973 Best Restaurants in New York, USA

What started as a bright-yellow truck slinging out scoops and cones on NYC streets back in 2008 is now a Gotham ice-cream superpower, including two outposts on the Upper West Side (the other store is a few blocks away at  253 Columbus Ave.). Van Leeuwen produces all of its flavors just across the East River in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Favorites like vanilla, strawberry, honeycomb, and cookies and cream are made with fresh milk and cream, cane sugar, and egg yolks, but it's often the unique and downright weird flavors that keep ice-cream lovers coming back, like Hidden Valley Ranch and Kraft Macaroni and Cheese flavors. Sometimes it’s hard to believe that the vegan versions of chocolate, salted caramel, and mint chip, just to name a few, are made entirely dairy free using house-made cashew milk, organic coconut milk, and organic extra-virgin coconut oil. Of course, don’t forget to add hot fudge.

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.

Impeccable service, elegant decor, and extraordinary food by chef and owner Peter X. Kelly make this 40-seat restaurant a not-to-be-missed special-occasion place. Dinner is a relative bargain: $70 gets you a four-course, prix-fixe meal with an amuse-bouche (bite-size appetizer) and petits fours. The menu, which changes seasonally, might include roasted breast of squab served with Hudson Valley foie gras, lobster with vanilla beurre blanc and parsnip puree, and a tasting of raw fish. The wine cellar stores more than 600 bottles. Lunch, served Friday and Sunday, is $35 prix fixe.

This intimate restaurant draws mostly business executives who come to savor curry and coconut-milk dishes. The menu, a blend of Indonesian and Continental fare, includes winners such as pistachio-crusted chicken breast in Madeira sauce and rack of lamb. If you want an experience to savor and linger over, order the Rijstaffel, a five-course Indonesian-style meal that includes appetizer, soup, salad, entrées, and condiments. For dessert consider the Kentucky bourbon nut pie. The wine list, covering more than 700 bottles, has been lauded by Wine Spectator.

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.

There are two restaurants in one here, so you can enjoy the warmth and refined elegance of the dining room or the sanctuary of the more casual (and less expensive) traditional tavern downstairs. With Chef Michael Rozzi at the helm, 1770 House is known for using local ingredients whenever possible, with dishes including local beet salad with blue cheese and shallot dressing and seared Peconic Bay scallops with red coconut milk–curry sauce. The Tavern Meatloaf with potato puree, spinach, and garlic sauce, is famous thanks to being featured on the "Barefoot Contessa" TV show.

Locavores will love this place for its credentials in sourcing ingredients only from local suppliers, but they'll also enjoy an upbeat yet relaxed dining experience. A four-course chef's menu—including four different antipasti, handmade pasta, a choice of entree, and dessert—is built around local, seasonal products and changes every Wednesday. "Hyper-local" seafood antipasti may include black sea bass crudo with salt-and-pepper cucumbers and green coriander or fried Long Island squid with chilies and mint. Meat, including grass-fed New York strip, comes from nearby farms. Even the flowers on the tables are local. The wines come from near as well as far, and artfully crafted cocktails are made with organic syrups. Outdoor dining is available on the porch.

Ostrich, buffalo, and venison are served alongside traditional New York strip steak, pastas, and seafood dishes at this brick-storefront restaurant. At various times the building has housed a bank, a dry-goods store, a luncheonette, and a clothing store; the restaurant takes its name from the date of the building's construction, which appears prominently on the facade.

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. 

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.

This little bit funky, little bit chic but totally Montauk café serves up fare that fuses local ingredients with international flair. With dishes like mussels with Thai curry, biriyani, fish "Montacos," and house-smoked Hawaiian babyback ribs, this place provides a little culinary adventure right on Main Street Montauk. Tasty home-baked desserts include key lime pie. There is live music most nights.

Celebrity mom Dina Lohan (mother of Lindsay) was spotted celebrating Memorial Day here; so was actor and funny guy Jonah Hill, and on any given day you can see supermodels, sports stars, and an assortment of other A-listers hanging out here. With internationally acclaimed chef Walter Hinds at the helm, the menu offers well-prepared classic dishes like Caesar salad, penne primavera, and grilled salmon. The evening specials bring more of an international flair, perhaps moules frites in red curry and Tuscan pot roast. There's a weekend brunch as well as a menu for kids. The bar gets busy after 11 on Friday and Saturday nights thanks to a DJ and a crowd that likes to dance. Reservations are recommended.

The locally-sourced menu here changes daily, but the bistro-style dishes always have a Mediterranean accent. You'll find lots of fresh seafood, like yellowfin carpaccio, fresh shucked oysters, baby shrimp crudo and P.E.I. mussels. There's also plenty for the vegetarian set too, like feta-stuffed ravioli and chickpea sliders with cumin yogurt. On the weekends, there's a lively bar scene.

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.

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.

Tables at this northern Indian restaurant are set with candles and draped with tablecloths. The buffet (lunch and dinner) is one draw; popular dishes include tandoori chicken and charcoal-grilled prawns.

Roughly translated as \"beyond,\" al di là has been a neighborhood favorite since it opened in 1998, and it's easy to understand why: it serves well-prepared Northern Italian dishes in a cozy atmosphere. The warm farro salad with seasonal ingredients and goat cheese is perfectly al dente; the hand-pinched ravioli are delicious; and meatier entrées like braised rabbit, Tuscan tripe stew, and pork loin scaloppine with prosciutto are highlights.

This place is always packed, and for good reason. It is simple food done right, the kind of comfort food you can make at home—burgers, fresh seafood, pasta, steak—but better. The bar scores high marks with local beer on tap and freshly made cocktails. Stay on for late-night fun like live music and D.J.s, darts, and special party events, but, whatever you do, don't swing the lights.

This popular spot, with white subway tiles contrasting dark-wood floors and furnishings, is known for its brasserie-style food that elevates the simple to the sublime. Offerings include mac and cheese with prosciutto and truffles, grass-fed steak frites with anchovy butter. The menu also includes chicken, lamb, and veal dishes, casual fare like sandwiches and burgers, and a raw bar. Vegetarians unite on Meatless Monday. French names dominate the wine list. Surprisingly fair entree prices and friendly service add to Almond's appeal.