455 Best Restaurants in New York City, New York

The second generation operating this legendary, traditional kosher Jewish deli moved its enormous corned beef and pastrami sandwiches and buckets of pickles uptown from the original longtime location on 2nd Avenue in the East Village, keeping the name and the menu. That also includes hearty soups, wursts, blintzes, and potato pancakes. Upstairs is an upscale cocktail lounge that opens at 5 pm daily and has a limited bar menu. A deli-only location is in Midtown East.

Much more than a shopping break, Jean-Georges Vongerichten's restaurant is a love letter to greenmarket cuisine. Underneath the exposed concrete beams, a chic crowd devours fresh, flavorful appetizers like the roast carrot and avocado salad or pretzel-dusted calamari, and winning entrées that include pizzas, pastas, and hearty mains. The restaurant is committed to all the right causes—environmentalism, sustainability, supporting local farmers—all of which are announced in a near manifesto-length list on the back of the menu; thankfully, ABC Kitchen pulls it off without seeming patronizing or preachy.

With Indian dance music on the speakers and tabloid pages papering the walls, Adda broadcasts a hip, fun vibe, though the trendy decor almost belies what comes to the table: authentic Indian favorites packed with freshly-ground spices that draw inspiration from Grandma's cookbook and Mumbai street-style fare. The Chacha’s lamb chops, marinated with garam masala spices and grilled to perfection in the clay oven are a must-try, as well as the flavorful halka phulka (snacks) like dahi batata puri, a delicately fried puff pastry meant to be eaten in one bite and filled with yogurt, chutneys, and baby potatoes. The garlic naan and black dal are also noteworthy as sides (and also to cool the palate).

Roughly translated as "beyond," al di là has been consistently packed 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 scallopini with prosciutto are highlights.

The Arepa Lady, originally known for slinging cheesy, golden arepas (stuffed corn cakes) from her famed street-cart on Roosevelt Avenue has since established three stand-alone restaurants across New York City. The Jackson Heights location is the original “mother restaurant” and keeps to the classics like arepa de queso (freshly ground corn flour mixed with cheese) and arepa de choclo, served with your choice of meat. Try the popular chichiron (smoked pork belly) or Colombian chorizo (which is sliced, rather than ground up). Expect to find Manhattanites, locals, and tourists alike sipping sangria and margs while getting their fill of savory cakes at this charming eatery.

There are plenty of great Thai restaurants in Elmhurst, but this oft-packed spot tops them all (in fact, it's opened a branch in Manhattan's Chelsea Market). Operating out of two side-by-side storefronts (you go wherever there's a table), Ayada serves fiery, flavorful Thai favorites, as well as some dishes you've probably never heard of before. A favorite appetizer is raw shrimp served with a slice of garlic, bitter melon, and chili paste that will knock your socks off. The e-sarn sausage (made with fermented meat) is served with sliced ginger and peanuts, and, for a table of four, the succulent whole fried fish is a bargain.

Set on the third floor of the Deutsche Bank center at Columbus Circle, and one floor down from the temple of haute cuisine, Per Se, this irreverent, playful, maximalist, authentic, inauthentic, and just plain fun Italian restaurant is not bad at all; in fact it's very, very good. Any illusions that this is a traditional and polite Italian dining experience are left at the door where you are met with a half-ton wild boar statue wearing a neon necklace and a dining room that is a feast of color and texture with red and white travertine, trompe l'oeil mosaics, and lush greenery suspended from wood coffered ceilings above orange banquettes. The bar is clad with marble and mirror, there's a working fountain by the bathroom, and floor-to-ceiling windows frame views of Central Park (not that you'll notice.) Yes, there's food, too, and it lives up to the stage set by the design with delicious riffs on classic Italian food. Highlights include a filet mignon meatball small plate, filet mignon topped with cacio e pepe raviolo, a broiled two-pound lobster with a mound of Calabrian pasta between the claws (to share), and tiramisu ice-cream cake. Cocktails are creative and the crowd is here to play.

Even with long waits and loud noise levels, most people agree that it's worth the effort (make reservations) to experience restaurateur Keith McNally's flagship, a perfectly New York reproduction of a Parisian brasserie. Like the decor, entrées recreate French classics: Gruyère-topped onion soup, steak frites, and icy tiers of crab, oysters, and other pristine shellfish.

