512 Best Restaurants in New York City, New York

Although the spacious, colorfully lighted interior might tip you off that authenticity is best sought elsewhere, if you're looking for flavorful Mex--style fare, step right up, hombre. Start with an order of guacamole (made tableside), moving on to the pork belly and scallop tacos, soul-comforting chicken tortilla pie, or crispy pork shank—all of which taste even better with one of the delicious margaritas. The daily happy hour at the bar is a great deal, but it gets crowded fast. There are other locations, too, including at Lincoln Center and Midtown East.

Originating in Manhattan in 1984, this warm Mexican restaurant now has outlets in eight states. The two-story Lincoln Center location features a small, yet lively bar where the house specialty, the frozen pomegranate margarita, and freshly made guacamole are musts; dishes to try include the enchiladas Suizas in a creamy tomatillo sauce. If you're staying for more than drinks and appetizers, head for a table upstairs past the giant blue tile waterfall lined with figures of divers.

Does New York City really need another Italian restaurant? When it's a long-time beloved favorite eatery from Rome, the answer is a resounding sì! Roscioli was a must-stop for tourists to Rome but now New Yorkers can devour suppli (fried Roman rice balls) and dig into bowls of spaghetti alla carbonara and rigatoni all'Amatriciana without the jet lag. The downstairs room is exclusively for diners partaking in the prix-fixe tasting menu while the ground-floor space is for more casual à la carte options.

It's no secret you can eat cuisine from all corners of the world in Queens, but if there's one type of food New York does best, it's Italian, and Queens is no exception. Sac's Place, a family-run eatery in Astoria, is a classic red sauce joint. Known as one of Tony Bennett’s favorite restaurants, a regular offering on the menu in tribute to the late singer is rigatoni al filetto di pomodoro, a simple pasta dish featuring fresh tomatoes. Aside from the Tony special, try their pizza, which from April through November is served in the outdoor pizza garden on 35th Avenue. If you happen to be around in November, head to the annual Pig Roast dinner, a traditional nod to their roots in Abruzzo.

Head to this casual Curry Hill eatery to sample regional Indian cuisine, Punjabi and Kashmiri in particular. The wonderful fragrance of the curries greets you upon arrival, but the menu also offers a tempting array of biryanis and tandoor dishes, with vegan, vegetarian, and fish or meat options.

Stroll through the nondescript office building lobby and down the stairs to find this popular izakaya, a Japanese tavernlike restaurant that serves up refined Japanese pub grub. The menu has everything from sashimi to fried shrimp fritters to yuzu-and-ginger-laced monkfish liver to Japanese-style fried chicken. Sake lovers of the world unite here to sample rice wine from the 260-long list. 

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. 

A spirited vibe and occasional live music sets set the mood for this fun and inventive fusion restaurant where Caribbean flavors and Asian textures come together. The Far East meets the West Indies in dishes including jerk chicken ramen, oxtail and short rib dumplings, cold peanut punch noodles, and Caribbean dan dan noodles.

Part storefront and market, part restaurant and bar, all cured-meat mecca, this intimate Italian UWS institution offers excellent food and service along with its dozens of varieties of prosciutto, coppa, mortadella, and more. You can have it carved from a professional slicer for consumption on the spot or purchase it as indulgent takeout. There's also a more ambitious Italian menu, including house-baked focaccia bread (ask for seconds), salads, strozzapreti pasta in a flavorful tomato sauce, and a signature homemade lasagna with béchamel sauce.

Lining up for brunch at this bric-a-brac-filled restaurant is as much an Upper West Side tradition as taking a sunny Sunday afternoon stroll in nearby Riverside Park. In the morning, locals love the lemon ricotta pancakes and the \"fat and fluffy\" French toast served with fruit and organic maple syrup; later in the day, folks come for comfort-food dishes like chicken potpie or steak frites with truffle herb fries. There are several other locations around town, but this is the original—the \"mother ship.\"

If you’re looking for chicken tikka masala, you’ve come to the wrong place: it’s the dosas (flat crepes made from rice and dal batter) and thalis (platters with various dishes) at this South Indian dining institution serving only vegetarian dishes that keep customers coming. Even though this is a chain in more than 20 countries worldwide, there's still a local feel and an obviously tight hold on quality. Often wider than the tables at which they’re served, the thin, slightly crispy dosas are perfect for dipping in a variety of house-made chutneys and sambar (a lentil stew). Thalis arrive on a traditional circular platter, with 10 different spreads for dunking your chapati (a flat bread similar to roti). The restaurant’s ambience and service leave a bit to be desired; on the plus side, in warm weather you can grab a table along the sidewalk of Amsterdam Avenue.

