Looking for our New York Top Eats? These are the very best restaurants in New York, from Manhattan to Brooklyn, and beyond.
New York
Our favourite restaurant in New York? It has to be Crown Shy, chef James Kent’s glam spot located on the ground floor of the art deco tower, 70 Pine Street. It’s a beautiful space with high ceilings and classy modern furniture and a loud, buzzy vibe that screams Big New York Energy. The menu offers up ambitious modern bistro dishes – don’t miss gruyere fritters; ricotta gnocchi; citrus marinated chicken with Crown Shy hot sauce; or the baklava cheesecake. A must visit.
In the same building as Crown Shy, way up on the 63rd floor, is SAGA, James Kent’s fine-dining restaurant. As you might expect, the views up here are insane, looking out to the surrounding Wall Street skyscrapers, up the length of Manhattan and out to Brooklyn. Views without exceptional food will only a get a restaruant so far however, but there’s no worries here, as SAGA is an absolute knockout banger. The tasting menu is $295 so this will be your blow out meal but it’s more than worth it. Make sure you factor in a pre or post dinner drink at Overstory (34 on the World’s 50 Best Bars), the bar on the floor above.
Exceptional Thai food and kitsch retro interiors make Thai Diner one of our favourite NYC spots. Don’t miss the som tum, the lobster omelette, crab fried rice, and the Thai disco fries. They also do a mean breakfast too – the egg and sausage sandwich wrapped in roti is insanely good.
WIN SON
Win Son, Graham Avenue, Brooklyn, NY, USA
This casual Taiwanese-American restaurant has all the usual Brooklyn design tropes – exposed brick walls, white tiles, wooden floors, and minimal decoration. Perhaps, knowing how good their food was, owners Trigg Brown and Josh Ku didn’t want any unnecessary details to distract from the joy of eating here, and rightly so, as this is simply some of the best food we’ve had in New York.
As with all exceptionally good restaurants, Win Son has one of those menus that leave you dizzy when trying to narrow it down on what to order. One thing we’d say is absolutely essential though, is the BK Egg Bomb, a roti-style flat bread wrapped around wagyu beef tartare and a fried egg – yes it is every bit as good as it sounds. We’d also have to recommend the pan-griddled pork buns, the marinated cucumber, the fried egg plant with black vinegar and keffir cheese, and the zhajiangmian noodles with lamb, yellow bean paste and cucumber.
Le Crocodile is located in the Wythe Hotel in Brooklyn and is one of New York’s best French restaurants. It’s a beautiful dining room, with high ceilings, exposed brick and tall industrial iron windows. On the menu, expect to find modern French bistro classics such as onion soup, steak tartare, halibut with beurre blanc, and an incredible roast chicken and fries. Don’t miss the yuzu pistachio mille feuille for dessert either.
French restaurant Le Coucou is surely one of the nicest dining rooms in all of New York. It’s sort of luxurious and rustic at the same time, with roughly painted exposed brick walls contrasting with chandeliers, gold-framed mirrors and rows of tables smartly dressed with crisp white tablecloths. A must-order from the starters is the vegetable terrine, made from beautiful layers of pepper, aubergine, egg yolk, and olives. Elsewhere, a classic French dish of sweetbreads is elevated by an unbelievably good tarragon sauce, while a signature dish of lobster and scallop stuffed cabbage is both luxurious and hearty. You can’t go wrong with a Solve Veronique, and here it was exemplary, though the standout from the mains was the lamb chops, served with onions and mint, and a separate side dish of braised lamb neck.
Wildair, on the Lower East Side, is the casual sibling to the already pretty casual Contra, which is a couple of doors down and has a Michelin star. If you’re not after a tasting menu though, then Wildair hits the spot, with its high stools, communal tables, small plates, and great wine selection. We loved the shishito peppers served with a yuzu mayo, and the scallop crudo, an excellent beef tartare, with cheddar, horseradish and brazil nuts, and a plate of creamy straciatella with squash blossoms.