The best way to sample the diverse flavors of Ethiopian cuisine is by dining at this stellar restaurant that transports you to Addis Ababa through its decor, music, and above all, it's selection of traditional dishes. All dishes are plant-based and full of flavor, which aligns with most authentic fare, including chickpea-based shiro, lentil wot, and a mushroom version of tibs (a stir-fry with meat and vegetables). It's all served with injera, a sourdough flatbread used to scoop up the various stews, with your hands. The drink menu includes traditional t'ej (honey wine), cocktails, and wine and beer from Ethiopia. The namesake bunna—Ethiopian coffee brewed with cardamom and cloves—is worth a try, too. 

With a colorful, modern interior and an oasis of a patio out back, this Upper West Side gem is the pan-Mediterranean restaurant vision of owner Tuvia Feldman and executive chef Eli Buli. Bustan, which means "garden" or "orchard" in Hebrew and Arabic, churns out dishes that draw inspiration from three continents. Make sure to start with the mezes "for the table" and lather your house-made taboon bread (a flatbread) with warm hummus and spicy feta spreads. Main courses range from lamb kebabs to branzino a la plancha (grilled on a metal plate) served with za'atar-seasoned labneh (Greek yogurt) to Moroccan-style vegetable couscous. Save room for the "nemesis" dessert, a baked chocolate mousse with salted caramel pearls and vanilla ice cream.

The old soul of the Lincoln Center neighborhood seems to inhabit the tiled and mirrored walls of this lively, cramped French bistro, where West End Avenue regulars are greeted with kisses, and musicians and audience members pack the room after a concert. The bar's always hopping, and the menu includes classics like steak tartare, moules frites (mussels and fries), and lobster roll. There's also a popular weekend brunch.

This East Village dining institution, which has been serving standout Moroccan cuisine in a date-friendly, candlelit atmosphere since 1983, still draws crowds for dinner, lunch, and brunch. Start with an order of creamy hummus to share, then dig into one of the classic couscous dishes, tajine stews, or tasty kebabs.

In the Neue Galerie, this stately coffeehouse—open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner—offers a Viennese café experience, with art deco furnishings; a selection of daily newspapers; and cases with cakes and strudels. The menu of heartier sandwiches and goulash or sausage dishes is under the direction of German-born executive chef Christopher Engel, who worked at Wallsé and Aureole, earning Michelin stars. Prix-fixe dinners are occasionally followed by a cabaret performance. Museumgoers and locals love to linger over coffee—it's sometimes a challenge to find a seat (a less aesthetically pleasing outpost of the café is in the basement). 

Most of the delectable items on the menu at this Iberian, small-plates, corner restaurant are made for sharing, but of particular note are all things seared à la plancha (on a metal plate), including blistered peppers and garlic-kissed mushrooms. The atmosphere is always bustling but the best seats are those at the Casa Mono counter overlooking the chef's open kitchen. The perennially cramped and crowded space sends patrons to Bar Jamón, the wine-and-ham-bar annex next door, where you can pick at plates of jamón serrano while awaiting the main feature.

The food of the Republic of Georgia is one of the best and under-represented cuisines of the world. Most of the excellent Georgian restaurants in New York are lodged deep into Brooklyn, but Chama Mama is a superb Manhattan option if you want to avoid a long subway ride. Start with khachapuri, the ubiquitous baked cheese bread (the boat-shape version from the region of Adjara has become the international face of Georgian cuisine) and then move to shkmeruli, a tender Cornish game hen cooked in a garlicky cream sauce. The khinkhali, broth-filled dumplings, are also excellent. There's now a second location on the Upper West Side (Amsterdam Avenue and West 78th Street).

Perpetually packed, Italian-leaning Charlie Bird is the brainchild of sommelier Robert Bohr, who was in charge of wine at vino-mad Cru, and chef Ryan Hardy, who made a name for himself at Little Nell in Aspen and has been the private chef for Jay-Z and Beyoncé (not surprisingly, the restaurant has a hip-hop theme). The menu is divided into small and large plates, vegetables, a "raw" section, and pasta. The uni-loaded duck-egg spaghetti marries surf 'n' turf in a deeply satisfying way, while the Roman pasta dish cacio e pepe is one of the best versions this side of the Atlantic. 

