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$$ | Upper East Side |
The second generation operating this legendary, traditional kosher Jewish deli moved its enormous corned beef and pastrami sandwiches and buckets of pickles uptown from the original longtime location on 2nd Avenue in the East Village, keeping the name and the menu. That also includes hearty soups, wursts, blintzes, and potato pancakes. Upstairs is an upscale cocktail lounge that opens at 5 pm daily and has a limited bar menu. A deli-only location is in Midtown East.
1442 1st Ave., New York, New York, 10021, USA
Known For
- Matzah ball soup
- Bagel and lox (smoked salmon) platters
- Upstairs cocktail lounge
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$$ | Long Island City |
With Indian dance music on the speakers and tabloid pages papering the walls, Adda broadcasts a hip, fun vibe, though the trendy decor almost belies what comes to the table: authentic Indian favorites packed with freshly-ground spices that draw inspiration from Grandma's cookbook and Mumbai street-style fare. The Chacha’s lamb chops, marinated with garam masala spices and grilled to perfection in the clay oven are a must-try, as well as the flavorful halka phulka (snacks) like dahi batata puri, a delicately fried puff pastry meant to be eaten in one bite and filled with yogurt, chutneys, and baby potatoes. The garlic naan and black dal are also noteworthy as sides (and also to cool the palate).
31--31 Thomson Ave., Queens, New York, 11101, USA
Known For
- Exquisitely spiced food
- Authentic dishes
- Shareable plates
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon.
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$$ | |
Don't let the unassuming air at this intimate restaurant on a leafy, largely residential block fool you: there is some serious cooking going on here. Case in point: any of the house-made pastas (perhaps cavatelli topped with shaved Parmesan and black truffles); bright, seasonal salads (maybe peach, arugula, and goat cheese); or any of the fish or meat main dishes, like lamb chops milanese or roasted chicken.
132 Greene Ave., Brooklyn, New York, 11238, USA
Known For
- Unpretentious neighborhood spot
- Laid-back brunch
- Excellent cocktails
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No lunch Mon.
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$$ | Park Slope |
Roughly translated as "beyond," al di là has been consistently packed since it opened in 1998, and it's easy to understand why: it serves well-prepared Northern Italian dishes in a cozy atmosphere. The warm farro salad with seasonal ingredients and goat cheese is perfectly al dente; the hand-pinched ravioli are delicious; and meatier entrées like braised rabbit, Tuscan tripe stew, and pork loin scallopini with prosciutto are highlights.
248 5th Ave., Brooklyn, New York, 11215, USA
Known For
- Knowledgeable servers
- Ragù
- Local favorite
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun.
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$$ | |
Handmade pastas, exceptional antipasti, and wonderful brunch have earned homey Aurora a loyal following. Most ingredients are locally sourced, though the mozzarella and burrata hail from Italy. Ricotta, black truffles, and prosciutto di Parma elevate the eggs Benedict at brunch, when the French toast comes stuffed with apple compote and topped with Amarena cherries. The trattoria's main dining room is inviting enough, but angle for a seat in the enclosed garden (heated in winter), where lush ivy covers the brick walls.
70 Grand St., Brooklyn, New York, 11211, USA
Known For
- Rustic space with an enclosed garden
- Authentic Italian food
- Superlative brunch
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Recommended Fodor’s Video
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$$ | Elmhurst |
There are plenty of great Thai restaurants in Elmhurst, but this oft-packed spot tops them all (in fact, it's opened a branch in Manhattan's Chelsea Market). Operating out of two side-by-side storefronts (you go wherever there's a table), Ayada serves fiery, flavorful Thai favorites, as well as some dishes you've probably never heard of before. A favorite appetizer is raw shrimp served with a slice of garlic, bitter melon, and chili paste that will knock your socks off. The e-sarn sausage (made with fermented meat) is served with sliced ginger and peanuts, and, for a table of four, the succulent whole fried fish is a bargain.
