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Various shaped dishes on a table with a set of hands cutting into one of them. — A spread from Kanyakumari.

The 38 Essential Restaurants in New York City

From a Taiwanese restaurant in the East Village to a spicy Thai go-to in Brooklyn, here’s where to eat in the city right now

by Eater Staff Updated Oct 8, 2024, 9:31am EDT

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A spread from Kanyakumari.

| Kanyakumari

by Eater Staff Updated Oct 8, 2024, 9:31am EDT

It’s the simplest and most difficult question to answer whether it’s coming from a lifelong New Yorker or a first-time visitor: “Where should I eat in New York City?” The type of food, price, neighborhood, and occasion are just a few factors to consider, but those only go so far in a city of more than 25,000 restaurants. Enter the Eater 38.

This guide is our shortlist of the city’s must-hit restaurants, updated quarterly to reflect changing tastes and trends. Overhauled for the fall, the list includes an expanded Taiwanese spot, a dynamic South Indian restaurant, a Lyon-inspired brasserie, and an inspired Thai restaurant that keeps getting better.

All of the restaurants on this list have been open for at least six months, and we visited them many times throughout the course of putting together this guide. For guides to the hottest new openings in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens, see our Heatmaps for those boroughs. And for an insider’s perspective on how to eat well no matter where you are in NYC, pick up our book: The Eater Guide to New York City.

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Eater maps are curated by editors and aim to reflect a diversity of neighborhoods, cuisines, and prices. Learn more about our editorial process. If you buy something or book a reservation from an Eater link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics policy.

Liebman’s Deli

Open since 1953, Liebman’s is the last kosher deli in the Bronx — and is as much of a destination as its Manhattan rivals. Get the pastrami and corned beef on rye, the chicken soup, and the frankfurter. Dine in the seating area that’s delightfully retro.

552 W 235th St (Johnson Ave), Bronx, NY 10463

The outside of a Kosher grocery. — The exterior of Liebman’s Deli in Riverdale.

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Roberto's

When Roberto Paciullo established his eponymous restaurant in Belmont in 1989, it was surprising: There, among the red-sauced joints of Arthur Avenue, was a different kind of Italian restaurant —closely approximating the food you might find in a rural trattoria, with the farmhouse furniture to match. Check the chalkboard specials, which might include radiatori in cartoccio or fricasseed rabbit.

603 Crescent Ave, Bronx, NY 10458

A seafood and white bean starter at Roberto’s. — A seafood and white bean starter at Roberto’s in the Bronx.

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Sylvia's

Dubbed “the queen of soul food,” Sylvia Woods opened her namesake restaurant in 1962, bringing generous servings of Southern comfort food to Harlem. The neighborhood restaurant is famous for its timeless cooking and Southern charm, which still endures decades after opening. While Woods died in 2012, her family continues to run the restaurant. Order the daily special such as meatloaf, the chicken and waffles, or the cornmeal-fried whiting. The restaurant earned the America’s Classics Award from the James Beard Foundation this year.

328 Malcolm X Blvd, New York, NY 10027

A large breaded fish filet with two side dishes. — Catfish at Sylvia’s.

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Abuqir

While Astoria Seafood may be more known as the Queens pick-your-own-seafood spot, we are loyal Abuqir. The Egyptian restaurant is less touristy and a smaller footprint, but the format is the same: Saddle up to the counter, select the catch, and tell the team how you want it cooked. It’s hard to find a more blissful meal.

2419 Steinway St (btwn 25th Ave & Astoria Blvd), Queens, NY 11103

Scallops at Abuqir on a white plate. — Scallops at Abuqir.

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The Best Seafood Spots in NYC

Hyderabadi Zaiqa

Haderabadi Zaiqa is a modest walk-down space in Hell’s Kitchen decorated with a map showing nearly 30 regional biryanis of India. There are plenty of them to choose from, like gongura chicken biryani with fragrant leaves of a type of hibiscus, and others that show off shrimp, eggs, lamb, paneer, and various vegetables — even a bright orange one that features the Andhra mango pickles called avakaya. Also consider the soups and appetizers, like tomato pepper shorba, with a thin and strikingly orange broth laced with chiles, or chicken vepudu in a creamy herbal sauce. Don’t miss the goat dum biryani.

366 West 52nd Street, New York, New York 10019

Biryani with goat on a serving plate. — Biryani with goat at Zaiqa.

Cha Long

Chef Nate Limwong grew up in Surat Thani in Thailand’s Southern Peninsula, and the menu at Cha Long reflects his upbringing — while also including many of the standard dishes from Central Thailand and Isan we’ve come to expect. Start a meal with baerng golae: crisp coconut shells with a single plump shrimp inside smothered in yellow curry. Many dishes are playfully conceived, and so are the cocktails, with names like Leonard On The Beach and Hidden Pearl.

749 9th Ave (between 50th and 51st streets), New York, NY 10019

Three u-shaped shells each contain a shrimp smothered in brown sauce. — Thai shrimp tacos from Cha Long.

Le Bernardin

Eric Ripert’s temple of fine dining has held a rare four-star status since 1986, the year it opened, from the New York Times. The classic French restaurant is a celebration of seafood, with a tasting menu that includes tuna tartare, sea urchin, Dover sole, and halibut. And yes, there is a vegetarian tasting menu that rivals the pescatarian one, with courses centered around hearts of palm, artichokes, and white asparagus.

155 W 51st St, New York, NY 10019

Speckled maine lobster tail sits next to leek cannelloni and dark brown red wine rosemary sauce — Lobster tail next to leek cannelloni with a wine rosemary sauce at Le Bernardin.

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Grand Central Oyster Bar

Grand Central Oyster Bar has occupied the subterranean space in Grand Central Station since 1913. The dramatic dining room, with its vaulted, tiled ceilings is one of the main attractions here. The bar is the best seat for sampling among 25 varieties of seafood, from a menu of raw oysters, stews, pan roasts, sandwiches, and more. Note new hours mean it’s closed Saturday and Sunday.

