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Where to eat in New York: my 76 favourite restaurants

Nobody eats well following the tour buses. These are the 76 restaurants in New York I'd send a friend to: the cheap neighbourhood place, the one locals keep to themselves, the splurge that's genuinely worth it. No photo menus.

Corner Bistro★ 4.3 · $20–30 · BurgersThe West Village burger dive that has resisted every attempt to modernize it: cheap beer, a scuffed room and a kitchen that runs late. Directions
Covacha★ 4.3 · $20–70 · MexicanThe kitchen here looks west to the ranchos of Jalisco, weaving the milpa tradition of companion planting into tacos, chilaquiles and a menu that turns over with the seasons. Directions
Eleven Madison Park★ 4.4 · $100+ · Tasting menuOne of the most decorated restaurants in the country, in a landmark Art Deco room looking onto Madison Square Park in NoMad. Directions
L'Artusi★ 4.6 · $40–100 · ItalianL'Artusi has been a West Village fixture for years and still fills every night: refined rustic Italian, a wine list drawing on all twenty of Italy's regions, and a room that stays warm rather than precious. Directions
Aquavit★ 4.6 · $100+ · ScandinavianTwo Michelin stars, Scandinavian cooking, and an open kitchen at the center of a very composed Midtown East dining room. Directions
b'artusi★ 4.4 · $30–50 · Italian wine barThe L'Artusi team opened this one a block away as a smaller, looser counterpart: forty seats across bar and tables, vintage mirrors, a gallery wall of art. Directions
Santi★ 4.5 · $100+ · ItalianMichael White's Midtown room runs pan-Italian rather than regional, drawing on the years he spent cooking in Imola, on the Amalfi coast and in the South of France. Directions
Santo Taco★ 4.6 · $10–20 · TacosSantiago Perez, who founded Cosme, is behind this Nolita taqueria, and the menu is deliberately short: five tacos, one of them a seasonal vegetarian option. Directions
I Sodi★ 4.2 · $50–100 · TuscanTuscan cooking with almost nothing hidden behind technique, which is harder than it sounds and the reason this one has held its reputation for so long. Directions
Le Bernardin★ 4.6 · $100+ · French seafoodNobody argues that this Midtown West dining room has slipped, which is rare at this altitude: three Michelin stars, and four New York Times stars held for three decades. Directions
Manjul Coffee & Clothing★ 4.5 · $10–20 · Specialty coffeeHalf coffee bar, half independent clothing shop, on Howard Street at the edge of SoHo. Directions
Thai Diner★ 4.4 · $20–60 · ThaiBooths, a counter and a lot of daylight: the diner format played straight, with Thai-American cooking coming out of the kitchen and a Nolita corner to sit on. Directions
Bemelmans Bar★ 4.3 · $100+ · Hotel piano barA 1947 room inside the Carlyle, with white-jacketed waiters, nightly live piano and Ludwig Bemelmans' Central Park murals wrapped around the walls, painted by the Madeline illustrator in exchange for a year's lodging. Directions
Joe's Pizza (Carmine St)★ 4.4 · $1–10 · PizzaAsk ten New Yorkers where to get a classic slice and this Carmine Street counter comes up first: thin, foldable, and served until three or four in the morning. Directions
Joyface★ 3.3 · $20–30 · Cocktail barA 1970s rec room done properly: wood paneling, carpet, vintage couches, a disco ball and a sound system worth the name, on Loisaida Avenue in Alphabet City. Directions
Raf's★ 4.1 · $100+ · French-Italian bakeryBakery by day, restaurant by night, in the Nolita space that was once Parisi Bakery. Directions
Bar Oliver★ 4.4 · $20–80 · Basque wine barBasque is the reference point here rather than Spain in general: pintxos, vermouth and a list that leans Spanish and French, across a forty-seat bar with just six tables behind it. Directions
Bridges★ 4.5 · $100+ · Modern EuropeanChatham Square is an unlikely address for a Michelin-starred dining room, which is part of what makes this one work. Directions
