Restaurants in New York City
-
A
Veselka
A bustling tribute to the area’s Ukrainian past, Veselka dishes out borscht and stuffed cabbage amid the usual suspects of greasy comfort food. The cluttered spread of tables is available to loungers and carbo-loaders all night long, though it's a favorite any time of day.
reviewed
-
B
Katz’s Delicatessen
Though visitors won’t find many remnants of the classic, old-world-Jewish Lower East Side dining scene, there are a few stellar holdouts, among them the famous Katz’s Delicatessen, where Meg Ryan faked her famous orgasm in the 1989 Hollywood flick When Harry Met Sally, and where, if you love classic deli grub like pastrami and salami on rye, it just might have the same effect on you.
reviewed
-
C
Artisanal
For those who live, love and dream fromage, Artisanal is a must-eat. More than 250 varieties of cheese, from stinky to sweet, are found at this restaurant/cheese counter.
reviewed
-
D
Doyers Vietnamese Restaurant
A huge part of the appeal at Doyers is the fascinating street it's on - it used to be known as the 'Bloody Triangle' during the area's gang days. The menu's as long as your arm and has veggie and meat dishes, served in the below-ground dining room.
reviewed
-
E
Nathan’s Famous
The hot dog was invented in Coney Island in 1867 - which means that eating a frankfurter is practically obligatory here. The top choice: Nathan’s Famous, which has been around since 1916. The hot dogs are the real deal and their clam bar is tops in summer. The restaurant’s annual 4th of July hot dog eating contest is the stuff of legends.
The restaurant’s annual 4th of July hot-dog eating contest is the stuff of legends.
reviewed
-
F
Angelica Kitchen
This enduring herbivore classic has a calming vibe – candles, tables both intimate and communal, and a mellow, longtime staff – and enough creative options to make your head spin. Some dishes get too-cute names (Sacre-Coeur Basmatica in Paris, Thai Mee Up), but all do wonders with tofu, seitan, spices and soy products, and sometimes an array of raw ingredients.
Standards like the Pantry Plate – which lets you choose from a list of a dozen or so veggie concoctions and special salads – or the Dragon Bowl, a Buddha’s delight with seasonal greens, tubers, tofu, seaweed and brown rice piled high, will leave you feeling both virtuous and full. Creative puddings and cakes…
reviewed
-
G
Cho Dang Goi
Right in the heart of Koreatown, Cho Dang Goi does a brisk business in traditional bibimbops (vegetables with rice and spicy sauce), sticky-rice dishes and pork stews, which are all among the best in the area. You'll also get the tiny plates of kimchi surprises (including a pile of teensy dried fish, eyes intact) right before your meal begins.
reviewed
-
H
Daniel
This chichi French palace features floral arrangements and wide-eyed foodies who gawk over plates of peekytoe crab and celery-root salad, foie gras terrine with gala apples and black truffle-crusted lobster - and that's just the first course. There's an all-veggie menu, too.
reviewed
-
I
S’Mac
If you're only going to do one thing, you've got to do it well – and S'Mac hits the spot with mac 'n' cheese lovers. The all-American has cheddar and Vermont jack cheese, with bacon if you like. Or, try the Gruyère mac 'n' cheese and the Manchego cheese and Cajun macs.
reviewed
-
J
Grimaldi’s
Legendary lines and pizzas are still dished up daily at this touristy pizza mecca. Thankfully, they live up to the hype: thin-crust pies are dabbed with San Marzano tomato sauce and topped with fresh mozzarella, and delivered bubbling to your table. They also make gooey calzones that could make a pacemaker skip a beat. Be prepared for long lines. Whole pies only.
The restaurant is in a new multilevel location after losing its former lease. Interestingly, a new pizza joint, Juliana’s (www.julianaspizza.com) is scheduled to open next door sometime in 2012. And it will be run by Patsy and Carol Grimaldi, the original owners of Grimaldi’s (they sold the business to Frank…
reviewed
Advertisement
-
K
Beyoglu
Best in the summer when you can sit outside, Beyoglu's fresh Turkish cuisine is light and enticing, from the feta-laden salads to the grilled fish and ample meze.
reviewed
-
L
Candle Cafe
The moneyed, yoga set piles into this attractive vegan cafe serving a long list of sandwiches, salads, comfort food and market-driven specials. The specialty here is the house-made seitan. (Try it crusted with porcini and served with mashed potatoes and gravy – the perfect cold-day dish.) There is a juice bar and a gluten-free menu.
For a more upscale take on the subject, check out its sister restaurant, Candle 79, two blocks away.
reviewed
-
M
Jo Jo
Part of the ever-thriving Jean-Georges empire, here is a place where you really can’t go wrong. French standards get the Midas touch with the addition of a little something special. Foie gras is fashioned into crème brûlée, venison cubes are tossed with pomegranate seeds, striped bass gets simply pan roasted with fennel and lemon. The warm and gooey chocolate Valrhona cake is widely praised as the best in the city – if not the world. And it’s all turned out into a dining room that, following a recent renovation, feels so hushed, lush and intimate, you feel as if you’ve been invited into an old-school, squeaky-clean bordello.
reviewed
-
N
Les Halles
Vegetarians need not apply at this packed and serious brasserie, owned by celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain. Among the elegant light-fixture balls, dark wood paneling and stiff white tablecloths you’ll find a buttoned-up, meat-lovin’ crowd who've come for rich and decadent favorites like cote de boeuf and steak au poivre.
