The Top 100 Places to Eat and Drink Near The Esters
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Rank 2. Chrissy's Pizza
NY-Style Pizza
- The Infatuation 2025 · #5 · NYC’s Best New Restaurants
- The New York Times The 25 Best Pizza Places in New York Right Now
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Rank 3. Gage & Tollner
Steakhouse
A Brooklyn steakhouse from 1892 glows with vintage mirrors and brass chandeliers, its no-nonsense cocktail list and amber-lit dining room instantly charming. The kitchen honors Edna Lewis's Southern legacy through seafood towers, crab cakes, and fried chicken that justify the historical setting with genuine substance.
- World's 101 Best #84 · World's Best Steak Restaurants
- Esquire 2023 · Turf Club · The Best Martinis in America
- Spirited Awards 2026 · Regional Top 10 Honoree · Best U.S. Restaurant Bar – U.S. East
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Rank 4. Maison Sun
French/Asian
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- US Coffee Championships 2025 · #1 · U.S. Latte Art Championship · Piyapat "Flook" Lapteerawut
- US Coffee Championships 2025 · #7 · U.S. Brewers Cup · Peace Sakulclanuwat
- US Coffee Championships 2025 · #7 · U.S. Coffee in Good Spirits Championship · John Chau Ly
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Rank 7. Xi'an Famous Foods
Xi'an-Style
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Rank 8. The River Café
Contemporary
Beneath the Brooklyn Bridge's shadow, this landmark trades intimacy for theater—jacket required, tables angled toward the Manhattan skyline. The prix fixe menu moves through precisely executed dishes: blue shrimp atop corn hominy, Dover sole in Burgundy truffle sauce, a soufflé that arrives warm and quivering. Formal service that doesn't feel starch, old money without the stuffiness.
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Rank 10. The Sunken Harbor Club
Tropical Cocktail Bar
- VinePair 2024 · Bartender of the Year · The Next Wave Awards · Garret Richard
- Spirited Awards 2024 · Regional Honoree · Best U.S. Cocktail Bar – U.S. East
- Time Out #2 · The 30 best bars in NYC right now
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Rank 11. Inga’s Bar
American
Pressed tin ceiling and white brick glow under candlelight in this reborn tavern where regulars cluster at the bar and the kitchen moves between duck poutine croquettes and braised rabbit with lardon without pretense. The burger satisfies as readily as the trout, and blackout cake with lemon curd closes the night with casual grace. A neighborhood place that knows what it is.
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- Grub Street 2026 · The 40 Best Restaurants for Kids (and Parents!)
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Rank 12. Al Badawi
Palestinian Middle Eastern
Plastic flowers cascade across the front and interior of this Palestinian spot on Atlantic Avenue, a visual announcement of the bold, abundant cooking within. Enormous mezze platters arrive with hot saj bread from the domed oven by the door, though the kitchen's finest moment may be its plainest: thin flatbread topped with melted cheese and ground pistachios.
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- Grub Street 2025 · The 43 Best Restaurants in New York
- Eater 2026 · The 38 Best Restaurants in New York City
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Rank 13. % Arabica
Japanese
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Rank 14. Shelsky's of Brooklyn
NY-Style
- BagelUp #11 · The Definitive 30 Best Bagel Shops in New York City
- The Infatuation #9 · The 19 Best Bagels In NYC, Ranked
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Rank 15. Sunn’s
Korean
At Sunn's, Chef Sunny Lee elevates banchan from supporting cast to main event, producing six daily small plates that bend Korean tradition toward France and Italy in a kitchen barely larger than a closet. Crushed olives tangle with eggplant namul; hot mustard stands in for Dijon—stubbornly original gestures in a room that refuses to apologize for its ambitions.
