Hospitality Guide

The 28 best restaurants in New York City

Published

8 months ago

September 25, 2023

Nancy M

The 28 best restaurants in New York City

Nearly three years after Covid forced the city that never sleeps to dim its lights, New York’s restaurant scene feels like it’s back to its old self. Many of the beloved classics on this list, like Italian charmer Via Carota, Michelin-starred Le Bernardin and pizza destination Lucali, can now say they made it to the other side. And with the addition of outdoor dining, some now have even more seats to welcome guests. There are also new genres of restaurants – like Contento, which works to be truly accessible to all, and the wildly spicy Dhamaka that opened during the pandemic and persevered – establishing themselves as important contenders among the best restaurants in New York City.

With tourism numbers back up, the best tables in the city have once again become highly coveted commodities. Be sure to book them in advance, swing by early, or try your luck at the end of the evening for an open seat at the bar

Sushi Nakazawa

Daisuke Nakazawa – the apprentice from Jiro Dreams of Sushi – cooks here, and in an ideal world, you’re sitting right at his counter. You’ll pay a little extra to do so, but oh, what he can do with fish. The man must daydream in texture and temperature, because whether mackerel, smoked skipjack, or shrimp are on his menu, they are seasoned lightly, brought to a very precise warmth, and served to transcendent effect. People who have heard the four-star raves are here, whether they have sushi cravings and have saved their pennies or just have money to burn.

Address: 23 Commerce Street, New York, NY 10014

A reality check: New York City doesn’t have the taco cred of a city like Los Angeles or San Diego. That said, it’s not without its standouts. The menu at Los Tacos No. 1 in Chelsea Market is short, but hits all the high points with a tight selection of tacos made on corn or flour tortillas laced with lard. There are also quesadillas and mulas filled with proteins like pollo asada and adobada, or marinated pork topped with a pineapple. Fresh chips, salsa, and guacamole round out a meal. The lack of seating makes Los Tacos No. 1 ideal for a snack or light meal while you’re exploring the area.

Address: 75 9th Avenue, New York, NY 10011

Raku

Duck down Macdougal Street on the western edge of SoHo and look for a small white square sign with artfully drawn Japanese characters and Raku spelled out in small Roman letters below. If you elect to dine inside, you’ll be greeted by a calming and transportive dining room and some of the city’s best udon (the latter you’ll have your fill of outside, of course). The lengthy menu at Raku can be a touch overwhelming for a first-time visitor, so first decide if you want your udon warm or cold, then concentrate your efforts on that section. Raku is one of those rare New York restaurants that’s impressive, transportive, consistently excellent – and (most importantly and surprisingly) easy to get a reservation at.

Address: 48 MacDougal Street, New York, NY 10012

Le Bernardin

Long known as one of the best restaurants in New York City and the world, Le Bernardin has graced New Yorkers with its presence for decades. What you want to do here is go all in for superstar Eric Ripert’s tasting menu. The fish that dominates his prix fixe is largely untouched, save for the best flourishes, so you put yourself in the very capable hands of his sauciers. And don’t skip dessert – not at a restaurant the New York Times has awarded four stars consistently since it opened in 1986. The service is also what you’d expect from a restaurant of this reputation: Everyone is so attentive it can almost be daunting (in a good way, in a good way).

Address: 153 W 51st Street, New York, NY 10019
Gage & Tollner

Gage & Tollner is more than 100 years old, but somehow manages to feel exactly like a Brooklyn restaurant of today should: inviting, thoughtful, and bustling – with a dose of history mixed in for good measure. It’s the type of restaurant that reminds guests why New York is a great city to dine in. The landmarked interior at Gage & Tollner is lined with mirrors and cherry wood arches and lit by brass chandeliers. It’s precisely the type of place to order a classic cocktail, like one of the seven martinis on offer or a Manhattan. The menu leans into steakhouse classics like New York strip steak and shrimp cocktail, but there are more modern touches here too like clams kimsino, made with bacon-kimchi butter, and crispy hen of the woods mushrooms with black garlic aioli and house Sriracha. No matter your dinner order, make sure you save room for the baked Alaska by Caroline Schiff, who was recently named a Best New Chef by Food & Wine. Under a large singed meringue coat sits layers of fresh mint, dark chocolate, and amarena cherry ice cream and chocolate cookie crunch.

