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This is the travel page for the Best Restaurants in New York City. Listed here are the New York City restaurants that are consistently highly rated among local and national critics. Given the popularity and/or fine dining nature of these places, expect pricey menus. For more information, see the Mahalo guides to New York City Restaurants, New York City Vacation, New York City Tours and New York City Hotels.
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Fast Facts
- Country: United States
- State: New York
- Mayor: Michael BloombergOfficial Sites: New York City Mayor
- City population: 8,274,527 (2007)U.S. Census: New York City Population
- Founded: 1625
- Currency: U.S. Dollar
- Area code: 212, 718, 917, 347, 646
- Time zone: EST (UTC-5)
- Nicknames: "The City that Never Sleeps", "Gotham" and the "Big Apple"
- Area: 468.9 sq mi
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The Mahalo Top 7
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Zagat: New York City Restaurants Guide
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The New York Times: Where to Eat in New York City
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Frommer's: New York City Restaurants
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Fodor's: New York City Restaurants
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Yelp: New York City Restaurants
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Official Tourism Site: New York City Restaurants
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Concierge.com: New York City Eating
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Zagat: New York City Restaurants Guide
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Best Restaurants New York City on Amazon | View All
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"Red Means Stop ... And Eat - St. Augustine: Guest's enjoy lunch at Marineland's famous Dolphin Restaurant overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. Washington, D.C.: O'Donnell's Sea Grill offers the best of the Chesapeake Bay catch of the day. New York City: At Li - $10.99
This Item is an original Magazine ad, taken from a vintage magazine of the year indicated. The ad is suitable for framing and displaying in your home or office. The scan of this item was taken through plastic film, however it is an accurate...
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Questions and Answers About Best Restaurants New York City | View All | Ask a Question
View All Best Restaurants New York City Questions (20620) | Ask a QuestionWhat is the best comedy club in New York City? (1 Answer)Caroline's on Broadway is my #1 comedy spot when I fly into NY. There's a 2 drink minimum. read moreWho makes the best pizza in New York City? (2 Answers)I lived in New York for about 5 years, and by far the best I ever had was from Bleecker Street Pizza in Manhattan, and I am not alone in ... read moreTen best restaurants in Park City, Utah (4 Answers)A. El Chubasco, Inc 1. http://www.yelp.com/biz/el-chubasco-inc-park-city 2. N/A 3. All the standards (14 different combination plates) are here, but everything is a step above that of the typical Utah Mexican ... read moreWho makes the best cupcakes in New York City? (8 Answers)This is an easy one: Magnolia Bakery http://www.magnoliacupcakes.com/My wife can eat like.... well, I better not say. ;- read more
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Exceptionally Rated Dining in New York City
- Babbo Ristorante, Greenwich Village (Italian, $11-$75) Phone: 212-777-0303 Google Map
- Fodor's Choice: "After one bite of the ethereal homemade pasta or the tender suckling pig, you'll understand why it's so hard to get reservations at Mario Batali's flagship restaurant."
- Concierge.com Recommendation: "[Babbo] was one of the first restaurants in New York to offer such an inventive and sophisticated take on Italian cuisine - with a voluminous wine list to match."
- Zagat Highly Rated: "[G]iven its 'mind-blowing' cuisine, 'epic wine list', 'superlative' service and 'cozy' carriage house setting, you'd better 'keep their reservation number on redial...'"
- New York Times Recommended: "Babbo... [adds] one big taste sensation atop another, gilding already delicious dishes with extra bits of texture and final flourishes of flavor."
- Lonely Planet Selection: "Whether you order 'mint love letters' or lamb's brain francobolli or pig's foot milanese , you'll find Batali at the top of his innovative, eclectic game."
- BLT Steak, Midtown East (Steak, $9-$82) Phone: 212-752-7470 Google Map
- Frommer's Exceptional Rating: "The signature is the porterhouse for two (a whopping $70), but I recommend the New York strip or the short ribs braised in red wine."
- Fodor's Choice: "The no-muss, no-fuss menu is nonetheless large, and so are the portions of supple crab cakes and luscious ruby tuna tartare."