- Food & Wine 2025 · Sunn’s Salad · Best Dishes Our Editors Ate This Year
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Emerging Chef · Sunny Lee
- Esquire 2025 · The Best New Restaurants in America
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Rank 16. Sailor
Seafood
Lines snake around this Fort Greene corner for Bloomfield's seasonal cooking that makes simplicity look inevitable: eggs with celery salt and mayo, a Caesar salad, roast chicken. Lunch brings a spring onion and goat gouda quiche and fries that justify the wait. Light falls through the skylight onto a bistro settling into its role as neighborhood anchor.
- Esquire 2024 · The Best New Restaurants in America
- Eater 2024 · The Best New Restaurants in America
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
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Rank 17. Russ & Daughters
Jewish
- BagelUp #4 · The Definitive 30 Best Bagel Shops in New York City
- The New York Times The 16 Best Bagels in New York City Right Now
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Rank 18. Corima
Mexican
Chef Fidel Caballero's cooking on Allen Street charts an uncompromising path through Mexican tradition, whether from the kitchen counter or the boisterous dining room. Sourdough tortillas made with Sonoran wheat and chicken fat arrive with recado negro butter—a detail that suggests the ambition threading through every plate.
- Michelin Guide 1 Star
- 50 Best 2025 · #36 · North America's 50 Best Restaurants
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Nominee · Best Chef: New York State · Fidel Caballero
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Rank 19. Bánh by Lauren
Vietnamese-French Bakery
- The New York Times 22 of the Best Bakeries Across the U.S. Right Now
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Bakery
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Rank 20. Miss Ada
Middle Eastern
A Fort Greene mainstay where whipped ricotta with brown butter and lamb-topped hummus emerge from a shockingly small kitchen. The backyard garden fills nightly despite scarce reservations, though the bar welcomes walk-ins for charred skewers and market salads meant for sharing.
- Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand
- Vogue 2026 · The 25 Best Restaurants in Brooklyn, According to Vogue Staff
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Rank 21. Saga
New American
A dining room suspended above the city, wrapped in peach velvet and green marble, opens onto a terrace for aperitifs before the meal proper. Hokkaido scallops arrive with shaved fennel and vadouvan butter; Australian lamb carries spiced jus and frothed herbs. The closing ritual—a Moroccan tea service with small sweets—feels less like dessert than benediction.
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Rank 23. Theodora
Mediterranean Seafood
Wood smoke hangs thick in this Fort Greene dining room where Tomer Blechman applies Mediterranean sensibilities to seafood aged and charred over open flame. The dry-aged black cod arrives with miso beurre blanc and grilled vegetables; a pita comes topped with monkfish liver 'nduja. The restaurant hums with purpose, built entirely around what fire can do to fish.
- VinePair 2024 · Food & Beverage Program of the Year · The Next Wave Awards
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- Time Out 2026 · The 45 best restaurants in NYC right now
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Rank 25. Bark Barbecue
Central Texas-Style Barbecue
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Rank 26. Roman's
Italian
At Roman's, bare wood tables catch the light of low candles while the marble bar behind becomes a shrine to aperitif knowledge and seasonal Italian cooking. The menu shifts with the calendar, but each dish arrives as though it were the only thing you came for.
- Roadbook The Best Restaurants in New York City
- The New York Times 2026 · #53 · The 100 Best Restaurants in New York City
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- VinePair 2024 · Industry Icon of the Year · The Next Wave Awards
- Spirited Awards 2024 · Regional Honoree · Best U.S. Bar Team – U.S. East
- Time Out #8 · The 30 best bars in NYC right now
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- VinePair 2023 · Industry Icon of the Year · The Next Wave Awards
- Spirited Awards 2026 · Regional Top 10 Honoree · Best U.S. Bar Team – U.S. East
- Time Out #11 · The 30 best bars in NYC right now
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Rank 29. Leyenda
Mexican
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Rank 30. Aska
Scandinavian, Tasting
In a dark South Williamsburg room, Fredrik Berselius executes Nordic cooking with precision and intimacy—dry-aged quail with morels and truffle jus, langoustine with gooseberry, hake crowned in beluga and beer cream. The kitchen presents each course, the chef himself circulating, all of it built on local, seasonal sourcing that feels deliberate rather than decorative.
