Best restaurants in NYC?
 

What, in your opinion, is the best --

Gourmet/high-end restaurant?

Ethnic?

Casual/inexpensive?

Pizza?

Junk food (cupcakes, hotdogs, etc.)

Breakfast?

Other?

You can just cut and paste my post and add your answers. Looking forward to seeing all your responses!

In a city with so many choices, it's really impossible to pick a one "best" in any category (imo).

>Per Se is supposed to be the best high end restaurant but I've never been (at $500/person!). Le Bernardin if you like seafood. Daniel for French.

>Ethnic? There are just too many ethnicities to pick. That covers Greek, Indian, Japanese, Chinese, Thai, Turkish, Vietnamese, Italian...you get the idea. ;) I like the lunch buffet at Utsav (Indian)

>Casual/inexpensive-Shake Shack

>pizza--I like Lombardi's, but I've never been to Patsy's in Harlem.

>Junk food? Well, I don't consider it junk, but Gray's Papaya hotdogs are greeeeeat.

>Breakfast--Balthazar

I can only seem to divide restaurants I've been to into one of four categories:

Absolutely Wonderful
Good
Disappointing to mediocre
Simply awful

Trying to choose a "best" between PerSe and Le Bernardin, or between a wonderful Ethiopian and a great Thai, is just plain impossible. And who can say if Grey Papaya is better than Magnolia Bakery or vice versa -- for junk food -- when they are so vastly different?

Gourmet/high-end restaurant? overthe top who knows ive prob not been. I dont know what you consider high end? Many nyc restaurants have $30/$40 entrees but arent TOP end.

Ethnic? My favorite cuban is downtown- cubana cafe. delish.

Casual/inexpensive? i like bar veloce for tapas. and dukes for bar food.

Pizza? pizza 33. so good.

Junk food (cupcakes, hotdogs, etc.). i love magnolia. i love hotdogs at yankee stadium... theres something about a beer and a game w a dog.

Breakfast? brunch. no one eats breakfast!!! normas and balthazar.

Other? one of my favorite places is jane. its just simple.

Impossible questions to answer, and I dine out at Manhattan restaurants 3-5 nights per week.

Check out Zagat's for some guidance (but it's "old news"). Also Time Out New York & New York magazine, as well as Frank Bruni's blog in the Times.

For menus, visit www.menupages.com

For reservations, www.opentable.com

>Casual/inexpensive-Shake Shack

>pizza--I like Lombardi's, but I've never been to Patsy's in Harlem.

>Junk food? Well, I don't consider it junk, but Gray's Papaya hotdogs are greeeeeat.

>Breakfast--Balthazar

Mclaurie, you and I have the EAXCT same taste in food. Those are my favorites too, I'm a regular and ate at all these places in the last 2 weeks! It's scary unhealthy especially with gray's papaya dogs but I'm addicted.

with ethnic food...that's tough b/c every restaurant here pretty much is "ethnic". My favorites are:
- Devi for inventive Indian and Yuva for authentic Indian
- Big Wong for Chinese
- Kanoyama for sushi, Yo Taisho for non-sushi Japanese
- Cafe Habana for Cuban
- Tatiana for Russian
- Pintxos for Basque
- Ghenet for Ethiopian

i would rather not answer the question since there are too many options. if you want to get into a heated forum, try posting in chowhound.com about what the best food/meal of choice is nyc and see everything go downhill from there.

Way too may choices - and too dependent on personal likes and dislikes.

I've been to Per Se twice -once it was off the charts wonderful - the second time - truly excellent - but IMHO not worth the money.

And I too love Gray's Papaya hot dogs.

Other than that too many choices.

I too have been to Per Se twice (dinner & lunch) and agree it's not worth the price. I've had better cuisine at several NYC restaurants, at a third/half the price.

Hi PlumeriaTattoo,
Here are my favorite spots in the city.

Gourmet/high end restaurant: unless you're on a diet, Babbo. It's owned by chef extraordinaire/food network titan Mario Batali. So delicious.

Also be sure to check out Hearth or Bar Pitti.