THE FLOWER SHOP
The Flower Shop, Eldridge Street, New York, NY, USA
There’s a bit of a Tarantino-esque retro feel to The Flower Shop, a restaurant / cocktail bar on the Lower East Side that opened in March 2017. There’s wooden panelled walls, yellow booths, kitsch wallpaper, and paintings that wouldn’t look out of place in your nan’s house – and we totally love it. While upstairs is more of a dining area, downstairs is a full on basement dive bar (but nicer), with pool table and more vintage schtick on the walls that is pretty much always rammed.
Thankfully the retro styling doesn’t extend to the menu. Order a round of mushroom escabeche on toast, exquisite bite sized pieces of vinegary mushrooms with aioli on buttery toast, and then order another one – they’re THAT good. Other must-order highlights include the English pea tostada with whipped ricotta, trout roe and pea shoots, the crispy sprouts with rice wine, maple and Szechuan pepper, and the burger with black garlic mayo and perfectly crisp fries. A fun spot to hang out with great food, this is one of our favourite spots in NY.
ESTELA
Estela, East Houston Street, New York, NY, USA
Ignacio Mattos opened Estela in 2013 with Thomas Carter who worked as Beverage Director at Blue Hill at Stone Barns and quickly found themselves on the Worlds 50 Best list, where it currently resides at 66 (in the 51 – 100 section). This is a small-plates kind of joint, so if you’re from London you’ll be well accustomed to this style of dining.
Although the dishes sound pretty straightforward, there’s some seriously good cooking going on here, with familiar things almost inexplicably taken up to a new level. There’s a beef tartare with elderberries and sunchoke (that’s Jerusalem artichoke folks); four little squares of mussels escabeche that you’ll demolish in seconds; smoked eel with white asparagus; and fresh ricotta dumplings under thin slices of mushroom. Then there’s dessert – a warm, soft, gooey chocolate cake with whipped cream. Like everything else, sounds so simple but is just so so good, you’ll be licking the bowl clean.
THE FOUR HORSEMEN
The Four Horsemen, Grand Street, Brooklyn, NY, USA
Even in the uncertain, risky world of restaurants, “a wine bar in Brooklyn co-owned by James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem” sounds like the kind of concept you’d bet your house on. And it’s a bet that’s certainly paid off for its headline owner, as this little place is always packed to the rafters, with people either perched up at the small bar or at one the few tables. It’s got a great atmosphere and a cool minimal vibe with white walls, natural woods, and old wine bottle being the dominant features – it really wouldn’t look out of place on a backstreet of Paris (which we suspect is exactly what they were going for).
Natural wines and small plates are the order of the day here, and although things do change around often, you can be sure to always find the warm house bread with cultured butter, plus a side of anchovies to kick things off while you decide. Over a glass of German sparkling resiling we also tucked in to salt cod fritters, plus a pretty special yellowfin tuna with yuzu kosho and smoked dulse (dish of the night), and buratta, n’duja, and mushrooms on toast – a little expensive at $18 but delicious none the less. For when you just want a few-snacks-with-wine kind of dinner, The Four Horsemen is a very good shout indeed.
OPS
Ops, Himrod Street, Bushwick, Brooklyn, NY, USA
Other than Totonnos, this might be our favourite pizza in NYC. A super-chilled spot in Bushwick, sitting outside here on a summer’s night with a beer and a couple of pizzas is about as good as it gets. There are a few set options such as the Juno – broccoli, potatoes, provola, and ricotta – but the real star of the show is the square pizza. With a slightly thicker base (but not too thick), you can add your own toppings to the basic margheritta and in our opinion you just can’t beat pepperoni and mushroom. Well worth making a special trip for.
From the same team as Ops comes Leo, a Williamsburg pizzeria, restaurant, and wine bar. Ops was already one of our favourite NY pizzas so its no surprise that pizzas at Leo are on point; fresh pastas and antipasti like meatballs, chopped salad, and charcuterie hit equally as hard. Big fridges filled with natural wines, plus some served on tap, seal the deal.
