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eater's 38 essential NYC restaurants

1. Oriental Garden 福臨門海鮮酒家

14 Elizabeth St (btwn Bayard & Canal St), New York, NY
Dim Sum Restaurant · Chinatown · 88 tips and reviews

EaterEater: This unfussy Chinese restaurant serves terrific awesome seafood dishes as well as surprisingly delicate dim sum. The scene can be hectic, especially during the weekend lunch rush. [Eater 38 Member]

2. Tamarind Tribeca

9.0
99 Hudson St (at Franklin St), New York, NY
Indian Restaurant · Tribeca · 157 tips and reviews

EaterEater: Head to this Michelin-starred Tribeca restaurant to sample dishes from all across India, in a comfortable, and ever-so-slightly elegant setting. [Eater 38 Member]

3. Rubirosa

9.2
235 Mulberry St (btwn Prince & Spring St), New York, NY
Italian Restaurant · NoLita · 842 tips and reviews

EaterEater: This lively restaurant is one of your best bets for classic red-sauce cuisine in New York City. Make sure to try one of the homemade pastas, and one of the ultra thin-crust pizzas. [Eater 38 Member]

4. Parm

8.6
248 Mulberry St (btwn Prince & Spring St), New York, NY
Italian Restaurant · NoLita · 493 tips and reviews

EaterEater: The chicken parm, Italian combo, and Saratoga club are all strong choices, and you're going to want an order of the calamari and the Buffalo cucumbers too. [Eater 38 Member]

Balthazar is one of eater's 38 essential NYC restaurants.

5. Balthazar

9.0
80 Spring St (at Crosby St), New York, NY
French Restaurant · SoHo · 1057 tips and reviews
The Dutch is one of eater's 38 essential NYC restaurants.

6. The Dutch

8.5
131 Sullivan St (at Prince St), New York, NY
New American Restaurant · SoHo · 458 tips and reviews

7. Peasant

8.7
194 Elizabeth St (btwn Prince St & Spring St), New York, NY
Italian Restaurant · NoLita · 172 tips and reviews

EaterEater: The wood-fired lamb and the gnocchi with morels are perennial favorites. Note: Peasant is best enjoyed in the fall and winter months. [Eater 38 Member]

8. Ushiwakamaru

136 W Houston St (btwn Sullivan & MacDougal St), New York, NY
Sushi Restaurant · Greenwich Village · 71 tips and reviews

EaterEater: Hideo Kuribara's Houston Street restaurant is a favorite among chefs and sushi purists, and, thankfully, it's moderately priced by New York sushi standards. [Eater 38 Member]

9. Charlie Bird

8.8
5 King St (at 6th Ave), New York, NY
Italian Restaurant · SoHo · 187 tips and reviews

EaterEater: Owner Robert Bohr, sommelier Grant Reynolds, and the rest of the team will make you feel like you're the guest of honor at a very hip party. [Eater 38 Member]

10. Perla Cafe

234 W 4th St (West 10th st), New York, NY
Italian Restaurant · West Village · 154 tips and reviews

EaterEater: Perla is the year-old Italian restaurant from young gun chef Michael Toscano and restaurateur Gabe Stulman. Toscano has a knack for cooking pasta dishes and monster pieces of meat.

11. Momofuku Ssäm Bar

207 2nd Ave (at E 13th St), New York, NY
Asian Restaurant · East Village · 523 tips and reviews

EaterEater: The team recently introduced a brunch menu. Classics like the apples with kimchi, spicy pork sausage with rice cakes, pork buns, and bo ssam are still available. [Eater 38 Member]

12. Alder

157 2nd Ave (btwn 9th & 10th St), New York, NY
New American Restaurant · East Village · 155 tips and reviews

EaterEater: Wylie Dufresne serves inventive food that's easy to enjoy. The New England clam chowder, rye pasta, and pigs in a blanket are already on their way to becoming Wylie classics. [Eater 38 Member]

13. The Spotted Pig

314 W 11th St (at Greenwich St), New York, NY
Gastropub · West Village · 838 tips and reviews

EaterEater: Chef April Bloomfield holds her own and then some at New York's top gastropub. Arguably the best restaurant burger in New York is served here, and the gnudi needs no introduction. [Eater 38 Member] Read more.

