatoes to a dedicated crowd of locals, tourists, and college students since 1962. Owner Sylvia Woods may have passed on in 2012, but her restaurant and signature sauces, jarred and sold online and in the restaurant, are more popular than ever. Some say it's overly touristy—as the busloads attest—but it's still worth a visit. For the best bang for your buck, come during the week for the lunch special, where you can get one main and one side for only $14.

Located inside the recently reimagined Tin Building on Pier 17 in The Seaport, T. Brasserie is a decidedly polished, classically French dining experience—everything you might expect from elite French chef-restaurateur Jean-Georges Vongerichten. Like the other eateries and market stalls within, it has perfected its specialties, in this case, all the Gallic standards you can conjure, plus a few modern additions. Among the essentials are baked brie, moules (mussels) or steak frites, escargot, and a standout French-onion soup; the newer takes include avocado stuffed with crab salad, gruyere cheeseburger on a puff-pastry bun, and various wood-fired grill dishes. The brunch menu is nearly identical, with more egg options. The space itself is enticing, with lots of green tile, velvet seating, and brass fixtures, and in warmer weather, sitting on the roomy covered terrace is a special delight.

The kitschy decor, colorful diner-esque menu, and trendy patrons will quickly cue you into the fact that this is no ordinary Thai restaurant: the food is slightly off-kilter, in a good way, and the vibe is playful. The food is a combination of creative interpretations of Thai dishes and American diner classics, with an emphasis on fried chicken.