LLAMA INN NY
Llama Inn, Withers Street, Brooklyn, NY, USA
There’s no indication that this bright, airy spot located on a pretty dodgy looking road serves up Peruvian food but that’s exactly what it does. It’s not authentic Peruvian food, nor does it pretend to be but with a chef whose CV includes Eleven Madison Park and Nuela it’s safe to say even the more unusual combos taste delicious. There’s a killer cocktail list to boot and having opened in November 2015 and become a staple on the local dining scene it’s busy even on a Monday night.
We’d recommend kicking off with the Cumbria cocktail, served sour style with big pineapple flavours and a couple of the sticks – the pork belly char siu with pickled chilis and spicy mayo and scallops with raisin chimichurri are a good place to start. The fluke ceviche drenched in a delicious acidic sauce, shouldn’t be missed either, and the quinoa, banana, avocado and cashew which sounds so wrong but is really so right. But the highlight is the whole bronzino fish with a creamy curry sauce and crispy brussel sprouts swimming in a crack-like asian chill vinegar. Take our tip and ask for an extra portion – you can thank us later. End with lime pie covered in burnt meringue and a couple more cocktails. This is one place you’ll want to go with company to make the most of the menu as you’ll want to try as much as possible.
One of the hottest restaurants in New York right now can be found on the rooftop of The Hoxton, Williamsburg. Laser Wolf features amazing views of the Manhattan skyline from its outdoor rooftop perch (and its covered and weatherproof in winter) and a killer menu from chef Michael Solomonov. The menu is based on an Israeli skewer house and offers up grilled meat skewers, plus whole grilled fish, hummus, pitta, pickles, and a beautiful cauliflower shawarma amongst many more bangers.
PAULIE GEE'S
Paulie Gee's, Greenpoint Avenue, Brooklyn, NY, USA
This dark, narrow room just near the waterfront in Greenpoint is one of New York’s best pizza joints. When we say dark we mean it – the only natural light comes from the doorway and that slowly fades as you get further back into the room, lit gently by the pizza oven at the far end and sparse moody lighting. There’s no reservations and it does get busy but turn up early (before 8pm) and you shouldn’t have to wait too long.
Paulie Gee’s manages to tread that fine line between making a serious pizza with top ingredients but also having some fun along the way. There’s a big menu to choose from and we like that – none of the infuriating Naples tradition of ‘you’re getting margarita and that’s it’ here, oh no. For a flavour of what we mean consider pizzas such as the ‘Hometown Brisket’ topped with fresh mozzarella, beef brisket from Red Hook’s Hometown Bar-B-Que, house-pickled red onions, and a drizzle of Hometown Bar-B-Que sauce, or the ‘Ricotta Be Kiddin Me’ topped with mozzarella, Canadian bacon, sweet Italian fennel sausage, fresh basil, and post-oven fresh ricotta dollops.
We were very happy with the ‘Porkypineapple’ made with Italian tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, Parmigiano Reggiano, house-pickled pineapple, and post-oven speck and the ‘Mo Cheek’s’ – thats’ Italian tomatoes, Pecorino Romano, shaved Parmigiano Reggiano, house-pickled red onions, and Berkshire guanciale. This place is also amazing for vegans with at least nine vegan options on at any one time. For banging pizza with a bonus slice of FUN, Paulie Gee’s is where it’s at.
Dante is an old-school Italian joint that’s been around since 1915 and has character and charm in spades. From the tiled floors and painted logo in the windows to the whitewashed brick walls adorned with photographs of the original owners, it’s a slice of authentic Italian Greenwich Village that has well and truly stood the test of time. Start off with one of the sourdough flatbreads; the version topped with soppressata, proscuitto, jamon, n’duja, mozzarella & pickled peppers is especially good. And for the main event, the handmade parpadelle with wild boar ragu, red wine, tomato, and parmigiano is stellar, probably the single best pasta dish we had in all of New York.
DIRTY FRENCH
Dirty French, Ludlow Street, New York, NY, USA
Occupying the ground floor of the Ludlow Hotel, Dirty French is dark, sexy, loud, and flamboyant. Set up like a classic French brasserie but with an added injection of fun, there’s dark wood panels, red leather banquettes, brass rails, and big chandeliers – it’s the perfect place to come for dinner with a bigger group, to eat well, and get drunk.
