Esquire Best New Restaurants 2025: The Complete Rankings

Restaurant Ki earns its 2025 Michelin star through a ten-seat chef's counter tasting menu that puts seasonally sourced seafood at the centre of contemporary Korean cooking. Chef Ki Kim's Atomix and Jungsik background is evident in the precision. With only ten seats and growing demand, reservations are hard to secure; book as far out as possible for any special occasion.

A Michelin Plate Californian in Westchester with British and Persian influences, Tomat delivers serious seasonal cooking at the $$$ tier with an all-day format that most credentialed LA kitchens don't offer. The rooftop terrace and urban garden add atmosphere. Book 1-2 weeks out for weekend dinner; weekday lunch is easier and nearly as good.

Denver's only Michelin-starred omakase counter, Kizaki delivers a roughly 20-course edomae experience built on precise fish sourcing and technique. At $$$$ per head, it is the city's most demanding reservation and its highest-stakes Japanese meal. Book well in advance; this is purpose-built for special occasions and walk-ins are not realistic.

Kabawa is worth prioritizing for a New York City celebration when the table wants a Caribbean tasting menu with a clear point of view. The counter-forward room suits solo diners, dates, small groups better than large parties, the strongest reason to choose it over nearby alternatives is the more structured, occasion-ready experience.

Chef Sunny Lee's James Beard-nominated wine bar elevates Korean banchan to star billing with French and Italian instincts; Chinese hot mustard in leeks vinaigrette, crushed olives in eggpant namul; served in a 20-seat Chinatown room that still holds walk-in spots. Book two weeks ahead or try early Tuesday for counter seats.

Judith is Sewanee's most credentialed table: a 2025 Michelin Plate restaurant run by James Beard-nominated chef Julia Sullivan, serving a seasonally rotating American menu in a historic warehouse near the University of the South. Book two to three weeks out minimum. At $$$, the cooking-to-price ratio beats most Tennessee options at this tier.

MAINLANDER is worth prioritizing for a focused St Louis dinner, especially if current restaurant recognition matters to the booking decision. It is not the right pick for brunch or a flexible daytime meal, but its Esquire Best New Restaurants 2025 nod makes it a strong Central West End candidate for a planned evening out.

RVR is Travis Lett's Japanese-California izakaya on Abbot Kinney, named Esquire's Restaurant of the Year for 2025. The small-plates format; ramen, yakitori, a notably deep vegetable menu; makes it the most compelling new opening in Venice, CA. Booking is easier than the award profile suggests; mid-week tables are readily available.

Sunny's is the Miami steakhouse to chase when national recognition and a Little River destination feel matter more than predictable steakhouse polish. It is dinner-only, hard to secure, better for a planned special occasion than a casual fallback. If the location or booking friction is wrong for the night, Edge Steak & Bar or Prime One Twelve will be easier fits.

Chef Gregory Gourdet's Maison Passerelle at 1 Wall St brings French technique together with diaspora-sourced ingredients; West African, Haitian, Southeast Asian; in a way that earns its Resy 2025 Hit List recognition. The setting inside Printemps is occasion-ready without being stiff. Book via Resy with one to two weeks' lead time for weekend evenings.

A Michelin Plate-recognized speakeasy-style restaurant in downtown Gulfport, Siren Social Club pairs tiki-inspired handcrafted cocktails with refined European cuisine and a raw bar. At $$$ per head, it is the strongest option in Gulfport for an evening where the drinks program and the food are both taken seriously. Easy to book, genuinely worth it for a date night or occasion dinner.

From Michelin-starred Chef Johnny Curiel, Alteño brings a regionally specific take on Jaliscan Highland Mexican cooking to Denver's Cherry Creek neighbourhood. The sharing-format menu, moody room, Michelin pedigree make this a hard booking worth planning ahead for; book three weeks out minimum for weekend dinners. At $$$$ per head, it delivers on technical precision; for Mexican food at lower spend, Alma Fonda Fina is the alternative.

Komal is LA's first craft molino; nixtamalizing 100% Mexican heirloom corn on-site inside Mercado La Paloma; and a 2025 Michelin Bib Gourmand. At $ pricing with walk-in access, it offers Mexico City-style tacos, tlacoyos, quesadillas at a quality level that most of the city's pricier Mexican restaurants cannot match. Go for the Taco Sonia and the masa.

A live-fire neighborhood restaurant in Altadena that earned a spot on Resy's 2025 Hit List for good reason: wood-fired rib-eye, pork collar, even cheesecake cooked over a centerpiece hearth, paired with a natural wine list that rewards the curious. Booking is easy, the tone is casual, the cooking has a clear point of view. Book it.

Bungalow earned its 2024 Michelin Bib Gourmand by doing something specific: serving technically demanding, regionally grounded Indian cooking at a $$$ price point in the East Village. Chef Vikas Khanna draws on culinary traditions from India's 28 states, the kitchen's precision; from kataifi-wrapped dahi kabab to five-cheese kulcha; justifies booking two to three weeks ahead.

JUNE'S PIZZA is worth using for a casual Oakland dinner, solo meal, or takeout plan, especially if pizza is already the format you want. The Esquire Best New Restaurants 2025 nod raises confidence, but this reads as a flexible, low-ceremony pick rather than a special-occasion restaurant.

