973 Best Restaurants in New York, USA

From uptown church ladies to former president Bill Clinton, Miss Mamie's Spoonbread Too attracts a diverse clientele with a common goal—to enjoy a hearty helping of comforting soul food. The uncluttered interior is mostly beige, with family portraits hanging on the walls, and former model and best-selling cookbook author Norma Jean Darden uses passed-down recipes to create mouthwatering dishes like fried or smothered chicken, fried or baked catfish, barbecue ribs, collard greens, and baked macaroni and cheese. Save room for dessert like sweet potato pie and homemade peach cobbler.

Anyone who has driven Main Road in Aqueboque at night, driving back from the wineries or heading home from Greenport, has most definitely noticed the Las Vegas–like sign illuminating this otherwise sleepy strip. At this unpretentious family-owned café, beloved by locals and out-of-towners alike, you'll find comfort food at its best, including Long Island duck, roast loin of pork with sauerkraut, softshell crabs, and home-baked strawberry-rhubarb and lemon-meringue pies. They do take-out too.

A one-man show, Mombar is run solely by chef-owner (and also, host-server) Moustafa el-Sayed. He's been serving up cuisine as authentic from his hometown of Alexandria, Egypt, in Astoria since 2000. Set in a quirky, art-laden atmosphere (some of which was also made by the owner himself), the menu rotates daily, but you can expect offerings like couscous, lamb shank, koshary (the hodgepodge of Egyptian cuisine, made with Ditalini pasta, fried onions, lentils, chickpeas, and tomato sauce), hummus, and fish Tajin. Since it is just one person running the restaurant, patience is key when dining here.

Ignore the official name—Momoya Soho—of this stellar bi-level sushi spot that is technically in NoLIta, and focus on having an affordable sushi feast. Getting high-quality sushi in Gotham means forking out a chunk of change, but 100-seat Momoya turns that idea on its head by slicing high-quality sushi for a lower price. The various sushi and sashimi combos are a good deal and the sleek space, with floor-to-ceiling windows, is inviting.

Since its founding in 1973, this downtown restaurant has been at the forefront in the field of creative vegetarian cooking, and its cookbooks are known worldwide. The menu changes daily, and everything is prepared from fresh ingredients. Past menus have included spinach-and-cheese ravioli in a red-pepper-basil sauce and haddock with lemon, thyme, tomatoes, and topped with dill pesto. A vegan option is always available. The setting is casual: chunky blond-wood tables and booths and lively conversation fill the space. You may also dine outside on a patio.

With about 50 flavors to choose from, everyone is going to scream for ice cream at this popular spot, frequented by locals and visitors alike. There are the classic flavors and the not-so-classic scoops like Vietnamese coffee, salt-and-pepper pine nut, Arnold Palmer cobbler, and peanut Butterfinger.

There's typically a crowd waiting outside for one of the copper-top tables at this casual, neighborhood, Middle Eastern restaurant. The focal point is the perfect pita that accompanies tasty salads like lemony chickpea and spinach, hearty lentil and bulgur, or falafel. Also delicious is lahambajin, spicy ground lamb on a crispy flat crust (hence the name \"Pitza\"). For entrées, try the juicy baby lamb sandwich or merguez–sausage sandwiches. Service is slow but friendly.

The family-run Italian restaurant, a staple in Charlotte since the mid-1970s, draws a loyal clientele from throughout the city. Homemade pastas—gnocchi, lasagna, veal and lobster ravioli, four-cheese manicotti—are a specialty, but then again so are the steaks, chops, and seafood. It's two blocks from Lake Ontario, which makes it especially busy in summer.

One of the few places in the Hamptons where you can get a glass of wine or cocktail for $10 or less, dine in a Japanese-style booth with your shoes off, or keep them on while you sit at the restful central sushi bar. The typical Japanese fare served here includes sukiyaki and tempura dishes as well as such classic sushi and sashimi as sweet-water shrimp, fluke, and sea urchin. The food is consistently good and the service is very attentive.

This Filipino spot opened to great fanfare at the end of 2023. That's because it's brought you by the team from impossible-to-get-into Indian eateries Semma and Dhamaka. The top toque, Manila-born Eric Valdez, offers a lavish multicourse tasting menu in the 20-seat dining room in the a back and more affordable à la carte options in the 18-seat front bar room. Some of the dishes can be challenging for nonadventurous eaters—cow testicle or pig brains, anyone?—but there is also excellent fried chicken, bison rib-eye steak, and unctuous pork belly. 

The multiyear winner of Jackson Heights's annual Momo Crawl, Nepali Bhanchha Ghar is an unassuming spot known for its jhol momo (juicy dumplings in a rich, tomato-y, chutney-esque broth) and other Nepalese fare. Also on hand are a spicy, crispy noodle dish that will remind you of packaged ramen (though in a good way), thali platters vibrant with fiery, colorful curries, and a special savory fried doughnut called sel roti, served with a spicy tomato chutney.