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OpenTable

89 E 42nd St, New York, NY 10017

Grand Central Oyster Bar’s dining room with high ceiling arches — The dining room at Grand Central Oyster Bar.

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Keens Steakhouse

Few spots scream “I Love New York” harder than Keens Steakhouse. The white tablecloth restaurant has plenty of character, down to the ceilings covered with the world’s largest pipe collection. Whether or not it’s a special occasion visit, there’s no wrong time to experience Keens. Steak, of course, is the move, though it’s the last bastion of the mutton chop. And there’s a lot to love about the classic sides.

72 W 36th St (btwn 5th & 6th Ave), New York, NY 10018

The Bull Moose Room at Keens. — Keens’ Bull Moose Room

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Mariscos El Submarino

Mariscos El Submarino is a small restaurant in Jackson Heights known for its massive portions of seafood served in volcanic stone bowls. The restaurant has been influential since it opened in 2020, inspiring a new wave of interest in the Mexican seafood dishes known as mariscos. The most popular order is the aguachile, a cousin of ceviche that’s ubiquitous in Mexico but harder to find in New York. They come in shades of more mild green, red, yellow, and spicy dark brown with a generous portion of shrimp, avocado, and sliced cucumber for around $20.

8805 Roosevelt Ave, Queens, NY 11372

The aguachile negro at Mariscos El Submarino in Jackson Heights comes served out of a hulking molcajete. — The aguachile negro at Mariscos El Submarino.

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Jongro BBQ

Several Korean barbecue restaurants have been featured in this guide, including Baekjeong and Tosokchon. They’re still great, as are others that haven’t made the cut, like Yoon Haeundae Galbi, but they’re leaving the list to make way for an affordable, any-occasion option you may already know: Jongro BBQ. The restaurant, an import from Seoul, Korea, occupies two stories of a Koreatown high-rise. The second floor serves standard Korean barbecue items, like beef brisket, pork belly, fried chicken, and kimchi stew. The fifth floor has a similar menu, plus several types of gopchang (grilled small intestine).

22 W 32nd St (btwn Broadway & 5th Ave), New York, NY 10001

A piece of golden fried chicken with an orange sauce at Jongro Gopchang in Manhattan’s Koreatown. — Korean fried chicken from Jongro BBQ.

Nepali Bhanchha Ghar

Yamuna Shres’s casual restaurant that opened in 2015 joins a number of Nepali restaurants that have opened in Queens, specializing in momos, South Asian dumplings. At Nepali Bhanchha Ghar, momos are served fried or steamed in a glistening tomato-based sauce stuffed with potato, paneer, goat, shrimp, beef, or chicken. It’s no wonder that for they’ve won the Jackson Heights Momo Crawl several years in a row.

74-15 Roosevelt Avenue, Queens, New York 11372

A half-dozen momo float in a brown broth in a bowl. — A half-dozen momos from Nepali Bhanchaa Ghar.

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Koloman

Koloman is an overhaul of what had been the Breslin at the Ace Hotel, now in a room with restored tin ceilings, a clock-themed bar, and a modern Austrian menu by head chef and co-owner Markus Glocker. Choose among dishes like celery root tartare, gougeres, souffle, and veal schnitzel. Pair them with a compelling selection from a mostly Austrian wine list. After-dinner, consider their hard-to-find collection of schnapps. Save room for desserts like the Lübeck marzipan, apple strudel, or caramelized milk bread, all of which live up to superlatives. There’s a good Martini Hour weekdays from 4 to 6 p.m. with its own menu.

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SevenRooms

16 W 29th St, New York, NY 10001

A collection of dishes arranged on a black background. — Find Kolomon in the old Breslin space in the Ace Hotel.

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S&P

S&P is one of the forerunners of the luncheonette revival. The counter-service restaurant from the team behind the sandwich shop at Court Street Grocers has a menu stocked with tuna melts, peanut butter bacon with rye, cottage fries, and egg creams. Few places feel more New York.

174 5th Ave, New York, NY 10010

A hairy hand passes a plate with a ham and cheese sandwich on white bread. — A ham and cheese at S&P.

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Chama Mama

For the last decade, the food of the former Soviet republic of Georgia has been taking off in New York City. Launched by our love of khachapuri, the traditional dish in which an oval of bread envelops a lake of cheese. The bread is available in several variations at Chama Mama, along with charcoal kebabs, stews, and a distinguished wine list with some lesser-seen varietals. There are several locations now in the city.

149 W 14th St, New York, NY 10011

Khachapuri at Chama Mama.

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Don Angie

This Italian American spot from Angie Rito and Scott Tacinelli feels like it has always been here, even if they’re cooking classics from the genre with fresh takes. The deconstructed lasagna is always a winner, as is the chrysanthemum salad with sesame, garlic, and a snowy Parmesan. Calamari comes with pepperoni fried rice, while a shell steak is served with confit lemons. The room is captivating, and it’s also small, which makes snagging a table a feat. There’s also the newer sibling, San Sabino, next door.

103 Greenwich Ave, New York, NY 10014

A spread of Italian-American dishes arranged on a table at Don Angie. — A spread from Don Angie.

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Awang Kitchen

The secret here is a broad array of Indonesian dishes both ancient and modern, accompanied by a traditional series of sambals. Fish cakes with peanut sauce, goat satays, and a series of intriguing baksos (meatballs) are all on the menu, and, for vegans, a wonderful gado-gado.

8405 Queens Blvd, New York, NY 11373

Skewers of meat plus sauce and cubes of compressed rice cake. — An Awang satay platter.

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Kanyakumari

This Indian restaurant just west of Union Square — an area that is rapidly filling with great restaurants — specializes in coastal cooking, with dishes from places like Bangalore, Mangalore, Goa, and Kanyakumari itself, India’s southernmost town. Chef Dipesh Shinde includes on the menu a luscious, coconut-laced chicken curry from his hometown of Mandad in the state of Maharashtra. Other standout dishes include a gargantuan beef rib flavored with sauteed Madras onions and pumpkin in peanut sauce from Karnataka.

