The 10 best restaurants in New York right now
Foodie visitors in New York can take their pick of eateries.
If you are visiting, it is not always easy to find the right place to eat among the overabundance of eateries. We guide you both to newly opened and much-hyped places not to be missed, and to old favorites that continue to deliver the goods.
Best burger in the West Village
Pizza Loves Emily
Native New Yorkers, and visitors, are on the constant hunt for the best burger. Maybe their quest can end here, in this cozy but lively location where everyone orders pizza or an Emmy Burger, that the kitchen does not accept special requests about. It is what it is, with pretty basic ingredients (American cheese, pickles, caramelized onion) but with a juiciness that sets it apart. The sauce can be the most heavenly a piece of meat can bask in. The patty, their pretzel bun, also adds to a complete experience that demands a return visit, or maybe several. Plus, their curly fries are a perfect combination of crunchy and soft.
Raucously hip
Freemans
In the trendy and vibrant Lower East Side, those in the know can find their way to a hidden away back alley, with graffiti painted walls plastered with newspaper front pages. At the far end is a blue door, which conceals a rustic and raucous restaurant. Their long brunch features a five-cheese macaroni, while the evening menu offers duck and mushroom farro, for example.
Date-night deluxe
Le Bernardin
You go to Le Bernardin when you want to push the boat out, for a deluxe date-night or to celebrate something special. The restaurant has three Michelin stars and is oriented to seafood. In addition to the taster menu ($468 a head, wine included), there is also a vegetarian option where carrots and celery can rarely have been prepared with such care and attention to detail as here. Le Bernardine is the flagship restaurant of celebrity French chef Éric Ripert and is regularly ranked among the best restaurants in the world by culinary magazines.
French flamboyance
La Grande Boucherie
Hidden amongst the Midtown skyscrapers, you will suddenly spy green trees and stucco, welcome to La Grande Boucherie, where the styling is so fine, you will want to copy it at home. One choice you can’t go wrong with is steak frites, or why not enjoy boeuf bourguignon? If you are not able to book a table, don’t despair, you can still go there and sit at the bar (which is the crowning glory of this art nouveau pearl), where they serve wicked cocktails and mocktails. Watching the other guests is half the pleasure. Bonus: The restaurant recently appeared in the series "And just like that."
Hyped Korean
Mari
It can be hard to get a table at the weekend in newly opened Mari in Hell’s Kitchen, as it is packed with New Yorkers right now. You can watch the chefs prepare handmade Korean rolls here, it may be street food inspired but this exclusive version signals class. The taster menu features 13 different kinds of rolls, made with everything from tuna to eggplant. The setting is scaled back and stylish, a perfect match for the food and the entire experience.
Photogenic and feisty
Zou Zou’s
The latest addition to the New York restaurant scene is Zou Zou’s. Think The Great Gatsby meets The Little Mermaid, the interior design is that splendid, with a well composed colors and contours scheme that does not feel stiff or over styled. Your Instagram account is saved. And the Mediterranean cuisine is mouthwatering: Turkish bread, Libyan salad, hummus, lamb… You can order different dishes to share, everyone will find something they like here. The duck borek with pistachio has created a huge buzz among foodies.
A journey through New York’s food cultures
Tatiana by Kwame Onwuachi
At Tatiana, dishes from New York’s various ethnic minorities are turned into culinary masterpieces. Kwame Onwuachi is the acclaimed chef behind the restaurant, known from the TV show Top Chef and named the most important chef in the United States. Located in the Lincoln Center, Tatiana is, according to Onwuachi, a love letter to New York, sharing dishes like brown stew chicken and curried goat patties.
The return of a foodie favorite
Sailor
April Bloomfield became known as the “Burger Queen” after she served burgers in brioche buns and with Roquefort cheese at the Spotted Pig restaurant over a decade ago. Now she’s back at the grill with Sailor in Fort Greene, Brooklyn—and without the burgers. Sailor has become an instant critic and foodie favorite, and here fish is the common thread running through the menu, from Arctic char pate to cod soup with coriander relish. But there’s plenty of meat on the menu too. How about crispy sweetbreads with lemon and capers or a classic like half grilled chicken?
Text by Adrianna Pavlica