- Concierge.com Recommendation: "The meal begins with BLT's signature straight-from-the-oven gruyere popover and is best followed by a cut of meat from the well-edited selection - herb-marinated Wagyu skirt steak..."
- New York Times Recommended: "[O]ddly, the beef was the most underwhelming part of the menu, not because of the way it was cooked but because the beef itself... lacked the depth of flavor normally associated with aged beef. Luckily, the various accompanying sauces are excellent."
- Lonely Planet Selection: "Any steakhouse that sets aside part of its menu just for mushrooms has a lot more going for it than meat..."
- Daniel, Upper East Side (French, $18-$98) Phone: 212-288-0033 Google Map
- Fodor's Choice: "The prix-fixe-only menu is predominantly French, with such modern classics as pan-roasted Dover sole with Japanese mushrooms, braised Swiss chard, and a marcona almond emulsion."
- Concierge.com Recommendation: "Why go to Daniel? Because you owe it to yourself to experience the real thing at least once."
- Zagat Highly Rated: "[T]he tab is equal to a 'mortgage payment', but 'if you're going to splurge', splurge on 'perfection'..."
- New York Times Recommended: "Classy yet warm, refined yet earthy, Daniel is a knockout French restaurant with the soul of a small cafe."
- Lonely Planet Selection: "So few things live up to their hype once - it's rare to see a place that over time continues to surpass its own excellent reputation."
- Jean Georges, Upper West Side (French, $28-$148) Phone: 212-299-3900 Google Map
- Fodor's Choice: "Exceedingly personalized service and a well-selected wine list contribute to an unforgettable meal."
- Concierge.com Recommendation: "In the elegant dining room (resplendent in quiet beiges and whites with floor-to-ceiling windows), Vongerichten's army of impeccably trained waitstaff flits about, spooning Chateau Chalon sauce over turbot and rich jus over squab."
- Zagat Highly Rated: "'From start to finish', expect 'profound dining experiences' at Jean-Georges Vongerichten's 'stunning', jackets-required New French 'temple to gastronomy' at Columbus Circle..."
- New York Times Recommended: "[T]he attributes that made Jean Georges so special back then... make it special still. And it remains the most accessibly elegant of New York's premier French restaurants."
- Travel + Leisure Best: "[T]his is where to luxuriate in his continuously evolving Asian-French food, exquisitely presented on geometric white porcelain..."
- Le Bernardin, Midtown West (French, $64-$107) Phone: 212-554-1515 Google Map
- Fodor's Choice: "There's no beating Le Bernardin for thrilling French cuisine, seafood or otherwise, coupled with some of the finest desserts in town."
- Concierge.com Recommendation: "If this very grown-up Midtown place remains the one to beat despite astronomical prices and what many consider a too-sedate corporate decor, it's because of [Chef] Ripert's always-evolving menu..."
- Zagat Highly Rated: "All the 'accolades are well deserved' at Maguy LeCoze's Midtown French 'phenomenon' where 'piscatorial fantasy' meets 'culinary perfection' via chef Eric Ripert's 'beyond sublime' seafood..."
- New York Times Recommended: "The absence of ostentatious fireworks on the plates and the lack of sex appeal in the dining room leave some people disappointed. But make no mistake: this is impeccably and subtly prepared food of the very highest order."
- Travel + Leisure Best: "Formal at lunchtime and romantic by night, the wood-paneled room at Le Bernardin is as elegant as ever..."
- Babbo Ristorante, Greenwich Village (Italian, $11-$75) Phone: 212-777-0303 Google Map
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Highly Rated Dining in New York City
- Chanterelle, TriBeCa (French, $12-$128) Phone: 212-966-6960 Google Map
- Frommer's Exceptional Rating: "The French-themed menu is seasonal and changes every few weeks, but one signature dish appears on almost every menu: a marvelous grilled seafood sausage."
- Fodor's Choice: "Soft peach walls, luxuriously spaced tables, and towering floral arrangements set the stage for what is the most understated of New York's top French restaurants."