For ethnic food I would reccommend L'Orange Bleue (Morrocan) or Yama (Japanese/sushi)

For casual dining I would recommend Goblin Market (fairly casual yet not inexpensive). For truly inexpensive eats I'd recommend any pizza joint, esp John's on Bleecker, or any hummus/falaffel place (like Maoz in Union Sq.)

Junk Food abounds- check out one of the many Crumbs locations, Papaya King, etc

Breakfast/Brunch- Sarabeth's, EJ's, Cupping Room Cafe in SoHo

OTHER- my favorite new restaurant is Corio in SoHo. It's on W Broadway at Grand street. It's more of a "supper club" than restaurant, as their lounge scene and bar area are quite impressive and draw a hip/electic crowd that lingers until the wee hours. The menu is indulgent and uses fine/ unique Mediterranean ingredients in comfort classics such as pizza, hangar steak, and bruschetta. There's also burlesque performances on the weekends that always add to the overall experience.

I'm surprised no one's mentioned Les Halles Brasseries - the home base of Chef-at-Large Anthony Bourdain, author of the best selling Kitchen Confidential (Bloomsbury, May 2000) and host of The Travel Channel’s "No Reservations".

There are two locations, one in Midtown on Park Ave and one downtown near ground zero (on St John's).

We ate at the one downtown about three weeks ago for lunch and it was fabulous!!!! Highly recommended and very reasonably priced.

Pizza-Lombardis's
Donuts-Donut Plant
Bagels- Ess-a-Bagel
Ice Cream-Cones on Bleeker, Chinatown Ice Cream Factory
French Fries-Pomme Frites
Pie-Little Pie Company-Sour Cream Apple Walnut
Cheese cake-S&S, Junior's, Ellens
Pastrami-Katz's
Chocolate-Kee's
Chorizo-Despana
Favorite Tapas-Xunta Dates in Bacon
Croissants-City bakery
Favorite Pasta-Cacio e Pepe-pasta served in a wheel of pecorino
Key Lime Pie-Steve's
Best inexpensive Tiramisu-Veniero's

To be continued

I think Le Bernandin is over rated.

That just shows how differently some of us feel. Obviously you have not had the same experiences I've had at Le Bernardin, which is too bad. The setting, the spacious tables, the totally professional staff that offers top service yet never gets stuffy or haughty, and the flawless dishes make that place remain at the top of my list. I'm not sure you it would be possible to "over rate" it, from my experiences there.

We have eaten at Le Bernandin twice,. It certainly was above average but clearly not near the best. Acquavit is far superior.

Yes the tables are far apart, but you cannot eat open spaces.

I also think Balthazar bread is excellent but the restaurant is also over rated. We eat French bistro very often and places like Casimir and Flea Market are better and cheaper.
Balthazae has the rep and magic chef
Best continued
Brunches-Clinton St Bakery, Zoe's, 9th Street Maeket
Biscuits-Clinton Street Bakery
Pickles-Pickle Guys, Gus's
Cheap Chinese=Big Wong
Dim Sum without any concessions to American tastes-Jing Fong

See what I mean? We've also eaten at Aquavit a couple of times. While I enjoyed it, I wouldn't put it anywhere near the quality of dining experience at Le Bernardin. My only point was that not everyone will ever agree on a BEST.

By the way, I love your inane comment about "you can't eat the space between the tables". I guess atmosphere counts for NOTHING at all with you -- can't eat pretty decor either.

bookmarking

(I know this isn't Chowhound, but it's fun to see what the NY natives here have to say)

True, true. I am not very sentimental or romantic. I care more what's on the menu than what the menu looks like.
We also live and eat mainly downtown. And I think that the prices increase exponentially but the taste only increases incrementally for restaurants in midtown.

One thing however, that does drive me crazy is the volume of music in restaurants. For some reason restaurants think that blaring music makes a place exciting. The other aspect of downtown dining that can be exesperating is the service. Very often the writer/waiter does not even the basics of good service.

Aduchamp, your list is spot on! And your mention of the dates with bacon got me to post a reply (when generally I avoid jumping into the fray of "best of" lists). Mmm, I feel a Xunta fix coming on! :D

Put Second Avenue Deli back on your lists.

I doubt if Anthony Bourdain has been inside the kitchen of Les Halles in the past few years!