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$$$ | Brooklyn Heights |
The key to this restaurant's success lies in its use of ultrafresh ingredients, sourced from local purveyors and presented with style in an upscale, yet casual space that honors its neighborhood's historical roots. A selection of small plates and crostini complement popular main dishes like bison steaks, bone-in pork chops, and homemade pastas. Weekend's offer popular brunch fare including shrimp and grits and "eggs in purgatory" (spicy tomato pomodoro).
127 Atlantic Ave., Brooklyn, New York, 11201, USA
Known For
- Weekend brunch crowds
- Homemade pastas
- Hearty meat dishes
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No lunch weekdays
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$$$$ | Flatiron District |
At the flagship of Top Chef head judge Tom Colicchio's nationwide, mini empire of excellent restaurants, the top-notch seasonal fare is exceptionally prepared with little fuss and served in a cozy-yet-minimalist space with exposed brick details, wood floors, and bare light bulbs. Expect a menu that hits a variety of high notes, from exuberantly fresh hamachi or braised octopus to start, stylish salads, hearty but not overpowering pastas, and perfectly cooked mains.
43 E. 19th St., New York, New York, 10003-1304, USA
Known For
- Dazzling tasting menu
- Excellent service
- Sophisticated but welcoming
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No lunch, Reservations essential
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$$$ | Financial District |
Occupying a prime corner in the base of historic 70 Pine, Crown Shy draws even uptowners down to the Wall Street area for its creative menu that plays with international cuisines. Don't be surprised to find brilliantly fused flavors from Italy, Japan, Mexico, or the Middle East here, all deliciously vegetable-forward and elevating the best of the season's produce. Decor is understated modern-Deco, with high ceilings and big windows, a large dining area, and a long, friendly bar. Expect to find plenty of businesspeople on weekdays, giving way to a lively mix of foodies on evenings and weekends. Dishes are priced to invite multiple small-dish tastings, along with a few standout main courses, and creatively balanced desserts.
70 Pine St., New York, New York, 10005, USA
Known For
- Menu mix of small and main dishes
- Busy all-day dining scene
- Unexpected seasonal ingredients
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$$$$ | Flatiron District |
Luxury, precision, and creativity are the driving forces at this internationally renowned prix-fixe restaurant in a refined high-ceilinged space. Swiss-born chef Daniel Humm oversees the kitchen, concocting unexpected, often whimsical, dishes that change often but have a solid grounding in locavore American tastes. This is one of the most fine-tuned dining experiences you can have in New York City.
11 Madison Ave., New York, New York, 10010, USA
Known For
- Ultimate special-occasion restaurant
- Shorter tasting menu at the bar
- Reserve ahead
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No lunch Mon.–Thurs., Credit cards accepted, Reservations essential
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$$$ | |
Amid Williamsburg's culinary landscape of casual, comfort food–centric bistros with rock-and-roll sound tracks, this Michelin-starred restaurant and bar feels thoroughly grown-up. Chef-owner Polo Dobkins serves New American cuisine in an airy space with blond-wood accents. The striking mosaic floor was preserved from the original 1890 building, at one point a kosher cafeteria. The sophisticated dishes might include crispy baby artichokes peeking out of a mound of arugula and topped with shaved Parmesan or wild-caught sea bass with stewed tomato, yellow squash, zucchini, and olive vinaigrette. If you can't choose, the $75 tasting menu is a great way to sample the greatest hits.
149 Broadway, Brooklyn, New York, 11211, USA
Known For
- Sophisticated design
- Michelin-starred New American cuisine
- Excellent tasting menu
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Tues. No lunch Mon. and Wed.
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Recommended Fodor’s Video
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$$$$ | Upper West Side |
The New York interpretation of what many consider one of America's finest restaurants (the Napa Valley's French Laundry), Per Se is chef Thomas Keller's Broadway stage—set in a large, understated dining room with great views of Central Park. Keller embraces seasonality and a witty playfulness, and some dishes are world-renowned, such as the tiny cones of tuna tartare topped with crème fraîche or the "oysters and pearls"—tiny mollusks in a creamy custard with tapioca. The menu changes daily. Dessert service is a multicourse celebration of all things sweet, including a choice of 27 house-made chocolates. Service is sublime, as you'd expect. An à la carte "salon" menu is available in the front barroom, but let's face it: if you snag a reservation, there's nothing else to do but submit to the prix-fixe.