- Zagat Highly Rated: "'[E]very bite of every course is heavenly', while the 'elegant', 'understated' interior is perfect for 'special occasions' with 'spot-on', 'balletic' service to match..."
- New York Times Recommended: "It is unquestionably a fine restaurant, but the once fresh face in TriBeCa is well into middle age now. Admittedly, it's a Catherine Deneuve sort of middle age, but Chanterelle is not quite the ravishing young thing that turned TriBeCa into a glamour neighborhood."
- Gramercy Tavern, Flatiron District (American, $24-$110) Phone: 212-477-0777 Google Map
- Fodor's Choice: "For $76, choose from seasonal dishes such as roasted monkfish with pancetta, red cabbage, Jerusalem artichokes, and truffle vinaigrette, or braised lamb shoulder with escarole in a minestrone with tiny goat-cheese ravioli."
- Concierge.com Recommendation: "Much of the fare is delicate and considered: A "risotto" made with farro grains and carrot juice... an "open" ravioli of tender crabmeat and herbs, surrounded by exquisite mussels removed from their shells."
- Zagat Highly Rated: "[T]he flower-filled, 'rustic-yet-refined' main room 'puts diners at ease', as does the 'quicksilver' staff that's 'on top of everything without being on top of you.'"
- New York Times Recommended: "It's not an exciting restaurant, but it's a soothing, warm, rewarding one that's as understandably beloved as any in New York."
- Masa, Upper West Side (Japanese, $400-$500) Phone: 212-823-9800 Google Map
- Concierge.com Recommendation: "The tasting menu costs $400 before you take a sip of sake, but for fans, that's simply the price of perfection: [Chef] Masa has been known to jet over to Japan to choose his impeccable fish."
- Zagat Highly Rated: "At this Zen-like Time Warner Center Japanese, you can enjoy star chef Masayoshi Takayama's 'exquisite' omakase - an 'unforgettable' 'parade of perfection' for an 'astronomical' $400 prix fixe..."
- New York Times Recommended: "You pay to be putty, eating only what the chefs give you but knowing, as you sigh and even begin to feel flushed, that you are experiencing something divine."
- Travel + Leisure Best: "The serene, 26-seat dining room at this Time Warner Center restaurant may be small, but the flavors - and prices - are formidable."
- The Modern, Midtown West (Contemporary, $18-$138) Phone: 212-333-1220 Google Map
- Concierge.com Recommendation: "Located in the renovated and expanded Museum of Modern Art... [proprietor Meyer and chef Kreuther] made not one but two restaurants: a hip, casual Bar Room and a refined dining room whose windows overlook the sculpture garden's Calders, Miros, and Picassos."
- Zagat Highly Rated: "Set in a 'coolly elegant' room overlooking MoMA's sculpture garden, Danny Meyer's 'splendid' French - New American... 'balances tradition with innovation' for prix fixe meals that are 'as sophisticated as any Picasso'..."
- New York Times Recommended: "Some of [Chef Kreuther's] dishes are over-thought and overwrought, but he also dazzles with such highlights as smoked eel 'rillettes,' a sumptuous sorrel soup with foie gras and sauteed skate in a finely nuanced pimiento nage."
- Travel + Leisure Best: "[T]he crew is tightly run yet relaxed, and the food - truffled pheasant veloute, hamachi braised in pink-grapefruit juice - creative sans gimmicks..."
- Per Se, Upper West Side (Contemporary, $125-$150) Phone: 212-823-9335 Google Map
- Fodor's Choice: "Come with an open mind and open wallet, and discover his inventive combinations of flavors reduced to their essences."
- Concierge.com Recommendation: "A notorious perfectionist, [Chef] Keller devises small-bite tasting menus that include plenty of lavish ingredients..."
- Zagat Highly Rated: "Like a 'four-hour stroll through culinary paradise', Thomas Keller's French - New American offers 'epic dining' in a 'Zen-like space' featuring 'drop-dead views' of Central Park and Columbus Circle..."
- New York Times Recommended: "Sybaritic to the core, Per Se traffics in luxuries like caviar, foie gras, lobster and Kobe beef, but its greatness shows in simpler compositions..."