20 East 17th Street, New York, New York 10003

Three dishes on ornate plates. — A selection of dishes from Kanyakumari.

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Semma

Semma opened several years ago at a time when Indian restaurants specializing in regional cuisines were on the increase, but even among that august lot, this West Village restaurant is distinguished. The gunpowder dosa, configured as a triangle, is unbeatable. And some dishes are so pretty you won’t want to cut into them, like lobster tail in coconut milk and mustard, or the Goan-style oxtail.

60 Greenwich Ave (at Perry), New York, NY 10011

A red clay dish filled with snail shells and plated with nathai pirattal on a patterned tile background. — A dish from Semma.

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Via Carota

Rita Sodi and Jody Williams have several popular restaurants in a couple-block stretch of the West Village (including Buvette, I Sodi, and Bar Pisellino). Via Carota remains the crowd favorite for good reason, with its simple Italian dishes dressed up to perfection. Long known for being walk-in only, these days the restaurant thankfully has some tables open for reservations.

51 Grove St, New York, NY 10014

Via Carota’s insalata verde salad. — Via Carota’s insalata verde.

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Uluh

Uluh in the East Village caters to students with some cash (in that it’s not cheap). There’s a selection of dim sum, which includes items like Shanghai seaweed dumpling soup, loofah dumplings, and Sichuan-style pig ears. In addition to dim sum, Uluh displays some exciting small plates: beef and tripe in chile oil or Nanjing salted duck, and a cold salad with okra and chiles, for example. The rest of the menu is divided into signature dishes, the “Uluh ten,” stir-fry, spicy dishes, vegetables, soups, noodles, and dishes for a New Yorker. The latter isn’t your typical General Tso’s, though there is that: It also features chile fried chicken and Xinjiang cumin beef.

152 2nd Ave (btw 9th & 10th St), New York, NY 10003

Okra and chiles from Uluh.

Hamburger America

Burger scholar George Motz has opened an ode to the hamburger of yore, in this restaurant partnership with Andrew and Jonathan Schnipper, behind the small chain of Schnipper’s burger spots. With 50 seats, it’s a to-go or walk-up ordering for three types of burgers, two of which will always be on the menu, and the third a featured regional style. Even the hot ham sandwich is a scene stealer. Yes, you should get the fries, as well as consider a piece of Key lime pie for dessert.

51 Macdougal Street, New York, New York 10012

A lunch counter with yellow stools, and patrons sitting with their backs toward us. — The counter at Hamburger America.

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Taqueria Ramirez

Blowtorched tripe or cactus with chicharron? Longaniza on its own or mixed with suadero? These aren’t the type of questions New Yorkers are used to asking in north Brooklyn, but standing at the counter of Taqueria Ramírez, their answers are obvious: We’ll take it all. This small taqueria with an even smaller menu — six tacos most days — opened in 2021, and became an immediate hit for its stewed meats plucked from a bubbling choricera. There are a handful of seats indoors, but most people spill out onto the sidewalk. A Manhattan spinoff has opened.

94 Franklin St, Brooklyn, NY 11222

A gloved hands hold a sieve of crumbly red meat over a vat of orange fat and oil, also filled with other meats — Suadero (left) and crumbly longaniza stew in a choricera.

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Raku

Order a perfect bowl of udon and tea for under $40 including tax and tip at this neighborhood Japanese noodle restaurant open for lunch and dinner with a second location in Soho. Here since 2016, chef Norihiro Ishizuka’s restaurant has assembled a menu of vegetables and gyoza, donburi, hot and cold udon in a soothingly minimalist space that’s on track to expand next door. There are locations in Soho and Midtown, too.

342 E 6th St, New York, NY 10003

A bowl of udon at Raku.

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Superiority Burger

Founded by former pastry chef Brooks Headley, Superiority Burger started out closet-sized space serving a small selection of mainly vegan dishes and gelato of the day, with a vegetable burger as its centerpiece. Now in new digs in the former Odessa space, its vegetarian menu includes dozens of surprising selections, such as the collards-on-focaccia sandwich, stuffed cabbage, and funnel cake, among many other great desserts. It’s open for lunch and dinner.

119 Avenue A, New York, NY 10009

A spread of dishes across a table. — Sandwiches and sides from the new Superiority Burger.

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Ho Foods

Newly expanded Ho Foods now has a dining room bigger than a slip since it took over the next-door space. Now, it’s open longer hours and there’s more opportunity to sit down for its excellent chile wontons, radish cakes, beef noodle soup for dinner, or Thursday to Sunday, its breakfast, with soy milk, you tiao, and scallion pancakes.

110 E 7th St (btwn 1st Ave & Ave A), New York, NY 10009

Beef noodles soup, with noodles artfully wrapped around chopsticks, from Ho Foods — The beef noodle soup at Ho Foods.

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Balthazar

Balthazar, restaurateur Keith McNally’s French brasserie, opened in 1997, changing the tide in what had been an industrial, art-filled downtown Manhattan. Today, the menu still includes mainstays like raw bar seafood towers, French onion soup, steak frites, and profiteroles. It remains relevant as ever, thanks to McNally’s running Instagram commentary, and his insistence on treating solo diners as VIPs with a glass of Champagne. The people-watching is like few places in New York.

80 Spring St, New York, NY 10012

Balthazar’s red awning. — The iconic Balthazar awning.

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Katz's Delicatessen

Katz’s has stood on the corner of East Houston and Ludlow streets since 1888, and the pastrami alone is a New York institution. The expansive, cafeteria-style dining room is almost always bustling, and diners have to know how to navigate the system. Get in line, remember to tip the slicer (they might give you an extra piece to snack on), and no matter what, don’t lose that ticket.

205 E Houston St, New York, NY 10002

The front of a sprawling corner store at night, with red neon letters that read “Katz’s Delicatessen” in capital letters. — Outside of Katz’s Delicatessen.

