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Kabawa
Caribbean
Paul Carmichael grew up in Barbados, and Kabawa is his argument that Caribbean cooking belongs in any room it wants. A prix-fixe fine dining restaurant on Extra Place, it seats you at a horseshoe counter in a dark green room with mosaic tilework and a playlist sourced partly from Carmichael's cousin back home. The New York Times named it the top restaurant in New York City, and the cocktail bar next door is his too, for nights when the goat patty feels like the right move.
Eighteen honors, in evidence:
The record strongest first
- 50 Best #14 · North America's 50 Best Restaurants
- Esquire Chef of the Year · Paul Carmichael
- Punch Bay Leaf Daiquiri · Our Favorite Cocktails
- The New York Times Coconut Turnover · The 14 Best Restaurant Desserts We Ate Across the U.S.
- Punch Best New Bars
- Eater The Best New Restaurants in America
- The New York Times The Restaurant List
- Esquire The Best New Restaurants in America
- The New York Times #1 · The 100 Best Restaurants in New York City
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- Eater Best New Restaurant · The 38 Best Restaurants in New York City
- Time Out The 45 best restaurants in NYC right now
- Time Out #27 · The 30 best bars in NYC right now
- Grub Street The 43 Best Restaurants in New York
- Eater Best New Restaurant · The 2025 Eater NY Award Winners
- The New York Times The Best New Restaurants in New York
- The New York Times Goat · Our New York Restaurant Critic Names Her Favorite Dishes This Year
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Best New Restaurant
One number, weighted & current 93
How we scoreThe dishes from the writeups
Nearby in the record closest first
- Bar Kabawa Drink · 71
- Bowery Meat Company Eat · 62
- Saxon + Parole New American Drink · 64
- C as in Charlie Southern Fusion Korean Eat · 74
- The Wren Cocktail Bar Drink · 57
- Yoshino Sushi Eat · 90
- Torien Yakitori Japanese Eat · 86
- il Buco Mediterranean Wine Bar Eat · 53
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