21 mid-range rooms in New York City, editor-picked. the comfortable everyday-good rooms in New York City — no surprise on the bill, real cooking. All New York City food.
Katz's Delicatessen ★ 5.0
lower-east-side · 205 East Houston Street, New York, NY 10002
Katz's on East Houston has cured, smoked and hand-sliced pastrami in New York City since 1888. The corner-of-the-counter sandwich is the deli's whole point.
Tip: Tip the slicer a dollar when you get your ticket; a thick fatty slice samples your way and the sandwich comes built right.
Lucali ★ 4.9
carroll-gardens · 575 Henry Street, Brooklyn, NY 11231
Mark Iacono's candlelit Carroll Gardens pizzeria in New York City turns out a coal-fired Brooklyn pie and a calzone, cash only, BYOB, no reservations.
Tip: Walk-in only. Put your name down at 17:30, then come back at 19:30; the wait is the room's whole social fabric.
Russ & Daughters ★ 4.9
lower-east-side · 179 East Houston Street, New York, NY 10002
Russ & Daughters has slung appetising on East Houston in New York City since 1914: hand-sliced smoked salmon, sturgeon, schmaltz herring and bagels to take home.
Tip: The shop is for take-away. Sit down at Russ & Daughters Cafe around the corner on Orchard for table service.
Nan Xiang Xiao Long Bao ★ 4.6
flushing · 39-16 Prince Street #104, Flushing, NY 11354
Nan Xiang on Prince Street in Flushing pleats soup dumplings to 18 folds in New York City. Pork, pork-and-crab, and a green truffle-pork basket on weekends.
Tip: Take the 7 train to Flushing-Main Street; the room runs 60-minute waits at lunch. No reservations; expect a buzzer.
Tanoreen ★ 4.5
bay-ridge · 7523 3rd Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11209
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.
Tip: Sunday family-style menu at $58 a head is the deepest value. Bring the appetite of two people.
Saigon Social ★ 4.4
lower-east-side · 172 Orchard St, New York, NY 10002
Chef Helen Nguyen's Orchard Street Vietnamese kitchen in New York City runs sharp central-Vietnamese cooking: bun bo Hue, com tam, banh khot in clay pots.
Tip: Lunch is the easy seat. Dinner books fast on weekends; Tuesday evenings are quiet and full menu still runs.
Wu's Wonton King ★ 4.4
chinatown · 165 E Broadway, New York, NY 10002
Wu's Wonton King on East Broadway carves a $58 Peking duck table-side in New York City. Big rooms, Lazy Susan service, two-bird minimum on busy nights.
Tip: Order the duck when you book; same-day requests are routinely refused. BYOB with a small corkage.
Frankies 457 Spuntino ★ 4.3
carroll-gardens · 457 Court Street, Brooklyn, NY 11231
The two Franks have served Brooklyn-Italian on Court Street in New York City since 2004: handmade pastas, escarole salad, sausage cavatelli in a garden out back.
Tip: Sit in the garden in warm weather. The meatballs over polenta is the second pick if cavatelli has sold out.
Pastrami Queen ★ 4.3
upper-east-side · 1125 Lexington Ave, New York, NY 10075
Pastrami Queen on Lexington serves kosher pastrami sandwiches on the Upper East Side of New York City. Modest counter, oversized sandwiches since 1956.
Tip: Counter is tiny and seats fewer than a dozen; the takeaway line moves faster than the dine-in queue.
Kiki's ★ 4.3
lower-east-side · 130 Division Street, New York, NY 10002
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.
Tip: Walk in at 17:30 or 22:00 for the only two short waits. The garden out back is the prize.
Mile End Deli ★ 4.3
boerum-hill · 97 Hoyt Street, Brooklyn, NY 11217
Mile End in Boerum Hill has served Montreal-style smoked meat and Canadian-Jewish comfort cooking in Brooklyn, New York City since 2010. Cured brisket sandwich.
Tip: The breakfast menu runs all day; weekday mornings are the calmest seats in the small room.
Joe's Shanghai ★ 4.2
chinatown · 46 Bowery Street, New York, NY 10013
Joe's Shanghai on Bowery has popularised the soup dumpling in Manhattan's Chinatown in New York City since 1997. Cash-friendly, big rooms, family-style sharing.
Tip: No reservations; expect 30 minutes at peak weekend lunch. Bring cash to speed up the tab.
Sylvia's Restaurant ★ 4.2
harlem · 328 Malcolm X Boulevard, New York, NY 10027
Sylvia Woods's Harlem soul-food restaurant has served fried chicken, collards and yams in New York City since 1962. Sunday gospel brunch is the institutional service.
Tip: Sunday brunch books up two weeks in advance. Weeknight dinner is the easy seat for the same menu.
Han Dynasty ★ 4.2
east-village · 90 3rd Avenue, New York, NY 10003
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.
Tip: The spice scale runs 1 to 10; the menu says 7 is hot, the kitchen means it. Start at 5.
Thai Villa ★ 4.1
flatiron · 5 E 19th St, New York, NY 10003
Thai Villa near Union Square serves Bangkok and Chiang Mai cooking in Flatiron, New York City. The crab fried rice is the house staple; the khao soi runs spicier.
Tip: Two seatings on weekends: 18:30 and 21:00. The 21:00 service is quieter and easier to walk into without a wait.
Amy Ruth's ★ 4.0
harlem · 113 West 116th Street, Harlem, New York 10026
Amy Ruth's on West 116th Street has served chicken and waffles in Harlem, New York City since 1998. Dishes named after Civil Rights figures and Harlem musicians.
Tip: Weekend brunch is the destination; weeknight dinner serves the same plate without the wait.
Ali Baba ★ 4.0
midtown · 212 East 34th Street, New York, NY 10016
Ali Baba on East 34th has run Turkish charcoal-grilled lamb in Midtown, New York City since 2000. Iskender on yoghurt, octopus salad, sumac onions.
Tip: Lunch buffet at $18 is the value play. Order extra grilled bread; one basket is never enough.
Miss Lily's ★ 4.0
east-village · 109 Avenue A, New York, NY 10009
Miss Lily's on Houston Street has run Jamaican island food in SoHo, New York City since 2010. Jerk chicken from the wood smoker, daiquiris from the back bar.
Tip: DJ nights run loud past 22:00. Brunch is the calmer service if you want to talk.
Spaghetti Incident ★ 4.0
lower-east-side · 231 Eldridge Street, New York, NY 10002
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.
Tip: BYOB nights save the bill significantly. Reservations are easy if you sit at 18:00.
Tim Ho Wan ★ 4.0
east-village · 85 4th Avenue, New York, NY 10003
Tim Ho Wan on Fourth Avenue runs the New York City branch of the Hong Kong dim sum house, the cheapest Michelin-starred restaurant in the world.
Tip: Off-peak hours are 14:30 to 17:00 weekdays; weekend lunch hits a 45-minute wait by 12:30.
Tatiana Cafe ★ 3.8
brighton-beach · 3152 Brighton 6th St, Brooklyn, NY 11235
Tatiana Cafe on the Brighton Beach boardwalk has run Russian-Ukrainian family meals in New York City since 1990. Borscht, pelmeni, blini, ocean-front tables.
Tip: Live music on weekend evenings runs late. Order from the Russian menu if Cyrillic is doable; the kitchen makes more there.