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Sushi Ichimura

Sushi Ichimura displays an East-meets-West aesthetic in a 10-seat counter restaurant where you will be wowed. Eiji Ichimura, the sushi master who helped fine-tune the stateside practice of aging fish for modern diners, has crafted a menu that includes fish from Hokkaido and elsewhere around Japan, along with wares from suppliers at the Toyosu Market, with many items unavailable in the United States. It is a special occasion, indeed: The high-dollar, luxe 20-course omakase is listed on Resy at $900 for two before tax and tip.

412 Greenwich Street, Manhattan, NY 10013

A scene behind the counter at Sushi Ichimura.

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Una Pizza Napoletana

Expect lines at this destination that inspires many a pizza pilgrimage. Anthony Mangieri is known for his almost militant approach to Neapolitan pizza making, and a simple menu featuring classics done well. This summer, Mangieri’s Una again earned first-place title in the U.S. and second place for the best pizzeria in the world by the organization 50 Top Pizza.

175 Orchard St, New York, NY 10002

An overhead shot of a pizza pie with mozzarella, basil, and red sauce, and a charred outer crust. — Una Pizza comes with a knife.

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Royal Seafood

Few of the behemoth banquet halls that once dominated Chinatown remain, with their dim sum service in the morning and Cantonese seafood menus in the afternoons and evenings. Royal Seafood (the “royal” part attests to its Hong Kong influences) is a spectacular example of this historic type of restaurants. Attendants still roll carts of dim sum around the dining room. The dumplings on offer are delicate and well formed, while the classic Cantonese American dishes still abound, including pan-fried flounder, clams with black-bean sauce, and lobster e-fu noodles.

103-105 Mott St (btwn Canal & Hester St), New York, NY 10013

Two plates of dim sum laked with soy sauce. — The rice noodle rolls are particularly good at Royal Seafood.

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Mắm

Vietnamese restaurant Mắm started as a pop-up that turned permanent from partners in love and life, Jerald Head and Nhung Dao. Menus change frequently, with a focus on regionality — one day it might be pho, another bún dậu — and that’s part of what makes Mắm wholly its own. The restaurant recently expanded with an additional storefront next door for extended seating (note: plastic stools are low to the ground).

70 Forsyth Street, New York, New York 10002

A spread of Vietnamese dishes at Mắm.

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Misi

Misi is chef Missy Robbins follow-up to Lilia. Just because the restaurant is easier to get into than its sibling doesn’t mean it's any less of a pasta palace. In fact, we prefer the more low-key energy at this restaurant located just steps from Domino Park. The calling card here is the decadent ricotta toast, and there’s no way to go wrong with your pasta selection. Don’t sleep on the creamy gelato desserts.

329 Kent Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11249

A spread of dishes at Misi — The ricotta toast is a must at Misi.

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The Four Horsemen

The wave of natural wine bar openings was just around the corner when LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy opened the Four Horsemen in 2015. Almost a decade later, the always-packed bar and dining room remains a gathering place for wine lovers, scenesters, Francophiles, and restaurant enthusiasts. It’s rare for a wine bar to hit a home run with both its drink and food menus, but this Williamsburg favorite strikes the right balance with its knowledgeable servers and Michelin-worthy small plates. Prices are in line with a celebratory night out.

295 Grand St, Brooklyn, NY 11211

A spread of food and wine from the Four Horsemen.

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L'Industrie Pizzeria

Opened in 2017, L’Industrie was once one of Brooklyn’s best-kept secrets: a top-tier slice shop where it was possible to pop in for a pie or a cup of gelato with olive oil and salt. Now it’s wildly popular, both in Brooklyn and the new Manhattan location, often with lines down the block. Slices come out on greasy paper plates with crisp, naturally leavened crusts and ample toppings like burrata and pepperoni.

254 S 2nd St, Brooklyn, NY 11211

A hand holds two large slices covered in basil leaves and burrata from L’Industrie in the West Village. — Two slices from L’Industrie.

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Le Gratin

Daniel Boulud’s French restaurant that’s a tribute to Lyon hits all the right notes in a lovely room with perfect lighting in a neighborhood that’s tough to find a just-right restaurant. Standouts include the housemade pate, French onion soup, and a frisee salad with chicken liver, egg, and pork belly, for starters. Move on to the pike quenelle with mushrooms and bechamel, an array of fish selections, and the classic steak frites with watercress salad.

5 Beekman St, New York, NY 10038

A blue oval dish filled with one long quenelle with a burnt top, sitting in a creamy white sauce. — A quenelle from Le Gratin.

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A&A Bake Doubles and Roti

Bed-Stuy Trinidadian counter-service spot may be the only roti shop with a James Beard Award. In 2019, it received the America’s Classic Award, a distinction reserved for restaurants that have been around for a decade. Long before it received institutional support, it was already a mainstay for locals who have long frequented the establishment for its affordable eats; in particular, its doubles, the deep-fried flatbreads stuffed with curried chickpeas. A&A relocated to its current home on Fulton Street in 2018, after first opening a couple blocks away in 2002.

1337 Fulton St, Brooklyn, NY 11216

A hand holds an unwrapped Trinidadian double from A&A Bake Doubles and Roti in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn. — A double from A&A.

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Ugly Baby

Ugly Baby was an immediate hit when it opened in Carroll Gardens in 2017, and half a decade later the popularity has held up. There are only a few non-spicy items on the menu, and several dishes, like the infamous “stay away” duck salad, appear on the menu next to flying saucer and airplane emojis. Over text, these symbols can mean a number of things, but on this menu, the message is clear: Order this, and you’ll be sweating from your eyeballs. The extensive craft beer menu offers some relief. The restaurant recently updated to a no-reservations policy.

407 Smith St, Brooklyn, NY 11231

A dining room table with several dishes, two orange beverages with ice cubes, and a few ornamental, palm-sized cacti. — Ugly Baby may be Brooklyn’s spiciest Thai restaurant.

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Liebman’s Deli

552 W 235th St (Johnson Ave), Bronx, NY 10463

Open since 1953, Liebman’s is the last kosher deli in the Bronx — and is as much of a destination as its Manhattan rivals. Get the pastrami and corned beef on rye, the chicken soup, and the frankfurter. Dine in the seating area that’s delightfully retro.