McSorley's Old Ale House★ 4.7 · $10–20 · Historic ale houseSawdust on the floor, a century of clippings and wishbones on the walls, and a bar in place since 1854: whatever else it is, this is the most physically intact 19th-century room in New York. Directions
Peter Luger Steak House★ 4.4 · $100+ · SteakhouseThe 1887 porterhouse institution in Williamsburg still sends its steak out dry-aged, sliced tableside and sizzling, in a beer-hall room twenty minutes from Midtown on the J/M/Z. Directions
Carbone★ 4.3 · $100+ · Italian-AmericanCaptains in dinner jackets work the room to a soundtrack, and under all the theatre the cooking is genuinely good: spicy rigatoni vodka and a Caesar built at the table are what people come for. Directions
Gramercy Tavern★ 4.6 · $100+ · New AmericanNine James Beard awards and a Michelin star have accumulated here since Danny Meyer opened the place in 1994, and it remains what New Yorkers mean by a great restaurant rather than a tourist trap. Directions
Katz's Delicatessen★ 4.5 · $30–40 · Jewish deliTicket at the door, carvers behind the counter, 24 hours at weekends: the last great New York deli still operating at full scale. Directions
Los Tacos No. 1★ 4.7 · $10–20 · TacosStanding room only, a vertical al pastor trompo, tortillas pressed by hand: one of the rare high-volume spots inside a tourist zone that New Yorkers still use. Directions
Ess-a-Bagel★ 4.1 · $10–20 · BagelsBig, crusty, chewy and kettle-boiled: this is the reference standard other New York bagels get judged against, and has been since 1976. Directions
Sushi Sho★ 4.7 · $100+ · Edomae sushiPromoted to three Michelin stars in November 2025, this is the only three-star sushi restaurant in the United States. Directions
Veselka★ 4.6 · $20–30 · Ukrainian dinerSince 1954 this Ukrainian diner has held the same corner of 2nd Ave and 9th St, never once moving. Directions
Westlight★ 4.2 · $$$ · Rooftop barThe reason this beats every Manhattan rooftop is simple geometry: from the 22nd floor in Williamsburg the skyline stands in front of the bar rather than around it, and the wraparound terrace turns that into a full 360-degree view… Directions
Double Chicken Please★ 4.4 · $30–90 · Cocktail barThe most talked-about drinks list in the city works by engineering cocktails to taste like dishes: the "Cold Pizza" is exactly what it says, and not the gimmick it sounds like. Directions
Malecon Restaurant★ 4.4 · $$ · DominicanThe rotisserie has been turning on this Broadway corner since 1987, and Malecon stays the default answer whenever anyone uptown is asked where to eat. Directions
Rubirosa★ 4.6 · $20–70 · Italian-American pizzaLocals write off most of the Mulberry Street stretch as overpriced tourist bait, then make an exception for this one. Directions
Yamada★ 4.9 · $100+ · Japanese kaisekiDown a Chinatown alley, ten seats face an L-shaped hinoki counter where a single chef cooks ten courses, and within a year of opening it landed at #2 on the New York Times' 2026 list. Directions
Attaboy★ 4.2 · $20–70 · Cocktail barBehind an unmarked steel door on Eldridge Street, in the tiny room that was once Milk & Honey, there is no menu at all: name a spirit or a mood and the bartender builds to it. Directions
Birria-Landia★ 4.7 · $10–20 · Birria tacosNew York's birria wave started with this truck: tortillas dipped in consomé, crisped on the griddle, four items on the entire menu. Directions
Russ & Daughters★ 4.6 · $10–20 · Smoked fish counterTake a number and watch the counterman slice Gaspé Nova by hand, one board at a time. Directions
Barney Greengrass★ 4.4 · $30–40 · Jewish appetizingA century on Amsterdam Ave has not softened the self-styled Sturgeon King, where Upper West Side families still queue on weekend mornings. Directions
Semma★ 4.2 · $50–100 · South IndianTamil Nadu cooking arrives here unsoftened, with no concession made to a Western palate, which is rare in a fine-dining room and part of why this is the only Michelin-starred Indian restaurant in New York. Directions
