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Ready to take a bite out of New York? Hope you've come hungry. In a city where creativity is expressed in innumerable ways, the food scene takes center stage, with literally thousands of chances to taste what Gotham is all about. Whether lining up at street stands, gobbling down legendary deli and diner grub, or chasing a coveted reservation at the latest celebrity-chef venue, New Yorkers are a demanding yet appreciative audience.
Every neighborhood offers temptations high, low, and in between, meaning there's truly something for every taste, whim, and budget. No matter how you approach dining out here, it's hard to go wrong. Planning a day of shopping among the glittering flagship boutiques along 5th and Madison Avenues? Stop into one of the Upper East Side's storied restaurants for a repast among the "ladies who lunch." Clubbing in the Meatpacking District? Tuck into a meal at eateries as trendy as their patrons. Craving authentic ethnic? From food trucks to hidden joints, there are almost more choices than there are appetites. Recent years have also seen entire food categories, from ramen to meatballs to mac 'n' cheese, riffed upon and fetishized, and at many restaurants you find an almost religious reverence for seasonal, locally sourced cuisine.
And don't forget—New York is still home to more celebrity chefs than any other city. Your chances of running into your favorite cookbook author, Food Network celeb, or paparazzi-friendly chef are high, adding even more star wattage to a restaurant scene with an already through-the-roof glamour quotient. Newfound economic realities, however, have revived appreciation for value, meaning you can tap into wallet-friendly choices at every level of the food chain. Rest assured, this city does its part to satisfy your appetite. Ready, set, eat.
Noted restaurateur Danny Meyer's unpretentious but classy American restaurant has been serving impressively well-executed food to much acclaim since it first opened on Union Square in 1985, and the tradition continues in this elegantly clubby spot a few blocks north of the original location. It's almost impossible to go wrong anywhere on the menu; this place is truly the real deal, with standout steak, fish, and pasta dishes, as well as excellent desserts.
Outfitted with candlelit tables and a twinkling rear garden, this romantic destination is well worth the sloping walk up from the waterfront. Seasonal menus include inventive new American fare and crowd-pleasing brunch dishes, with a couple of pasta dishes and classics like roast chicken, chicken liver mousse, and pork chops always in rotation. Wait times can be considerable, but the cozy bar pours potent cocktails, local beers, and wine by the glass in the interim.
Enter the airy dining room and feel instantly calmed by Zou Zou's natural light, soft woods, hanging plants, and brass fixtures. Then turn to the tantalizing menu of small dishes, crudos, shareable dips, and filling mains, each enhanced by exotic spices and herbs from all around the Mediterranean Sea. Vegetables are celebrated here, whether as ingredients or starring attractions. The open kitchen's grills keeps the aromas flowing, while the long marble bar inspires zingy cocktail explorations. Pop into upstairs lounge Chez Zou's for drinks after 5 pm.
Set on the corner of Bleecker and Carmine Streets across from Father Demo Square, this American restaurant is as simple as its name. Try to nab a seat at the bar/chef's counter to get a front-row seat of the large hearth where chefs put fire to a vegetable-forward menu, plus one of the best roast chickens in the city. The wood-fired whole fish, doused with green curry, is also excellent, as is pretty much anything that comes from the hearth. The short but nicely curated wine list complements the food menu well.
Named after the chef’s Hungarian grandmother, this welcoming, shabby-chic café offers elevated takes on Austro-Hungarian cuisine. Think goulash, chicken liver mousse, and fancy open-faced melt sandwiches. A popular brunch spot, favorite items include pogacsa (old world cheese biscuits with egg, dill, and speck), palacsinta (brown butter-smothered crepes with sweet cheese and fruit compote), and impressive hash browns with horseradish sour cream and scallions. Baked goods are a must; get them before they sell out for the day.
A throwback to old New York with European accents, Anton's kitchen churns out excellent, old-school dishes like whitefish salad and chopped chicken liver, but also some great takes on pasta: the simple spaghetti anchoiade (pasta with anchovies) is superb. So is the bucatini Baczysnky, named for a long-time (and still existing) Ukrainian butcher shop in East Village where the chef sources his guanciale (cured pig jowels or cheeks) for the dish. It's really just a classic riff on Amatriciana. The casual atmosphere has an air of sophistication, perhaps thanks to the many spotlit paintings by Vitali Dvali, an artist from the Republic of Georgia.
