2026 New York Magazine The 43 Best Restaurants in New York

AbuQir Seafood is the Astoria pick when Egyptian seafood matters more than a formal room. Recent 2026 recognition from Eater 38 and the New York Times Best Restaurants in New York City list raises expectations, but the main reason to go is still practical: a distinctive seafood meal in Queens with easy booking and low ceremony.

Al Badawi at 1725 2nd Ave is the Upper East Side branch of the Middle Eastern restaurant. The operator lists this address separately from its other locations.

Al Badawi on Atlantic Avenue delivers generous Palestinian cooking, oversized mezze platters, bone-in lamb, and a celebrated cheese-and-pistachio flatbread, at a $$ price point with a 2024 Michelin Plate to back it up. The format suits groups best, the booking is easy, and the value per head is hard to beat in Brooklyn for this style of Middle Eastern food.

Angel Indian Restaurant is a strong Jackson Heights choice when the priority is Indian cooking with serious New York recognition rather than a formal special-occasion room. Book it for flavor-first meals, casual celebrations, or a Queens dining plan; choose a more polished setting if ambiance and service ceremony matter more than the food.

B&H Dairy works for an easy, casual East Village meal with old-school New York character and low booking friction. Go for speed, informality, and a sense of place rather than formal service, drinks, or occasion dining. New York Magazine's 2025 recognition adds credibility, but the real appeal is practical convenience.

Bánh Anh Em is a no-reservations Vietnamese spot in the East Village with a pre-opening queue that is fully warranted. Named to Resy's Best of the Hit List 2025, it delivers in-house baked bánh mì, homemade-noodle pho, and shareable small plates at a price point that makes ordering across the menu easy. Go with a group and order everything.

A West Village Spanish room with real atmosphere and a kitchen that earns its following. Bartolo delivers hearty, sharing-plate cooking, Iberian pork, oxtail, suckling pig, alongside a cocktail program Esquire ranked among America's best martinis in 2025. It's an easy booking, a warm room, and a strong choice when you want quality without ceremony.

Bistrot Ha is a practical Lower East Side pick for French-Vietnamese dinner when you want a focused meal without a hard reservation chase. It is better for two-person or small-group evenings than big celebrations, and the easy booking profile makes it useful when better-known downtown options are full.

Bong is a small Cambodian restaurant in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, serving traditional and modern Khmer dishes built around bold, sour, and fermented flavors. It landed on Resy's Best of the Hit List for 2025. Booking is relatively easy for New York, but the room is tiny: reserve a week or two out for weekends and plan to return: the menu rewards multiple visits.

Andrew Tarlow's first Manhattan restaurant earned a spot on New York Magazine's 43 Best list within months of opening in September 2024. The monthly-changing trattoria menu from chef Jordan Frosolone runs from cheese-filled focaccia to wood-oven sweetbreads and beef heart: a room for food-curious diners who want Italian with a point of view, not a safety net.

Cervo's on Canal Street is the right call for Iberian seafood at the $$$ price tier in Lower Manhattan. A Michelin Bib Gourmand and a jump to #194 on OAD's 2025 Casual North America list confirm the kitchen is in its best form yet. Book the bar for two, order the fish, and arrive early if you want the outdoor table.

Chambers is a contemporary restaurant in Tribeca with an 89-page wine list built by Master Sommelier Pascaline Lepeltier and a Greenmarket-driven kitchen that named New York Magazine's 43 Best list in 2025. At $$$ per head, it delivers award-level cooking and serious wine depth at a price well below comparable fine dining rooms. The bar and communal table accept walk-ins: a rare option at this quality level.

Eyval is chef Ali Saboor's sharper follow-up to Sofreh, serving Persian food that plays bold flavor contrasts, tamarind, saffron, sumac, pomegranate, alongside a standout skin-contact wine list. Named to both the OAD Casual North America 2025 list and New York Magazine's 43 Best Restaurants in New York, it is the strongest case for Persian dining in Brooklyn right now, and booking is still easy.