Standards like French onion soup, moules frites, and salade Niçoise are equally sublime, while the lists of wine, single-malt scotches and other liquors are impressive. From the crème brûlée to the tarte tatin, sweet tooths won't be disappointed.
reviewed
-
O
’Inoteca
It's worth joining the crowd waiting at the cramped bar of this airy, dark-wood-paneled corner haven to choose from tramezzini (small sandwiches on white or whole-wheat bread), panini (pressed sandwiches) and bruschetta options, all delicious and moderately priced. The truffled egg toast, a square of bread hollowed out in its center and filled with egg, truffles and fontina cheese, is a signature favorite.
But you can’t go wrong, whether you choose the beet-orange-mint salad, vegetable lasagna built with layers of eggplant rather than pasta, or a plate of garlicky mussels. There’s also a list of 200 wines, 25 of them available by the glass. The West Village post is…
reviewed
-
P
Junior’s
Sure, cheesecake, in one form or another, has been baked and eaten in Europe since the 1400s. But New Yorkers, as they do with many things, have appropriated its history in the form of the New York–style cheesecake. Immortalized by Lindy’s restaurant in Midtown, which was opened by Leo Lindemann in 1921, the particular type of confection served there – made of cream cheese, heavy cream, a dash of vanilla and a cookie crust – became wildly popular in the ’40s. Junior’s, which opened on Flatbush Ave in Brooklyn in 1929 and in Midtown just a few years ago, makes its own famous version of the creamy cake with a graham-cracker crust.
reviewed
-
Q
Pure Food & Wine
The ‘chef’ (there’s no oven in the kitchen) at this gem achieves the impossible: churning out not just edible but also extremely delicious and artful concoctions, made completely from raw organics that are put through blenders, dehydrators and the capable hands of Pure’s staff. Results are creative, fresh and alarmingly delicious, and include the wonderful tomato-zucchini lasagna (sans cheese and pasta), Thai coconut ‘noodles’ with red curry, and the white-corn tamales with raw cacao mole and salsa verde. The dining room is sleek and festive, but in warmer months don’t miss a chance to settle into a table in the shady oasis of a backyard.
reviewed
-
R
STK
An oddly stylized restaurant, with sleek banquettes, metallic and black decor and one kitschy pair of horns protruding from over the bar, STK bills itself as 'not your daddy's steakhouse.' That's why you'll find salads filled with green melon, avocado, mâche greens and kaffir lime, or blue cheese, vine-ripened tomatoes and smoked bacon, plus organic roast chicken, tuna tartare with pineapple, crispy shallots and plantain chips and scallop seviche. But there's still plenty of what you'd expect: T-bones, skirt steaks, filet mignon etc. Portion sizes can be petite, medium or large, and you can add toppings such as black truffles.
reviewed
-
S
Spice Market
Yet another innovation from Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Spice Market lives in a dark, clublike realm where every fantasy of a faraway souk comes to life through thick waves of gossamer drapery, glinting meditative Buddhas, and pots that steam and bubble as the waiter rushes them by. Fusion fare is distinctively Asian in taste, but many of the dishes have lost their initial luster now that the shiny veneer of newness has worn away.
reviewed
-
T
Blue Smoke
Another contender in the city’s ongoing BBQ cook-off, this soulful spot presents a potpourri of various Southern ’cue style: St Louis, Texas, Kansas and Memphis ribs are all representin’, as is pulled pork, smoked chicken, peel-and-eat shrimp and the classic ‘salad’ consisting of an iceberg-lettuce wedge. Mouthwatering mini-cornbread loaves and jalapeño-studded hush puppies are gut-busting sides, and homemade pies and cakes take you down for the count. When you’re done chowing, head downstairs to the Jazz Standard, where pros bust out with blues, folk, rock and jazz.
reviewed
Advertisement
-
U
La Esquina
This mega-popular and quirky little spot is housed in a former greasy spoon that sits within the neat little triangle formed by Cleveland Pl and Lafayette St. It's three places really: a stand-while-you-eat taco window, a casual Mexican cafe and, downstairs, a cozy, overly hip cave of a dining room that requires reservations. Standouts include chorizo tacos, rubbed pork tacos and mango and jicama salads, among other authentic and delicious options (most of which are also available upstairs at the anyone-welcome area).
reviewed
-
V
Pastis
While the West Village is known for classy, cozy, intimate spots that cause quiet envy among the most casual of passersby, the adjacent Meatpacking District’s dining scene is a bit more… ostentatious, complete with nightclub-like queues behind velvet ropes, eye-popping decor and crowds of trend-obsessed young folks. The most solidly pleasing option here is the original cool-kid spot, Pastis, Keith McNally’s perfect homage to the French brasserie.
reviewed
-
W
Babbo
Celebrity chef Mario Batali has multiple restaurants in Manhattan, but everyone has a sneaking suspicion that this two-level split townhouse is his favorite. Whether you order mint love letters, lamb's brain francobolli (small, stuffed ravioli) or pig's foot milanese, you'll find Batali at the top of his innovative, eclectic game. Reservations are in order.
reviewed
-
X
Caracas Arepa Bar
Cram into this tiny joint and order a crispy, hot arepa (corn tortilla stuffed with veggies and meat) such as the Pepi Queen (chicken and avocado) or La Pelua (beef and cheddar). You can choose from 17 types of arepa (plus empanadas and daily specials like oxtail soup), served in baskets with a side of nata (sour cream) and fried plantains.
reviewed
-
Y
Fraunces Tavern
Can you really pass up a chance to eat where George Washington (it's been documented) supped in 1762? Expect heaping portions of tavern stew, clam chowder, beef Wellington and your choice of cobbler, butterscotch bread pudding, spiked fig and apple tart or strawberry shortcake for dessert. The bar, filled with friendly locals, is great for a snack and a drink.
reviewed