Popular with the hip dinner and brunch crowds, this bustling, family-run restaurant and bar puts a modern spin on classic American dishes with Ecuadorian, Puerto Rican, and Bangladeshi influences. Try the grilled cauliflower with marinated olives and shishito peppers or the bold chicken vindaloo arepas (crispy cornmeal cakes) topped with cotija (an aged cow's milk Mexican cheese) and fresh cucumber raita (Indian yogurt sauce). Each multicultural dish is packed with flavor and spice, and the fancy cocktails (like their Goat cocktail made with tequila, turmeric, and orange) are also standouts.
A pared-down, more casual version of Mexican superchef Enrique Olvera's hit upscale Flatiron eatery, Cosme, this 90-seat, big-windowed spot serves excellent, upscale renditions of standards like chicken enchiladas and shrimp tacos as well as creative spins on tostadas and fish dishes. Part of the attraction here is the people-watching so if you want to linger, get an order of the airy churros for dessert.
Acclaimed French chef Daniel Boulud, known for upscale New York City eatery Daniel, shows diners his more casual side with this lively, contemporary bistro and wine bar. The menu emphasizes charcuterie, including terrines and pâtés designed by Parisian charcutier Gilles Verot, as well as traditional French bistro dishes like steak frites and coq au vin. The 500-bottle wine list is heavy on wines from Burgundy and the Rhône Valley. The three-course prix-fixe menu ($68) from the entire menu is a good value.
This cavernous restaurant-speakeasy behind a storefront selling old vinyl records from the '70s and '80s is barely a secret since you'll likely hear the merriment coming from just behind the velvet curtain in the back. Proudly representing the Bronx, this lively restaurant celebrates Black and Nuyorican old-school hip-hop culture through its graffiti-inspired murals, its music, and above all, its menu, with offerings ranging from churrasco to chicken and waffles.
The world's most famous French chef, Alain Ducasse, brings to New York a Right Bank bistro plucked straight from the City of Light. Expect cozy, red-velour banquettes and wall lamps illuminating each table, with a menu that celebrates rather than reinvents beloved French dishes. And that's okay, especially when onion soup, pate, filet mignon and other classics are so well executed. It's not exactly cheap for bistro fare, but it is a delicious reminder that beloved flavors of Paris also sparkle in Manhattan.
New York is known for bagels, which tend to be doughy and delicious, but the Montreal-style bagels served here have a denser, sweeter dough, with “toppings” (sesame, poppy seed, salt, everything) that are more generous than on Big Apple versions. The all-day menu includes sandwiches with cream cheese, smoked salmon, whitefish salad, or baked eggs, with additional lunch choices like a BLT, roast beef with horseradish cream cheese, and a tuna melt.
Chef Carlos Swepson, a Mississippi native, puts a contemporary spin on classic American soul food, with down-home dishes like biscuits and sausage gravy, jumbo shrimp and grits, turkey meat loaf, seven-cheese macaroni with applewood bacon, and a fried seafood po'boy. Owned and operated by Swepson and his wife, Markisha, the casual yet smart eatery serves brunch all day, every day in a comfy space directly above the entrance to the B and C trains at 116th Street. There's also a DJ spinning R&B, techno, and soul on the weekends during brunch and dinner.
Hanging plants and elegant decor set the stage for this trendy Dominican--Asian fusion restaurant, where dumplings are filled with mofongo, soft oxtail meat dwells within samosas, and short rib braised in Korean flavors is accompanied with sweet plantain puree and tostones crumbs. All their tapas-size dishes are made to share, so make sure you have company.
Neighborhood crowds clamoring for coffee and freshly squeezed juice line up for brunch at this TriBeCa mainstay, but Bubby's is good for lunch and dinner, too, if you're in the mood for comfort food like mac 'n' cheese or fried chicken. The dining room is homey and cozy, with big windows; in summer, patrons sit at tables outside with their dogs. Brunch options include just about everything, such as sourdough pancakes, huevos rancheros with grits, matzo-ball soup, and divine biscuits.
The Mexican-style grilled corn, liberally sprinkled with chili powder, lime, and cotija cheese, is undoubtedly worth getting your hands dirty at this hip luncheonette that's become something of an institution on this well-traveled corner of NoLIta. Follow up with a classic Cuban sandwich (roast pork, ham, Swiss cheese, pickles, and chipotle mayo), fish tacos, or one of the innovative salads.
