New York Restaurant Guides

Pizza, Bagels, Steak, Food Trucks and More

New York Restaurant Guides cover the almost 19,000 restaurants in NYC… you can eat at different one every day for 52 years and that number doesn’t even include our food trucks, some of which have more customers than restaurants! So how do you choose where to eat in NYC and where do you find the best discounts?

New York Restaurant Guides

Restaurant Week New York City

Read more on Restaurant Week New York City.

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Dine and Tour Together!

What better way to explore NYC and eat our city’s best of the best than with a foodie tour? Pizza, chocolate, chinese, beer..there are dozen’s of specialty tours that will help you learn about a neighborhood while sampling the food!

There is no shortage of pizza, bagels, street vendors, cupcakes, craft beer and cocktails, rooftops and mini food parks to explore and so many more food choices in the five boroughs, along with wonderful guides who can't wait to show you them all!!!!

Where Should I Eat in New York City?

It is near impossible to answer this question, as if we could choose just one restaurant. It all depends on your taste, budget, group and location. There is something delicious to eat on every block of Manhattan.

I’ve done my best to organize these New York Restaurant Guides by neighborhood and highlighted the most “Kid Friendly” choices. At the very bottom of this page are additional New York Restaurant Guides and reservation tips.

Please promise me one thing – you won’t eat at a restaurant you have at home, especially a chain! There are too many wonderful and delicious restaurants for you to even bother with a place at which you’ve already eaten.

Best NYC Restaurants by Neighborhood

NYC Insider Printable Guides

"The guides are exactly what we were looking for to help us navigate NYC and the highlights of each area.
THANK YOU for taking the time to put this together."

 

"Amazing, Melissa. This is my second copy! Congratulations for this always excellent guide. I have been living in this area for 18 years, but I still leave the guide as a treat when people come to visit me by their bed. So comprehensive!"

 

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Restaurant Guides by Neighborhood

Restaurant Guides by Type

New!!! How to Save on NYC Restaurants and Food

Best New York Restaurants for Kids

Children are welcome at almost any establishment serving food in NYC. Families are always welcome at any pizza parlor, cafe, delicatessen, diner, chinese or italian restaurant and most of them have food that appeals to kids.

Some local chains you will see often are Shake Shack (burgers), Ollie’s Noodles (Asian), Jackson Hole (burgers), SaraBeths (American).

Here is a list of unique to New York Restaurants (not those ‘everywhere’ chains!) that really cater to children and families and that kids just love!

• Max Brenners – (Union Square) Imagine if the Willy Wonka Chocolate Factory had a cafe in it’s lobby…try the King Of Chocolate’s Crispy Mac & Cheese and learn all about the "The Legend of the King of Chocolate"
• S’MAC Sarita’s Macaroni & Cheese – All about Mac and Cheese. Casual, great for kids and students. (345 East 12th, 1st /2nd Aves)
• Puglia’s – Little Italy, great Italian with live singing
• Cowgirls Hall of Fame (519 Hudson at 10th St) – Western theme with a general store and things for kids to do.
• Sugar Factory – Meatpacking District (photo)
• Serendipity (225 E 60th b/w 2nd and 3rd Aves) – best known for their Frozen Hot Chocolate
• Jekyll and Hide – 4 restaurants around the city. Haunted House, spooky, scary and really fun! The Jekyll and Hide Club (58th and 6th Ave) is 4 full floors of full on kid fun!
• Ellen’s Stardust Diner – what do aspiring Broadway stars do when in between Tony awards? They serve you retro food at Ellen’s and perform mini shows all the time while they do.

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Midtown East, New York Restaurant Guides

• Tao (58th b/w Park and Mad) – Asian hot spot with a 16 ft Buddha, gorgeous decor and lots of fun. You may have seen it on a Sex and the City episode.
• Rosa Mexicano (58th & 1st)- Mexican, fresh guacamole prepared tableside and great Margaritas. A few in the City now, but this is the original.
• PJ Clarke’s (55th and 3rd)- good, old-fashioned burgers, very casual, old NYC institution
• Osteria Serafina (58th b/w Park and Mad)- northern italian, beautiful garden at their Grill location (61st b/w Mad and Park).
• Daniel – many lifelong NYers vote it the best meal they have ever had

Restaurants Near Grand Central Station

Right in Grand Central Terminal, you have Cipriani – Dolci, by the same Cipriani’s of the famous Harry’s Bar in Venice, Grand Central Oyster Bar and The Campbell Apartment, formerly the private office and salon of 1920’s tycoon, John W. Campbell, recently converted into a restaurant.