552 W 235th St (Johnson Ave), Bronx, NY 10463

Visit Website

The outside of a Kosher grocery. — The exterior of Liebman’s Deli in Riverdale.

Roberto's

603 Crescent Ave, Bronx, NY 10458

When Roberto Paciullo established his eponymous restaurant in Belmont in 1989, it was surprising: There, among the red-sauced joints of Arthur Avenue, was a different kind of Italian restaurant —closely approximating the food you might find in a rural trattoria, with the farmhouse furniture to match. Check the chalkboard specials, which might include radiatori in cartoccio or fricasseed rabbit.

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603 Crescent Ave, Bronx, NY 10458

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A seafood and white bean starter at Roberto’s. — A seafood and white bean starter at Roberto’s in the Bronx.

Sylvia's

328 Malcolm X Blvd, New York, NY 10027

Dubbed “the queen of soul food,” Sylvia Woods opened her namesake restaurant in 1962, bringing generous servings of Southern comfort food to Harlem. The neighborhood restaurant is famous for its timeless cooking and Southern charm, which still endures decades after opening. While Woods died in 2012, her family continues to run the restaurant. Order the daily special such as meatloaf, the chicken and waffles, or the cornmeal-fried whiting. The restaurant earned the America’s Classics Award from the James Beard Foundation this year.

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328 Malcolm X Blvd, New York, NY 10027

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A large breaded fish filet with two side dishes. — Catfish at Sylvia’s.

Abuqir

2419 Steinway St (btwn 25th Ave & Astoria Blvd), Queens, NY 11103

While Astoria Seafood may be more known as the Queens pick-your-own-seafood spot, we are loyal Abuqir. The Egyptian restaurant is less touristy and a smaller footprint, but the format is the same: Saddle up to the counter, select the catch, and tell the team how you want it cooked. It’s hard to find a more blissful meal.

2419 Steinway St (btwn 25th Ave & Astoria Blvd), Queens, NY 11103

Visit Website

Scallops at Abuqir on a white plate. — Scallops at Abuqir.

Hyderabadi Zaiqa

366 West 52nd Street, New York, New York 10019

Haderabadi Zaiqa is a modest walk-down space in Hell’s Kitchen decorated with a map showing nearly 30 regional biryanis of India. There are plenty of them to choose from, like gongura chicken biryani with fragrant leaves of a type of hibiscus, and others that show off shrimp, eggs, lamb, paneer, and various vegetables — even a bright orange one that features the Andhra mango pickles called avakaya. Also consider the soups and appetizers, like tomato pepper shorba, with a thin and strikingly orange broth laced with chiles, or chicken vepudu in a creamy herbal sauce. Don’t miss the goat dum biryani.

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366 West 52nd Street, New York, New York 10019

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Biryani with goat on a serving plate. — Biryani with goat at Zaiqa.

Cha Long

749 9th Ave (between 50th and 51st streets), New York, NY 10019

Chef Nate Limwong grew up in Surat Thani in Thailand’s Southern Peninsula, and the menu at Cha Long reflects his upbringing — while also including many of the standard dishes from Central Thailand and Isan we’ve come to expect. Start a meal with baerng golae: crisp coconut shells with a single plump shrimp inside smothered in yellow curry. Many dishes are playfully conceived, and so are the cocktails, with names like Leonard On The Beach and Hidden Pearl.

749 9th Ave (between 50th and 51st streets), New York, NY 10019

Three u-shaped shells each contain a shrimp smothered in brown sauce. — Thai shrimp tacos from Cha Long.

Le Bernardin

155 W 51st St, New York, NY 10019

Eric Ripert’s temple of fine dining has held a rare four-star status since 1986, the year it opened, from the New York Times. The classic French restaurant is a celebration of seafood, with a tasting menu that includes tuna tartare, sea urchin, Dover sole, and halibut. And yes, there is a vegetarian tasting menu that rivals the pescatarian one, with courses centered around hearts of palm, artichokes, and white asparagus.

155 W 51st St, New York, NY 10019

Visit Website

Speckled maine lobster tail sits next to leek cannelloni and dark brown red wine rosemary sauce — Lobster tail next to leek cannelloni with a wine rosemary sauce at Le Bernardin.

Grand Central Oyster Bar

89 E 42nd St, New York, NY 10017

Grand Central Oyster Bar has occupied the subterranean space in Grand Central Station since 1913. The dramatic dining room, with its vaulted, tiled ceilings is one of the main attractions here. The bar is the best seat for sampling among 25 varieties of seafood, from a menu of raw oysters, stews, pan roasts, sandwiches, and more. Note new hours mean it’s closed Saturday and Sunday.

89 E 42nd St, New York, NY 10017

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Grand Central Oyster Bar’s dining room with high ceiling arches — The dining room at Grand Central Oyster Bar.

Keens Steakhouse

72 W 36th St (btwn 5th & 6th Ave), New York, NY 10018

Few spots scream “I Love New York” harder than Keens Steakhouse. The white tablecloth restaurant has plenty of character, down to the ceilings covered with the world’s largest pipe collection. Whether or not it’s a special occasion visit, there’s no wrong time to experience Keens. Steak, of course, is the move, though it’s the last bastion of the mutton chop. And there’s a lot to love about the classic sides.

72 W 36th St (btwn 5th & 6th Ave), New York, NY 10018

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The Bull Moose Room at Keens. — Keens’ Bull Moose Room

Mariscos El Submarino

8805 Roosevelt Ave, Queens, NY 11372

Mariscos El Submarino is a small restaurant in Jackson Heights known for its massive portions of seafood served in volcanic stone bowls. The restaurant has been influential since it opened in 2020, inspiring a new wave of interest in the Mexican seafood dishes known as mariscos. The most popular order is the aguachile, a cousin of ceviche that’s ubiquitous in Mexico but harder to find in New York. They come in shades of more mild green, red, yellow, and spicy dark brown with a generous portion of shrimp, avocado, and sliced cucumber for around $20.

