The 20 Best Restaurants in New York City

Lucali does not take reservations, it’s exceptionally small, and customers line up at 3:45 p.m. to drop their names in hopes of snagging a table for 8 p.m. It is, we’re somewhat sorry to say, entirely worth the extra effort. This cash-only joint serves a limited menu consisting of two items: a pizza pie you can customize with any of eight toppings and a small or large calzone impeccably stuffed with mouthwatering ricotta. It’s BYOB, so we recommend grabbing your favorite bottle of red to accompany the no-frills but still impressive meal.

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Fresh fish combined with an intimate bar setting makes Tanoshi Sushi Sake Bar feel like home—that is, of course, if your home is capable of producing a decadent 12-piece omakase. The late chef Toshio Oguma created a brush-on soy sauce (“nikiri”) that adds a subtle sweetness to sushi rice and, in keeping with his passion for honoring the simplicity of the sushi roll, it’s encouraged that patrons eat with their fingers in lieu of chopsticks. The lunch menu is $60, with each course taking 45 minutes, the dinner menu is $120 and takes an hour and a half, and the restaurant is BYOB.

The ever-bustling Buvette is the ideal trifecta—a cafe, restaurant, and bar—that serves up small plates like croquettes for brunch and steak tartare for dinner. The spirits menu is impressive, too, with an extensive list of champagnes you can sample with flights. And in a city that never sleeps, it lives up to Big Apple standards thanks to an open-18-hours-a-day policy, operating for morning cappuccinos from 8 a.m. to late-night bites until 2 a.m.

You’ll find plenty of Greek food in the historically Greek neighborhood of Astoria, Queens, with establishments like Taverna Kyclades hogging the bulk of the media spotlight. Our recommendation is Bahari, where you’re served authentic Hellenic dishes that should be washed down with their house wine. You may want to get there early, too. Their best-selling plates, like baby lamb with lemon-egg sauce, tend to sell out fast.

A stone’s throw from Central Park in Harlem lies Teranga, a fantastic slice of West Africa serving lunch bowls that aren’t defined by wilted lettuce and not nearly enough cheese. The atmosphere is blissfully casual — think a cafeteria set-up with communal tables and food packed with flavor. Our favorite is the Suya Super Bowl, your choice of a suya skewer, spiced rice and tomato-based, jollof rice, and a sampling of other West African street foods. Wash everything down with the restaurant’s homemade bottled ginger juice.

Indulge in sweet and savory comfort foods at Thai Diner, a kitschy setting serving Pad Thai, crab fried rice, and Khao Soi. And don’t skimp on dessert. Their sweet standouts are a cashew- and condensed milk Thai coffee cake (cheekily presented to look like a monster) and Uncle Boon’s Famous Coconut Sundae, a party-sized coconut gelato topped with coconut caramel, palm sugar whipped cream, toasted coconut, and candied peanuts.

One visit to Michelin-starred Don Angie is not enough; you’ll be scrambling for multiple reservations in an attempt to try everything on this elevated Italian-American menu, thanks to large portions. Standouts include the stuffed garlic flatbread and chrysanthemum salad starters, the garganelli giganti, and the lasagna for two. You may want to snap out of a post-dinner food coma with the Italian Coffee Situation cocktail, a combination of biscotti–infused vodka with cold brew, amaro, star anise, and yucca.

Greenpoint, Brooklyn, is a historically Polish neighborhood, so it makes sense that the city’s most authentic Polish food would be located here. The cozy Karczma is among the best. Staff is dressed in traditional Polish garb, the ambiance is akin to that of a cozy winter cabin, and the menu is best described as soul-nourishing: pickle soup, Borscht, breaded chicken, goulash, etcetera. And make sure to leave room because your meal would be incomplete without an order of cheese and potato pierogies.

The city is home to many sushi joints, but the cash-only Sushi On Me hits the nail on the head when it comes to—how do we say this?—refined debauchery. This is a speakeasy, live jazz club, and omakase restaurant in one that charges a set price ($89) for an 18-course tasting menu. This includes unlimited sake, which servers pour with the kind of reckless abandon you wish you’d get at other bottomless booze Saturday brunches. Their original location is in Jackson Heights though they’ve recently opened a second location in Williamsburg (which charges $129) and are planning to expand to Manhattan.

Raol’s is a Prince Street staple founded in the 1970s by two brothers from Alsace, France. With dim lighting, moody artwork, and comfy booths occupied by the likes of Al Pacino and Robert DeNiro in its heyday, it’s a snippet of old New York that was once a prime spot for dancing on tables and indulging in good food and wine. Raoul’s has mastered the art of classic French dishes like escargot and steak au poivre; for a nightcap sans alcohol, head upstairs for a tarot card reading.