- Michelin Guide 2 Stars
- 50 Best 2025 · #24 · North America's 50 Best Restaurants
- The New York Times 2026 · #16 · The 100 Best Restaurants in New York City
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A few steps from Fort Greene Park, this bistro wraps you in tropical warmth while its kitchen moves fluidly between northern and southern Thai traditions with ingredient-driven precision. The gui chai arrives crackling and golden; the braised short ribs, caramelized and yielding, taste like they've been waiting for you.
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- US Coffee Championships 2025 · #1 · U.S. Latte Art Championship · Piyapat "Flook" Lapteerawut
- US Coffee Championships 2025 · #7 · U.S. Brewers Cup · Peace Sakulclanuwat
- US Coffee Championships 2025 · #7 · U.S. Coffee in Good Spirits Championship · John Chau Ly
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Rank 35. L'Appartement 4F
Parisian Bakery
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Rank 36. Golden Diner
Asian American, Diner
Golden Diner commits to the diner form—chrome, Formica, pancakes until close—but chef Sam Yoo treats the genre as a playground, folding a Reuben into a quesadilla and layering yuba into the Italian hero. The result is kitsch that works because it tastes good.
- Eater The Best Breakfasts in New York
- The New York Times 2026 · #39 · The 100 Best Restaurants in New York City
- Eater 2026 · The 38 Best Restaurants in New York City
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Rank 37. Los Burritos Juárez
Mexican
A Fort Greene counter turns out burritos in the El Paso style, built on house-made flour tortillas cooked to order with lard—soft, chewy, and warm. The fillings are slow-cooked guisados: pork in red chiles, brisket in salsa verde, bound together with pinto beans. A regional tradition, executed with quiet competence and available at breakfast until the supply runs out.
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- 50 Best 2025 · #46 · World's 50 Best Bars
- 50 Best 2026 · #33 · North America's 50 Best Bars
- Spirited Awards 2026 · Top 10 Nominee · Best U.S. Cocktail Bar
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Rank 39. Ernesto’s
Basque Spanish
Ernesto's pairs sleek midcentury-modern design with Basque cooking that transforms humble ingredients—tripe, squid, jamón—into silken, communal pleasures. The wine list mines small organic Spanish producers with the devotion of an archaeologist, matching the restaurant's electric, perpetually crowded dining room.
- USA Today 2024 · Restaurants of the Year
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- Eater 2026 · The 38 Best Restaurants in New York City
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A Montreal deli wedged into Boerum Hill where cured beef brisket arrives in towering, mustard-slicked piles on rye, with poutine variations and latkes that justify the pilgrimage. The counter and communal tables fill quickly; takeout from the sidewalk window lets you eat the thing at home.
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Rank 41. Wu's Wonton King
Cantonese Chinese
Wu's operates as a modern version of the traditional Cantonese coffee shop, its wonton soup and congee anchoring a menu that expands into stir-fries and whole fish with equal confidence. The Essex and East Broadway corner has become a gathering spot for group celebrations, where the BYOB policy and generous portions make it feel like an extension of someone's living room.
- Roadbook The Best Restaurants in New York City
- Grub Street 2026 · The 40 Best Restaurants for Kids (and Parents!)
- Eater The Best Lower East Side Restaurants
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Sam Mason, who cut his teeth at the fine-dining extremes of Wd~50, brings a restless imagination to ice cream—Thai iced tea one season, black pepper fig the next, each flavor arriving with the precision of plated dessert. The shop's expansion across the Northeast and beyond suggests that his mercurial approach to frozen cream has found an audience willing to follow.
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Rank 43. Bridges
New American
Sam Lawrence's spare, ambitious kitchen in a warm Chinatown room defies easy categorization, moving fluidly between cured fish, custard tarts, and savory cheesecake. The execution is precise, the service unhurried, and the whole enterprise carries the ease of a bistro with the rigor of a destination.