8805 Roosevelt Ave, Queens, NY 11372

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The aguachile negro at Mariscos El Submarino in Jackson Heights comes served out of a hulking molcajete. — The aguachile negro at Mariscos El Submarino.

Jongro BBQ

22 W 32nd St (btwn Broadway & 5th Ave), New York, NY 10001

Several Korean barbecue restaurants have been featured in this guide, including Baekjeong and Tosokchon. They’re still great, as are others that haven’t made the cut, like Yoon Haeundae Galbi, but they’re leaving the list to make way for an affordable, any-occasion option you may already know: Jongro BBQ. The restaurant, an import from Seoul, Korea, occupies two stories of a Koreatown high-rise. The second floor serves standard Korean barbecue items, like beef brisket, pork belly, fried chicken, and kimchi stew. The fifth floor has a similar menu, plus several types of gopchang (grilled small intestine).

22 W 32nd St (btwn Broadway & 5th Ave), New York, NY 10001

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A piece of golden fried chicken with an orange sauce at Jongro Gopchang in Manhattan’s Koreatown. — Korean fried chicken from Jongro BBQ.

Nepali Bhanchha Ghar

74-15 Roosevelt Avenue, Queens, New York 11372

Yamuna Shres’s casual restaurant that opened in 2015 joins a number of Nepali restaurants that have opened in Queens, specializing in momos, South Asian dumplings. At Nepali Bhanchha Ghar, momos are served fried or steamed in a glistening tomato-based sauce stuffed with potato, paneer, goat, shrimp, beef, or chicken. It’s no wonder that for they’ve won the Jackson Heights Momo Crawl several years in a row.

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74-15 Roosevelt Avenue, Queens, New York 11372

A half-dozen momo float in a brown broth in a bowl. — A half-dozen momos from Nepali Bhanchaa Ghar.

Koloman

16 W 29th St, New York, NY 10001

Koloman is an overhaul of what had been the Breslin at the Ace Hotel, now in a room with restored tin ceilings, a clock-themed bar, and a modern Austrian menu by head chef and co-owner Markus Glocker. Choose among dishes like celery root tartare, gougeres, souffle, and veal schnitzel. Pair them with a compelling selection from a mostly Austrian wine list. After-dinner, consider their hard-to-find collection of schnapps. Save room for desserts like the Lübeck marzipan, apple strudel, or caramelized milk bread, all of which live up to superlatives. There’s a good Martini Hour weekdays from 4 to 6 p.m. with its own menu.

16 W 29th St, New York, NY 10001

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A collection of dishes arranged on a black background. — Find Kolomon in the old Breslin space in the Ace Hotel.

S&P

174 5th Ave, New York, NY 10010

S&P is one of the forerunners of the luncheonette revival. The counter-service restaurant from the team behind the sandwich shop at Court Street Grocers has a menu stocked with tuna melts, peanut butter bacon with rye, cottage fries, and egg creams. Few places feel more New York.

174 5th Ave, New York, NY 10010

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A hairy hand passes a plate with a ham and cheese sandwich on white bread. — A ham and cheese at S&P.

Chama Mama

149 W 14th St, New York, NY 10011

For the last decade, the food of the former Soviet republic of Georgia has been taking off in New York City. Launched by our love of khachapuri, the traditional dish in which an oval of bread envelops a lake of cheese. The bread is available in several variations at Chama Mama, along with charcoal kebabs, stews, and a distinguished wine list with some lesser-seen varietals. There are several locations now in the city.

149 W 14th St, New York, NY 10011

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Khachapuri at Chama Mama.

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Don Angie

103 Greenwich Ave, New York, NY 10014

This Italian American spot from Angie Rito and Scott Tacinelli feels like it has always been here, even if they’re cooking classics from the genre with fresh takes. The deconstructed lasagna is always a winner, as is the chrysanthemum salad with sesame, garlic, and a snowy Parmesan. Calamari comes with pepperoni fried rice, while a shell steak is served with confit lemons. The room is captivating, and it’s also small, which makes snagging a table a feat. There’s also the newer sibling, San Sabino, next door.

103 Greenwich Ave, New York, NY 10014

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A spread of Italian-American dishes arranged on a table at Don Angie. — A spread from Don Angie.

Awang Kitchen

8405 Queens Blvd, New York, NY 11373

The secret here is a broad array of Indonesian dishes both ancient and modern, accompanied by a traditional series of sambals. Fish cakes with peanut sauce, goat satays, and a series of intriguing baksos (meatballs) are all on the menu, and, for vegans, a wonderful gado-gado.

8405 Queens Blvd, New York, NY 11373

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Skewers of meat plus sauce and cubes of compressed rice cake. — An Awang satay platter.

Kanyakumari

20 East 17th Street, New York, New York 10003

This Indian restaurant just west of Union Square — an area that is rapidly filling with great restaurants — specializes in coastal cooking, with dishes from places like Bangalore, Mangalore, Goa, and Kanyakumari itself, India’s southernmost town. Chef Dipesh Shinde includes on the menu a luscious, coconut-laced chicken curry from his hometown of Mandad in the state of Maharashtra. Other standout dishes include a gargantuan beef rib flavored with sauteed Madras onions and pumpkin in peanut sauce from Karnataka.

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20 East 17th Street, New York, New York 10003

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Three dishes on ornate plates. — A selection of dishes from Kanyakumari.

Semma

60 Greenwich Ave (at Perry), New York, NY 10011

Semma opened several years ago at a time when Indian restaurants specializing in regional cuisines were on the increase, but even among that august lot, this West Village restaurant is distinguished. The gunpowder dosa, configured as a triangle, is unbeatable. And some dishes are so pretty you won’t want to cut into them, like lobster tail in coconut milk and mustard, or the Goan-style oxtail.

60 Greenwich Ave (at Perry), New York, NY 10011

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A red clay dish filled with snail shells and plated with nathai pirattal on a patterned tile background. — A dish from Semma.