- Prune, East Village (Contemporary, $4-$46) Phone: 212-677-6221 Google Map
- Concierge.com Recommendation: "At brunch, you can choose from nine Bloody Marys and order spaghetti carbonara or grilled merguez with oysters for the ultimate anti-eggs-Benedict experience."
- New York Times Recommended: "The restaurant is indeed quirky, in ways that are mostly appealing. But its presence has been anything but modest."
- Lonely Planet Selection: "The small room is always busy as diners pour in for roast suckling pig, rich sweetbreads and sausage-studded concoctions."
- Chanterelle, TriBeCa (French, $12-$128) Phone: 212-966-6960 Google Map
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Well-Rated Dining in New York City
- Cru, West Village (European, $78-$125) Phone: 212-529-1700 Google Map
- Zagat Highly Rated: "It's the 'right place for wine lovers', but don't let this Villager's 'bible'-length list of vins overshadow the 'equally impressive' modern European cuisine..."
- New York Times Recommended: "The selections of crudo, or raw fish, are inventively and delectably seasoned. The quail and shrimp appetizers and the lobster and lamb entrees are exemplars of beautifully cooked, tender flesh."
- Travel + Leisure Best: "Unbelievably, the real draw is the Italianate cooking by the unstoppably creative young chef Shea Gallante, who has a genius for combining the comforting and the cutting edge..."
- Gotham Bar & Grill, Greenwich Village (Contemporary, $10-$48) Phone: 212-620-4020 Google Map
- Fodor's Choice: "People come to gorge on transcendent dishes: no rack of lamb is more tender, no scallop sweeter."
- Zagat Highly Rated: "At this Village culinary 'temple', 'grand master' Alfred Portale continues to 'excite' enthusiasts with his 'soigne' 'skyscrapers' of 'spectacular' New American fare..."
- New York Times Recommended: "The food is taller than ever, but it may be better than ever. The range of flavors and treatments is impressive."
- Katz's Deli, Lower East Side (Deli/Bagels, $3-$28) Phone: 212-254-2246 Google Map
- Concierge.com Recommendation: "...New York wouldn't be New York without this classic Lower East Side Jewish deli and its kosher-style corned beef, chopped liver, and pastrami."
- New York Times Recommended: "It is one of the very few New York City delis that still carves pastrami and corned beef by hand, which makes for delicious sandwiches."
- Lonely Planet Selection: "With sandwiches the size of your arm, it's best to come to Katz's teeming deli when you're ready to seriously eat."
- Oceana, Midtown East (Seafood, $33-$195) Phone: 212-759-5941 Google Map
- Frommer's Exceptional Rating: "Standouts include tartare of yellowfin tuna with daikon radish, black cardamom, and horseradish sorbet; striped bass wrapped in a ham croissant; and stuffed artichoke and Icelandic cod basted in butter and herbs."
- Zagat Highly Rated: "Dining's 'still shipshape' at this pricey Midtown New American, the 'kingfish' of seafood with 'delectable' fresh fare..."
- New York Times Recommended: "Oysters on the half shell, each topped with a dollop of sturgeon caviar, are perfection. But the more complicated appetizers show what the kitchen can do."
- Ouest, Upper West Side (American, $28-$42) Phone: 212-580-8700 Google Map
- Frommer's Exceptional Rating: "[W]hat really draws the crowds is [Chef] Valenti's mastery in the kitchen, especially with meats like his signature braised lamb shank or his melt-in-your-mouth braised beef short ribs."
- New York Times Recommended: "Main courses drift toward the comfort zone, with purees and soft polenta to swaddle homey ingredients in a cushiony layer. Nuggets of pork tenderloin wrapped in bacon are nicely set off by a thick, garlicky white-bean puree and peppercorn sauce."
- Lonely Planet Selection: "The addition of a smooth jazz combo has enhanced the sophisticated energy at Tom Valenti's red-boothed wonder, which still rates high with New Yorkers thanks to delicately stacked combo dishes..."
- Cru, West Village (European, $78-$125) Phone: 212-529-1700 Google Map