Head to this Broadway institution to drink in vintage Midtown Manhattan at the compact front barroom or to experience the classic dining room and its reliable Italian and American dishes. Enjoy Sardi's famous wall decor, too: framed caricatures of theater, film, music, and TV stars past and present. Supper and à la carte menus work well for pre- and posttheater dining, each listing plenty of meat and seafood as well as some vegetarian choices and daily specials.

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.

In summer 2023, überpopular Scarr's moved across the street to a bigger, brighter location, making it easier to get a table for the excellent New York--style pizzas that have made the place so beloved. The pizza incorporates locally sourced tomatoes and dough made with flour milled on-site. The drink list is equally impressive: an all-natural wine list and potent cocktails. 

Putting sustainability at the fore, Seamore’s brings local, daily-changing fish and shellfish selections to Battery Park City. Expect a full menu of seafood favorites, from fish tacos, poke, and clam chowder to seared sesame tuna, scallop risotto, and “reel deal” grilled fish with a choice of sides and sauce. The bar stays busy with after-work patrons enjoying weekday happy hours on drinks and oysters. The dining room is spacious and channels an upscale fish-shack vibe, while warm weather and weekend brunch visits are prime times to enjoy the big outdoor terrace.

At this vegan and raw eatery just a few blocks north of Central Park, you won't be tempted to ask "Where's the beef?" Mother-and-son team Brenda and Aaron Beener take tasty comfort food staples and "veganize" them. For example, the raw lasagna consists of raw zucchini, spinach, cashew cheese, and marinara sauce; the barbecue riblets are a blend of lotus root and fermented soy; and the po'boy sandwich is made with fried yam or burdock root protein that mimics shrimp or crawfish, respectively.

Although there are other locations of Danny Meyer's burger joint around town and around the world, Madison Square Park is where it all began (as a hot dog cart!); there's no indoor seating—just outdoor lines (go early or late to avoid a wait). The Angus beef burgers are ground daily, making them some of the freshest and tastiest in the city. For a couple more bucks you can order a double, a stack, or a vegetarian 'Shroom Burger—a melty, Muenster-and-cheddar-stuffed fried portobello. The menu also offers chicken, hot dogs, French fries, frozen custard, and—of course—shakes.

Owner Peter Shelsky pays homage to the traditional Lower East Side deli by stocking the classics—bagels, babka, and the like—but often with a nouveau-Brooklyn twist. Gravlax, Nova, and smoked salmon, for example, share space in the refrigerator with house-cured Jamaican jerk salmon, Mexican achiote salmon, and other deli delectables like pickled herring, whitefish salad, knishes, and prepared salads. You can purchase by the pound or opt for one of the excellent made-to-order sandwiches. For an amusing 1990s fashion flashback, check out Shelsky's bar mitzvah photo album on the ordering counter.

This elegant Chinese restaurant has been prominent with NYC's fine-dining scene since 1971, and its menu reflects both dishes from China's regions and American Chinese restaurant classics. While the opulent dining room, reflected in red, navy blue, and gold, seems fixed in time, this elegant establishment has made a culinary imprint. Supposedly, the dish orange beef was first made here as well, and indeed, it's worth a sample, but there's so much more. Beijing pan-fried pork dumplings make a good starter, and dry sautéed shredded crispy beef is a house specialty. Beijing duck, served table-side with thin pancakes, is a signature dish here for good reason. 

At a time when some pizzerias in the city are charging more than $25 for Neapolitan-style margherita pizza, Simò is a welcome bite of pizza dough. Most pies hover around the $14 mark, and here affordable does not mean bad quality. Simò's offerings, especially the margherita and the cacio e pepe pie, are excellent. In addition, there's wine and prosecco by the glass, also priced below $10. So stop in after a walk on the High Line and mangia, mangia! There's a second location near Union Square on University Place and East 11th Street. 

If you're a restaurant that only serves one main item, you better be good at it. Fortunately, for Skirt Steak, the namesake item is excellent at this casual, rustic spot from chef Laurent Tourondel. For one price—$45—diners get a hunk of juicy skirt steak, cooked to the temperature of their liking, a small green salad, and an unlimited amount of crispy French fries. Dessert costs extra. There are also off-menu items such as burgers and seasonal vegetable sides, which diners can access by telling the servers that they \"heard it from the chef.\"