Via Carota

51 Grove St, New York, NY 10014

Rita Sodi and Jody Williams have several popular restaurants in a couple-block stretch of the West Village (including Buvette, I Sodi, and Bar Pisellino). Via Carota remains the crowd favorite for good reason, with its simple Italian dishes dressed up to perfection. Long known for being walk-in only, these days the restaurant thankfully has some tables open for reservations.

51 Grove St, New York, NY 10014

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Via Carota’s insalata verde salad. — Via Carota’s insalata verde.

Uluh

152 2nd Ave (btw 9th & 10th St), New York, NY 10003

Uluh in the East Village caters to students with some cash (in that it’s not cheap). There’s a selection of dim sum, which includes items like Shanghai seaweed dumpling soup, loofah dumplings, and Sichuan-style pig ears. In addition to dim sum, Uluh displays some exciting small plates: beef and tripe in chile oil or Nanjing salted duck, and a cold salad with okra and chiles, for example. The rest of the menu is divided into signature dishes, the “Uluh ten,” stir-fry, spicy dishes, vegetables, soups, noodles, and dishes for a New Yorker. The latter isn’t your typical General Tso’s, though there is that: It also features chile fried chicken and Xinjiang cumin beef.

152 2nd Ave (btw 9th & 10th St), New York, NY 10003

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Okra and chiles from Uluh.

Hamburger America

51 Macdougal Street, New York, New York 10012

Burger scholar George Motz has opened an ode to the hamburger of yore, in this restaurant partnership with Andrew and Jonathan Schnipper, behind the small chain of Schnipper’s burger spots. With 50 seats, it’s a to-go or walk-up ordering for three types of burgers, two of which will always be on the menu, and the third a featured regional style. Even the hot ham sandwich is a scene stealer. Yes, you should get the fries, as well as consider a piece of Key lime pie for dessert.

51 Macdougal Street, New York, New York 10012

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A lunch counter with yellow stools, and patrons sitting with their backs toward us. — The counter at Hamburger America.

Taqueria Ramirez

94 Franklin St, Brooklyn, NY 11222

Blowtorched tripe or cactus with chicharron? Longaniza on its own or mixed with suadero? These aren’t the type of questions New Yorkers are used to asking in north Brooklyn, but standing at the counter of Taqueria Ramírez, their answers are obvious: We’ll take it all. This small taqueria with an even smaller menu — six tacos most days — opened in 2021, and became an immediate hit for its stewed meats plucked from a bubbling choricera. There are a handful of seats indoors, but most people spill out onto the sidewalk. A Manhattan spinoff has opened.

94 Franklin St, Brooklyn, NY 11222

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A gloved hands hold a sieve of crumbly red meat over a vat of orange fat and oil, also filled with other meats — Suadero (left) and crumbly longaniza stew in a choricera.

Raku

342 E 6th St, New York, NY 10003

Order a perfect bowl of udon and tea for under $40 including tax and tip at this neighborhood Japanese noodle restaurant open for lunch and dinner with a second location in Soho. Here since 2016, chef Norihiro Ishizuka’s restaurant has assembled a menu of vegetables and gyoza, donburi, hot and cold udon in a soothingly minimalist space that’s on track to expand next door. There are locations in Soho and Midtown, too.

342 E 6th St, New York, NY 10003

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A bowl of udon at Raku.

Superiority Burger

119 Avenue A, New York, NY 10009

Founded by former pastry chef Brooks Headley, Superiority Burger started out closet-sized space serving a small selection of mainly vegan dishes and gelato of the day, with a vegetable burger as its centerpiece. Now in new digs in the former Odessa space, its vegetarian menu includes dozens of surprising selections, such as the collards-on-focaccia sandwich, stuffed cabbage, and funnel cake, among many other great desserts. It’s open for lunch and dinner.

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119 Avenue A, New York, NY 10009

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A spread of dishes across a table. — Sandwiches and sides from the new Superiority Burger.

Ho Foods

110 E 7th St (btwn 1st Ave & Ave A), New York, NY 10009

Newly expanded Ho Foods now has a dining room bigger than a slip since it took over the next-door space. Now, it’s open longer hours and there’s more opportunity to sit down for its excellent chile wontons, radish cakes, beef noodle soup for dinner, or Thursday to Sunday, its breakfast, with soy milk, you tiao, and scallion pancakes.

110 E 7th St (btwn 1st Ave & Ave A), New York, NY 10009

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Beef noodles soup, with noodles artfully wrapped around chopsticks, from Ho Foods — The beef noodle soup at Ho Foods.

Balthazar

80 Spring St, New York, NY 10012

Balthazar, restaurateur Keith McNally’s French brasserie, opened in 1997, changing the tide in what had been an industrial, art-filled downtown Manhattan. Today, the menu still includes mainstays like raw bar seafood towers, French onion soup, steak frites, and profiteroles. It remains relevant as ever, thanks to McNally’s running Instagram commentary, and his insistence on treating solo diners as VIPs with a glass of Champagne. The people-watching is like few places in New York.

80 Spring St, New York, NY 10012

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Balthazar’s red awning. — The iconic Balthazar awning.

Katz's Delicatessen

205 E Houston St, New York, NY 10002

Katz’s has stood on the corner of East Houston and Ludlow streets since 1888, and the pastrami alone is a New York institution. The expansive, cafeteria-style dining room is almost always bustling, and diners have to know how to navigate the system. Get in line, remember to tip the slicer (they might give you an extra piece to snack on), and no matter what, don’t lose that ticket.

205 E Houston St, New York, NY 10002

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The front of a sprawling corner store at night, with red neon letters that read “Katz’s Delicatessen” in capital letters. — Outside of Katz’s Delicatessen.

Sushi Ichimura

412 Greenwich Street, Manhattan, NY 10013

Sushi Ichimura displays an East-meets-West aesthetic in a 10-seat counter restaurant where you will be wowed. Eiji Ichimura, the sushi master who helped fine-tune the stateside practice of aging fish for modern diners, has crafted a menu that includes fish from Hokkaido and elsewhere around Japan, along with wares from suppliers at the Toyosu Market, with many items unavailable in the United States. It is a special occasion, indeed: The high-dollar, luxe 20-course omakase is listed on Resy at $900 for two before tax and tip.