14. ABC Kitchen

9.2
35 E 18th St (btwn Broadway & Park Ave S), New York, NY
New American Restaurant · Flatiron District · 720 tips and reviews

EaterEater: ABC Kitchen serves some of the city's best salads, as well as great pizzas and a fancy cheeseburger. And save room for the popcorn-topped ice cream sundae for dessert. [Eater 38 Member]

Gramercy Tavern is one of eater's 38 essential NYC restaurants.

15. Gramercy Tavern

9.4
42 E 20th St (btwn Broadway & Park Ave), New York, NY
American Restaurant · Flatiron District · 446 tips and reviews

16. The Cannibal Beer & Butcher

113 E 29th St (btwn Park & Lexington Ave), New York, NY
New American Restaurant · Rose Hill · 200 tips and reviews

EaterEater: The menu from Momofuku alum Francis Derby includes steaks, tandoori lamb belly, slow-roasted pig head, and all manner of sausages and charcuterie items. [Eater 38 Member]

17. Hanjan

36 W 26th St (btwn Broadway & 6th Ave), New York, NY
Korean Restaurant · NoMad · 127 tips and reviews

EaterEater: Head to Hooni Kim's stylish Flatiron Korean restaurant for fresh killed-chicken skewers, braised pig trotters with kimchi, and fluffy scallion pancakes filled with squid. [Eater 38 Member]

18. El Quinto Pino

401 W 24th St (at 9th Ave), New York, NY
Wine Bar · Chelsea · 112 tips and reviews

EaterEater: Eder Montero and Alex Raj recently expanded their Basque tapas parlor. All of the tapas are worth trying, but make sure to order the uni panini, fideua, and braised tongue. [Eater 38 Member]

19. Szechuan Gourmet

21 W 39th St (btwn 5th and 6th Ave), New York, NY
Chinese Restaurant · Garment District · 173 tips and reviews

EaterEater: Skip all the Chinese-American dishes and order straight from the Sichuan section of the menu. The dining room is way nicer than it needs to be. [Eater 38 Member]

20. Keens Steakhouse

9.1
72 W 36th St (btwn 5th & 6th Ave), New York, NY
Steakhouse · Koreatown · 484 tips and reviews

EaterEater: Get a mutton chop with a side of history at this century old steakhouse that offers delicious food, perfect cocktails, & a killer ambiance. Those on a budget can hit up the bar room. [Eater 38 Member]

21. Betony

41 W 57th St, New York, NY
American Restaurant · Midtown East · 88 tips and reviews

EaterEater: Serving elegant, accessible Modern American cuisine. The service is warm and attentive. Stop in for a drink and some snacks at the bar, or settle in for a full-on fine dining feast. [Eater 38 Member]

Amali is one of eater's 38 essential NYC restaurants.

22. Amali

8.3
115 E 60th St (Park Ave), New York, NY
Mediterranean Restaurant · Upper East Side · 70 tips and reviews

23. Donguri Restaurant

309 E 83rd St Frnt 2 (btwn 1st & 2nd Ave), New York, NY
Japanese Restaurant · Yorkville · 28 tips and reviews

EaterEater: The lobster miso soup is a must-try dish. [Eater 38 Member]

Bar Boulud is one of eater's 38 essential NYC restaurants.

24. Bar Boulud

7.3
1900 Broadway (btwn 63rd & 64th St), New York, NY
French Restaurant · Lincoln Square · 186 tips and reviews

25. Red Rooster Harlem

8.7
310 Malcolm X Blvd (btwn W 125th & W 126th St), New York, NY
Southern Food Restaurant · 552 tips and reviews

EaterEater: Marcus Samuelsson's hotly anticipated Harlem global soul food joint is luring the food lovers and critics from across the city uptown. It's totally worth the trip. [Eater 38 Member] Read more.

