2 Best Restaurants in New York City, New York

Long before Mr. and Mrs. Obama ate dinner here in 2014, this second-floor spot with minimalist decor had been on the map for those who appreciate chef Ignacio Mattos's deceptively simple cuisine and it still receives consistent acclaim as being one of the best restaurants in Manhattan. The chef's creativity tends to sneak up on the diner in dishes where rye matzo bread might be used under mashed salt cod or sunchoke chips might be folded into sumptuous beef tartare.

The combination of Japanese and Italian cuisines may not be common, but it's definitely a match made in culinary heaven at this buzzy spot on the ground floor of the Nolitan hotel. Expect flavor and texture profiles that mix spicy, briny, and creamy in ways that will dazzle your tastebuds, as in a soy butter pasta that's something like a spaghetti carbonara and a delicately fried eggplant katsu accompanied by caponata.