- Michelin Guide 1 Star
- Esquire 2025 · The Best New Restaurants in America
- The Infatuation #21 · The 25 Best Restaurants In NYC
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- VinePair 2023 · Bartender of the Year · The Next Wave Awards · Patty Dennison
- Time Out #15 · The 30 best bars in NYC right now
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Rank 46. Bien Cuit
French Bakery
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Rank 47. Cervo's
Iberian Seafood
A mosaic-tiled galley on Canal Street where Spanish and Portuguese seafood traditions collide at high volume. The kitchen doesn't shy from flavor: a pea shoot salad spiked with hazelnuts and cracked pepper, seabream with crisp skin and sweet peppers. Everyone sits close, nobody minds.
- Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand
- The Infatuation #24 · The 25 Best Restaurants In NYC
- Grub Street 2025 · The 43 Best Restaurants in New York
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Rank 48. Scarr’s Pizza
NY-Style Pizza
A narrow storefront on Orchard Street where flour ground in the basement becomes dough for both round and square pies sold by the slice. Scarr's elevated the slice shop—not through pretension, but through the kind of ingredient discipline that makes a line of people worthwhile.
- 50 Top Pizza 2025 · #13 · 50 Top Pizza Slice USA
- James Beard Awards 2024 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: New York State · Scarr Pimentel
- Roadbook The Best Restaurants in New York City
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The team behind Corima brings a casual downtown bar where cocktails lean Mexican—uni gin sours, sotol-based drinks, micheladas—and the kitchen keeps things grounded with a carne asada burger. It reads as a sister venue that trades fine dining's formality for the kind of place where you arrive for one drink and stay considerably longer.
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Rank 51. Lei
Wine Bar
On a narrow Chinatown street, Annie Shi has packed a wine bar so thoroughly that bottles climb the walls and diners spill into the alley. The kitchen, squeezed into every remaining crevice, sends out precise modern Chinese cooking—chilled celtuce with shallots, scallops with lily buds, hand-rolled noodles with braised lamb—that matches the ambition of a wine list that refuses to play it safe.
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Nominee · Best New Restaurant
- Esquire 2025 · The Best New Restaurants in America
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
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Rank 52. Mango Bay
Caribbean
A Fort Greene brownstone draped in island florals and anchored by leather banquettes serves Afro-Caribbean cooking that feels both ancestral and urgent—char-grilled octopus arrives over braised collards and burrata, oxtail braises alongside roasted carrots. The sides alone, mango chow and fried plantains, make you want to return with everyone you know.
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Rank 54. Saint Julivert
Seafood
A narrow room on Clinton Street yields outsized kitchen talent: tempura delicata squash with black garlic labneh, fried hamachi boudin with Thai chili mayo, tamarind-glazed pork over coconut spinach. The wine list champions small producers in concert with seafood-forward cooking that refuses the space's modest footprint.
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- 50 Best 2025 · #41 · World's 50 Best Bars
- 50 Best 2026 · #35 · North America's 50 Best Bars
- Spirited Awards 2026 · Top 10 Nominee · Best U.S. Cocktail Bar
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Rank 56. Julia Jean’s Ice Cream
Dessert
A modest storefront on the Lower East Side where Ayanna Quint conjures small-batch ice cream in flavors that range from cherry-vanilla to salted caramel. The banana splits arrive generous and unfussy, each scoop tasting like the thing itself rather than an approximation of it.
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Rank 57. Kono
Yakitori Japanese
A narrow room glows with the heat of the grill, where Chef Atsushi Kono moves through yakitori omakase with choreographed ease, his focus unwavering on chicken's lesser-known parts. The progression—from clarifying broth through charred skin, liver, gizzard, and offal—transforms what arrives as pedestrian poultry into something you'll reconsider forever.
