Kiki's on Division Street has poured retsina and grilled lamb chops in the Lower East Side, New York City since 2014. No reservations; the line goes around the block.
Signature dishes: Lamb chops, Saganaki
Must order: Lamb chops, saganaki, peasant salad.
Tip: Walk in at 17:30 or 22:00 for the only two short waits. The garden out back is the prize.
Address: 130 Division Street, New York, NY 10002, New York City
Spaghetti Incident on Eldridge runs a 30-seat pasta room in the Lower East Side, New York City. Cacio e pepe, vongole, carbonara, BYOB on Mondays and Tuesdays.
Signature: Cacio e pepe, Spaghetti vongole
Order: Spaghetti alla chitarra cacio e pepe.
Tip: BYOB nights save the bill significantly. Reservations are easy if you sit at 18:00.
Han Dynasty's East Village outpost runs Chengdu-style numbing-spicy Sichuan in New York City. The dan dan and the dry pot are the room's calibration plates.
Signature: Dan dan noodles, Dry pot fish
Order: Dan dan noodles, dry pot fish, cucumber salad to cool.
Tip: The spice scale runs 1 to 10; the menu says 7 is hot, the kitchen means it. Start at 5.
Spaghetti Incident on Eldridge runs a 30-seat pasta room in the Lower East Side, New York City. Cacio e pepe, vongole, carbonara, BYOB on Mondays and Tuesdays.
Signature: Cacio e pepe, Spaghetti vongole
Order: Spaghetti alla chitarra cacio e pepe.
Tip: BYOB nights save the bill significantly. Reservations are easy if you sit at 18:00.
Los Tacos No.1 in Chelsea Market has run Tijuana-style hand-pressed tortillas in New York City since 2013. Adobada off the trompo, carne asada, daily aguas frescas.
Signature: Adobada taco, Carne asada
Order: Adobada al pastor, three tacos with pineapple.
Tip: Order at the till, eat standing at the counter. The Hudson Yards outpost is less crowded for the same taco.
Lhasa Fast Food hides behind a Jackson Heights phone shop in New York City. Tibetan momos, hand-pulled thenthuk noodles, butter tea, cash-only counter eating.
Signature: Beef momo, Thenthuk noodle soup
Order: Steamed beef momo, ten to a plate.
Tip: Enter the phone shop on 74th, walk to the back. The counter is to the left through the curtain.
Maria Piedad Cano started selling arepas under the 7-train tracks in Jackson Heights, New York City in the 1980s. Her Roosevelt Avenue shop now bakes corn cakes daily.
Signature: Arepa de queso, Arepa de choclo
Order: Arepa de choclo with mozzarella, sweet corn cake.
Tip: Cash only at the counter. Take the arepas to the park benches across the street for the full Queens lunch.
Rawia Bishara's Palestinian kitchen in Bay Ridge has served the borough Levantine food in New York City since 1998. Lamb fatteh, fried cauliflower, stuffed kibbeh.
Signature: Lamb fatteh, Stuffed kibbeh
Order: Lamb fatteh with toasted pine nuts.
Tip: Sunday family-style menu at $58 a head is the deepest value. Bring the appetite of two people.
