99 Best Restaurants in New York City, New York

At his namesake restaurant, celebrity-chef Daniel Boulud offers one of Manhattan's most refined dining experiences in an equally elegant dining room with a formal dress code (men's jacket required). A predominantly French-driven, five- or nine-course prix-fixe menu is served. Selections can encompass such seasonal and modern classics as upstate New York foie gras, Maine lobster, local venison, and other decadent dishes. Vegetarian menus are also available. Equally impressive are the professional service, extensive wine list, and masterful cocktails. Don't forget the decadent desserts and enticing artisan cheese trolley. 

With a colorful, modern interior and an oasis of a patio out back, this Upper West Side gem is the pan-Mediterranean restaurant vision of owner Tuvia Feldman and executive chef Eli Buli. Bustan, which means "garden" or "orchard" in Hebrew and Arabic, churns out dishes that draw inspiration from three continents. Make sure to start with the mezes "for the table" and lather your house-made taboon (a flatbread) with warm hummus and spicy feta spreads. Main courses range from lamb kebabs to branzino a la plancha (grilled on a metal plate) served with za'atar labneh (seasoned Greek yogurt) to Moroccan-style vegetable couscous. Save room for the "nemesis" dessert, a baked chocolate mousse with salted caramel pearls and vanilla ice cream.

In the Neue Galerie, this stately coffeehouse—open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner—offers a Viennese café experience, with Eastern European-style furnishings and banquettes outfitted with fabric from 1912, daily newspapers, and cases with cakes and strudels. The menu of hearty sandwiches, goulash, sausage dishes, and traditional fare is under the direction of German-born executive chef Christopher Engel, who worked at Wallsé and Aureole, earning a Michelin star. Prix-fixe dinners are sometimes followed by a cabaret performance but note that a ticket costs $300. Museumgoers linger over coffee—it's sometimes tough to find a seat (it's easier in the more understated outpost of the café in the basement.) Breakfast is best for getting seated at Sabarsky; often with no line.

The all-American junk-food staple is elevated to high art here, with fresh seasonal ingredients, real fruit, and imported chocolate mixed into the batter. Traditionalists croon over the vanilla-bean doughnut, but there are plenty of exotic flavors to tempt taste buds: the dense, fudgy Brooklyn Blackout is covered in crumb topping; carrot-cake doughnuts have a cream-cheese filling. Choosing is the difficult part: options include cake doughnuts and yeast doughnuts, as well as "doughseeds." There are other locations around the five boroughs.

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.

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.

This Japanese hype donut shop housed in an open-floor space offers heavenly-soft donuts in a variety of flavors, including several New York City-exclusive options like the pistachio white chocolate glazed donut. The original donut is airy and slightly chewy on the inside, with a delicately crisp outer layer---a must try that pairs perfectly with a hot cup of coffee. The store opens at 10 am, but there will probably be a line by then.

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.

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.

Completely unpretentious and utterly delicious, Levain Bakery's cookies are rich and hefty (they clock in at 6 ounces each) and one of those NYC musts that even New Yorkers admit is worth standing in line for. Choose from the chocolate-chip walnut, dark-chocolate chocolate chip, dark-chocolate peanut-butter chip, or oatmeal raisin: batches are baked fresh daily and taste best when they're warm and melty right out of the oven. Levain also bakes artisanal breads, including banana chocolate chip and pumpkin-ginger spice, sour-cream coffee cake, chocolate-chip and cinnamon brioche, sourdough rolls stuffed with Valrhona chocolate, blueberry muffins, a variety of scones, and the unique bomboloncini (jelly doughnuts).

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.

At this Brooklyn import, one can’t go wrong choosing between a “heavenly brownie,” the beautiful cakes and pies on display by the slice, or the approximately 18 differently flavored macarons, each in a more eye-catching color than the last. Several coffee varieties and other drinks, including milkshakes, are available, too. Treats can be taken to go or there’s a sitting area. A small breakfast menu is on tap.

This standard Greek-named diner, next to the Chapel of the Good Shepherd, offers a full-service coffee bar, a wide range of omelets, and sandwiches. Try the "signature Nisi creation," comprised of your choice of pancake, waffle, or French toast topped with decadent and some cleverly named offerings, like the Elvis (peanut butter chips, sauce, and bananas); Oreo Cookie (cookie crumbles, vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce and, of course, whipped cream). There's also some vegan lunch and dinner dishes and a "build your own burger" menu with a wide array of choices of patties, cheeses, toppings and even dressings.

The New York interpretation of what many consider one of America's finest restaurants (the Napa Valley's French Laundry), Per Se is chef Thomas Keller's Broadway stage—set in a large, understated dining room with great views of Central Park. Keller embraces seasonality and a witty playfulness, and some dishes are world-renowned, such as the tiny cones of tuna tartare topped with crème fraîche or the "oysters and pearls"—tiny mollusks in a creamy custard with tapioca. The menu changes daily. Dessert service is a multicourse celebration of all things sweet, including a choice of 27 house-made chocolates. Service is sublime, as you'd expect. An à la carte "salon" menu is available in the front barroom, but let's face it: if you snag a reservation, there's nothing else to do but submit to the prix-fixe. 

Roberta's completely transformed this industrial district in 2007 with its destination wood-fired pizzas topped with hyperlocal ingredients—many herbs come from their garden on-site, a former garage and yard. Their acclaimed pies with innovative combinations and signature crusts have wowed pizza connoisseurs so successfully, Roberta's has expanded well beyond this groundbreaking original location, with a frozen pizza line and outposts as far as Singapore. Here, where it all began, there are also pastas and mains, served in a room that extends to a patio and tiki bar. 

On the surface this diminutive spot with a handful of seats may seem like just a teahouse, but it's really much more than that. Elena Liao expertly sources oolong tea from her native Taiwan while her husband, Portuguese-born Frederico Ribeiro, who has worked at some of the most lauded kitchens on the planet, including El Bulli in Spain and Per Se in New York, makes savory and sweet snacks to pair with your tea. There's a second location in the East Village.

Fresh, flavorful dishes from around Southeast Asia are calling at this enticing and unexpected Midtown food hall. Tucked mid-block between 6th and 7th Avenues, with entrances on both 50th and 51st Streets, Urban Hawker is an ode to Singaporean food markets. Browse affordable meals, snacks, and desserts from 17 vendors representing Malay, Peranakan, Indian, Japanese, Chinese, and other cuisines, and sip drinks at gin-centric The Sling Bar.

What started as a bright-yellow truck slinging out scoops and cones on NYC streets back in 2008 is now a Gotham ice-cream superpower, including two outposts on the Upper West Side (the other store is a few blocks away at  253 Columbus Ave.). Van Leeuwen produces all of its flavors just across the East River in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Favorites like vanilla, strawberry, honeycomb, and cookies and cream are made with fresh milk and cream, cane sugar, and egg yolks, but it's often the unique and downright weird flavors that keep ice-cream lovers coming back, like Hidden Valley Ranch and Kraft Macaroni and Cheese flavors. Sometimes it’s hard to believe that the vegan versions of chocolate, salted caramel, and mint chip, just to name a few, are made entirely dairy free using house-made cashew milk, organic coconut milk, and organic extra-virgin coconut oil. Of course, don’t forget to add hot fudge.