- 50 Best 2025 · #23 · North America's 50 Best Restaurants
- Bon Appétit 2023 · America's Best New Restaurants
- James Beard Awards 2024 · Nominee · Best Chef: New York State · Atsushi Kono
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Rank 58. Yamada
Kaiseki Japanese
Chef Isao Yamada has distilled a lifetime of kaiseki into a sparse, intimate counter where each course unfolds a different technique: pristine sashimi, a clear broth studded with king crab, a rice course married to Maine lobster and foraged mushrooms. The room itself—pale wood, ikebana, a framed garden—recedes politely behind the food, letting the seasonality speak.
- Michelin Guide 1 Star
- The New York Times 2025 · Ajisai Wagashi · The 14 Best Restaurant Desserts We Ate Across the U.S.
- The New York Times 2026 · #2 · The 100 Best Restaurants in New York City
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Rank 59. La Vara
Spanish
The dining room hums with the ease of a Madrid kitchen transplanted to the Lower East Side. Alex Raij's cocina casera elevates pantry staples—grilled beans in romesco, slow-roasted suckling pig with chimichurri—through ingredient intelligence and a refusal to overthink. It's cooking that knows exactly what it wants to be.
- James Beard Awards 2023 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Chef · Rachel Miller
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- James Beard Awards 2022 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Chef · Alex Raij and Eder Montero
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Rank 60. Sofreh
Persian
In a serene Park Slope room of marble and black timber, chef-owner Nasim Alikhani cooks the Persian cuisine of her homeland with confident restraint. Roasted eggplant yielding to kashk and crispy onions, pomegranate-marinated ribeye kebab, lamb shank braised into submission—the colorful plates need no ornament here, only the clean walls to frame them.
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Hospitality
- James Beard Awards 2023 · Nominee · Best Chef: New York State · Nasim Alikhani
- James Beard Awards 2024 · Nominee · Best Chef: New York State · Nasim Alikhani
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Rank 61. Tolo
Chinese
Ron Yan's Chinatown spot pairs refined Chinese cooking—tender beef shank with herb salad, salt-and-pepper tofu, branzino in sweet-and-sour sauce—with an unexpectedly serious wine program and proper glassware. Tables overflow quickly in the modest room, but the energy feels earned.
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Rank 62. Ha's Snack Bar
Wine Bar
At Ha's, a sliver of a room on Broome Street where stools outnumber tables, the menu pivots nightly between French toast and Vietnamese gestures, untethered to anything but appetite. The eggs mayo—spiked with Maggi, studded with trout roe—suggests the kitchen knows something about restraint and flavor that most restaurants have forgotten.
- Bon Appétit 2025 · America's Best New Restaurants
- The New York Times 2025 · The Restaurant List
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: New York State · Sadie Mae Burns and Anthony Ha
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Rank 63. Pizza Secret
Neapolitan Pizza
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Rank 64. Atera
Contemporary
Counter dining at chef Ronny Emborg's spare, uncluttered room in Tribeca unfolds with quiet precision—shigoku oysters paired with kiwi and cucumber, halibut suspended in buttery shrimp bisque—while a spirited playlist keeps the intimate experience from settling into reverence. The menu travels globally through numerous delicate courses that balance restraint and abundance with equal finesse.
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An 82-story tower anchors Lower Manhattan's transformation, with floor-to-ceiling windows framing the Oculus and the harbor beyond. The neighborhood's rebirth unfolds around you—shopping, restaurants, and the lingering sense of a district reclaiming its place.
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Rank 67. Shota Omakase
Omakase Sushi
Chef Cheng Lin guides diners through impeccably sourced nigiri and seared fish with the ease of a friend, refreshing rice between each piece. His transparency about Japanese sourcing and technique elevates what could be rote into something genuinely intentional.
- Michelin Guide 1 Star
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: New York State · Cheng Lin
- Time Out 2026 · The 45 best restaurants in NYC right now
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Rank 68. Jungsik
Modern Korean
A dining room of studied restraint—dark wood, spare angles, downtown cool—frames Chef Yim Jung Sik's tasting menu, where Korean tradition splinters into something altogether new. Raw fish arrives beside kimchi and bone broth; octopus crisps under gochujang; each course unfolds with such precision and invention that you find yourself nodding involuntarily at the plate.