Standing the test of time, this rustic, homey family-run restaurant has been serving local folks and visitors for almost four decades. Bright colors, rustic wood, and lots of windows create a down-home Southwestern atmosphere. Try the mesquite-smoked barbecued brisket, served with Texas pinto beans and corn on the cob, or the juicy and tasty jerk chicken. A children's menu and coloring page and crayons are offered for the little ones. Homemade desserts like the banana cream pie are best sellers. Daily specials include $25 prix-fixe, $5 margaritas, and Sunday brunch. There's a cute outdoor seating area, but the locals seem to prefer to gather inside and enjoy the warm and relaxed vibe, even on a beautiful evening.

Worthy Korean barbecue will draw you in to this longtime favorite, but be sure to explore the full menu to find the other authentic Korean dishes that also draw crowds from morning through midnight, and then early into the next morning. This casual spot has tile floors and wooden chairs and tables, and the tables have charcoal-fueled grills for extra sizzle on meats and garnishes. Jjigae (Korean stews), bibimbap, scallion and kimchi pancakes, and other Korean fare round out this hit K-town menu.

Housed in an old warehouse, this craft brewery might not look like much from the outside, but inside the massive taproom you'll find a hip space with exposed brick walls, long reclaimed wood tables, and a compact menu of locally sourced food and wine with more than a dozen in-house brews on tap.

If the Upper West Side and the French Riviera collided, it might look a little bit like Nice Matin. This longtime neighborhood favorite is particularly popular in warm-weather months, when regulars plant themselves at sidewalk tables and gawk at passersby while munching on Gallic fare like pan-roasted monkfish, garlicky mussels, and, of course, steak frites. The novel-size wine list has more than 2,000 bottles, so bring your reading glasses. 

The dining room at this upscale, trendy restaurant has a wood-burning brick oven in which Mediterranean and northern Italian house specialties are cooked daily. Local artist Eric Fischl designed the oven's mosaic mural. Wood-roasted chicken and fish are popular, and the Sunday brunch menu has a good choice of dishes, including wood-oven pizzas. Try the polenta fries with truffle oil for something different. There's open-air dining on the porch.

Locals love chef Noah Schwartz's restaurant. A Long Island native who began his career in California's wine country, Schwartz has created a menu based on farm-to-table produce, fresh and locally-sourced seafood, and artfully presented small-plate dishes. A carefully selected wine list provides for perfect pairings. The most popular dishes here are seared tuna tartare with avocado, jalapeño, and cucumber, with seaweed salad and soy vinaigrette; local seafood bouillabaisse in saffron fennel broth; and filet mignon sliders on toasted brioche with creamed spinach and truffle hollandaise. Oysters are a specialty, too. Brunch is served on weekends.

At this impressive location in a unique setting of Botticino marble that's part of a century-old building lobby, the sushi stalwart serves the innovative Japanese cuisine that namesake master chef Nobu Matsuhisa made famous (though he's rarely in attendance these days). Count on fresh, colorful, daring dishes, or just put your meal in the chef's hands with Nobu's tasting menu ($225), or omakase, then let the kitchen do the rest.

Dim sum is traditionally served in the morning but if you have a craving at another time, head to this old-school spot in the heart of Chinatown, where dumplings, turnip cakes, rice rolls, and a variety of other small plates are available from early until late in the evening. Nom Wah started out as a tea parlor and bakery in 1920, just a few doors down, and only later started specializing in dim sum, and there's still an impressive selection of specialty tea on the menu.

The exuberant atmosphere and edgy Korean American food at Nowon perfectly captures the current East Village zeitgeist to live outrageously in the moment and eat deliciously weird food. The short menu focuses on creative takes on fast food-esque options like Korean fried chicken, crispy tater tots, and burgers, with music playing just on the edge of too loud in the background.

This ramen and cocktail bar serves up a contemporary twist on Meiji-era period restaurants in Japanese port towns. Spearheaded by Shigefumi “Shige” Kabashima, the drink menu offers 23 inventive cocktails—from the Smoky Pineapple to the Clarified Pina Colada or the Mexican Firing Squad, which features spicy tequila—served in antique drinking vessels. Sakes, wines, and a mocktail round out the list. The food menu is more succinct. Among five types of Chinese-derived ramen, the Kyoto consists of a rich soy, chicken and fish broth combined with pork belly, spicy bamboo shoots, garlic oil, an egg and scallions. Other dishes, such as pork buns, curries, and an oyster of the day are available, along with a beer-steamed mussel adorned with cotton candy. Weekend brunch is also offered.

In a tightly packed, high-energy space, Israeli celeb chef Meir Adoni covers a lot of ground, serving whatever is delicious from Morocco to Yemen—as well as points in between. Standouts include the smoked eggplant carpaccio, the fantastic breads (including the giant Jerusalem sesame bagel and the challah), and just about everything else.

This casual, friendly spot serves up Malaysian staples with pizzaz. Tuck into a hearty roti canai, a crispy pancake served with a luscious curry dipping sauce; satay, chicken skewers accompanied by an addictive peanut sauce; or Panang Asam laksa, a tongue-tingling soup with thick rice noodles and chunks of tender fish in a lemongrass-spiked broth. These are only a few of the hits on an enormous menu. 

While there are no river views or outdoor terraces, the cozy restaurant boasts delicious homespun Mediterranean food, charred and flavorful out of a massive wood-fired oven. In addition to airy pizzas with cool toppings, you can enjoy Greek-inspired salads and lots of seafood.