F&F Pizzeria on Court Street in Carroll Gardens has earned three consecutive Opinionated About Dining Cheap Eats in North America rankings and a New York Magazine best-restaurants nod for 2025. Run by the Frankies Spuntino duo, it is the right call for food-focused visitors who want serious pizza without fine-dining prices. Book a few days ahead; weekday evenings are easiest.

Named to Resy's Best of the Hit List for 2025, I Cavallini is the credentialed Italian address to know in Williamsburg. Booking is currently easy relative to its peers, but that window will tighten after the recognition lands. Reserve two to three weeks out, plan at least two visits to work through the menu properly, and treat it as your go-to Brooklyn Italian before the room gets harder to get into.

Juqi serves Beijing cooking inside Tangram in Flushing. Its signature roast duck is cooked in a hanging oven, and the dining room is designed to evoke the lanes of old Beijing.

Kabawa is Paul Carmichael and Momofuku's Caribbean restaurant in New York City.

Kidilum is a practical Flatiron dinner option for diners who want an easy evening booking in a central New York location. The strongest case is convenience: dinner service runs Tuesday through Sunday, booking difficulty is easy, and the address works well for Chelsea, Flatiron, or NoMad plans. Skip it for a high-stakes special occasion that needs a clear cuisine, price tier, or award signal.

Knickerbocker Bar & Grill is a practical pick for an easy downtown New York dinner when room, familiarity, and low booking friction matter more than awards or a tightly defined cuisine. Cross-shop Kiin Thai for a clearer food identity, Il Cantinori for a more intimate Village feel, and Claudette when ambiance is the priority.

Le Bernardin is a seafood restaurant in Midtown Manhattan.

Le French Diner is a strong Lower East Side pick for a two-person dinner when you want a small room and a regulars' feel rather than a big downtown production. Go early if conversation matters, and avoid using it for large groups or complicated dietary planning.

Le Veau d'Or is a French restaurant on East 60th Street in New York City.

Lei is a wine bar on Doyers Street in New York City.

Lungi brings technically grounded Sri Lankan and Southern Indian cooking to the Upper East Side, backed by a Michelin Bib Gourmand (2024) and a place on New York Magazine's 2025 best restaurants list. At $$$, it is one of Manhattan's stronger value cases for serious cooking. Book one to two weeks ahead for weeknights; the kothu roti and pan-fried kingfish are the dishes to anchor your order around.

Mariscos El Submarino at 507 Myrtle Ave is the Clinton Hill branch of the Mexican seafood restaurant. The operator lists this address separately from its other locations.

Mariscos El Submarino at 226 7th Ave is the Park Slope branch of the Mexican seafood restaurant. The operator lists this address separately from its other locations.

Mariscos El Submarino is a strong Jackson Heights pick for casual Mexican seafood, especially if the table wants to share multiple aguachiles. Go for a lively lunch or dinner with friends or family, not for private dining, a quiet room, or a wine-led evening. The value is in the seafood focus and relaxed group format.

Mariscos El Submarino at 103 Christopher Columbus Dr is the Jersey City branch of the Mexican seafood restaurant. The operator lists this address separately from its other locations.

Mariscos El Submarino at 222 Franklin St is the Greenpoint branch of the Mexican seafood restaurant. The operator lists this address separately from its other locations.

Maxi's Noodle in Flushing is the practical choice for serious Hong Kong-style noodles in New York City. Walk-ins are easy, pricing is accessible, and the 7 train gets you there directly. Skip it if atmosphere is your priority; book it if the food is what matters.

Maxi’s Noodle 2 at 59-20 Main St is the Flushing branch of the Hong Kong-style Chinese restaurant. The operator lists this address separately from its other locations.

Maxi's Noodle 3 at 68 Mott St is the Chinatown branch of the Hong Kong-style Chinese restaurant. The operator lists this address separately from its other locations.

