16 Best Restaurants in New York City, New York

Ivan Orkin's improbable but true story is one of the many layers that make New York City's restaurant scene so exciting, authentic, and delicious: the self-described "Jewish kid from Long Island" moved to Tokyo and became a ramen-making master, achieving near legendary status in the Japanese capital. In 2014, he opened this Lower East Side temple to ramen, where highlights include the triple pork, triple garlic mazemen, a type of near-brothless ramen.

Inside this unassuming spot at the corner of 3rd Avenue and 78th Street is a super high-end sushi restaurant offering one of the city's best sushi experiences in a stylish Sukiya-style interior of bamboo and cedar woods. With a seasonal omakase menu curated nightly by Chef Nozomu Abe, known as "Noz" to his friends, including masterfully prepared Edomae sushi with fresh fish flown in from Japan, the two intimate nightly seatings at two counters (an eight-seat 200-year-old Hinoki wood counter and a six-seat rare Tamo Ash counter) are detail-perfect, memorable affairs with Japanese hospitality as authentic as the craft. Chef Noz presents at the Hinoki counter weekdays. But the price, $495, is exorbitant.  

A small, reliably tasty menu headlines this Prospect Heights institution for buns, Brussels sprouts in fish sauce, and above all, ramen noodles in savory broths. Pork, chicken, and eggs are typical add-ons to any of their flavorful bowls, although any can be made vegetarian. Long waits for a table are the norm—especially during winter months—however, seats at the bar are in constant flux. 

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.

At this impressive location in a unique setting of Botticino marble that's part of a century-old building lobby, the sushi stalwart serves the innovative Japanese cuisine that namesake master chef Nobu Matsuhisa made famous (though he's rarely in attendance these days). Count on fresh, colorful, daring dishes, or just put your meal in the chef's hands with Nobu's tasting menu ($225), or omakase, then let the kitchen do the rest.

This Meiji-era influenced ramen and cocktail bar draws upon this period of Japanese history when Western influences began shaping port town restaurants. Spearheaded by Shigefumi “Shige” Kabashima, the drinks menu offers 21 inventive cocktails—from the cold or warm served "Apple Pie" with cider, Calvados, and gin, to a Japanese hot toddy with yuzu and honey—served in antique drinking vessels. High balls, sake, wines, and Sapporo round out the list. The food menu is more succinct. Among five types of ramen, the Kyoto consists of a rich soy, chicken and fish broth combined with pork belly, bamboo shoots, garlic oil, and an egg. Other dishes extend to pork buns, curries, and an oyster of the day along with a beer-steamed mussel adorned with cotton candy. Weekend brunch is also offered.

Some of the nation’s most highly regarded food has emerged from the kitchen at Odo, which serves elaborate multicourse Japanese meals known as kaiseki for lunch ($135) and dinner ($245). With just 14 counter seats around the small open kitchen, the experience is essentially a delicious kind of theater.

Instead of walking straight into the Moxy hotel, go to the large door to your right and head down the curved stairs to one of the most beautiful new restaurants in the city. Perfect for a fancier date night, Sake No Hana serves traditional and fusion Japanese food with a wide array of menu options. The wafu (a Japanese-style vinaigrette) carbonara is a must (they whip the poached egg yolk into the noodle dish right at your table), and the spicy tuna tartare with fresh crunch radishes is so stunning-looking that you might not want to eat it—just make sure you take a photo before you do. 

It's all omakase at this acclaimed sushi spot from master Daisuke Nakazawa, who practices an old Tokyo style of sushi making—putting all his extremely fresh fish on a thumb-size bundle of rice (sorry, sashimi fans). They only take reservations two weeks from the day. Fans of the 2011 documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi might remember the chef as the apprentice to the Tokyo-based sushi master Jiro Ono, who spent the near-entirety of the film trying to perfect the egg custard; Nakazawa finally succeeded, just as he has succeeded in wooing even the most finicky New York diners.

The many options at this popular, casual sushi restaurant range from the ordinary (California roll) to the more unusual, such as miso-marinated cod or Japanese yellowtail with jalapeño. Japanese noodles (udon or soba) and meat dishes such as teriyaki and negimaki (scallions rolled in thinly sliced beef) are well prepared. Some of the inventive non-sushi items on the menu are worth a try, especially the fried cream-cheese dumplings. An omakase-style tasting menu is also available, offering the chef's selections of the day's catch for market price. There are other locations, too, including one across the park on Columbus Avenue and in TriBeCa.

Founded by a team led by namesake chef Naomichi Yasuda, and now helmed by chef Tetsuaki Otomo (known as Tomo), this restaurant has a sleek bamboo-lined interior that is as elegant as the food. Here you'll find sushi so fresh and delicate it melts in your mouth, as well as fish flown in daily from Japan and the creamiest sea urchin. The fine selection of sake and beer complements the lovely food. Try to sit at the bar, which was handcrafted by Yasuda from imported Japanese materials.

An homage to the genre of jewel-box-size restaurant-bars in Tokyo that play vinyl while patrons sip Japanese whiskey and eat feel-good fare, this subterranean, 12-seat spot offers three seatings per night—6:30 and 8:30, and on Thursday to Saturday, 10:30—for a seven-course Japanese-influenced tasting menu. The offerings change with the season and the chef's whims, but expect dishes and libations such as a shiso-wasabi mojito, nuggets of pork katsu paired with shishito peppers, and a caviar sandwich. Take it all in while tunes from Ray Charles to the Beastie Boys to Prince and everyone in between ooze off the vintage vinyl spinning in the corner.

Located near MoMA and Central Park, Wagamama is a beloved London import that prizes simple, nourishing Japanese fare built on authentic flavors. Ramen, stir-fried noodles, rice dishes, and an enticing selection of shareable appetizers are filling and reliably delicious. Fresh juices are tasty on their own, or as ingredients in zingy cocktails. The large dining room (with long bench tables or booths) is a welcome escape, as are the outdoor terrace and roomy bar serving excellent weekday happy hour deals on sake, wine, and small bites.