26. Phayul

8.8
3765 74th St Fl 2, Jackson Heights, NY
Tibetan Restaurant · 72 tips and reviews

EaterEater: There’s blood sausage, meaty curries, the ragged noodles called thenthuk, and don’t miss the wiggly mung-bean jelly laphing, carpeted with Sichuan peppercorns. [Eater 38 Member]

27. Gregory's 26 Corner Taverna

8.1
26-02 23rd Ave (at 26 st), Astoria, NY
Greek Restaurant · 47 tips and reviews

EaterEater: Offering plates of zucchini fritters, fried salt-cod with garlicky skordalia, and fresh fish brought right to the restaurant by Long Island fishermen who are friends of the owner. [Eater 38 Member]

28. Pondok Jakarta

86-20 Whitney Ave, Elmhurst, NY
Indonesian Restaurant · 7 tips and reviews

EaterEater: A riotous mix of fried chicken served with fiery sambals and a boiled egg; salads featuring tofu, peanut sauce, sprouts, and the compressed cylinders of rice starch called lontong. [Eater 38 Member]

29. M. Wells Dinette

22-25 Jackson Ave (inside PS1), Queens, NY
Diner · Hunters Point · 66 tips and reviews

EaterEater: You can depend on this Motrealithic café to turn out food stunningly beautiful and stunningly delicious, with colorful flourishes worthy of a Mondrian or Kandinsky. [Eater 38 Member]

30. Glasserie

8.6
95 Commercial St (btwn Manhattan Ave & Box St), Brooklyn, NY
Mediterranean Restaurant · Greenpoint · 145 tips and reviews

EaterEater: Head to this airy restaurant to sample the exciting Mediterranean fare from Brooklyn's Sara Kramer. Standout dishes include the rabbit, the bulgur croquettes, and the flaky bread. [Eater 38 Member]

31. Reynard

80 Wythe Ave (N 11th St), Brooklyn, NY
American Restaurant · Williamsburg · 160 tips and reviews

EaterEater: A good choice for a casual bite, a celebratory feast, and everything in between. Reynard is hip without being exclusive, and everyone in your party will love the rustic fare. [Eater 38 Member]

St. Anselm is one of eater's 38 essential NYC restaurants.

32. St. Anselm

9.1
355 Metropolitan Ave (btwn Havemeyer & Roebling St), Brooklyn, NY
American Restaurant · Williamsburg · 317 tips and reviews
Roberta's Pizza is one of eater's 38 essential NYC restaurants.

33. Roberta's Pizza

9.3
261 Moore St (at Bogart St), Brooklyn, NY
Pizzeria · East Williamsburg · 864 tips and reviews

34. Mile End Delicatessen

8.9
97A Hoyt St (btwn Atlantic Ave & Pacific St), Brooklyn, NY
Sandwich Spot · Boerum Hill · 314 tips and reviews

EaterEater: Noah and Rae Bernamoff offer a fresh take on delicatessen fare at this tiny Boerum Hill restaurant. [Eater 38 Member]

35. Littleneck

288 3rd Ave (btwn President & Carroll St), Brooklyn, NY
Seafood Restaurant · Gowanus · 141 tips and reviews

EaterEater: Now that the restaurant has a full liquor license, this is a solid choice for after work drinks and oysters, or a burger and cocktail at the bar. [Eater 38 Member]

36. Talde

369 7th Ave (at 11th St), Brooklyn, NY
Asian Restaurant · South Slope · 269 tips and reviews

EaterEater: Dale Talde breathes new life into the pan-Asian genre at this unabashedly fun Park Slope restaurant. Head here with a few friends and try a lot of things to share. [Eater 38 Member]

Totonno's Pizzeria Napolitano is one of eater's 38 essential NYC restaurants.

37. Totonno's Pizzeria Napolitano

8.0
1524 Neptune Ave (W 15th & W 16th St.), Brooklyn, NY
Pizzeria · Coney Island · 108 tips and reviews

38. Thirty Acres

500 Jersey Ave (at Wayne St), Jersey City, NJ
American Restaurant · Van Vorst Park · 71 tips and reviews

EaterEater: Kevin and Alex Pemoulie are serving inventive and all-around delicious New American food in Jersey City right now. If you hop on the Path Train, you're guaranteed to be charmed. [Eater 38 Member]