A few blocks away is El Rio Grande, a large and fun Mexican restaurant with great margaritas and Capital Grille in the Chrysler Building (steak). While the atmosphere around GCT is all business, a bit further away (less than 10 blocks), check out more of my Midtown East Recommendations. These are a 10 minute walk from your hotel, but in a more residential neighborhood, so the atmosphere is quainter, restaurants smaller and, occasionally, less expensive. Two great rooftops in the area to grab a cocktail are in the Library Hotel and the Roosevelt Hotel.

Upper East Side, Restaurant Guides

• Papaya King (86th @ 3rd Ave) – grab a hot dog at the famous NYC institution. There are a few things always guaranteed to stir up an age-old NYC argument – if you want to see the locals riot, just ask them: best pizza, neighborhood borders, Yankees vs Mets and Papaya King vs Gray’s Papaya. Carrie Bradshaw preferred Gray’s while Cosmo Kramer & Julia Child preferred Papaya King. Judge for yourself. Judge for yourself.
• Uva Wine Bar (1486 2nd Ave, 77th St) – small, quaint, good tapas – consistently rave reviews from New Yorkers since 2005.
• Sfoglia (1402 Lex @ 92nd St) – authentic "to-die-for" italian with homeade pastas, amazing bolognese and right across the street from the 92nd Street Y.
• Café Boulud (20 76th, Madison Ave) – sister restaurant to top-rated French, Daniel (65th & Mad). Less expensive, but not cheap. Jackets recommended for men.
• Jones Wood Foundry – gastropub British taproom, with scottish eggs, indoor & outdoor dining, fish & chips, bangers & mash. Also very kid friendly before "bar hours".
• B. Café (240 E 75th, 2nd/3rd Ave) – Belgian bistro with great mussels, fries and beer, outdoor garden in summer.
• Serendipity (225 E 60th b/w 2nd and 3rd Aves) – Kid Friendly! Best known for their Frozen Hot Chocolate
• Bar Italia – cute little cafe, wine bar about 10 minutes from the Met (SW corner of 77th and 2nd Ave)

Union Square/Gramercy/Flatiron, New York Restaurant Guides

• Casa Mono (Mario Batali)
• Union Square Cafe
• Gotham Bar and Grill (possibly closed…stay tuned)
• Basta Pasta (one of the most “hidden” restaurants in the city, not a scene, but the food is amazing and very interesting and delicious. Italian made by sushi chefs.)
• Punch Restaurant and Wined Up Wine Bar
• Boqueria (tapas)
• Haru Sushi – Gramercy Park
• Craftbar
• Gramercy Tavern
• A Voce Madison

East Village, New York Restaurant Guides

• Local 92 -92 2nd Avenue

Greenwich Village Restaurant guide

• Pommes Frites – grab and go Belgian Fries, served in paper cones, with a choice of 30 sauces. Soooo good – easy, fast, cheap! 128 Macdougal St.
• Blue Ribbon Brasserie (Sullivan b/w Spring and Prince) – excellent, high end comfort food. A local favorite of the City’s chefs after they close their own retaurants. Great for late-night dining. Must like the menu as-is and definitely make a reservation.
• Tomoe Sushi (172 Thompson St) – long lines, but some of the best and reasonbly priced sushi in NYC.
• Minetta Tavern (West Village) – often lauded as the best burger in the city. But, it’s not a burger joint, more like a bistro. MT started as a speakeasy in the 1920s and over the years has seen all kinds of celebs, authors, fashion designers and other legends.

