4 Best Restaurants in New York City, New York

Middle-Eastern restaurants are a dime a dozen in NYC, but Egyptian-Mediterranean spots are a rarer find, attracting celebrity chefs and TV personalities like Anthony Bourdain and Andrew Zimmern. This charming yet eccentric 16-seat café, which excels at interesting homestyle dishes, is a true hidden treasure. The menu changes nightly, but think of the fare here as Egyptian-accented comfort food: exceedingly tender lamb stuffed with pomegranate is always great. For the super adventurous eater, try the grilled lamb brain or lamb tongue. When it's available, the roasted goose in a saffron sauce is a must.

Colorful plates and kitschy trivets adorn the walls of the tiny café off 31st Ave, and ample seating on the covered patio makes it a great stopover for a delicious latte and cheese danish. They also have chocolate soufflé and gluten-free almond ricotta cake on the menu for a quick sweet treat.

A hip, cozy place for pizza and small plates, all exposed brick and reclaimed wood, Milkflower certainly owes its popularity to Brooklyn mainstays like Roberta’s. Only here, you can actually get a table without a long wait, and what’s on offer is just as good, if not better. Neapolitan, 12-inch pies with charred crusts have playful names like “Chardie Sheen” and “Wu-Tang Clam,” and wood-fired veggies or tiger prawns are ideal accompaniments.

The unassuming location and simple decor belie the elevated Greek classics served at this, the neighborhood's current powerhouse of Hellenic eats. Fried calamari, red snapper, and grilled octopus make appearances on the menu, as do more out-of-the-ordinary dishes like "caviar dip" and swordfish kebabs. Lamb chops drip with juice, and grilled sardines are so fresh, you'd swear they were just pulled from the sea. Be prepared to wait for a table at peak times, as this restaurant doesn't take reservations. There's also a Manhattan outpost on 1st Avenue and 13th Street in the East Village.