40 editor picks in New York City.
40 mid-range places in New York City, editor-picked. the comfortable everyday-good restaurants in New York City, with real cooking and no surprise on the bill. All New York City food.
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.
OrderThe plain margherita, charred-crust slice.
TipWalk-in only. Put your name down at 17:30, then come back at 19:30; the wait is the room's whole social fabric.
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.
OrderHand-cut pastrami on rye, mustard, half-sour pickle.
TipTip the slicer a dollar when you get your ticket; a thick fatty slice samples your way and the sandwich comes built right.
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.
OrderThe Classic: Gaspe Nova lox, cream cheese, tomato, onion, capers on a poppy bagel.
TipThe shop is for take-away. Sit down at Russ & Daughters Cafe around the corner on Orchard for table service.
Minetta Tavern on MacDougal runs the kitchen until 02:00 in Greenwich Village New York City. The Black Label burger is on the late-night menu.
OrderBlack Label burger and pommes frites
TipThe kitchen serves the full menu until 02:00. The bar takes burgers and steak frites past midnight without a wait.
Sey roasts the cleanest filter coffee in New York City from a Bushwick warehouse since 2017. Open daily 08:00-18:00. At 18 Grattan St. Booking recommended.
TipThe cafe runs filter only; espresso is sold whole-bean. Buy a 250g of the Kenyan Ndaroini for filter at home.
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.
OrderPork-and-crab xiao long bao, basket of eight.
TipTake the 7 train to Flushing-Main Street; the room runs 60-minute waits at lunch. No reservations; expect a buzzer.
Veselka on Second Avenue has served Ukrainian comfort food in the East Village New York City since 1954. 24-hour diner, pierogi, kasha varnishkes, borscht.
OrderPierogi and borscht
TipThe fried pierogi at 03:00 is the institutional order. Cash and card both accepted; bar in the back pours kvas.
Rawia Bishara's Palestinian kitchen in Bay Ridge has served the borough Levantine food in New York City since 1998. Lamb fatteh, fried cauliflower.
OrderLamb fatteh with toasted pine nuts.
TipSunday family-style menu at $58 a head is the deepest value. Bring the appetite of two people.
Parlor Coffee roasts in a Brooklyn barbershop annexe in New York City since 2012. Direct-trade single-origin beans, four espresso machines on the bar.
TipThe Saturday cupping session is open to walk-ins. Order beans the day they are roasted; the website ships Wednesdays.
Blue Ribbon Brasserie on Sullivan Street has poured drinks and raw oysters until the small hours in SoHo New York City since 1992. At 97 Sullivan Street.
OrderPu pu platter, fried chicken, raw bar
TipCounter walks-in from 22:00. Industry crowd builds at midnight; the kitchen runs strong until close.
Court Street Grocers (Italian) in New York City: The Italian Combo with hot pepper relish is the signature. Order online to skip the lunch-hour line.
TipThe Italian Combo with hot pepper relish is the signature. Order online to skip the lunch-hour line.
Ozakaya in Prospect Heights is the Brooklyn Japanese room on Vanderbilt Avenue serving traditional Japanese cuisine with a focus on fresh seafood.
TipBook through OpenTable a week ahead; the sashimi flights are the reliable order
Sadelle's on West Broadway runs the city's most theatrical Jewish brunch in New York City. Located in Soho. Open daily 09:00-15:30. At 463 W. Broadway.
OrderThe Sadelle's Tower: bagels, lox, whitefish, sturgeon, the tableside cart.
TipThe Sunday booking is the hardest seat in SoHo. Weekday 11:30 walks in at the bar without waiting.
Minetta Tavern on MacDougal has run Keith McNally's French bistro in Greenwich Village New York City since 2009. Order the black label burger or steak frites.
OrderBlack Label burger or steak frites.
TipReservations open 28 days ahead at midnight on Resy. The bar serves the full brunch menu for walk-ins.
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.
OrderBun bo Hue with extra cha lua.
TipLunch is the easy seat. Dinner books fast on weekends; Tuesday evenings are quiet and full menu still runs.
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.
OrderPeking duck, three courses; wonton soup to start.
TipOrder the duck when you book; same-day requests are routinely refused. BYOB with a small corkage.
Stumptown roasts Portland coffees for two New York City cafes including the Ace Hotel counter in NoMad. Hairbender espresso since 1999, single-origin filters.
TipThe Ace lobby seats are a working extension of the cafe; same wifi, same coffee, more room than the counter.
Other Half on Centre Street has pushed hazy IPAs out of Carroll Gardens Brooklyn New York City since 2014. At 195 Centre Street. Booking recommended.
TipSaturday can release day brings 90-minute lines. Wednesday afternoons are the easy walk-in for the taproom.
Wu's Wonton King in New York City: cantonese room. Locals book the back room for whole roast duck two days ahead; the front room counter draws.
TipCall to pre-order Peking duck; same-day requests are routinely refused. BYOB with a small corkage fee per bottle.
Lighthouse on Borinquen Place in Williamsburg is the unmarked-door Brooklyn room with a vegetable-forward menu locals send friends to before tourists arrive.
TipBrunch books a week out; weekday dinner walks in. The roasted carrots with date and labneh is the signature plate.
Jody Williams's Grove Street gastrotheque has poured espresso and steamed eggs in the West Village New York City since 2011. Open daily 08:00-23:30.
OrderSteamed eggs and tartine au jambon.
TipWeekday 09:30 is the fast seat; weekends run 60 minutes by 11:00. The tartine au jambon is the brunch order.
