447 Best Restaurants in New York City, New York

The New York interpretation of what many consider one of America's finest restaurants (the Napa Valley's French Laundry), Per Se is chef Thomas Keller's Broadway stage—set in a large, understated dining room with great views of Central Park. Keller embraces seasonality and a witty playfulness, and some dishes are world-renowned, such as the tiny cones of tuna tartare topped with crème fraîche or the "oysters and pearls"—tiny mollusks in a creamy custard with tapioca. The menu changes daily. Dessert service is a multicourse celebration of all things sweet, including a choice of 27 house-made chocolates. Service is sublime, as you'd expect. An à la carte "salon" menu is available in the front barroom, but let's face it: if you snag a reservation, there's nothing else to do but submit to the prix-fixe. 

Despite scathing food critic reviews in recent years, steak lovers (and food bloggers) continue to embrace to this steak institution that's endured since 1887. It's known for dry-aged cuts of meat and classic steak-house sides, as much as its old-school, high-handed waiters. While burgers, lamb chops, and salmon are on the menu, the reason to make reservations is indisputably their prime aged steaks, served in cuts for one to four people. Book a table as far ahead as possible, as choice dining times fill up more than a month in advance. 

The New York outpost of Andy Ricker’s famed Portland, Oregon restaurant continues to serve delicious Thai food that goes well beyond the dishes typically found on menus here. Knockouts include the pork belly and pork curry, the boar collar, the wings, and the papaya salad, but it’s hard to go wrong—and the servers give excellent guidance.

This new bagel outpost is serving up twists on an iconic NYC classic. Just-out-of-the-oven bagels, sold only in packs of three, six, or a dozen, come with a container of cream cheese (or two when a dozen is ordered) and diners are expected to rip and dip. This fast-growing chain, with locations around the city and some out of state, offers a new cream cheese flavor and a different butter every week. Long lines spill onto the sidewalk on the weekends and funky decor, including a disco ball, are part of the hot spot. Indoor seating is limited but patrons are expected to walk around while eating. PopUp has many celebrity backers, including Michael Phelps, Paul Rudd, Michael Strahan, Donald Glover and more. 

Named after the Thai capital's original moniker (Phra Nakhon), this outstanding restaurant occupies an attractive two-story space inspired by Bangkok's bustling street-food scene. The extensive menu highlights hawker favorites from north to south, many derived from family recipes. The pork dishes are especially noteworthy. Don't miss the fried-egg-topped krapow moo sub (pork stir-fry) or the zesty namtok kor moo yang (grilled pork) salad.

Marcus Samuelsson, who earned his celebrity chefdom at Aquavit in Midtown for his take on Ethiopian-accented Scandinavian cuisine (fusing the food of his birthplace with that of where he grew up), moved to Harlem in 2010, creating a culinary hot spot in this casual, jazzy-looking space with wall murals, wooden tables, and bistro chairs. The comfort-food menu reflects the ethnic diversity of modern-day New York City, from spicy jerk salmon to hot honey fried chicken. It’s very crowded during weekend brunch hours, so expect a wait for Sunday brunch, with its gospel music, boozy cocktails, and modern takes on dishes like chicken and waffles.

Roberta's completely transformed this industrial district in 2007 with its destination wood-fired pizzas topped with hyperlocal ingredients—many herbs come from their garden on-site, a former garage and yard. Their acclaimed pies with innovative combinations and signature crusts have wowed pizza connoisseurs so successfully, Roberta's has expanded well beyond this groundbreaking original location, with a frozen pizza line and outposts as far as Singapore. Here, where it all began, there are also pastas and mains, served in a room that extends to a patio and tiki bar. 

Locals have shown an insatiable appetite for this bustling but sophisticated Italian-American eatery serving high-quality, classic Italian dishes. You can't really go wrong, so share an order of pasta alongside a Staten Island–style thin-crust pizza and maybe a fork-tender chicken Milanese.

This classic luncheonette, formerly known as Eisenberg's, has been slinging eggs, frothing egg creams, and slicing white bread across from the Flatiron Building since 1928. Its latest incarnation, from Court Street Grocers, opened as S&P Lunch in 2022, with its retro atmosphere and menu intact. Seats at the long deli counter up front move quickly at breakfast and lunch; there's a smattering of tables at the back.

Smorgasburg, the acclaimed open-air food market, is the portmanteau of smorgasbord and Williamsburg. Here, at its founding location at Marsha P. Johnson State Park, vetted food vendors serve delicious treats to foodies (and provide photogenic content for food influencers), from arepas to yakitori. Even with the Smorgasburg branded concept dispersing crowds of foodies across other locations across New York, Jersey City, LA, Miami, Toronto, and Sao Paolo, the original Williamsburg location still draws close to 30,000 people each Saturday in the summer, so get there before noon if you don't want to spend most of your time there in queues. The original Smorgasburg is open from April through October, but check the website for details of the other locations in Brooklyn Manhattan.

