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$$ | Chelsea |
The food of the Republic of Georgia is one of the best and under-represented cuisines of the world. Most of the excellent Georgian restaurants in New York are lodged deep into Brooklyn, but Chama Mama is a superb Manhattan option if you want to avoid a long subway ride. Start with khachapuri, the ubiquitous baked cheese bread (the boat-shape version from the region of Adjara has become the international face of Georgian cuisine) and then move to shkmeruli, a tender Cornish game hen cooked in a garlicky cream sauce. The khinkhali, broth-filled dumplings, are also excellent. There's now a second location on the Upper West Side (Amsterdam Avenue and West 78th Street).
149 W. 14th St., New York, New York, 10011, USA
Known For
- Excellent Georgian wine list
- View of a huge tone, a traditional Georgian bread oven
- Khachapuri
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$$ | Chelsea |
Brought to you by the pasta company Pastaficio di Martino from the renowned pasta-making town of Gragnano near Naples, Italy, La Devozione is: (1) a retail shop where you can purchase packages of the company's 126 different pasta shapes and (2) an exquisite restaurant, complete with an oval-shape table setting around the open kitchen, so diners can watch their four-course lunch or seven-course dinner get made. The menu changes regularly and is not listed on their website so it's always a surprise. Diners who don't want to commit to a long tasting menu can sit at other tables and choose from the à-la-carte options like the classic Roman dish bucatini all'Amatriciana.
75 9th Ave., New York, New York, 10011, USA
Known For
- Huge dried pasta selection for sale
- Amazing circular table around the kitchen
- Pasta-tasting menus
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$$ | Chelsea |
This spin-off of Shuka in SoHo first fired up its burners in summer 2021 and was an instant hit, far exceeding in enthusiasm than the original. The focus of this stylish 80-seat eatery is modern Middle Eastern cuisine, with flavor-packed fare that spans the entire region. Chef Ayesha J. Nurdjaja takes traditional recipes and goes a step further with them, adding, for example, red onions and a sauce of chilies and garlic to the ultracreamy hummus or stewed lamb hiding inside the kibbeh. There's a delicious surprise on every plate at Shukette.
230 9th Ave., New York, New York, 10001, USA
Known For
- Fish and meat cooked on the charcoal grill
- Homemade bread, griddled to order
- The mostly Mediterranean wine list
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No lunch
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$$ | Chelsea |
Until recently, the Vietnamese dining scene in New York was, at best, mediocre and uninspiring. But all that's changed and this Vietnamese spot (which has a second location in SoHo) is part of the reason why. The long menu has all the Vietnamese staples—variations on the theme of banh mi sandwiches, beef and chicken pho—but also excellent lemongrass-spiked beef burgers in a bao bun and banh xeo, a Vietnamese crepe stuffed with shrimp, pork belly and veggies.
104 8th Ave., New York, New York, 10011, USA
Known For
- A Vietnamese breakfast menu starting at 11 am
- Menu items having a slight Gallic accent
- Hipster sensibility
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon.--Wed.
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$$ | Chelsea |
One of far-west Chelsea's first hot restaurants, Cookshop manages a casual elegance while focusing on seasonal, farm-fresh cuisine that continues to wow. Outdoor seating on 10th Avenue is quite peaceful in the evening; during the day, you can survey a cross section of gallery-hoppers and shoppers. Divine cocktails, made with fresh fruit juices, are veritable elixirs of well-being. Line up early for weekend brunch; it's worth the wait for dishes like a fried egg sandwich with caramelized onion jam and fontina cheese or the fluffiest pancakes in town. Dinner is also a triumph, with a variety of perfectly prepared dishes like cornmeal-dusted sea scallops or a simple roast chicken.
156 10th Ave., New York, New York, 10011-4758, USA
Known For
- Simple but well-executed, market-driven American cuisine
- Great cocktails
- Notable weekend brunch
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Recommended Fodor’s Video
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$$ | Chelsea |
Named for a legendary ice-cream shop in Havana, Coppelia is neither Cuban nor an ice-cream parlor. Chef Julian Medina has created a 24-hour pan-Latin diner that works on many levels—for a quick breakfast, casual lunch, or late-night bite—with a continent-size menu that emphasizes comfort food. Some satisfying dishes include the pork-belly-spiked mac 'n' cheese, mountainous nachos, grilled cheese with jalapeño and bacon, and oxtail empanadas. If you did have your corazón set on ice cream, there's plenty of it on the dessert menu.
207 W. 14th St., New York, New York, 10011, USA
Known For
- 24-hour dining goodness
- Good-value pan-Latin fare
- Excellent pancakes
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$ | Chelsea |
Once located on Gansevoort Street in the Meatpacking District (hence the name), this 14th Street food hall is one of the best among the rash of gourmet food court openings. Build up a hunger by walking the High Line and then settle in here for a worldly feast that includes stalls churning out excellent takes on Neapolitan-style pizza, Korean-style fried chicken, traditional Peruvian fare, and excellent tacos, among the 10 or so venders in this high-ceilinged hall. There's also a bar serving beer, wine, and cocktails.
353 W. 14th St., New York, New York, 10014, USA
Known For
- Smaller Chelsea Market alternative
- Food stalls and shared tables
- Everything from pizza to tacos to ice cream
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No dinner Sun.