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Rank 69. Francie
Brasserie French
In a limestone-fronted South Williamsburg corner, exposed brick and widely spaced tables frame an open kitchen where the real theater unfolds. Conchiglie arrives glossy with clam sauce, bacon, and sesame breadcrumbs; roast duck is wheeled tableside whole before carving. This is brasserie cooking rendered with enough precision to justify the attention.
- Michelin Guide 1 Star
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: New York State · Chris Cipollone
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Rank 70. Malai Ice Cream
South Asian Dessert
A Cobble Hill scoop shop where eggless ice cream swirls with South Asian spice—masala chai, rose, Turkish coffee—arrives without fanfare or pretension. The flavors taste like someone's kitchen memory translated into cream, which is precisely the point.
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Rank 71. Golden Unicorn
Cantonese Chinese
- Eater 2026 · The Best Classic Restaurants in NYC
- Grub Street 2026 · The 40 Best Restaurants for Kids (and Parents!)
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Rank 72. Crown Shy
Contemporary
In the soaring Art Deco lobby of 70 Pine Street, Crown Shy harnesses the grandeur of its setting—marble floors, long bar, upbeat energy—without pretension. The kitchen executes with precision: Gruyère fritters, tomatoes and peaches with anchovy and peanuts, short rib with potato espuma. A place where technical skill serves straightforward pleasure.
- Michelin Guide 1 Star
- Spirited Awards 2024 · Top 10 Nominee · Best U.S. Restaurant Bar
- Spirited Awards 2026 · Regional Top 10 Honoree · Best U.S. Restaurant Bar – U.S. East
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- 50 Best 2025 · #72 · World's 50 Best Bars
- 50 Best 2026 · #37 · North America's 50 Best Bars
- Spirited Awards 2026 · Regional Top 10 Honoree · Best U.S. Bar Team – U.S. East
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Rank 75. Carne Mare
Italian Steakhouse
Andrew Carmellini's Italian steakhouse at Pier 17 wraps diners in Tuscan leather and Venetian mirrors overlooking the East River, while a horseshoe bar commands the ground floor with theatrical energy. The kitchen executes with equal care—lemon-bright arancini, gorgonzola-aged Wagyu, tableside salads—refusing the genre's typical shortcuts.
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Rank 76. Kesté Pizza&Vino
Italian
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Rank 77. Mắm
Vietnamese
On Forsyth Street, diners spill across sidewalk plastic tables into the street, the crush and clatter matching an unflinching kitchen that ferments shrimp paste dark as soil and grills offal with casual precision. Stuffed snails, frog sausage studded with crushed bone, quail eggs—this is Vietnamese food stripped of refinement, tasting exactly as it should.
- The Infatuation #5 · The 25 Best Restaurants In NYC
- Roadbook The Best Restaurants in New York City
- The New York Times 2026 · #26 · The 100 Best Restaurants in New York City
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Rank 78. Xi'an Famous Foods
Xi'an-Style
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Rank 80. La Marchande
Modern French
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Rank 81. Superbueno
Mexican-American
- 50 Best 2025 · #12 · World's 50 Best Bars
- 50 Best 2026 · #9 · North America's 50 Best Bars
- VinePair 2023 · Bar Program of the Year · The Next Wave Awards
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Rank 82. The Dead Rabbit
Irish Cocktail Bar
- The Pinnacle Guide 1 Pin
- Esquire 2024 · Steakhouse Martini #2 · The Best Martinis in America
- Time Out $22 · The 30 best bars in NYC right now
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Rank 83. The Little One NYC
Japanese Dessert
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- Spirited Awards 2024 · Regional Honoree · Best U.S. Cocktail Bar – U.S. East
- Spirited Awards 2024 · Regional Honoree · Best U.S. Bar Team – U.S. East
- Spirited Awards 2024 · Regional Honoree · Best U.S. Bar Team – U.S. East
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A 1920s pharmacy reclaimed and restored, its vintage bones now cradling an ice cream counter where floats arrive in proper glassware and sundaes sport house-made hot fudge and potato chips. The theatrical restraint of the space—original fixtures intact, nothing oversold—lets the cold sweetness do the talking.
