The Best Places to Eat in New York, by the Record
-
The Steinway location of this Astoria coffee shop is wedged into a cheese-wedge-shaped room with a reclaimed-wood window bar that's made for watching the neighborhood go by. Kinship roasts its own beans nearby and pulls seasonal espresso drinks alongside pastries from Balthazar and cookies from The Good Batch. A round communal table anchors the middle, and the whole thing has the unhurried energy of a place run by people who actually live on the block.
-
The cheese-wedge-shaped room is the first thing you notice, followed by the reclaimed-wood window bar and the Steinway Street foot traffic rolling past it. Kinship is a neighborhood coffee shop that roasts its own beans nearby, and the seasonal drinks menu keeps regulars guessing. Pastries come from Balthazar, cookies from The Good Batch, and the whole operation has the warm, slightly chaotic energy of a place run by people who actually live on the block.
-
-
Rank 679. La Lupa
Roman
-
Rank 679. Los Tacos No. 1
Tijuana-Style Mexican
-
Rank 679. Lucali
NY-Style Pizza
Cash only, no reservations, and a line down Henry Street most nights: Lucali has been a Carroll Gardens institution long enough that the wait has become part of the lore. It's a small, candle-lit pizza shop serving large pies and calzones, nothing more. The dough is soft and thin in the New York tradition, and the room is the kind of quietly charming that makes two hours feel reasonable.
-
-
Rank 679. Melting Cups
Coffee
The back lounge is velvet, laptop-free, and clearly the whole point. Melting Cups is a Black-owned coffee shop a short walk from Queens Boulevard in Sunnyside, pouring Sey Coffee with pastries by day and pivoting to wine and beer come evening. A few tables out front catch the street; the cozy back room is for books, crosswords, or actual conversation, which is a quietly radical offer in 2024.
-
The wood-fired oven is the first thing you see when you walk into this Astoria pizzeria, and the pies that come out of it lean modern and loose rather than strictly Neapolitan. The dough is light, the toppings are chosen with care, and the beer list keeps pace with the casual, come-as-you-are room. Milkflower has its own creative logic and doesn't apologize for it, which is half the reason the neighborhood keeps showing up.
-
-
Rank 679. Pascal & Sabine
French
-
-
Rank 679. Porta
Italian Pizza
The bar room here was once a pharmacy, and the old apothecary shelves now hold bottles of wine and spirits where the remedies used to be. It's a multi-floor pizza and pasta spot in Jersey City with a rooftop that looks back at the New York skyline you just escaped. The pizzas follow Italian tradition, the spaghetti has its fans, and the music keeps the whole thing moving at a pace that feels deliberately un-Manhattan.
-
Rank 679. Ramen Nagomi
Noodles
-
Rank 679. Ramen Nagomi
Noodles
-
-
A Neapolitan pizza and cucina spot on the Upper East Side with large windows that swing open in warm weather, a wine cellar visible from the dining room, and enough space between tables that a conversation stays your own. The crust runs thin and light, the kind that doesn't need a verdict. Croquettes, pasta, and calzones round out the menu, and the staff manages attentive without hovering, which in New York is its own achievement.
-
Rank 679. Shan Shan Noodles
Hand-Pulled Noodles
-
Rank 679. Sky Pavilion
Sichuan
-
The open kitchen anchors the room at this Astoria Italian pizzeria and restaurant, where the vibe sits somewhere between a boisterous family dinner and a proper night out. The menu runs pizzas, pasta, and daily specials alongside a solid wine list, and the kitchen handles all of it without fuss. Dough that holds up under generous toppings, attentive service even when every table is full by six, and a crowd that comes back regularly.
-
-
Rank 679. Sushi By Bou
Sushi
-
The room bends at odd angles under the Pulaski Bridge, which sets the tone for this coffee shop that has always done things its own way. Sweetleaf roasts its own beans and bakes its own pastries, with a well-stocked case that runs heavily vegan and gluten-free. Choose your corner: a quiet laptop nook, the social bar, a long bench out front, or the back room with a turntable you're free to use.
-
The room bends at a wacky angle at the foot of the Pulaski Bridge, and the vibe inside reads AC/DC, not ambient folk. Sweetleaf is a coffee shop that roasts its own beans and does its own baking, so the pastry case is stocked and the coffee is strong. A laptop nook sits near the entrance for the heads-down crowd, while the back has a record room where you're welcome to spin something while you drink.
-
The room bends at a wacky angle where Jackson Ave meets the Pulaski Bridge, which sets the tone for this coffee shop that plays AC/DC instead of something earnest. Sweetleaf roasts its own beans and does its own baking, so the pastry case is stocked and the coffee hits hard. A laptop-only alcove keeps the workers corralled, the main bar is for lingering, and the back room has a turntable you're welcome to use.
-
-
-
-
Rank 679. The Star Tavern
Italian-American Pizza
-
-
Rank 679. Varka Estiatorio
Mediterranean Seafood
-
Rank 679. Verana
Contemporary Italian
-
Rank 679. Wooga
BBQ Korean
-
-
-
Rank 734. Ajo y Oregano
Caribbean
-
Rank 734. Al Coro
Italian
- World Culinary Awards 2025 · Nominee · North America's Best Italian Cuisine Restaurant
- James Beard Awards 2023 · Semifinalist · Best New Restaurant
-
-
-
Rank 734. Artion Bakery Patisserie
Greek Bakery
-
Rank 734. Ayat
Palestinian Middle Eastern
-
-
-
Rank 734. Baguette Delite
Vietnamese
-
Rank 734. Bamboo Grill
Filipino
-
Rank 734. Bamonte's
Red-Sauce Italian
-
Rank 734. Bar Bruno
Mexican
-
Rank 734. Bar Ferdinando
Sicilian
-
-
-
-
Rank 734. Bivio Pizza Napoletana
Neapolitan Pizza
-
-
Rank 734. Bluestone Lane
Australian Coffee
-
-
-
Rank 734. Brooklyn Ball Factory
Japanese
-
Rank 734. Bunna Cafe
Vegetarian Ethiopian
-
-
-
Rank 734. Café Chelsea
Contemporary French
-
-
Rank 734. Chama Mama
Georgian Eastern European
-
-
-
Rank 734. Cleo
French
-
-
-
Rank 734. Cocotazo
Caribbean
-
-
Rank 734. COTE 550
Korean
-
-
Rank 734. Crabbae
Cajun & Creole
-
-
-
-
-
-
Rank 734. El Ranchero Taqueria
Mexican
-
-
-
-
Rank 734. Fornos of Spain
Spanish Steakhouse
-
Rank 734. Gottscheer Hall
Classic German
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Rank 734. K'Far
Israeli Middle Eastern
-
Rank 734. Khao Kang
Thai
-
-
Rank 734. Kunafa Bites
Dessert
-