77--08 Woodside Ave., Queens, New York, 11373, USA
Known For
- Spicy options for whole fish
- Raw shrimp salad
- Foodie and local favorite means longish wait times for a table
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$$ | Upper West Side |
Since 1908, this local landmark has been known for brusque waiters serving stellar platters of smoked salmon, sturgeon, whitefish, and pickled herring to a happy crowd packed to the gills at small Formica tables. Split a fish platter with bagels, cream cheese, and other fixings, or get your velvety nova scrambled with eggs and buttery caramelized onions. If still hungry, go for a plate of cheese blintzes or the to-die-for chopped liver. Be warned that the weekend brunch wait can exceed an hour, so you may want to get food to go or come during the week.
541 Amsterdam Ave., New York, New York, 10024-2803, USA
Known For
- All kinds of smoked fish and chopped liver
- Cheese blintzes
- Classic New York deli charm
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon. No dinner
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$$ | Bushwick |
The best way to sample the diverse flavors of Ethiopian cuisine is by dining at this stellar restaurant that transports you to Addis Ababa through its decor, music, and above all, it's selection of traditional dishes. All dishes are plant-based and full of flavor, which aligns with most authentic fare, including chickpea-based shiro, lentil wot, and a mushroom version of tibs (a stir-fry with meat and vegetables). It's all served with injera, a sourdough flatbread used to scoop up the various stews, with your hands. The drink menu includes traditional t'ej (honey wine), cocktails, and wine and beer from Ethiopia. The namesake bunna—Ethiopian coffee brewed with cardamom and cloves—is worth a try, too.
1084 Flushing Ave., Brooklyn, New York, 11237, USA
Known For
- Shareable plates
- Traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony and teas
- Live music events featuring Ethiopian artists
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Tues.
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$$ | East Village |
This East Village dining institution, which has been serving standout Moroccan cuisine in a date-friendly, candlelit atmosphere since 1983, still draws crowds for dinner, lunch, and brunch. Start with an order of creamy hummus to share, then dig into one of the classic couscous dishes, tajine stews, or tasty kebabs.
101 St. Marks Pl., New York, New York, 10003, USA
Known For
- Yummy mezes
- Popular brunch can mean long waits
- Neighborhood institution
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$$ | Upper East Side |
In the Neue Galerie, this stately coffeehouse—open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner—offers a Viennese café experience, with art deco furnishings; a selection of daily newspapers; and cases with cakes and strudels. The menu of heartier sandwiches and goulash or sausage dishes is under the direction of German-born executive chef Christopher Engel, who worked at Wallsé and Aureole, earning Michelin stars. Prix-fixe dinners are occasionally followed by a cabaret performance. Museumgoers and locals love to linger over coffee—it's sometimes a challenge to find a seat (a less aesthetically pleasing outpost of the café is in the basement).
1048 5th Ave., New York, New York, 10028, USA
Known For
- A slice of Vienna on the UES
- Delicious Sacher torte
- Goulash soup and Bavarian sausage
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Tues. and Wed. No dinner Mon.
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$$ | Gramercy |
Most of the delectable items on the menu at this Iberian, small-plates, corner restaurant are made for sharing, but of particular note are all things seared à la plancha (on a metal plate), including blistered peppers and garlic-kissed mushrooms. The atmosphere is always bustling but the best seats are those at the Casa Mono counter overlooking the chef's open kitchen. The perennially cramped and crowded space sends patrons to Bar Jamón, the wine-and-ham-bar annex next door, where you can pick at plates of jamón serrano while awaiting the main feature.
52 Irving Pl., New York, New York, 10003-3447, USA
Known For
- High-quality, authentic Spanish tapas
- Hard to get a table so reserve in advance
- Small Bar Jamón annex around the corner
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$$ | 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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$$ | Lower East Side |
At this casual retro-diner restaurant, weekend brunch brings a line down the street for what many believe to be the best blueberry pancakes in the city, if not the whole country. Lunch and dinner options include a variety of burgers, sandwiches, and salads—and you can get those pancakes at dinner, too, without as long a wait.
4 Clinton St., New York, New York, 10002, USA
Known For
- February specialty pancake month
- Excellent, and busy, brunch
- Diner-type menu
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No dinner Sun.–Tues.
