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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.
The awards strongest first
- The 50 #14 · North America's 50 Best Restaurants
- Esquire Chef of the Year · Paul Carmichael
- Punch Best New Bars
- Punch Bay Leaf Daiquiri · Our Favorite Cocktails
- The New York Times 2025 · 3 stars, Critic's Pick · Restaurant Review
- Esquire The Best New Restaurants in America
- The New York Times 2025 · The Restaurant List
- Eater The Best New Restaurants in America
- The New York Times #1 · The 100 Best Restaurants in New York City
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- The New York Times 2025 · Coconut Turnover · The 14 Best Restaurant Desserts We Ate Across the U.S. in 2025
- The New York Times 2025 · The Best New Restaurants in New York in 2025
- Eater Best New Restaurant · The 38 Best Restaurants in New York City
- Grub Street The 43 Best Restaurants in New York
- Time Out #27 · The 30 best bars in NYC right now
- Time Out The 45 best restaurants in NYC right now
- Eater Best New Restaurant · The 2025 Eater NY Award Winners
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Best New Restaurant
- The New York Times 2025 · Goat · Our New York Restaurant Critic Names Her Favorite Dishes This Year
One number, weighted & current 93
How we scoreThe dishes from the writeups
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Goat shoulder
“At Kabawa, the chef Paul Carmichael keeps vigil over goat shoulder as it cooks for hours, then pulls it off the bones, presses it with a weight and cooks it some more.”
The New York Times, 2025 -
Pepper shrimp
“Dishes include pepper shrimp spiked with sorrel, scotch bonnet peppers, and thyme”
Eater, 2026 -
Cassava dumplings
“cassava dumplings stewed in a Creole sauce”
Eater, 2026 -
Coconut turnover
“Main dishes like seared black bass with yellow curry are served with sides like pineapple-glazed sweet potato and stewed pink beans before sweet send-offs like a coconut turnover.”
Michelin Guide
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The neighbors closest first
- Bar Kabawa Creative Caribbean Eat · 67
- Bowery Meat Company Steakhouse Eat · 76
- Bar Primi Bowery Italian Eat · 19
- Saxon + Parole Modern American Drink · 64
- C as in Charlie Southern Fusion Korean Eat · 74
- Fish Cheeks Thai Eat · 21
- The Wren Cocktail Bar Drink · 57
- Yoshino Sushi Eat · 91
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