A Michelin-starred chef's counter hidden behind a banchan shop in Long Island City, Meju is one of New York's most focused Korean tasting menu experiences. Chef Hooni Kim's decade-long fermentation program, doenjang, gochujang, ganjang, drives a menu that punches well above its unassuming setting. Book it for a special occasion; just know it is one of the harder reservations in the city.

At Mitsuru, reserve the eight-seat counter for chef Mitsuru Tamura’s sushi-only or full omakase. The West Village dining room offers à la carte nigiri, hand rolls and small plates; book the format you want.

Penny is a restaurant on East 10th Street in New York City's East Village.

Pierogi Boys is worth booking when the brief is casual Polish comfort food with a modern Ridgewood edge, not a formal tasting-menu night. At about $25 per person, it is a strong value play for pierogi, drinks, and group-friendly sharing, with casual dress and walk-in-friendly access keeping the planning easy.

Ramen Ishida appears in 2026 New York Magazine The 43 Best Restaurants in New York.

Should you book Sandro's Restaurant? Yes for an easy Upper East Side dinner with credible recognition and a low-friction feel. It suits couples, small groups, and neighborhood plans better than diners looking for a high-drama special-occasion production.

Santi is a Michelin-selected Italian contemporary restaurant on East 53rd Street in Midtown Manhattan, operating at the $$$$ price tier. It delivers ingredient-forward cooking with the address and recognition to justify a business dinner or special occasion. Book three to four weeks out minimum: this is a reservation-required room.

Semma is a South Indian restaurant in New York City's Greenwich Village.

Smithereens is the most wine-serious seafood restaurant in the East Village right now, earning a Star Wine List White Star and a Resy 2025 Hit List nod within months of opening. Chef Nicholas Tamburo's tight menu champions undersung fish, mackerel, bluefish, whiting, at $$$, with sommelier Nikita Malhotra's bright, high-energy white-wine list built to match. Book two to three weeks ahead.

Sushi Sho is a restaurant on East 41st Street in New York City.

Ranked #37 on OAD Cheap Eats in North America for 2025, Taqueria Ramirez in Greenpoint delivers chef-driven Mexican cooking at taqueria prices. The room is small and loud, booking is easy with a few days' notice, and a return visit in a different season is likely to show you a meaningfully different menu.

Taverna Kyclades in Astoria is the strongest $$ Greek seafood option in New York City, recognised by New York Magazine's 2025 best restaurants list and rated 4.6 across nearly 5,000 reviews. Come at lunch for a calmer room at the same price, order the cold trio and the mullets, and book ahead on weekends. The N/W train from Midtown takes around 30 minutes.

Thai Diner on Mott Street is the strongest all-day Thai option in Manhattan at the $$ tier: two consecutive Michelin Bib Gourmand awards and an OAD Casual North America ranking of #8 in 2025 back up the reputation. Chefs Ann Redding and Matt Danzer run a menu that covers Thai classics and Thai-American hybrids with equal confidence.

The Grill is a Michelin-selected American chophouse inside the landmark Seagram Building, run by Major Food Group with tableside-carved prime rib and a 22,800-bottle wine list. Book four to six weeks out for prime dinner slots; the bar after 9 PM is your best walk-in option. Named to New York Magazine's Best Restaurants list in 2025, it is one of the few $$$$ addresses where the room, service, and food all justify the spend.

The Modern is a contemporary American restaurant at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.

Torrisi is a restaurant on Mulberry Street in New York City.

Uncle Ray's Chicken Rice serves one dish: Singaporean chicken rice with a recipe that traces back to Chatterbox, the hawker stall that made the format famous in 1970s Singapore. The chicken is poached until silky, the rice absorbs chicken broth and ginger until each grain swells with flavor, and the price sits under $15. Counter service, no reservations, and daytime hours only.

Named among New York Magazine's 43 best restaurants in New York for 2025, Zimmi's at 72 Bedford Street delivers editorial-grade credibility in a West Village setting that suits date nights and low-key celebrations. Booking is easy relative to the city's tasting-menu circuit, and the intimate room works best for two to four guests. A practical alternative to the $$$$ format if you want recognised quality without the full ceremony.