10 Columbus Circle, New York, New York, 10019, USA
Known For
- Reservations needed at least several months ahead
- Prix-fixe menus (service included in price)
- Nine-course tasting menu
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No lunch, Reservations essential, Jacket required
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$$ | |
This rustic-chic farm-to-table American restaurant put Ditmas Park on the culinary map when it opened in 2006, and it continues to draw local regulars as well as an in-the-know crowd from Manhattan and beyond. The vegetarian-friendly, locally sourced menu changes seasonally, although the burger, house-made pickles, and award-winning fries with curry mayo are staples. Weekend brunch is especially popular—try the "adult grilled cheese" with apple slices or the smoked pollock cakes, and don’t miss the chocolate bread with sea salt or the spicy Bloody Mary. In warm weather, tables are set out in the backyard. Check the website for wine dinners and other events.
1108 Cortelyou Rd., Brooklyn, New York, 11218, USA
Known For
- Farm-to-table menu
- Excellent weekend brunch
- Rustic setting
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$$$$ | Brooklyn Heights |
A deservedly popular special-occasion destination, this waterfront institution complements its exquisite Brooklyn Bridge views with memorable top-shelf cuisine served by an unfailingly attentive staff. Lobster, lamb, duck, and strip steak are among the staples of the prix-fixe menu ($195). The chocolate Brooklyn Bridge mousse delivers the perfect ending to dinner.
1 Water St., Brooklyn, New York, 11201, USA
Known For
- Unforgettable location
- Top-shelf cuisine
- Refined atmosphere
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon. and Tues., Jackets and collared shirts required for men
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$$$ | DUMBO |
Outfitted with candlelit tables and a twinkling rear garden, this romantic destination is well worth the sloping walk up from the waterfront. Seasonal menus include inventive new American fare and crowd-pleasing brunch dishes, with a couple of pasta dishes and classics like roast chicken, chicken liver mousse, and pork chops always in rotation. Wait times can be considerable, but the cozy bar pours potent cocktails, local beers, and wine by the glass in the interim.
72 Hudson Ave., Brooklyn, New York, 11201, USA
Known For
- Romantic space with a twinkling backyard
- Seasonal, sustainably sourced new American dishes
- Weekend brunch
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon. No lunch weekdays
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$$$$ | Midtown West |
An island of fine modern American dining just a stone's throw from bustling Times Square and Broadway theaters, Aureole is the second act of a New York classic from famed chef-restaurateur Charlie Palmer and Executive Chef Chris Engel. The airy dining room, inviting thanks partly to the seasoned staff, offers an elegant prix-fixe menu with elevated American and international choices and optional wine pairing. In the front Liberty Room, enjoy a shorter pre-theater prix-fixe menu or à-la-carte courses, all while watching the Midtown clientele evolve from expense-account patrons to discerning diners. In warmer months, the Patio opens in the covered outdoor breezeway beside the restaurant, serving drinks and bar bites in its trio of seating areas.
135 W. 42nd St., New York, New York, 10036, USA
Known For
- Refined setting and dining
- Prix-fixe menu options
- Barroom with à la carte choices
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. No lunch Sat., Credit cards accepted, Reservations essential
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$$$ | Carroll Gardens |
The five-course tasting menu is the $75 ticket to a reservation at this small, acclaimed restaurant. Chefs and co-owners Walker Stern and Joe Ogrodnek met while working for Alain Ducasse and are known for highly seasonal cooking that merges French techniques with the products of Brooklyn, the Hudson Valley, and points beyond. There's a small à la carte menu as well. Walk-ins are welcome.
255 Smith St., Brooklyn, New York, 11231, USA
Known For
- Five-course tasting menu
- Consistently excellent dishes
- The bar's deft hand with cocktails
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon. and Tues. No lunch
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$$$ | Greenwich Village |
This tasteful den of a restaurant—formerly a speakeasy—on a quiet side street maintains an impeccable reputation for excellence and consistency under the leadership of chef Dan Barber. Part of the slow-food, sustainable agriculture movement, Blue Hill mostly uses ingredients grown or raised within 200 miles, including the Four Season Farm at Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture, Barber's second culinary project in nearby Westchester County. The chefs produce precisely cooked and elegantly constructed dishes such as wild striped bass with potato-and-clam chowder and house-cured guanciale (pork jowl), and a smoked-tomato soup with American caviar.
75 Washington Pl., New York, New York, 10011-9174, USA
Known For
- Pioneering farm-to-table program
- Lush, well-executed dishes
- Sophisticated setting
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No lunch, Credit cards accepted, Reservations essential
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$$$ | SoHo |
Opened in 1992, Blue Ribbon still has a reputation not just as a top-notch restaurant serving French-influenced standards like escargot, French onion soup, and steak but also as a serious late-night foodie hangout. Literary types, chefs, and designers—generally a good-looking gang—tends to fill this dark box of a room until late (2 am these days though it used to be open 'til 4).