The name of this standout Thai restaurant is pronounced "sood," and translates to "recipe"—highlighting the fact that the menu is based on family recipes from around Thailand. This also means that, while familiar dishes like pad Thai are on offer, there are lots of items that might be unfamiliar and are definitely worth trying, like the koong karee (a creamy shrimp and egg curry), the flaky fried puff pastry stuffed with flavor-popping minced pork, and the caramelized duck noodles.

A long-beloved, cash-only Thai option, SriPraPhai (pronounced "see-PRA-pie") has a huge main menu as well as an equally expansive one for vegetarians. Although it's hard to go wrong, good bets include the crispy watercress salad, laab (ground pork salad with dry chili, mint, and lime juice), fried tamarind duck, kao-soy (curried egg noodles), or sautéed chicken with cashews and pineapple. If you go with a few people, order the delicately flavored whole steamed fish, but prepare your palate: your mouth might feel like a five-alarm fire by the time you're finished.

Named for a neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro, there really isn't anything particularly Brazilian about this diminutive, all-day corner café. In the morning and afternoon, perch yourself at the bar for superlative coffee, excellent eggy dishes, sandwiches, and variations on the theme of toast. In the evening, the lights go down, the natural wine bottles get uncorked, and the kitchen churns out Mediterranean-leaning snacks to nibble on. 

Friendly service and convivial, colorful crowds have transformed this bi-level, renovated warehouse into a quirky neighborhood institution with rotating art and music shows and frequent DJ sets. The kitchen's organic menu changes daily, plus there's a weekend brunch with live Americana music. 

Just a short walk from the 7 train is an easy-to-miss, unsuspecting izakaya, Takumen. Serving up giant bowls of slurpy noodles in salty, umami-packed broths, Takumen does ramen near perfectly, but they offer plenty more delectable dishes, too. Go for a variety of obanzai (izakaya samplers), like the sesame tofu edamame salad and the kombu cauliflower-and-broccoli pop. While their ramen dishes are naturally more desirable in the wintertime, they also have a year-round ice-cream window, where they serve soft-serve in flavors like matcha and vanilla, along with anmitsu, a traditional Japanese dessert made with red bean paste and agar jelly.

You won't need to jump on the next flight to Athens or the next ferry to Santorini to indulge in some of the best Greek food in the world. Instead, you'll find it right here in Astoria in this brightly lit eatery. Fried calamari, spanakopita, and grilled octopus make appearances on the menu, as do more out-of-the-ordinary dishes like taramosalata (caviar dip) and souvlaki kfsifias (swordfish kebabs). Lamb chops drip with juice, and grilled sardines are so fresh, you'd swear they were just pulled from the sea. Be prepared to wait for a table at peak times, as this restaurant doesn't take reservations. There's also an additional location in Bayside, Queens.

Little Italy may not be home to any real Italian-seeming restaurant, but this intimate Galician tapas spot readily evokes the spirit of northern Spain and its gastronomic traditions. The kitchen excels at regional seafood dishes like grilled octopus with pimentón (red pepper), and the sea scallops with jamon, served in the shell, but meatier options like the lamb chops are also delicious.

With its high ceiling, green pillars sculpted into the walls, and deep, circular leather booths on the periphery of the dining room, opulent Torrisi is a quintessential New York dining experience. Technically, Torrisi is Italian cuisine, but the menu is an homage to old immigration patterns to Little Italy, Chinatown, and the Lower East Side, as dishes' ingredients often make references to various demographics: the chopped chicken liver with Manischewitz, octopus Nha Trang, stir-fried lobster with ginger ... you get the idea. There are plenty of pastas on the menu, too—the spaghetti with lamb Amatriciana is outstanding. 

If you need evidence that Rockaway is becoming hip, look no further than this sceney spot serving a mix of Uzbek and Central Asian specialties. There are juicy pelmeni (meat) and manti (spicy lamb or butternut squash) dumplings, lagman noodles, and savory filled pastries known as bichaki, plus the expected very good borscht. There are also Korean menu options like Korean carrot salad and scallion pancakes, as a nod to the large Korean diaspora in Uzbekistan. Pressed tin ceilings, exposed-brick walls, and menus written on blackboards give the place a decidedly Brooklyn vibe.

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.

The prefix "un-" in this acclaimed Thai restaurant's name is a double entendre: un, homophone of the nickname of its chef, Aun Kampimarn; and un as in it proudly serves unconventional Thai food, when compared to common Thai take-out fare like pad Thai or Panang curry. Here, supple okra finds balance with crispy fried garlic, whole fishes are smothered in curries, and northern Thai dishes of steak or ground pork have a perfect balance of spice flavor and heat. For those wanting to turn the spiciness up to a new level, they also offer "WHAT THE HELL!!" fried rice, with 12 unapologetic chili icons on the menu to denote its intensity.

Fresh, flavorful dishes from around Southeast Asia are calling at this enticing and unexpected Midtown food hall. Tucked mid-block between 6th and 7th Avenues, with entrances on both 50th and 51st Streets, Urban Hawker is an ode to Singaporean food markets. Browse affordable meals, snacks, and desserts from 17 vendors representing Malay, Peranakan, Indian, Japanese, Chinese, and other cuisines, and sip drinks at gin-centric The Sling Bar.

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.