The mushroom millefeuille is a stroke of genius – thin layers of mushroom packed together and served with pea shoots and green curry – and is a must-order in our book. The tuna tartare is the other winner from the starters, but it’s the flatbread that gets delivered to every table that is one of the real standouts and keeps us coming back for more every time. For mains, the black bass with madras curry, and the scallops with celery root and pickled lemon are both winners, and we also love the juicy pork chop with a spicy outer crust from the rotisserie section. For dessert, it’s essential to order the warm beignets – light and fluffy and fresh out the oven, these are some of the best we’ve ever had.
Channel your inner Don Draper (and hopefully his expense account too) at The Grill, a Major Food Group restaurant that harks back to the classic, theatrical grills of New York past. With a power lunch midcentury vibe oozing out of every corner, it’s a fun experience, where silver trolleys whizz round roast beef and the flames of flambeed dishes rise up between the tables. The food is reliably excellent, whether’s it’s towers of fresh seafood, or grilled chops and steaks.
There are lots of good reasons to go to Bonnie’s, a Cantonese-American restaurant in Brooklyn, but one trumps all the others: the cha siu “mcrib”. Yes that is a cheeky riff on the McRib, featuring baby back ribs glazed in soy and hoisin sauce, and served in a milk bun roll with pickles, mustard and mayonnaise and it’s every bit as good as it sounds. Other fun dishes include the cacio e pepe noodles and the XO cheung fun, plus the malted fried milk and hot fudge sundae.
KATZ'S DELICATESSEN
Katz's Delicatessen, East Houston Street, New York, NY, USA
Around in one form or another since 1888, Katz’s Delicatessen is one of the most famous restaurant-delis in New York, if not the world. With the decor largely unchanged though out its history, the huge brightly-lit space is like a time warp, filled with memorabilia and photos of its celebrity clientele from years gone by. When you arrive at Katz’s, you’ll be given a little ticket – DO NOT LOOSE THIS TICKET! Everything you order will be recorded here and you hand it to the cashier on your way out to settle up. If you loose it there’ll be big trouble (really).
Ordering is done at the counter and although there’s a huge and varied menu, if it’s your first time then the classics are the way to go – get the pastrami on rye and watch as thick juicy slices of smokey pastrami are cut off and piled high into fresh rye bread. Add a matzo ball soup, a pickle and possibly a latke and you’ve got yourself a classic Katz’s lunch. Warning: you won’t need to eat for the rest of the day.
With giant sandwiches served out of a counter in a 24 hour deli in the East Village, Sunny & Annie’s is a must visit spot. The menu is expansive, from a classic BEC (Bacon, Egg, and Cheese) to wilder creations such as the Vietnamese-style pho beef sub, the Biden, the Obama, and Mona Lisa.
RUSS & DAUGHTERS
Russ & Daughters, East Houston Street, New York, NY, USA
Like the nearby Katz’s, Russ and Daughters comes with an incredible history. Originally founded in 1914 round the corner on Orchard Street, Joel Russ moved his Jewish deli to East Houston Street in 1920 where it’s stood pretty much unchanged ever since – it’s now in its fourth generation of family ownership. In 2014 they opened a proper sit down cafe but we like the original store for its history, jam-packed shelves, and quick grab and go set up (although the constant queues might take away the ‘quick’ part).
Russ and Daughters specialises in smoked fish, caviar, and breads – you can pop in to buy products to take away or they will make up a sandwich or bagel for you in the shop. With a choice of over 10 cream cheeses, including ones infused with caviar, plus a massive range of smoked and cured salmon, plus mackerel, tuna, and trout, the possible combinations are endless but we reckon the classics are the best. We went for the ‘everything’ bagel with grav lox cured salmon, spring onion cream cheese, and some extra slices of red onion to add some crunch, and it was worthy of all the hype.
Lodi is from the same team as one of our New York favourites, Estela. It’s a handy one to have up your sleeve as it’s located on Rockefeller Plaza, an area not exactly teeming with quality places to eat. Lodi is a class act, with a sit down restaurant at the front, and a more casual cafe and deli take away in the back. There’s a classic Italian menu of antipasti, risotto and pastas, as well as cheeses and charcuterie. But the real star might just be the freshly baked bread and pastries, including the excellent maritozzo.