Side A is a modern American bistro and vinyl listening bar in San Francisco's Mission District, recognised on both the Resy Hit List and San Francisco Chronicle's Best New Restaurants lists for 2025. It is the right booking for a special occasion dinner where atmosphere and a neighbourhood-rooted room matter more than tasting-menu formality. Booking is easy; a week out is enough for most dates.

KIKO is worth booking if you want a current downtown New York table with credible recognition, including Esquire Best New Restaurants 2025 and OAD Casual in North America Recommended 2026. It is less useful for diners who need a confirmed cuisine, chef, price range, or signature order before choosing.

A reservation-only seasonal tasting menu in a 1926 kit house in Staunton, Virginia. Chef Ian Boden's four-to-eight course dinners lean hard into local sourcing; ramps, morels, dry-aged proteins, preserved and fermented ingredients; in a spare, intimate room. Thursday through Saturday only, with an adjoining inn. Best for a special-occasion dinner for two.

Annie Shi's wine bar on Doyers Street is one of the more purposeful small rooms in Manhattan: rare and low-intervention wines stacked floor to ceiling, a focused menu of Chinese American small plates, a White Star from Star Wine List to back up the reputation. The celtuce starter and hand-rolled noodles with braised lamb are the anchors; the wine list is the reason to return.

SEABOY is worth booking if you want a dinner-focused Cornelius restaurant with more current momentum than the usual neighborhood choices. It is better for curious diners and smaller groups than for anyone who needs a predictable lunch, a fixed signature order, or a large-group fallback.

PIZZ'AMICI opened on West Grand Ave in 2024, building a brick-and-mortar home out of a Ukrainian Village apartment pop-up that gave away free tavern-style pies on Instagram. The cracker-thin, square-cut pizza is the whole point. Easy to book, casual in tone, suited to groups or low-key dates rather than formal occasions.

Lupe's Situ Tacos is the Ballard pick when tacos and ease matter more than a full sit-down production. Its 2025 Esquire Best New Restaurants recognition gives it more credibility than a casual format might suggest, but it is still better for lunch, early dinner, or a repeat weeknight meal than a high-pressure special occasion.

Book Javelina Indigenous Dining for a small Portland dinner when you want a meal with a clear point of view rather than another familiar neighborhood format. Esquire's Best New Restaurants recognition in 2025 adds credibility, but group planners should confirm seating fit before using it for a larger celebration.

Emeril's is the right booking when a New Orleans dinner needs to feel serious, polished, worth planning around. With Michelin 2 Stars, a Wine Spectator Grand Award, E.J. Lagasse leading a Cajun kitchen, it is better for a seated special occasion than takeout, delivery, or a casual group meal.

ChòpnBlok brings West African cooking with genuine culinary depth to Houston's Montrose neighborhood in a fast-casual format that opened in October 2024. Chef Ope Amosu's six-bowl menu; built around suya-spiced skewers, jollof jambalaya, plantain-laden stews; is calibrated and precise. Easy to book, casual dress, the most distinctive flavor profile currently on Westheimer Road.

Jules is one of San Francisco's best new pizza restaurants, earning spots on both the Resy Hit List and the San Francisco Chronicle's best new restaurants list in 2025. It's personal, ingredient-led, easy to book; a strong weeknight call in the Western Addition for diners who want somewhere genuinely good without the tasting-menu commitment or price tag.

EMMETT is a plan-ahead Philadelphia booking for diners who want a current, recognition-backed night out rather than a casual fallback. It works better for dates and small celebrations than loose groups, especially if a later dinner slot is useful and menu certainty is not the main priority.

LEO'S is the Santa Fe pick for a relaxed dinner with more credibility than the casual setup might suggest. Its Esquire Best New Restaurants recognition in 2025 makes it more compelling than a default neighborhood choice, especially for diners who want something current without turning the night into a formal production.

MIRRA landed on Bon Appétit's national best dishes list for its Indian-Mexican menu; dum biryani with lamb barbacoa, scallop ceviche in fenugreek roti shells; served in a high-energy Bucktown dining room. Book for groups of three or four who want to share bold plates in a loud, festive setting. Easy to book by Chicago standards; one to two weeks ahead is enough for weekends.

A 16-seat Downtown LA restaurant where chef Okay Inak cooks regional Turkish dishes almost entirely solo; fermented-cabbage soup, hand-formed dumplings, spiced-meat preparations rooted in centuries of tradition. The format is intimate, counter-style, entirely a dine-in experience. Book for solo meals or couples; not suited to groups or off-premise dining.

Bridges earns a Michelin Plate in its first year with globally-influenced contemporary cooking by chef Sam Lawrence in a warm, minimalist Chinatown room. At $$$, it delivers above its price tier; the Comté tart and house-aged duck breast are the standout dishes. Book 3–4 weeks out; the reservation window is tightening as recognition builds.

Tamasha holds a 2025 Michelin Plate; the only such recognition for Indian cuisine in Raleigh; making it the clearest choice in the city for a celebration dinner at the $$$ tier. Chef Bhavin Chhatwani's contemporary approach to Indian cooking delivers technical consistency worth returning for. Booking is Easy, the interior matches the occasion.