The city is stuffed with delicious restaurants to suit every taste, budget and occasion, and most New Yorkers would rather eat out, take away or order in because they are spoiled for choice!
Unsurprisingly, the world’s biggest melting pot produces one incredibly diverse food scene. On Manhattan alone we’ve got Chinatown, Little India (E 6th), K-Town, Little Italy....while in the other boroughs you’ve got Little Greece (Astoria, Queens), Little Arabia (Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn), Little Odessa (Brighton Beach, Brooklyn) and the "real" Little Italy (Arthur Avenue in The Bronx), among others.
And when you're feeling indecisive or like to graze, any one of a number of deliciously curated food halls will be sure to satisfy: Chelsea Market (Cull&Pistol's $1 oyster happy hour, Los Tacos No. 1), Gansevoort Market (Tyme, Mission Ceviche), Gotham West in Hell's Kitchen (Ivan Ramen), EATALY (Madison Sq Park), le District (Brookfield Place) or Brooklyn's Smorgasburg.
A West Village resident myself, many of my favorites are downtown though I've highlighted plenty of places outside the hood. The whole range is here, from the finest Michelin-starred eateries to the down-and-dirty-but-delicious dives.
My Current Top 10
Bar Pitti
Carbone
dell'anima
Kura
Little Park
Narcissa
Perry St
Rosemary's
New York, New York!
Top Restaurants Overall
ABC Kitchen
The Bao
Barbuto
Bar Pitti
Beatrice Inn
Blue Hill
Buddakan
The Butcher's Daughter
Buvette
Cafe Cluny
Carbone
Charlie Bird
Chef's Club
Cherche-Midi
Cho Dang Gol
Cull & Pistol
decoy
dell 'anima
Del Posto
Dim Sum Go Go
Do Hwa
Dovetail
The Dutch
Eleven Madison Park
Empellon Cocina
The Fat Radish
Freemans
Gramercy Tavern
Hanjan
Il Buco Alimentari e Vineria
Ippudo
i Sodi
Jewel Bako
Joseph Leonard
khe-yo
Kura
l'artusi
le coucou
Lilia
Little Park
Locanda Verde
Marea
Marta
meme
Mermaid Inn
Minetta Tavern
The Modern
Momofuku Ko
The Musket Room
Narcissa
Naya
The NoMad
Omar's
Osteria Morini
Palm Too
Perry St
per se
Piora
pok pok
Raoul's
Root & Bone
Rosemary's
Santina
Saxon + Parole
Second Avenue Deli
Shuko
Souen
Spotted Pig
Spunto/Posto
Takashi
Toro
Untitled
Upholstery Store
Upland
Ushiwakamaru
Via Carota
Wallflower
Waverly Inn
Yet to try
ABCv
Sushi Katsuei
Loring Place
TsuruTonTan (Udon)
Perla Cafe
Bar Sardine
Coarse
Gunter Seeger
Gabriel Kreuther
Hot Spots I don't rate
Red Farm
Sushi Yasuda
Cosme
Nishi
Nakamura Ramen
TOP BARS
Beatrice Inn
Omar's
Employees Only
Analogue
Slowly Shirley
ACME
Top of the Standard
The Standard East Village
little branch
Standard Biergarten
Brass Monkey
The NoMad Bar
The Frying Pan
RIP
cherry
Daruma-ya
Batard
all'onda
Breakfast: beet-cured salmon with horseradish cream cheese, Black Seed Bagels
Dinner: Caribineros (scarlet shrimp) w/ charred lemon, Toro
Lunch: Sausage and broccoli rabe orrechiette, Rosemary's
Top picks for....
Breakfast
Bluestone Lane Coffee
Butcher's Daughter
buvette
Cafe Cluny
Jack's Wife Freda
Locanda Verde
Sant Ambroeus
Standard Grill
Tartine
Two Hands Restaurant
Lunch
ABC Kitchen
The Bao
Bar Pitti
Carbone
meme
Naya
Rosemary's
The Bedford
Untitled
Walter's
Happy Hour
Cull & Pistol
Flex Mussels
Romantic Dinner
Blue Hill
Gramercy Tavern
Perry St
Neighborhoody Spots
Wallflower
Upholstery
Spotted Pig
$$$ Tasting Menus
Eleven Madison Park
le Bernardin
Momofuku Ko
per se
Shuko
Dinner and a Scene
Buddakan
l'artusi
Narcissa
Tao Downtown
Hot Tables (*no res)
Augustine
Chumley's
Fusco
le coucou
le turtle
Lilia
Loring Place
Rao's
Sugarfish*
Tim Ho Wan*
Sushi on Jones
Chef's Counters
dell'anima
Chef's Club
Toro
Casa Mono
Quirky
Nogawa (sushi)
Takashi (all beef)
Grand Banks (oyster barge)
Brooklyn Crab
Cheap Eats
Black Seed Bagels
Court St Grocer
Defonte's
Despaña
Los Tacos No. 1
Luke's Lobster
Mile End Deli
Wisefish Poke
Shanghai Cafe Deluxe
Dim Sum Go Go
Shake shack
by chloe
Taim
Sweets
Aux Merveilleux de Fred
Chikalicious
Chinatown Ice Cream
Dough
Empire Bakery
Ferrara
il laboratorio del gelato
Little Cupcake Bakeshop
Momofuku Milk Bar
Sockerbit
Spot Dessert Bar
Late Night
Hector's Cafe (24hr)
Top picks for....
