447 Best Restaurants in New York City, New York

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.

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.

This little slice of Havana in the center of the Big Apple is a great place for reasonably priced group dining, a solid pretheater menu, weekday happy hour, as well as for sampling Cuban-Latino standards. Dig into dishes like pernil asado, Cubano sandwiches, authentic tostones (fried green plantains), pineapple-spiked chicken, and well-seasoned skirt steak with a cucumber-and-mango salad. There's a huge list of rums and a full menu of tropical-flavored mojitos, including coconut, blueberry, and passion fruit. At the Cuban brunch, don't miss the dulce de leche French toast.

Family owned for three generations, the Heidelberg is a throwback to when Yorkville was a bustling German community more than a century ago. A thriving remnant of this past, the restaurant's exterior reflects German fachwerkhäuser (half-timbered) facade. Once inside, you can soak up the Bavarian beer hall vibes with a frothy lager, accompanied by one of the classics from the kitchen, like wiener schnitzel, shareable sausage platters, jägerschnitzel, which is covered in a mushroom sauce, or beef goulash braised in paprika sauce. It's a popular evening spot, so squeeze up to the bar area to grab a seat or corner space.

Amid a contemporary rustic space with exposed brick walls, an assortment of wooden tables, and framed pictures and housewares on shelves, this popular Korean restaurant specializes home-style Korean cooking, with a pictorial menu reflecting the look and feel of a magazine. It is broken down into small plates, meat dishes, hot pots, rice and noodles, and dessert. In coining the term "Korean soul food," this homey atmosphere encourages a lingering meal with loved ones, perhaps starting with crispy pancakes with shrimp or hot peppers, followed by a thinly-sliced grilled bulgogi. The pot selections, including a vegetable option, are flavorful. The full-bar offers cocktails including a honey crisp bekseju (Korean rice wine) and sojus infused with such flavors as lavender or mint.

This Philly import has been a huge hit with locals since it first traveled north and set up shop on Hudson Street in 2013. It has an intimate vibe, with low lights and bowls of pasta, seafood, and roasted chicken are on offer. Large windows allow for great West Village street viewing.

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. 

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.

Helmed by renowned chef Manish Mehrotra, this refined Midtown restaurant is arguably the Big Apple's best place for creative and classic Indian dishes. The menu, which has tantalizing vegetarian, meat, and seafood options, explores innovation by blending daring and seasonal flavors with traditional Indian cuisine. Dinner is a three- or four-course prix-fixe affair, with excellent brunch and cocktail menus. The understated, elegant dining room complements the sophisticated service and dish presentations.

Crowds still form for the ramen at Ippudo, the first American branch of the famous Japanese chain. Loyal patrons say it's all about the rich pork-based broth (there is a vegetarian version available, though it lacks the depth of flavor), but those in the know also order sleeper-hit appetizers like the peppery chicken wings or pork buns. There are several other locations around the city.

Bringing the best flavors of Greece and Turkey to the Times Square north area, chef John Fraser made Iris an instant Midtown favorite with his creative menu of seafood- and vegetable-forward dishes. Sophisticated service is attentive in the soothingly neutral-hue dining room and at the long, comfortable bar and small lounge area, where a daily happy hour (4 pm–6:30 pm) offers tasty deals on smaller bites plus Mediterranean wine and cocktails. Oysters and other raw-bar favorites stand out, along with shareable mezze and Aegean imports including flatbreads, grilled octopus, and unforgettable hummus and tzatziki.

Steps from Union Square, this busy café (known to locals as 71 Irving, aka the address) roasts its own beans and serves excellent people-watching along with espresso drinks, sandwiches, muffins, and snacks. There are now locations around the city.

New York has seen a proliferation of food halls in the past few years, but few are as sleek and modern as this LIC space. Fitting for its borough, JACX&CO offers a wide range of innovative flavors from independent chefs, including refreshing, vegetable-forward Mediterranean and Middle Eastern fare from taïm, fresh juices from Essex Squeeze, and omakase upstairs at Sushi Nikko. For a less vegetable-forward meal, try a smash burger at Paper Plate, a slice from Ace's Pizza, or grab a cocktail at the bar.

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.

Even among the overwhelming options in Flushing, this spot still feels new and unique. It’s namesake dish is cheong fun, a squidgy, chewy, slippery rice-flour roll beloved in Hong Kong, and you can also order egg crepes known as jianbing or Chinese pancakes with your choice of meat topping. Joe's Signature rice roll, a heaping portion that could easily feed two, comes with beef, dried shrimp, pork, eggs, and veggies.

Seven shops within four blocks of Arthur Avenue make fresh mozzarella daily, but Joe's is one you don't want to skip. (The trick is, they add the perfect amount of salt.) For lunch, dive into one of the gigantic hero sandwiches, a generous portion of chicken parmigiana, or one of the other daily specials from the hot bar. The ceiling is draped with assorted house-made and imported cheeses, as well as multiple types of prosciutto and other meats.

This authentic pizza joint has been serving arguably the best coal-fired pies on the block, ever since Patsy Grimaldi severed ties with the Grimaldi's location next door. Juliana's—named in honor of Patsy's mother—has reigned as the DUMBO destination pizza place for classic white and margherita pies. However, don't expect to stop in for a quick slice; it's personal to large pies only.

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.

Amid the bustle of Rockefeller Center, head to the rink level (one floor down from the street) for some of this neighborhood's most creative house-made pasta dishes. The trio of owners from downtown's King restaurant make this all-Italian trattoria a welcome discovery of delicate sauces, refined antipasti, and short but reliable entrée menu showcasing seafood, meat, and vegetarian dishes. Jupiter adapts the Rock's Art Deco style with modern decor that feels soothing and sophisticated, especially when gazing across the concourse to the ice- and roller-skating rink.