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412 Greenwich Street, Manhattan, NY 10013

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A scene behind the counter at Sushi Ichimura.

Una Pizza Napoletana

175 Orchard St, New York, NY 10002

Expect lines at this destination that inspires many a pizza pilgrimage. Anthony Mangieri is known for his almost militant approach to Neapolitan pizza making, and a simple menu featuring classics done well. This summer, Mangieri’s Una again earned first-place title in the U.S. and second place for the best pizzeria in the world by the organization 50 Top Pizza.

175 Orchard St, New York, NY 10002

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An overhead shot of a pizza pie with mozzarella, basil, and red sauce, and a charred outer crust. — Una Pizza comes with a knife.

Royal Seafood

103-105 Mott St (btwn Canal & Hester St), New York, NY 10013

Few of the behemoth banquet halls that once dominated Chinatown remain, with their dim sum service in the morning and Cantonese seafood menus in the afternoons and evenings. Royal Seafood (the “royal” part attests to its Hong Kong influences) is a spectacular example of this historic type of restaurants. Attendants still roll carts of dim sum around the dining room. The dumplings on offer are delicate and well formed, while the classic Cantonese American dishes still abound, including pan-fried flounder, clams with black-bean sauce, and lobster e-fu noodles.

103-105 Mott St (btwn Canal & Hester St), New York, NY 10013

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Two plates of dim sum laked with soy sauce. — The rice noodle rolls are particularly good at Royal Seafood.

Mắm

70 Forsyth Street, New York, New York 10002

Vietnamese restaurant Mắm started as a pop-up that turned permanent from partners in love and life, Jerald Head and Nhung Dao. Menus change frequently, with a focus on regionality — one day it might be pho, another bún dậu — and that’s part of what makes Mắm wholly its own. The restaurant recently expanded with an additional storefront next door for extended seating (note: plastic stools are low to the ground).

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70 Forsyth Street, New York, New York 10002

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A spread of Vietnamese dishes at Mắm.

Misi

329 Kent Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11249

Misi is chef Missy Robbins follow-up to Lilia. Just because the restaurant is easier to get into than its sibling doesn’t mean it's any less of a pasta palace. In fact, we prefer the more low-key energy at this restaurant located just steps from Domino Park. The calling card here is the decadent ricotta toast, and there’s no way to go wrong with your pasta selection. Don’t sleep on the creamy gelato desserts.

329 Kent Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11249

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A spread of dishes at Misi — The ricotta toast is a must at Misi.

The Four Horsemen

295 Grand St, Brooklyn, NY 11211

The wave of natural wine bar openings was just around the corner when LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy opened the Four Horsemen in 2015. Almost a decade later, the always-packed bar and dining room remains a gathering place for wine lovers, scenesters, Francophiles, and restaurant enthusiasts. It’s rare for a wine bar to hit a home run with both its drink and food menus, but this Williamsburg favorite strikes the right balance with its knowledgeable servers and Michelin-worthy small plates. Prices are in line with a celebratory night out.

295 Grand St, Brooklyn, NY 11211

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A spread of food and wine from the Four Horsemen.

L'Industrie Pizzeria

254 S 2nd St, Brooklyn, NY 11211

Opened in 2017, L’Industrie was once one of Brooklyn’s best-kept secrets: a top-tier slice shop where it was possible to pop in for a pie or a cup of gelato with olive oil and salt. Now it’s wildly popular, both in Brooklyn and the new Manhattan location, often with lines down the block. Slices come out on greasy paper plates with crisp, naturally leavened crusts and ample toppings like burrata and pepperoni.

254 S 2nd St, Brooklyn, NY 11211

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A hand holds two large slices covered in basil leaves and burrata from L’Industrie in the West Village. — Two slices from L’Industrie.

Le Gratin

5 Beekman St, New York, NY 10038

Daniel Boulud’s French restaurant that’s a tribute to Lyon hits all the right notes in a lovely room with perfect lighting in a neighborhood that’s tough to find a just-right restaurant. Standouts include the housemade pate, French onion soup, and a frisee salad with chicken liver, egg, and pork belly, for starters. Move on to the pike quenelle with mushrooms and bechamel, an array of fish selections, and the classic steak frites with watercress salad.

5 Beekman St, New York, NY 10038

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A blue oval dish filled with one long quenelle with a burnt top, sitting in a creamy white sauce. — A quenelle from Le Gratin.

A&A Bake Doubles and Roti

1337 Fulton St, Brooklyn, NY 11216

Bed-Stuy Trinidadian counter-service spot may be the only roti shop with a James Beard Award. In 2019, it received the America’s Classic Award, a distinction reserved for restaurants that have been around for a decade. Long before it received institutional support, it was already a mainstay for locals who have long frequented the establishment for its affordable eats; in particular, its doubles, the deep-fried flatbreads stuffed with curried chickpeas. A&A relocated to its current home on Fulton Street in 2018, after first opening a couple blocks away in 2002.

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1337 Fulton St, Brooklyn, NY 11216

A hand holds an unwrapped Trinidadian double from A&A Bake Doubles and Roti in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn. — A double from A&A.

Ugly Baby

407 Smith St, Brooklyn, NY 11231

Ugly Baby was an immediate hit when it opened in Carroll Gardens in 2017, and half a decade later the popularity has held up. There are only a few non-spicy items on the menu, and several dishes, like the infamous “stay away” duck salad, appear on the menu next to flying saucer and airplane emojis. Over text, these symbols can mean a number of things, but on this menu, the message is clear: Order this, and you’ll be sweating from your eyeballs. The extensive craft beer menu offers some relief. The restaurant recently updated to a no-reservations policy.

407 Smith St, Brooklyn, NY 11231

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A dining room table with several dishes, two orange beverages with ice cubes, and a few ornamental, palm-sized cacti. — Ugly Baby may be Brooklyn’s spiciest Thai restaurant.

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