West Village
l'artusi
Barbuto
dell'anima
i Sodi
Upholstery Store
Perry St
Spotted Pig
Beatrice Inn
Chumley's
Meatpacking
Untitled
Santina
Bill's Burger
Standard Grill
Greenwich Village
Rosemary's
Carbone
Charlie Bird
Souen
Joseph Leonard
Tribeca
Tiny's
Locanda Verde
Little Park
khe-yo
FiDi
Augustine
Lower East Side
Russ & Daughters
Fat Radish
le turtle
East Village
Narcissa
Ippudo
Jewel Bako
The Bao
Nolita
Cherche Midi
Osteria Morini
The Musket Room
Soho
le coucou
Chef's Club
The Dutch
Chinatown/Little Italy
Jing Fong
Dim Sum Go Go
Chelsea
Chelsea Market
-Cull & Pistol
-Los Tacos No. 1/Cevicheria
Toro
Buddakan
Flatiron/Union Square/Gramercy
Gramercy Tavern
ABC Kitchen
Upland
Marta
Casa Mono
NoMad/Theater District
The NoMad
The Breslin
Sushi of Gari
Midtown
The Modern
Marea
The Polo Bar
Armani Ristorante
Upper East/Bronx
Rao's
le Colonial
Upper West Side/Harlem
Lincoln
Dovetail
Bar Boulud
Red Rooster
Brooklyn
Brikolage
Colonie
pok pok
Battersby
Roberta's
Grimaldi's
Reynard's
Lilia
Walter's
The Bedford
Hibino
Top picks for....
Italian
l'artusi
Barbuto
dell'anima
i Sodi
Santina
Carbone
Rosemary's
Locande Verde
Del Posto
Marta
Lilia
New American
Beatrice Inn
Charlie Bird
Chef's Club
Chumley's
craft
Gramercy Tavern
Joseph Leonard
Little Park
Narcissa
Root & Bone
The Dutch
Untitled
Upholstery Store
Upland
Wildair
Modern European
Fat Radish
Spotted Pig
The Modern
Toro
Upholstery Store
Classic European
Casa Mono
Cherche Midi
le coucou
Fusion
ABC Kitchen
Musket Room
Perry St
Asian
Brikolage
Buddakan
decoy
Dim Sum Go Go
Jing Fong
khe-yo
le Colonial
pok pok
The Bao
Seafood
Cull & Pistol
le Bernardin
Marea
Mermaid Inn
Steaks/Burgers
Bill's Burger
Minetta Tavern
Palm Too
Raoul's (limited qty)
Shake Shack
Pizza (slice)
Joe's Pizza (7 Carmine)
Village Pizza
Pizza (sit down, pies)
Marta
Patsy's
Lombardi's
Spunto etc...
Japanese (non-Sushi)
Ippudo (ramen)
Ootoya
Totto Ramen
Hidechan Ramen
Sushi (omakase/pcs)
Kura ($85/12)
Sushi on Jones ($50/12)
Ushiwakamaru ($100/14)
15 East ($65/10)
Shuko (from $135)
Sushi Yasuda ($180/20)
Sushi Nakazawa ($150/21)
Ichimura ($300)
Kanoyama (cheap)
SOME RESTAURANTS DIDN'T MAKE MY TOP RANKINGS, BUT THESE SINGLE, CRAVE-WORTHY DISHES WARRANT A VISIT
-Kura: crispy prawn head and Hokkaido uni on the entry-level $85 omakase
-Shuko: the squab on the kaiseki
-Barbuto: roast chicken, crispy potatoes, gnocchi and the budino
-i Sodi: cacio e pepe pasta (their gluten-free option is delicious too)
-The Bao: the simple pork Kung Fu xiao long bao (the crab and pork was bland)
-Cull & Pistol: $1 oyster happy hour and Old Bay french fries
-Carbone: clam linguine
-Court St Grocers: Reuben sandwich
-decoy: fish skin chips with black garlic aioli
-Eataly's I Panini: Il Boscaiolo (mushrooms, taleggio, arugula)
-Eleven Madison Park: THAT spice and lavender coated duck breast
-Extra Virgin: fries and blue cheese sauce
-Freemans: artichoke dip
-Hanjan: chicken skin skewers
-Locanda Verde: Uova Modenese (eggs ben, cotechino hash, tomato hollandaise)
-Marta: pizza margherita and grilled baby cuttlefish
-meme: chicken chopped salad (extra dressing)
-The Modern: whatever roasted foie gras dish is on the menu
-Narcissa: charred beets and the gnocchi
-Osteria Morini: tortellini panna and insalata mista
-Piora: black garlic bucatini with dungeoness crab
-pok pok: papaya salad and Lord Bergamot cocktail
-Rosemary's: chopped Siciliana salad and orecchiette with rabe and sausage
-Second Avenue Deli: matzoh ball soup
-Spotted Pig: chicken liver toast and the gnudi
-Wallflower: foie gras torchon and risotto with mushrooms
-Little Cupcake Bakeshop: Brooklyn Blackout cupcake
-Chinatown Ice Cream Factory: Zen Butter (white sesame and peanut butter)
-Empire Bakery: snack cake (ie Twinkie) and vanilla cupcake
-Los Tacos No. 1: pork and pineapple al pastor tacos
-Luke's Lobster: their lobster roll IS the best in the city (sorry Ed's & Red Hook)
-Mile End Deli: poutine
-Shanghai Cafe Deluxe: soupy pork dumplings
-Magnolia Bakery: banana pudding
-Tim Ho Wan: pan fried turnip cakes