Chongqing Lao Zao specializes in traditional Chinese hotpot, a steam-boat-style soup placed and heated in the middle of a table. Diners at this Flushing gem can choose from a multitude of mild-to-spicy broth bases, dipping sauces, and raw add-ons from tripe to beef to pig brain (for the curious foodie in the bunch). Floating lanterns, subterranean seating options, and the atmosphere of sharing makes this a strong date night contender.

Indecisive diners will breathe a sigh of relief at Bird Dog. This West Village eatery combines Southern and Italian dishes to “honor the culinary traditions of both Nonna and Granny alike.” Back to the indecisive eater bit, there are three menu options: the chef’s tasting, the three-course pre-fixe, and the fried chicken dinner that ranges from burrata and gnocchi to salmon and Nashville fried chicken with white bread and pickles. There are add-ons like broiled oysters and biscuits, and the restaurant is glittered with many canine portraits.

La Morada is a Mexican restaurant in the Bronx that specializes in Oaxacan dishes, including a variety of mole that comes with your choice of chicken, pork, or a chile relleno along with a side of the holy trinity: rice, beans, and tortillas. The cherry on top of delicious dishes is affordable prices, a home-y environment, and a lending library in the back so you can get lost in a book over perfectly seasoned al pastor tacos.

Quintessential New York establishments are the kind that feeds the backbone of the city, i.e., the workers that make the boroughs a vibrant, dynamic place to be. Punjabi Grocery & Deli has been a staple amongst yellow cab drivers for years, offering fast plates from their intimate East Village storefront; word got out, and this spot is now feeding the entire city. Prepare for a genuinely kind staff, repeat customers (most of whom the owner knows by name), and a vegetarian menu with Punjabi staples that don’t exceed $7. Caffeinate with a $2.50 chai or Desi coffee.

Via Carota has garnered a reputation for attracting Hollywood’s shiniest celebrities, such as Adam Driver, Timothée Chalamet, and Taylor Swift. While some establishments would allow this badge of honor to cloud their quality, Via Carota does not. Mastering the art of ambiance, this rustic trattoria resides in an old gymnasium and specializes in craft cocktails and fresh Italian fare. You can’t go wrong with any menu choice, though we’d opt for charred pork belly and plum rigatina or the grilled octopus smothered in pesto. Oh, and their cacio e pepe is likely better than the one you had in Rome.

Reservations are limited, and you’ll likely have to do the walk-in route to snag a table; they also offer quaint outdoor dining for summer months, perfect for sipping a Manhattan at twilight.

At the Czechoslovak Koliba, you’ll be presented with a plate of breaded and battered schnitzel larger than your head—perfect for tomorrow’s leftover lunch and diluting the repercussions of too many European beer-on-tap options, of which we recommend the pilsner. Their French onion soup is a peak comfort appetizer, too.

Gramercy Tavern is best described as the best of both worlds: the back room is dedicated to a five-course $158 tasting menu while the front operates à la carte style. Specializing in upscale versions of your favorite American fare, the star of the menu is the Tavern Burger: cooked to perfection, paired with a chipotle onion dipping sauce, and made exponentially better with the duck fat potato chips served on the side. Consider this a refined version of your favorite burger joint, except this restaurant pick will impress your too-cool colleagues.

Tatianna by Kwame Onwuachi is located in Lincoln Center’s David Geffen Haul  and is considered a celebration and extension of the chef’s New York City upbringing, combining Afro-Caribbean cuisine with elements of the multicultural dishes eaten by working families throughout the Big Apple. Think oxtail and crab rangoon, spice lamb, and shrimp with creole butter (affectionately dubbed “Mom Dukes Shrimp”). For those of us who’d choose packaged $1 pastries in favor of, say, an overpriced olive oil gelato, you’ll appreciate the Bodega Special dessert: a brownie and powdered donut ice cream combo inspired by the cosmic Little Debbie’s you devoured throughout childhood.

The 14-person Atomix places the chef in the middle with a U-shaped counter surrounding them. This 10-course Korean tasting menu requires $175 for a secured seat and, although a splurge, consider this a dining experience and an education in one. Each course comes with a notecard that breaks down the inspiration behind each dish along with a thoughtful breakdown of every single ingredient down to the water being used. A fun touch? You get to choose an individual set of chopsticks from a tray of nine options.

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Allow us to condense the decades-long history of the family-run Randazzo’s Clam Bar. Sam Randazzo opened a seafood market in 1920 on the Lower East Side and moved that business to Sheepshead Bay in 1932. Sam’s daughter Elena opened a second location and expanded to include a clam bar—and there begins the origin of Randazzo’s Clam Bar. This neighborhood joint is beloved by locals, with its baked clams and calamari smothered in spicy red sauce being their mainstay staples.