Clinton Street Baking Company has slung blueberry pancakes in the Lower East Side, New York City since 2001. Open daily 09:00-16:00. At 4 Clinton Street.
OrderBlueberry pancakes with warm maple butter.
TipWeekday brunch walks in. Weekend reservations are not taken; line up by 09:30 to get the first seating.
Ayesha Nurdjaja's Chelsea Israeli room serves a saluf-and-eggs brunch in New York City. Order the saluf with sunny eggs and zhoug. Open sat-sun 11:00-15:00.
OrderSaluf with sunny eggs and zhoug.
TipBrunch starts at 11:00 weekends; the first hour books up six weeks out. Walk in at 14:00 for an easy seat.
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.
OrderCavatelli, hot sausage, brown butter and sage.
TipSit in the garden in warm weather. The meatballs over polenta is the second pick if cavatelli has sold out.
Pastrami Queen on Lexington serves kosher pastrami sandwiches on the Upper East Side of New York City. Modest counter, oversized sandwiches since 1956.
OrderHand-cut pastrami on rye with mustard.
TipCounter is tiny and seats fewer than a dozen; the takeaway line moves faster than the dine-in queue.
Kiki's on Division Street has poured retsina and grilled lamb chops in the Lower East Side, New York City since 2014. Priced at $$. Kitchen leans greek.
OrderLamb chops, saganaki, peasant salad.
TipWalk in at 17:30 or 22:00 for the only two short waits. The garden out back is the prize.
Mile End in Boerum Hill has served Montreal-style smoked meat and Canadian-Jewish comfort cooking in Brooklyn, New York City since 2010. Priced at $$.
OrderSmoked meat on rye, hand-sliced, with mustard and a side of poutine.
TipThe breakfast menu runs all day; weekday mornings are the calmest seats in the small room.
Threes Brewing on Douglass Street has poured German-style pilsners in Gowanus Brooklyn, New York City since 2014. At 333 Douglass Street. Booking recommended.
TipThe back patio fits 200 in summer. Rotating-chef pop-ups handle the food; the taproom does the beer pour.
Great N.Y. Noodletown on Bowery has poured roast-meat congee until 04:00 in Manhattan Chinatown New York City since 1981. Salt-baked shrimp, BBQ duck.
OrderSalt-baked seafood, BBQ duck
TipThe duck noodle soup at 02:00 is the order. Cash speeds the bill; counter and floor service both move fast.
Milu is a chinese room in Flatiron. The mapo tofu and the spicy beef noodle soup are the two-order minimum. Walk-ins at the bar are easy after 14:00.
TipThe mapo tofu and the spicy beef noodle soup are the two-order minimum. Walk-ins at the bar are easy after 14:00.
Five Leaves on Bedford Avenue has run Greenpoint brunch in New York City since 2008. Antipodean-style all-day breakfast, ricotta pancakes, fish-shop ceilings.
OrderTruffle fries and the ricotta pancakes.
TipWalk in at 10:30 to claim a sidewalk table; the wait runs 60 minutes after 11:30. Quieter on Mondays.
Joe's Shanghai on Bowery has popularised the soup dumpling in Manhattan's Chinatown in New York City since 1997. Priced at $$. Kitchen leans chinese.
OrderPork-and-crab xiao long bao, eight per basket.
TipNo reservations; expect 30 minutes at peak weekend lunch. Bring cash to speed up the tab.
Sylvia Woods's Harlem soul-food restaurant has served fried chicken, collards and yams in New York City since 1962. Kitchen leans soul food.
OrderSmothered chicken, candied yams, cornbread.
TipSunday brunch books up two weeks in advance. Weeknight dinner is the easy seat for the same menu.
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.
OrderDan dan noodles, dry pot fish, cucumber salad to cool.
TipThe spice scale runs 1 to 10; the menu says 7 is hot, the kitchen means it. Start at 5.
Joe Coffee has roasted in New York City since 2003 from a Red Hook warehouse. Eighteen cafes across the city, espresso pulled to West Coast specifications.
TipThe Pro Shop on West 13th Street runs barista trainings open to the public Saturdays at 10:00.
Brooklyn Brewery on North 11th has anchored Williamsburg craft brewing in New York City since 1988. Booking recommended. Reservations advised.
TipFriday and Saturday tours are free; arrive by 17:00 to get on the list. The taproom pours every Brooklyn release in pint glasses.
Kings County Brewers Collective in Bushwick Brooklyn has run an industrial-warehouse taproom in New York City since 2016. At 381 Troutman Street.
TipSaturday night runs DJ sets and food trucks.
Lucien on First Avenue has poured drinks and served bistro food until 02:00 in the East Village New York City since 1998. Booking recommended.
OrderFrites, steak tartare, French onion soup
TipThe bar runs walks-in for the full menu after 22:30. The frites with bearnaise and a glass of cotes du rhone is the order.
Thai Villa near Union Square serves Bangkok and Chiang Mai cooking in Flatiron, New York City. Order the crab fried rice and the khao soi northern curry.
OrderCrab fried rice and the khao soi northern curry.
TipTwo seatings on weekends: 18:30 and 21:00. The 21:00 service is quieter and easier to walk into without a wait.
Variety roasts in Bushwick and runs four cafes across New York City. Espresso pulled fast and short, drip coffee in mugs, all-day pastry, communal seating.
TipThe Wythe Avenue cafe has the best working seats. The Greenpoint location closes earliest at 18:00.
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