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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.

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My Current Top 10

Bar Pitti

Carbone

dell'anima

Kura

Little Park

Narcissa

Perry St

Rosemary's

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New York, New York!

Top Restaurants Overall

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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

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Yet to try

ABCv

Sushi Katsuei

Loring Place

TsuruTonTan (Udon)

Perla Cafe

Bar Sardine

Coarse

Gunter Seeger

Gabriel Kreuther

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Hot Spots I don't rate

Red Farm

Sushi Yasuda

Cosme

Nishi

Nakamura Ramen​

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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

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RIP

cherry

Daruma-ya

Batard

all'onda

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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....

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Breakfast

​Bluestone Lane Coffee

Butcher's Daughter

buvette

Cafe Cluny

Jack's Wife Freda

Locanda Verde

Sant Ambroeus

Standard Grill

Tartine

Two Hands Restaurant

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Lunch

ABC Kitchen

The Bao

Bar Pitti

Carbone

meme

Naya

Rosemary's

The Bedford

Untitled

Walter's

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Happy Hour

Cull & Pistol

Flex Mussels

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Romantic Dinner

Blue Hill

Gramercy Tavern

Perry St

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Neighborhoody Spots

Wallflower

Upholstery

Spotted Pig

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$$$ Tasting Menus

Eleven Madison Park

le Bernardin

Momofuku Ko

per se

Shuko

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Dinner and a Scene

Buddakan

l'artusi

Narcissa

Tao Downtown

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Hot Tables (*no res)

Augustine

Chumley's

Fusco

le coucou

le turtle

Lilia

Loring Place

Rao's

Sugarfish*

Tim Ho Wan*

Sushi on Jones

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Chef's Counters

dell'anima

Chef's Club

Toro

Casa Mono

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Quirky

Nogawa (sushi)

Takashi (all beef)

Grand Banks (oyster barge)

Brooklyn Crab

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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

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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

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Late Night

Hector's Cafe (24hr)

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Top picks for....

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West Village

l'artusi

Barbuto

dell'anima

i Sodi

Upholstery Store

Perry St

Spotted Pig

Beatrice Inn

Chumley's

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Meatpacking

Untitled

Santina

Bill's Burger

Standard Grill

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Greenwich Village

Rosemary's

Carbone

Charlie Bird

Souen

Joseph Leonard

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Tribeca

Tiny's

Locanda Verde

Little Park

khe-yo

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FiDi

Augustine

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Lower East Side

Russ & Daughters

Fat Radish

le turtle

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East Village

Narcissa

Ippudo

Jewel Bako

The Bao

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Nolita

Cherche Midi

Osteria Morini

The Musket Room

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Soho

le coucou

Chef's Club

The Dutch

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Chinatown/Little Italy

Jing Fong

Dim Sum Go Go

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Chelsea

Chelsea Market

-Cull & Pistol

-Los Tacos No. 1/Cevicheria

Toro

Buddakan

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Flatiron/Union Square/Gramercy

Gramercy Tavern

ABC Kitchen

Upland

Marta

Casa Mono

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NoMad/Theater District

The NoMad

The Breslin 

Sushi of Gari

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Midtown

The Modern

Marea

The Polo Bar

Armani Ristorante

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Upper East/Bronx

Rao's

le Colonial

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Upper West Side/Harlem

Lincoln

Dovetail

Bar Boulud

Red Rooster

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Brooklyn

Brikolage

Colonie

pok pok

Battersby

Roberta's

Grimaldi's

Reynard's

Lilia

Walter's

The Bedford

Hibino

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Top picks for....

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Italian

l'artusi

Barbuto

dell'anima

i Sodi

Santina

Carbone

Rosemary's

Locande Verde

Del Posto

Marta

Lilia

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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

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Modern European

Fat Radish

Spotted Pig

The Modern

Toro

Upholstery Store

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Classic European

Casa Mono

Cherche Midi

le coucou

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Fusion

ABC Kitchen

Musket Room

Perry St

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Asian

Brikolage

Buddakan

decoy

Dim Sum Go Go

Jing Fong

khe-yo

le Colonial

pok pok

The Bao

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Seafood

Cull & Pistol

le Bernardin

Marea

Mermaid Inn

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Steaks/Burgers

Bill's Burger

Minetta Tavern

Palm Too

Raoul's (limited qty)

Shake Shack

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Pizza (slice)

Joe's Pizza (7 Carmine)

Village Pizza

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Pizza (sit down, pies)

Marta

Patsy's

Lombardi's

Spunto etc...

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Japanese (non-Sushi)

Ippudo (ramen)

Ootoya 

Totto Ramen

Hidechan Ramen

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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)

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SOME RESTAURANTS DIDN'T MAKE MY TOP RANKINGS, BUT THESE SINGLE, CRAVE-WORTHY DISHES WARRANT A VISIT

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-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

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