973 Best Restaurants in New York, USA

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.

Several cozy rooms with fireplaces and wood beams and pillars are furnished with Arts and Crafts pieces and embellished with arched stained-glass windows. An enclosed sunroom with wicker chairs looks out onto the viney covered patio, open in warm weather. The fare is American: duck confit with apricot chutney, smoked mozzarella ravioli in a garlic–white wine sauce, oven-roasted salmon in a puff pastry with wild mushrooms, leeks, and roasted-red-pepper sour cream. Breakfast is served daily (brunch on Sunday).

Day-tripping bicyclists and locals favor this popular bakery, where you can sip gourmet coffee and nibble on omelets or "Hubwiches" (tasty breakfast sandwiches named after various bicycle brands), as well as scones, muffins, and pastries that will satisfy any sweet tooth. Lunch offerings include hot and cold sandwiches, and a variety of hearty soups.

The sit-down location of the long-established (since 1914) family-owned Russ & Daughters “appetizing” shop on Houston Street offers the same smoked fish, caviar, bagels, and potato latkes as the original, along with egg dishes, salads, and cocktails in a bright, updated-deli atmosphere. The “boards” are individual (but shareable) platters of smoked fish, accompanied by your bagel, bialy, or bread of choice, so that you can assemble your own sandwich.

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.

Brunch staples like smoked fish, bagels, pancakes, and French toast don’t get more refined than they do at this airy, sophisticated spot in the heart of the SoHo action. Come during the week for a more leisurely experience, because who said brunch has to be relegated to weekends?

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.

This tiny Vietnamese restaurant serves delicious noodle dishes and soups in a friendly atmosphere with prices that don't break the bank. Choices include crispy spring rolls, tender marinated steak bits, beef soup with vermicelli, lemon-marinated chicken, calamari with ginger, and a few vegetarian options. Vassar College is around the corner.

Predating the banh mi craze by perhaps a decade, this cash-only storefront serves some of the best Vietnamese sandwiches in the city (some say the best in the country); those in the know opt for the \"house special\" with Vietnamese cold cuts and creamy pate. The baguettes are crusty on the outside and soft on the inside, just as they should be.

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.

This spot is popular for Mexican takeout. With only a handful of stools and counters lining the perimeter and a busy galley kitchen, Salsa Salsa is tiny, so it's best to time your arrival to beat the lunch and dinner crushes. All the expected fare is done well, but it's truly the salsa that is memorable.

Converted out of a vacant boatyard, this fun and vibrant spot on picturesque Chase Creek was the brainchild of two Shelter Island "summer kids," Keith Bavaro and Alison Bevilacqua. The nautical-themed restaurant utilizes the most local, freshest seafood available for its raw bar, delicious fish tacos, and some Hawaiian-influenced dishes. Out back, locals and tourists mix it up at the Shipwreck Bar (Thursday–Monday), a converted 1928 scalloping ship on land. In summer it's an outdoor party with fresh cocktails—try the Whale Killer, made with local Sag Harbor Rum—lawn games, and live music. Boaters can dock at the Island Boatyard and walk up to the restaurant and bar; day passes are also available for non-boaters for use of the pool, lounge area, and shower facilities.

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.

Brightly painted walls and a lively vibe prevail at this funky Mexican eatery in the center of Tivoli. Tricolor chips and salsa greet you when you sit down. Grilled fish tacos and the fajita Champaneca made with chorizo, chicken, and steak are deservedly popular while vegetarians love the enchiladas de San Miguel filled with mushrooms, spinach, tomatoes, and salsa verde. All entrées come with rice, black beans, and a salad topped with a lemony vinaigrette. The excellent frozen margaritas are made from scratch and the front porch is a key spot for people-watching.

With its Italian–Latin American fusion menu focusing on simple dishes made with local, fresh, and organic ingredients, and an Old-World-meets-urban-café decor—exposed-brick walls, local art, a gleaming cappuccino machine on the bar—this place is quite the cosmopolitan departure in this pocket of the state. The San Francisco–trained chef might whip up seared scallops over ginger-marinated cabbage or pappardelle topped with tomatoes and cracked-pepper mascarpone. Sapore is open all day as a café, and also serves breakfast.

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.

A 5-mi drive west of town (and easily accessible from Chautauqua) on a block-long cobblestone street ending at the lake, Scallion Bistro is a favorite of locals in the know. Try citrus-glazed salmon over fruit salsa, topped with horseradish butter and fried parsnips; or pan-seared chicken breast wrapped with Italian ham, over lobster succotash. There's a Tuscan feel, with faux-finish walls and hanging colored-glass lamps and an "arcaded" wall separating the dining room from bar. It's nice enough for a romantic dinner, but low-key enough to foster boisterous conversation and to have a (low- to-no-volume) flat-screen TV in the bar.

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. 

This Yorkville neighborhood staple since 1937 is more than just a local butcher shop, offering a slew of sausages from its own smokehouse, fresh cuts and chops of meat, various types of charcuterie, imported cheeses, pâtés, beers, and more. In the adjacent Schaller's Stube Sausage Bar, grab a wurst, wiener, or soft pretzel to go (they're served from the counter right out to 2nd Avenue), or take a seat at one of the outdoor picnic tables or on the few stools inside.

Opened in 1956, the family-owned and -operated restaurant has retained a Happy Days feel. Place your order and the cashier yells it out amid the din. Burgers topped with Schaller's secret hot sauce are the most popular choice, followed by a Rochester specialty, white hot dogs, also known as "white hots" (sausage-size, natural-casing dogs made with pork, beef, and veal). The restaurant, west of Ontario Beach Park in the town of Greece, is particularly popular with the beach crowd. Take out on a sunny day or eat in the bright dining room.