Address: 372 Fulton Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201
Courtesy Don Angie

Don Angie

Italian-American food may seem a dime a dozen in New York City—but this is the sort of place you’ll need to return to at least four or five times to eat everything on the menu you want to order. The husband-and-wife chefs, Scott Tacinelli and Angie Rito, have been cooking together for nearly a decade – before this they were at Quality Italian in midtown – and they’re not just whipping up chicken parm with a side of ziti. This is some next-level Italian-American: Think a stuffed garlic flatbread starter, with cheese oozing out of every tear; a take on Chrysanthemum salad generous with grated cheese; and a garganelli giganti pasta, cooked in a salty, delicious guanciale and pecorino ragù that’s basically the spaghetti and meatballs of your dreams. Drinks stand up, too: a Nonna’s Little Nip, a blend of grapefruit, Campari, and prosecco, or a Pinky Ring, a swirl of bourbon, Carpano Antica, Galliano, and Campari, are just what you need to take the edge off.

Address: 103 Greenwich Avenue, New York, NY 10014
Olmsted

Here are passionate eaters delighted that the chef once cooked at Alinea and a bevy of Instagram-loving locals and tourists, all at the ready with their cameras. Chef Greg Baxtrom understands vegetables, but his skills are diverse, and extend to fish and game. And if you skip the chocolate mousse dessert – or the autumnal option of make-your-own s’mores in the garden – you’re a damn fool.

Address: 659 Vanderbilt Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11238

At this old-school SoHo institution, the white tablecloths, pressed tin ceilings, and $58 steak au poivre belie a long history of button-pushing and rule-flouting. The top-secret item? The burger au poivre. Burger hounds obsess over it and its drippy, creamy St.-André cheese topping. For desserts, the banana coconut bread pudding has its devotees. Come here when you’re curious about old, bad New York – when the SNL cast would roll out for dinner at 1 a.m., and people might end up dancing on the tables – and to see a slightly more sedate version today.

Address: 180 Prince Street, New York, NY 10012

Adda Indian Canteen

New York’s neighbourhoods are dotted with Indian takeout spots that serve a rotation of standards like chicken tikka masala and paneer. Adda, in Long Island City, Queens is not part of this club. Run by Roni Mazumdar of Rahi and executive chef Chintan Pandya, Adda offers, as they say, “‘unapologetically’ authentic Indian food.” That includes the housemade paneer. There’s also junglee maas, or goat curry, and snacks that come with a fair warning on the menu: “highly addictive.”

Address: 31-31 Thomson Avenue, Queens, NY 11101
Atoboy

Inspired by banchan, but more voluptuous and satisfying in delivery, the refined food at this Korean eatery (not to be confused with LES food-free cocktail temple Attaboy) is made by a hotshot, Michelin-starred chef. Think beet and smoked yoghurt, octopus with chimichurri and potato, pork belly and enoki, or duck with chanterelle and quince. Desserts tend to be bright, floral eye-openers for the night ahead. Wine is the focus of the drink menu here, with a tightly curated list that leaves room for experimentation alongside the classic Californian and French numbers.

Address: 43 E 28th Street, New York, NY 10016
Wildair

Peer into this narrow space, with tall stools, high tables and be forgiven for thinking, “All this excitement…for a wine bar?” It is, in a sense, but before visions of big bills and dreadful food dance in your head, know that this food is some of the best in a city with some of the best food in the world. As is true of a famous album, several singles on this menu have their fans. There’s one man eating the little gem–pistachio salad and raving about it. A few stools down, a woman goes wild for clams with XO in an almond broth. And they’ll bar the doors if you try to leave without trying the tartare.

Address: 142 Orchard Street, New York, NY 10002

Dame

What started as a pop-up is now a hit British-leaning seafood restaurant for golden-brown fish and chips plus broiled oysters with green chartreuse hollandaise, elegant squid and scallion skewers, blowfish tales with chili butter, and a creative wine list divided into two sections: “What Austin Powers is Drinking” and “What James Bond is Drinking.” Patricia Howard and Ed Szymanski’s tight menu looks to his British roots for inspiration with dishes like kedgeree rice with curried crab, “proper English chips,” as the team calls them, and desserts like sticky toffee pudding, but the Englishness of it all isn’t so overt that you feel you’re dining in the British countryside. There are also elegant raw scallops with preserved lemon and nardello peppers, and tuna tartare on toast that’s topped with bottarga. Tables at Dame are coveted, so while the restaurant can seat parties as large as six, if you can’t snag a reservation then it’s best to plan an evening with just one dining companion, or dine by yourself at the bar that looks into the kitchen.

Address: 87 MacDougal Street, New York, NY 10012

Cooking365.co.za

The 28 best restaurants in New York City

Sushi Nakazawa

Raku

Le Bernardin

Gage & Tollner

Don Angie

Olmsted

Adda Indian Canteen

Atoboy

Wildair

Dame

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