At this casual retro-diner restaurant, weekend brunch brings a line down the street for what many believe to be the best blueberry pancakes in the city, if not the whole country. Lunch and dinner options include a variety of burgers, sandwiches, and salads—and you can get those pancakes at dinner, too, without as long a wait.

The key to this restaurant's success lies in its use of ultrafresh ingredients, sourced from local purveyors and presented with style in an upscale, yet casual space that honors its neighborhood's historical roots. A selection of small plates and crostini complement popular main dishes like bison steaks, bone-in pork chops, and homemade pastas. Weekend's offer popular brunch fare including shrimp and grits and "eggs in purgatory" (spicy tomato pomodoro).

When Enrique Olvera, the chef at Pujol, which many agree is Mexico's best restaurant, announced he was coming north of the border, New York foodies went loco. Olvera's haute touch to his native cuisine is magic, and, coupled with the sleek design (soft lighting, minimalist decor), Cosme makes for a fine dining experience of sophisticated food, focused on small plates.

Cote has blown up the staid New York steak-house formula by infusing the experience with Korean twists: that shrimp cocktail might look classic, for instance, but just wait 'til the hot gochujang hits your palate. The steak omakase "tasting menu" is unique, allowing you to compare several cuts of meat, but you can go old-school and just focus on your favorite; everything is cooked tableside—by you or your server—at a smokeless grill.

At the flagship of Top Chef head judge Tom Colicchio's nationwide, mini empire of excellent restaurants, the top-notch seasonal fare is exceptionally prepared with little fuss and served in a cozy-yet-minimalist space with exposed brick details, wood floors, and bare light bulbs. Expect a menu that hits a variety of high notes, from exuberantly fresh hamachi or braised octopus to start, stylish salads, hearty but not overpowering pastas, and perfectly cooked mains.

Occupying a prime corner in the base of historic 70 Pine, Crown Shy draws even uptowners down to the Wall Street area for its creative menu that plays with international cuisines. Don't be surprised to find brilliantly fused flavors from Italy, Japan, Mexico, or the Middle East here, all deliciously vegetable-forward and elevating the best of the season's produce. Decor is understated modern-Deco, with high ceilings and big windows, a large dining area, and a long, friendly bar. Expect to find plenty of businesspeople on weekdays, giving way to a lively mix of foodies on evenings and weekends. Dishes are priced to invite multiple small-dish tastings, along with a few standout main courses, and creatively balanced desserts.

This British-leaning eatery began life as a pandemic-era pop-up mostly serving fish-and-chips. It didn't take long for the city's fooderati to figure out that oh-so-English snack was nearly revelatory here, maybe the best version outside of England. Today, Dame is a permanent fixture on MacDougal Street and serving more than just ultraflakey fish and crispy chips. The menu changes regularly but expect excellent dishes like pan-seared monkfish paired with lentils and bacon, smoked whitefish croquettes, and flakey fish pie. For a meatier take on British food, check out sibling restaurant Lord's, a few blocks away at 506 LaGuardia Place.

Celebrity-chef Daniel Boulud offers one of the most iconic and elegant dining experiences in Manhattan in an equally elegant, and formal (jacket required), dining room with some serious artwork. The four-course prix-fixe menu (there are à la carte selections in the lounge and bar) is predominantly French, with such modern classics as turbot on Himalayan salt and a duo of dry-aged Black Angus beef featuring red wine–braised short ribs and seared rib eye with mushrooms and Gorgonzola cream. Vegetarian menus are also available. Equally impressive are the professional service, extensive wine list, and masterful cocktails. Don't forget the decadent desserts and overflowing cheese trolley. 

This quaint, plant-filled space is brighter and more stylish than your average dumpling-slinger in Queens. That makes sense when you look at the menu, which mixes creative takes on Himalayan classics like perfectly crimped momos (dumplings stuffed with meat or veggies) in a tomato and fenugreek sauce or thenthuk (pulled noodles), as well as American comfort food like buttermilk fried chicken, grass-fed beef burgers, and kale salad. The cocktails are similar global standouts, employing ingredients like masala, tamarind, or tajin spice mix, and there are natural wines on the menu.