White Bear★ 4.3 · $1–10 · Chinese wontonsOrdering happens by number at this Flushing counter, and the number that matters is the #6: a dozen pork wontons under chili-onion oil with pickled ginger, one of the great single dishes in New York for less than the price of a… Directions
L'Industrie Pizzeria★ 4.8 · $10–20 · PizzaAmong people who eat pizza in this city seriously, this is the consensus best slice: long-fermented dough, Italian ingredients, and a fist of burrata dropped on top. Directions
Torrisi★ 4.6 · $100+ · Italian-AmericanRich Torrisi rebuilt Italian-American cooking from the inside at this Nolita room in the Puck Building, and it now carries a Michelin star and a #3 ranking on the New York Times' list of the city's best. Directions
Zaab Zaab★ 4.3 · $$ · Isan ThaiSour, herbal, salty and genuinely hot, Isan food from Thailand's northeast is a different animal from the coconut curries most visitors know as Thai. Directions
NY Pizza Suprema★ 4.6 · $10–20 · PizzaIt sits sixty seconds from Penn Station, which matters enormously if you arrive by train or hold a ticket for the Garden. Directions
Superbueno★ 4.2 · $30–70 · Mexican-American cocktail barRanked No. 12 in the world in 2025, the highest any New York bar placed, and it still does not drink like a trophy bar. The room is loud and neon-lit, with corner-bar energy on First Avenue in the East Village and technically… Directions
The Dead Rabbit★ 4.7 · $20–60 · Irish bar / cocktail barTwo very different bars share one Financial District building. Directions
Balthazar★ 4.4 · $50–100 · French brasserieLoud, tourist-heavy and still treated by New Yorkers as a real institution rather than a trap, which is a rare combination in SoHo. Directions
Gray's Papaya★ 4.2 · $1–10 · Hot dogsThe last Gray's still standing: no chairs, griddled snappy franks, and the papaya drink. Directions
Le Veau d'Or★ 4.5 · $100+ · French bistroNew York's oldest French bistro has stood on the Upper East Side since 1937, and the Frenchette team's revival brought it back without anyone getting precious: pâté en croûte, tête de veau, île flottante, a full French prix fixe… Directions
Amy Ruth's★ 4.3 · $20–30 · Soul foodAsk around Harlem for soul food and this is the name that comes back, rated above the more famous rooms on the coach-tour circuit. Directions
Empanada Mama★ 4.4 · $10–30 · Colombian empanadasTwenty-four hours a day, seven days a week on Ninth Avenue, which makes this the most useful late-night cheap eat in Midtown West and a genuine Hell's Kitchen favourite rather than a tourist default. Directions
Kabawa★ 4.5 · $100+ · CaribbeanThe New York Times named this the single best restaurant in New York for 2026. Directions
Meju★ 4.8 · $100+ · KoreanEight seats hide at the back of Hooni Kim's Little Banchan Shop, and the menu is built entirely around jangs he has been wild-fermenting for a decade. Directions
Scarr's Pizza★ 4.4 · $10–20 · PizzaNo other slice shop in New York mills its own flour in the basement, and you can taste it: the crust comes out lighter and crisper than the citywide standard. Directions
Taverna Kyclades★ 4.6 · $30–70 · Greek seafoodGrilled octopus, whole fish off the grill and lemon potatoes, served family-style and shared down the table. Directions
Death & Company★ 4.5 · $$$ · Cocktail barThe other pillar of the 2000s New York cocktail revival sits on an East Village side street, and it still reads as a serious drinking room rather than a stage set. Directions
J.G. Melon★ 4.2 · $20–30 · BurgersThis Third Avenue tavern has served the default Upper East Side burger since 1972, and the kitchen stays open past 2am, which is rarer on this stretch than it sounds. Directions
Mei Lai Wah★ 4.4 · $1–10 · Hong Kong bakeryThe baked pork bun here is the standard every other Chinatown bakery gets measured against, caramelised on top and packed with char siu, and it makes the right first bite of a walk through the neighbourhood. Directions
Angel's Share★ 4.4 · $30–80 · Japanese cocktail barThis is the bar that taught New York Japanese bartending discipline, and the house rules are the point: no standing, no groups larger than four, no loud talking. Directions