97 Sullivan St., New York, New York, 10012-3663, USA
Known For
- Legendary fried chicken
- Clubby old-school NY atmosphere
- Stays open late
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No lunch, Reservations essential
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$$ | |
An owner of the Hotel Delmano bar across the street operates this charming corner bistro with an enclosed garden that's open year-round. Inside, the weathered wood, a zinc bar, leather banquettes, and candlelit tables lend the place a romantic, old-world feel and provide a backdrop to fresh, simple New American food influenced by the cuisines of Italy, France, Spain, and Central America. Standout dishes include the crispy-chicken sandwich (served at lunch) and the handmade pastas, among them wild nettle and ricotta ravioli. Craft cocktails are poured, and the wine list focuses on small producers known for sustainable agricultural practices. Reservations are recommended on weekends.
79 Berry St., Brooklyn, New York, 11211, USA
Known For
- Old-world atmosphere
- Bistro fare
- Charming garden
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$$$ | Brooklyn Heights |
Run by two Brooklyn-raised brothers, this bar, restaurant, and café sits on a quiet, cobblestone stretch of Columbia Place in Brooklyn's "Willowtown," a historic neighborhood dating to the 1810s. Sun streaming through large storefront windows illuminates daytime fare that includes baked goods, daily soups, well-made sandwiches, and excellent coffee. Dinner is a more sophisticated affair, with New American dishes and craft cocktails in a romantic bistro setting.
20 Columbia Pl., Brooklyn, New York, 11201, USA
Known For
- Casual daytime café
- Upscale dinner menu
- Cozy atmosphere
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No dinner Mon. and Tues.
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$$$ | Greenwich Village |
By converting a moribund 80-year-old Italian restaurant into a cozy hot spot, restaurateur Keith McNally created yet another hit. Try early and often to score reservations, so that you can sample creations like truffle-spiked roasted chicken breast, bone marrow on toast, expertly aged steaks, and the celebrated Black Label burger, a gorgeous assembly of meat with caramelized onions and an added layer of cheese. The barroom, with its original details intact, is great for people-watching. Landing a table in the back room, with its original mural depicting West Village life and wall-to-wall photos of famous and infamous customers from eras gone by, makes sweet-talking the reservationist a worthy endeavor.
113 MacDougal St., New York, New York, 10012, USA
Known For
- Classic New York dining
- Original details and mural
- Tough to get a table
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No lunch Mon.--Wed., Reservations essential
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$$ | |
The extensive “burger board” (beef, turkey, fish, or veggie patties with delectable toppings), brunch, and beer options draw a crowd of regulars to this homey gastropub that often has a sporting event on its TV. The menu, though, runs the gamut from fish-and-chips and roast chicken to pasta dishes and salads—but don’t miss the sides, like the soft-baked pretzel with Dijon mustard and cheese sauce, and beer-battered fried pickles. Sunday means the Evil Ox Sauce chicken wings are on the menu. There are two daily happy hours (5 to 6 pm and 10 to 11 pm).
1301 Newkirk Ave., Brooklyn, New York, 11230, USA
Known For
- Eclectic gastropub menu
- Array of burger choices
- Sunday wings special
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No lunch weekdays
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$$$ | East Village |
It might not be the hot spot it was when it opened back in 2011, but this attractive wood-paneled space—named for two 19th-century racehorses—continues to attract an upbeat crowd thanks to its long front bar and top-of-the-line, meat-and-seafood-centric menu. The burger is one of the best around, though these days, you have to choose between the dry-aged beef version and the Impossible Burger vegetable option—even meat-lovers applaud the latter.
316 Bowery, New York, New York, 10012, USA
Known For
- Addictive Brussels sprouts
- Great cocktails
- Fun bar scene
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No lunch Mon.–Fri.
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$$$ | Park Slope |
Park Slope natives own this elegant restaurant where the New American menus change seasonally, but the scallop and marrow tacos appetizer always star on the menu, along with homemade pastas. Main courses like veal flank steak with Jersey asparagus and scallops with green gazpacho as well as the pastry chef's desserts are plated with finesse. Homemade English muffins, eggs from local hens, and short-rib hash keeps brunch time hopping.
324 5th Ave., Brooklyn, New York, 11215, USA
Known For
- $39 three-course menu Monday--Thursday
- Great sidewalk seating across from the park that holds the Stone House
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No lunch Mon.
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$$ | Red Hook |
The husband-and-wife team behind the Good Fork marry Eastern and Western sensibilities at this charming restaurant. He's a native New Yorker and she grew up in South Korea, and the fusion-style menu ranges from homemade dumplings and Korean-style steak 'n' eggs to roasted chicken with fermented black-bean butter sauce. In warm weather you can dine in the garden.
391 Van Brunt St., Brooklyn, New York, 11231, USA
Known For
- Hand-built wooden interior
- Lovely back garden
- Creative Korean fusion food
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon.; no lunch Tues.--Fri.