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$$$ | Chelsea |
Helmed by celeb-chef Marcus Samuelsson, Hav & Mar means "ocean" in Swedish and "honey" in Amharic, the majority language in Ethiopia, reflecting the chef's personal background. The food, artwork, and experience at this 125-seat spot is meant to evoke Black cuisine in New York City. The spacious interior, with Black-mermaid-bedecked walls and Noguchi-style chandeliers, creates a fun atmosphere to tuck into dishes like the Lobster Bird—a flavorful concoction of fried chicken, scallops, and lobster in a shallow pool of shellfish broth—and buttery shrimp-and-crab-laced cavatelli pasta.
245 11th Ave., New York, New York, 10001, USA
Known For
- Seafood-leaning menu with Ethiopian and Swedish twists
- An excellent cocktail program
- Whimsical design elements
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. No lunch
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$ | Chelsea |
New Yorkers love Joe because it's a minichain that was born and bred right here in the city. And while there are locations scattered around Manhattan, this diminutive spot has the distinction of being the one-time place of employment of the guy who inspired the Saturday Night Live character and nightlife authority Stefan, as the actor who played him, Bill Hader, would regularly pop in here before heading up to 30 Rock. It's also a good pitstop for those walking the High Line. This place has everything.
405 W. 23rd St., New York, New York, 10011, USA
Known For
- Good for people-watching
- Friendly service
- Affordable, high-quality coffee
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$ | Chelsea |
Once the kitchen for the 150-year-old Spanish Benevolent Society, La Nacional gives off the vibe of being a hidden private club somewhere in Madrid. This affordable and solid Spanish eatery, which has been lightened up and modernized a bit with elegant high tables and tall chairs, excels at small plates such as crispy patatas bravas, creamy ham croquettes, and garlic shrimp.
239 W. 14th St., New York, New York, 10011, USA
Known For
- Affordable Spanish fare
- Large carafes of sangria
- Spanish expat clientele
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon. No lunch
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$$$ | Chelsea |
Chef David Chang's attempt at an Asian–Italian mash-up opened in 2016 to mixed reviews until he ditched the Asian aspect, and now this Italian-accented eatery with cozy leather booths and comfortable bar seats has come into its own. Standout starters include fried head-on shrimp and Wagyu crudo, but the real stars are the pasta dishes, especially the thick bucatini noodles smothered in a ceci e pepe sauce—Chang uses chickpea paste instead of cheese for a playful take on this classic Roman dish.
232 8th Ave., New York, New York, 10011, USA
Known For
- Pasta tasting menu
- Great daily specials
- Nicely curated wine list
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$$ | Chelsea |
This sleek restaurant hails from the family of the Chinese immigrant (Mr. Shorty Tang himself) who introduced New York to Sichuan cuisine in the 1960s. The Chelsea spot, as the name suggests, focuses on plus-size bowls of noodle-laced soups, like the excellent braised beef noodle soup, as well as the signature cold sesame noodles. The soup dumplings, or xiao long bao, are also good here.
98 8th Ave., New York, New York, 10011, USA
Known For
- Affordable Chinese fare
- Soup dumplings
- Friendly service
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$$$ | Chelsea |
If you're a restaurant that only serves one main item, you better be good at it. Fortunately, for Skirt Steak, the namesake item is excellent at this casual, rustic spot from chef Laurent Tourondel. For one price—$39—diners get a hunk of juicy skirt steak, cooked to the temperature of their liking, a small green salad, and an unlimited amount of crispy French fries. Dessert costs extra. There are also off-menu items such as burgers and seasonal vegetable sides, which diners can access by telling the servers that they "heard it from the chef."
835 6th Ave., New York, New York, 10001, USA
Known For
- Just serving skirt steak with unlimited fries
- Secret, off-menu items
- Long lines for a table
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No lunch
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$ | Chelsea |
Since 1994, master baker Jim Lahey has been churning out incredible loaves of Italian bread and pastries, as well as toothsome sandwiches and even pizza at this lauded Roman-style bakery.
236 9th Ave., New York, New York, 10001, USA
Known For
- Freshly baked bread
- Sandwiches
- Neighorhood staple
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$$ | Chelsea |
The theme at this diminutive Spanish spot is cocina vasca, or the cuisine of the Basque country, one of the most exciting regions in Iberia for eating. Chef Alexandra Raij captures the moment by serving standouts like juicy lamb meatballs in a minty broth, crispy beef tongue, and an addictive crabmeat gratin. The wine list at Txikito (pronounced “chi-kee-toe”) is loaded with great bottles of Rioja and other Tempranillos, many of which are from Basque winemakers.
240 9th Ave., New York, New York, 10001, USA
Known For
- Bite-size pintxos
- Olive oil–poached cod
- Octopus carpaccio
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No lunch
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$$$$ | Chelsea |
This Japanese chain's first U.S. location takes the concept of fishing-pole-to-fork quite seriously: you actually sit at tables on a boat-shaped platform (amid exposed brick walls) and fish for your meal in a plus-size tank right in the dining room. After your fish is caught—there's trout, salmon, fluke, flounder, and others—specify how you want it cooked (tempura, grilled, as sushi), and a short time later, that once-swimming fish is on a plate in front of you, ready to be devoured.
152 W. 24th St., New York, New York, 10011, USA
Known For
- In-restaurant fishing
- Ultrafresh fish
- Large sake selection
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No lunch
