Manhattan
Restaurants in Manhattan
Manhattan offers a seemingly infinite number of culinary options, from food stands, famous delis, and its share of celebrity chef restaurants. (Here’s a tip, leave Time Square.)
Internationally renowned restaurant, Eleven Madison Park, brings luxury and creativity to its operations. Tasting menu only dishes are minimalist, allowing the chef to work his magic to create some of the best food in the city. As one of the more popular Manhattan restaurants, be sure to reserve a table at least two months in advance. Momofuku Ko is one of the most unique restaurants in Manhattan serving a seasonal tasting menu with interesting combinations and obscure ingredients. The restaurant is very intimate with only a counter and a dozen stools. Reservations are extremely difficult to get.
Per Se is arguably one of the finest Manhattan restaurants, requiring reservations months in advance. Award winning chef, Thomas Keller, creates world-renowned dishes including tuna tartar with crème fraiche and oysters in tapioca custard. If you’re looking for a reliably good meal at an affordable price head to the East Village, where you can get an incredible pizza at Little Frankie’s, an artisan burger at Brindle Room or a bowl full of soul warming ramen at Momofuku Noodle bar. For dessert, there are a variety spots to meet your needs including the famous Big Gay Ice Cream. Below are more recommendations for some the best restaurants in Manhattan.
Jonathan Benno, the former chef de cuisine at the Michelin three-starred Per Se opened Lincoln in 2010. Housed in a glass-encased space designed by architects Diller Scofidio & Renfro, the restaurant is amping up the appeal of the world's largest performing-arts complex.
Inspired by her childhood summers spent in Maine, chef Rebecca Charles opened Pearl Oyster Bar in 1999 after noticing the absence of fresh lobster rolls on New York’s culinary scene.
Patience grasshopper, there are some restaurants where experience trumps food. In the Time Warner Center in Columbus Circle, you’ll be transported up the escalators to an ethereal realm where chef Masa creates one of the premier dining experiences in the world.
Tia Pol, the only truly authentic tapas bar in New York City, spawned an equally lovable sibling in the western reaches of Chelsea.
Opened in September 2011, Saxon + Parole is named for successful racehorses, the former a brown thoroughbred stallion and the latter a brown pony, both from New York.
“Gem” is the most common word spoken by New Yorkers when discussing Heather and Scott Fratangelo’s unassuming restaurant in the Upper East Side. Serving authentic, heartfelt Italian and Mediterranean fare, Spigolo avoids all pretention in both décor and cuisine.
This loud and dark stylized place with its ornate cocktails, Rat Pack-style red leather booths, and electronica soundtrack might look like yet another faux-Asian downtown boîte. Then you tuck into the dim sum and realize that you haven’t eaten like this since your last trip to Hong Kong.
Inspired by his childhood spent in a small Japanese fishing village, renowned chef Naomichi Yasuda trained for more than two decades in Tokyo and New York before opening this namesake sushi restaurant in midtown.
Iron Chef Bobby Flay brings his adventurous style of American nouveau cuisine to Bar Americain, located in midtown west.
You know what sort of food to expect when you pass through the Mexican Mission-style doors of Gabriela's in the upper West Side. Inside are bright green and yellow seats, adobe walls, terracotta flooring, and folk art such as Dia de los Muertos figurines.
Located in Morningside Heights, the Hungarian Pastry Shop is an assuming place often filled with students from nearby Columbia University indulging in coffee, tea and Hungarian baked goods. The long glass pastry counter is filled with cakes, tortes, mousses and more.
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