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Rank 86. Dhamaka
Indian
A rousing Indian restaurant tucked into Essex Market that embraces heat, offal, and rustic preparation without apology—goat belly smoked in cedar, mutton stewed in clay with charred garlic and chili oil, crab butter-fried and spooned over rice. Small tables demand you share, which is precisely the point.
- Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand
- The New York Times 2026 · #66 · The 100 Best Restaurants in New York City
- Eater The Best Lower East Side Restaurants
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Rank 87. Bergen Bagels
NY-Style Bakery
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Rank 88. Sal Tang’s
Cantonese American Chinese
Sal Tang's marries red-lantern nostalgia with refined Cantonese-American cooking, its crispy egg rolls and silken wonton soup anchored in dark wood and cherry blossom wallpaper. A weeknight refuge where classics like beef and broccoli meet blood orange sorbet finales.
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Rank 89. Le Coucou
French
A jewel-box dining room where Chef Daniel Rose interprets French classics with theatrical flair: pike mousse quenelles swim in lobster sauce, lamb arrives blushing pink with braised neck and spring carrots, and Chartreuse-spiked crème brûlée proves desserts need not whisper. The open kitchen glows at the center; the crowd, impeccably turned out, provides its own entertainment.
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Rank 90. The Four Horsemen
Natural Wine Bar
The wine list moves with obsessive focus through natural varietals at this perpetually mobbed Williamsburg bar, where Nick Curtola's seasonal cooking—veal sweetbread skewers, crisp chickpea crepe studded with squash blossoms and lardon, fried skate wing—never overreaches. There is intelligence in the room, and in the glaze.
- 50 Best 2025 · #15 · North America's 50 Best Restaurants
- Michelin Guide 1 Star
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Nominee · Outstanding Restaurant
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Rank 91. Dim Sum Go Go
Cantonese Chinese
The carts have mostly given way to ordering from a sprawling photo menu, but the made-to-order dim sum still arrives hot and precise at this Chinatown institution, where roast duck rice rolls and crisp-bottomed pork dumplings justify both the crowds and the slightly elevated prices. Chaos is part of the bargain, especially on weekends.
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A brick-walled room with modernistic fixtures faces a quiet park corner of the Lower East Side, removed from the neighborhood's noise and perfect for two. Chef Ryan Bartlow's Basque and regional Spanish cooking pairs with wines that justify the adjacent wine bar the team opened.
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Rank 95. Shabushabu Mayumon
Japanese
Ten seats, boiling broth, and an unhurried procession of prime pork belly and A5 wagyu swished through ponzu and miso at this Lower East Side counter. The kitchen moves with the tempo you set, weaving in lighter vegetables and occasional European inflections without losing its moorings in classical shabu shabu technique. A study in restraint and precision.
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Rank 96. Bergen Bagels
NY-Style Bakery
- The New York Times The 16 Best Bagels in New York City Right Now
- The Infatuation #16 · The 19 Best Bagels In NYC, Ranked
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Rank 97. Russ & Daughters
American
The counter gleams beneath white-jacketed servers at this Lower East Side institution, where appetizing traditions meet contemporary technique. Scottish smoked salmon arrives with everything-bagel chips; babka French toast balances chocolate and fruit with textural precision. A place that honors its heritage while refusing nostalgia.
- Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand
- BagelUp #4 · The Definitive 30 Best Bagel Shops in New York City
- Eater 2026 · The Best Classic Restaurants in NYC
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- Eater The Best Breakfasts in New York
- Grub Street 2026 · The 40 Best Restaurants for Kids (and Parents!)
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Rank 99. Nobu Downtown
Peruvian Japanese
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Rank 100. Pho Ga Vang
Vietnamese