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$$ | |
Brooklyn legend Domenico De Marco has been handcrafting pizzas with top-quality ingredients in this Midwood storefront since 1965, and even the locals wait upward of an hour (and sometimes two) for pizza that's a contender for best in the greater New York area. You can order a slice ($5), but you're better off with a whole pie, because the pizza maker waits until there are enough slice orders to complete a pie. The "classic" is topped with sausage, peppers, mushrooms, and onions ($33), but the "regular" ($29) lets you appreciate the pure goodness. The small, worn space has a handful of tables (no table service), so don't expect anything fancy. For a shorter wait, arrive well before they open at noon.
1424 Ave. J, Brooklyn, New York, 11230, USA
Known For
- Legendary pizza
- Classic toppings and quality ingredients
- Long lines
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon.
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$$ | Williamsburg |
The word "diner" might evoke a greasy spoon, but this trendsetting restaurant under the Williamsburg Bridge is nothing of the sort. Andrew Tarlow—the godfather of Brooklyn's farm-to-table culinary renaissance—opened it in 1999 and launched an entire movement. The restaurant occupies a 1927 dining car, and foodies cram into the booths to partake in eclectic dishes from the regularly changing menu, based on seasonal ingredients from farms in the Greater New York area. They're also known for their grass-fed burger, available year-round.
85 Broadway, Brooklyn, New York, 11211, USA
Known For
- Rotating, eclectic menu
- Farm-to-table fare
- Intimate space in a vintage dining car
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Reservations not accepted
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$$ | West Village |
The specialties at this beloved Brooklyn pizzeria and Italian-ish eatery, named for its proprietor and situated on a charming block, range from Detroit-style grandma pies (think square instead of round, thick instead of thin) to wood-fired pizzas with ingredients like clams, anchovies, and Calabrian chiles. One item that might convince you to forego pizza, though, is the signature burger, an American cheese and caramelized onion–topped beef patty on a pretzel bun.
35 Downing St., New York, New York, 10014, USA
Known For
- Different kinds of pizza
- Great signature burger
- Brooklyn favorite
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$$ | West Village |
Not all the grappa in this charming, diminutive Italian restaurant will help you pronounce its name, but you won't care once you tuck into the fabulous pasta dishes made in the open kitchen. The menu's focus is on Tuscany with a few nods south to Rome. The pappardelle al ragù is rich and satisfying. Same for the tagliolini laced with sea urchin. But for first timers and twenty-first timers, it's impossible to pass up the cacio e pepe, a simple, gooey, cheesy Roman pasta dish that tastes like it just magically materialized from the Eternal City.
114 Christopher St., New York, New York, 10014, USA
Known For
- Long wait times
- Cacio e pepe
- Affordable carafes of house wine
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No lunch, Reservations not accepted
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$$ | |
The chefs here consider pizza-making both art and science, and their wood-fired creations prove just how deftly they balance the equation. The funghi misti—a white pie with mozzarella, wild mushrooms, and truffle oil—is downright irresistible. It’s no wonder locations in Brooklyn Bridge Park and Greenpoint have joined the original, which is casual in style but gourmet in quality. Check for seasonal specials, like the fig, Gorgonzola, and arugula pizza offered in summer.
291 Kent Ave., Brooklyn, New York, 11249, USA
Known For
- Wood-fired pizza
- Casual vibe
- Great for families
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Credit cards accepted
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$$ | Greenpoint |
Its past as a glass factory inspired Glasserie's warm, romantic atmosphere, and details like rare light fixtures and prints of original electric bulbs abound. Owner Sara Conklin spent her childhood in the Middle East, and her experiences there influence the farm-to-table cuisine. Pair the Persian Gold cocktail (a gin and tonic with saffron) with the phyllo pastries, then order a few more small plates to share.
95 Commercial St., Brooklyn, New York, 11222, USA
Known For
- Warm, intimate atmosphere
- Middle Eastern small plates
- Great cocktails and wine list
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$$ | East Village |
Most Vietnamese food in the United States is inspired by the traditions of southern Vietnam because it was largely Vietnamese from the south who left the country after the war ended in 1975. Hanoi House brings a refreshing—and delicious—taste of the north; the pho here, as done in Hanoi, is meatier, darker, intensely flavorful, and so good.
119 St. Marks Pl., New York, New York, 10009, USA
Known For
- Relatively expensive but worth it
- Delicious spring rolls
- Perennially popular
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No lunch Mon.–Thurs.