Russ & Daughters Cafe★ 4.6 · $20–30 · Jewish appetizingThree blocks from the counter, on Orchard St, the sit-down version gives you an actual table, egg creams and a room worth lingering in. Directions
Wah Fung No. 1 Fast Food★ 4.5 · $1–10 · Cantonese BBQThere is no dining room here, just a window on Chrystie Street where Chinatown regulars collect char siu over gravy-soaked rice for around $6. Directions
Harriet's Rooftop★ 3.9 · $$$ · Rooftop barEleven floors up at 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge, the view is not another generic skyline: the Brooklyn Bridge sits head-on and at eye level, with Lower Manhattan stacked up behind it. Directions
Little Owl★ 4.5 · $30–90 · Mediterranean-AmericanRoughly 28 seats in a corner building on Bedford St, and sixteen years of West Village regulars who rate it properly. Directions
Shu Jiao Fu Zhou Cuisine★ 4.6 · $1–10 · Fuzhou ChineseFive dollars buys ten pork-and-chive dumplings at this Grand Street counter, which is roughly the definition of the cheapest genuinely good meal in the city. Directions
Mama's Too★ 4.2 · $10–20 · PizzaLight, crunchy square slices, and the one Upper West Side food pick locals defend without hedging. Directions
Nepali Bhanchha Ghar★ 3.9 · $10–20 · NepaliRings of rice-flour sel roti come out of the fryer in an open window on Roosevelt Avenue, in full view of the street. Directions
The Grill★ 4.6 · $100+ · Mid-century AmericanMies van der Rohe and Philip Johnson designed the landmarked Midtown East room inside the Seagram Building, and dinner in it is staged as theatre: prime rib spit-roasted and carved tableside, duck pressed in front of you. Directions
Casa Adela★ 4.5 · $10–20 · Puerto RicanOn Avenue C since 1976, this is the last real anchor of Loisaida's Puerto Rican food culture in the East Village. Directions
Joe Allen★ 4.5 · $20–60 · American bistroRestaurant Row is a minefield of overpriced pre-theatre menus, and this is the defensible address inside it. Directions
Keens Steakhouse★ 4.6 · $100+ · SteakhouseRoughly 90,000 clay churchwarden pipes hang from the ceilings of a dining room open since 1885, and unlike most historic New York rooms this one still cooks. Directions
Tavern on the Green★ 4.4 · $$$ · AmericanJacob Wrey Mould built this in 1870 as a sheepfold, housing the flock that grazed the Sheep Meadow, and the Parks Department converted it into a restaurant in 1934 after the sheep were moved out. Directions
Ellen's Stardust Diner★ 4.4 · $20–30 · American dinerBroadway hopefuls wait the tables and belt show tunes from open to close, which is a genuinely fun hour if you know what you are buying. Directions
Grimaldi's Pizzeria★ 4.2 · $$ · PizzaCoal-fired whole pies under the Brooklyn Bridge, from the DUMBO pizzeria that put this stretch of waterfront on the pizza map when Patsy Grimaldi opened it in 1990. Directions
Lombardi's Pizza★ 4.2 · $20–30 · PizzaLombardi's has traded on the same line for over a century: America's first pizzeria, opened on this Nolita corner in 1905. Directions
Eataly NYC Downtown★ 4.2 · $$ · Italian food hallItaly's food hall runs 40,000 square feet on the third floor of 4 World Trade Center: a market stacked with pasta, cheese, cured meat and oil, counters selling the same things cooked, and full sit-down restaurants for pizza… Directions
Ladurée★ 4.3 · $$$ · Macarons · Tea salonThe Parisian macaron house keeps its New York flagship on West Broadway, a boutique and tea salon fitted out in pastels and antiques bought from Paris dealers. Directions
ICHIRAN Ramen★ 4.6 · $20–30 · RamenJapan's tonkotsu specialist runs its Times Square branch exactly as it runs them at home: 103 individual booths over two floors, partitions on both sides, and a curtain between the diner and the kitchen. Directions
Magnolia Bakery★ 4.3 · $10–20 · BakeryThis small corner bakery opened on Bleecker Street in 1996 and became internationally famous overnight when Carrie and Miranda sat outside it eating cupcakes in an episode of Sex and the City. Directions