447 Best Restaurants in New York City, New York

This perennially packed Hell's Kitchen brasserie has been a magnet for burger lovers since day one. Though the menu offers a mix of flavors—including matzo ball soup, shrimp tempura, and salad bowls—the main attractions are the juicy patties, like the original 10-ounce patty melt with a tangle of onions, Gruyère cheese, and rosemary aioli. There's an option for everyone, including vegan options and a "Cali Reuben" turkey burger. For dessert, have an über-thick black-and-white malted milk shake.

It's hip to be square at this downtown pizzeria that occupies a long, narrow space with modern decor. At this local-favorite, family-run establishment, square (aka old-fashioned or grandma) pies are worth the trek and are a convenient Stone Street stop en route to the Statue of Liberty. They also do a mean traditional round pizza, and first-timers should opt for the signature Old Fashioned: thin, crispy crust loaded with tangy tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, and Parmesan cheese. Salads, pasta, and familiar Italian American dishes are on the menu, too.

Arguably the best French bakery outside Montmartre is on DUMBO's Water Street. Chef Herve Poussot helms this neighborhood favorite, baking chocolate raspberry croissants, mille-feuille, macarons, and pear tarts, as well as baguettes, quiche, and sandwiches. Pick up a snack and a coffee to take to the park.

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.

There are several old-school Italian American restaurants in the Real Little Italy in the Bronx, and Antonio's Trattoria is one of the solid choices when looking for a place for good, honest fare. Start with award-winning fried calamari from the antipasti menu, then move on to a variety of classic dishes: baked clams, zuppe di pasta fagioli, linguine with clam sauce, or excellent pizzas, prepared either Sicilian style or baked in a brick oven with a thin Neapolitan crust.

This Michelin-starred elegant and refined Scandinavian restaurant in the steady hands of Emma Bengtsson has prix-fixe options, including lunch, with a two-, three-, or four-course tasting menu, and a five-course or eight-course chef's tasting dinner menu. An à la carte option is offered within the sumptuous barroom area, best for sampling homemade aquavit, perhaps in a flight or mixed with tonic water. The dishes may seem simple, but even familiar meats, seafood, and seasonal ingredients are gifted with fresh creativity here. The elegant atmosphere features warm woods and modern Scandinavian design.

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.

A neighborhood staple since opening in 2003, this corner café on Skillman Avenue serves up paninis, hearty soups, salads, and Irving Farm coffee in a lively, bustling environment. Their seasonal drinks are standout, with options like rose white mocha or toffee nut latte, and they have plenty of vegetarian dishes available on the menu, including miniquiches, homemade chili (a local favorite), and vegan burgers.

It shouldn't take more than one bite of tender barbecue squab to understand why it's so hard to get a reservation at this casually elegant restaurant, whose menu strays widely from Italian standards and hits numerous high points in dishes such as rabbit with Brussels sprouts and house-made pancetta. This is the perfect spot for a raucous celebratory dinner with flowing wine and festive banter. But be forewarned: if anyone in your party is hard of hearing or bothered by loud rock music, choose someplace more sedate.

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.

There's something about Bar Pitti that, in this city jam-packed with Italian restaurants, feels much more authentically Italian than its pasta-serving brethren. Maybe it's the servers who prefer speaking Italian if they find out you can say a few words, and who show up at your table with a chalkboard scribbled with the daily offerings (written in Italian, of course). Perhaps it's the simple, but flavor-bursting pasta dishes; maybe it's that they only take cash. Or perhaps it's all of the above. In warm-weather months nab an outdoor table and don't be surprise if an A-list celeb is sitting at the next table. 

Chef Jonathan Waxman had to shutter this beloved West Village Italian spot in 2019, but he fortunately found a new home for it around the corner the following year. Waxman hardly tinkered with the menu for the new location. And why would he when everything here works so well? The specialties here are rustic Italian preparations with bright flavors, like house-made gnocchi with tangy tomatoes, grilled striped bass, and pasta carbonara, though the menu changes daily, depending on what's available.

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 two pricing scenarios at this Bastianich-owned Italian spot make bustling Becco a prime Restaurant Row choice for time-constrained theatergoers: one includes an affordable all-you-can-eat selection of salad, antipasti, and three pastas served hot out of pans that waiters circulate around the dining room; the other adds a generous entrée to the mix. The pasta selection changes daily but often includes gnocchi, ravioli, and fettuccine in cream sauce. The entrées may be braised veal shank, grilled double-cut pork chop, and Porterhouse lamb chops, among other selections. Decor is somewhat basic here, and the exposed brick amplifies the volume during busy hours, but the convivial vibes prevail.

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.