Chinatown Restaurant Guide

• Peking Duck House (22 Mott St, Mosco/Pell St) – one of the area’s “nicer” restaurants and the Peking Duck, of course, is great.
• Chinatown Ice Cream Factory (65 Bayard St) – exotic flavors such as zen butter, lychee and Chinese almond cookie.
• Wo Hop (17 Mott St, Mosco & Chatham Sq) – old school Cantonese, cheap, a favorite of NYPD and FDNY, as well as anyone hungry at 4am. Wo Hop is a NYC institution. PS – you want to eat downstairs, trust me!
• Dim Sum Go Go (5 E Broadway) – fresh, made-to-order Dim Sum
• Golden Unicorn (18 E Broadway) – Dim Sum served cart-style
• Nom Wah Tea Parlor (13 Doyers St) – classic, old-school for pastries (known for their mooncakes), steamed buns, dim sum and tea. Movies and TV shows filmed here include Reversal of Fortune, Premium Rush, All Good Things and Law and Order.
• Joe’s Shanghai (46 Bowery) – legendary for their soup dumplings and dim sum, almost always a line out the door. Previously located on Pell Street and they also have a location in Flushing, Queens. ANY chinese restaurant that lasts in Flushing is pure gold – you have to be the BEST to make it there.
• Tasty Hand-Pulled Noodles Inc (1 Doyers St) – with at least 10 kinds of noodles, dumplings and seafood, pork and veggie soups, Tasty Noodles is affordable stuff-your-face comfort food at it’s best.
• Pho Grand (277C Grand St), Vietnamese, Pho is noodle soup made with rice noodles and thinly sliced rare beef.
• Fried Dumpling – 106 Mosco St, 5 Dumplings for $1.00

West Village, New York Restaurant Guides

• Extra Virgin – especially for brunch
• Blue Ribbon Downing Street Bar
• Snack Taverna (Greek)
• Perry Street – a Jean-Georges restaurant,
• Del Posto (Mario Batali) – UN BELIEVABLE! Worth every penny, very fine dining without stuffiness. Perfect for a special occasion. 10th Ave at 16th St.
• Crispo (14th and 8th Ave). Great Italian food and decor, hidden gem. Definitely try the Spagetti Carbonara, perfectly al dente with the egg on top.
• El Faro – spanish
• Morandi
• Cowgirls Hall of Fame (519 Hudson at 10th St) – Western theme with a general store. Kid Friendly!

MeatPacking District, New York Restaurant Guides

• STK – NYC – Meatpacking – Steak
• Revel (fish) – cutest outdoor garden with lights
• Plunge, the rooftop bar at the Gansevoort Hotel
• Standard Hotel – restaurant and outdoor bar

Central Park (South and West), Lincoln Center

New York Restaurant Guides

• SaraBeths
• Mickey Mantle- Kid Friendly!
• Bar Boulud – (64th and Bway)
• Blue Ribbon Sushi Bar & Grill
• Plaza or Ritz Carlton Bars – for drinks
• Isabella’s
• Ernies
• Jekyll and Hide – 4 restaurants around the city. Haunted House, spooky, scary and really fun! The Jekyll and Hide Club (58th and 6th Ave) is 4 full floors of full on kid fun!

Midtown West, Times Square, Hells Kitchen, New York Restaurant Guides

• Molyvos, (7th Ave 55th and 56th) – excellent Greek, small plates, near Central Park
• Meskerem – Ethiopian
• Le Bernardin – French
• Del Frisco’s Grille – Steak
• Have a cocktail while sitting outside, people watching at Cognac (55th and Broadway) – same owners as Serafina.

More New York Restaurant Guides

• Open Table – free online restaurant reservations and New York Restaurant Guides. Choose by neighborhood and cuisine, read reviews, interactive map.
• Zagats – the bible of restaurants, long before the internet was invented
• MenuPages – online menus for almost every NY restaurant, check the food and prices before you go, then make your reservation at Open Table.
• ChowHound – a discussion board with all true “foodies,” people really passionate about eating and drinking, especially in NYC.
• Service Tips are not included in checks – please tip your servers at least 15-20% (just double the first number of your check total, or first two if it’s over $100)
• Dress accordingly – to be a real NYC Insider, you must look the part. There are a ton of affordable, nice, comfortable clothes and shoes. Wear them the whole time you’re here so you don’t stand out like a tourist – especially if you are trying to get into a nice restaurant.
• Eat at the Bar – if you’re traveling alone or as a couple, this is one of the best ways to eat. You can get all the inside scoop on the restaurant or neighborhood. I always find the service better from bartenders than waiters/waitresses, except in very high end restaurants, since they are always right in front of you. Bars are a highlight of most NYC restaurants and they are there to serve you food as well as drinks.

Explore and Indulge Like a Real NYC Foodie

There is no shortage of pizza, bagels, street vendors, cupcakes, craft beer and cocktails, rooftops and mini food parks to explore and so many more food choices in the five boroughs, along with wonderful guides who can't wait to show you them all!!!!

NYC Restaurant Guides

• New York Restaurant Guides
• Kosher Restaurants
• Vegetarian, Vegan and Gluten Free
• How to Save on NYC Restaurants
• New York Restaurant Week
• Thanksgiving Dinner in NYC

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