ELEVEN MADISON PARK
11 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10010, USA
Eleven Madison Park is set in a beautiful old building in Manhattan which looks right on to the eponymous park – a befitting setting for one of the best restaurants in the world. Closed for four months in early 2018 for refurbishments (a move that saw it go from No. 1 to No. 4 on the World’s 50 Best list), the room is real stunner with huge windows, church-like high ceilings, slick marble floors, original light fixtures, comfy booths…. we could go on!
The restaurant has a tasting menu set up that you pay for in advance and while some courses are ‘mandatory’ for the night (although they’ll obviously change something if you’re really upset about it) you do get a few choices, which the waiter will explain to you at the start of the evening so you can customise the menu a bit. It’s a nice touch in a meal that’s full of nice touches.
The first dishes of the night all feature tomato and as we love tomatoes we couldn’t be happier about this. There’s a tomato tea, essentially a tomato consume; a thin crispy dosa stuffed with goat cheese and green tomato; and an incredible salad of tomato and mini strawberries. We could have left at this point and gone home buzzing. Next was a warm, slightly sweet, corn souffle which was balanced out with a salty hit of American caviar, from Snake River in Idaho, which was pure joy.
We won’t bore you with a description of every single course but there was not a foot put wrong in the succeeding dishes, which included foie gras made in the Hudson valley; snails with chanterelles and onion; duck glazed with honey and lavender; warm molten cheese bon bons; and chocolate covered pretzels.
Yes it’s an expensive meal but they really do make it a special experience and the food is absolutely incredible so we highly recommend it if the budget allows. We can’t guarantee you’ll get your own paddling pool experience but can guarantee you’ll have an incredible dinner to remember.
BLUE HILL AT STONE BARNS
Blue Hill At Stone Barns, Bedford Road, Tarrytown, NY, USA
Blue Hill at Stone Barns is situated in a beautiful, picturesque farm building set amongst the Pocantico Hills in upstate New York. Surrounded by greenhouses, vegetable gardens, and grazing animals, this is a fully working farm and agricultural centre, that since 2004 has also been home to one of the world’s best restaurants. With Dan Barber at the helm Blue Hill at Stone Barnes has receieved worldwide acclaim, with its own Chef’s Table episode and rising to number 11 on the World’s 50 Best restaurants list.
Ordering is not the done thing here. Instead there is a small booklet on each table that lists some of the produce that might appear on the menu according to the particular month you are there. There is one set price of $258 and then you are in the hands of the chefs and the season; the majority of the menu is plant-based but there are some fantastic interludes of fish and meat too.
We began with a few fresh crunchy vegetables, raddishs and lettuces straight from the field, plus pickled chillis – if this doesn’t sound that interesting then think again. Who knew a raddish could taste this good! There followed more bounty from the garden, artichokes and fresh new-season rhubarb before a beautiful selection of seafood: finely chopped razor clam served in it’s shell: and sea urchin with kabocha squash. Then there was the lamb served with a gravy that had been mixed with the leftover pickle juice from those chillis.
Blue Hill at Stone Barns is definitely one of the best meals we’ve ever had. Their dedication to the produce they grow and reducing food waste goes far beyond the lip service paid to such ideas by other restaurants. If you can save up for this one we can highly recommend it. And if you can’t quite stretch that far, our tip would be to come up here anyway and enjoy the scenery and the cafe – the bread is worth the trip alone.
MAISON PREMIERE
Maison Premiere, Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn, NY, USA
Easily the best-looking restaurant in Brooklyn, Maison Premiere is one of those places that makes you feel better as soon as you enter. With an artfully distressed New Orleans vibe more than certainly ‘borrowed’ from the legendary Napoleon House in the French Quarter, the choice seats in the house are up at the horseshoe shaped bar, although there is a beautiful little garden out back too. It’s chock full of ‘old stuff’, with vintage light fixtures, scuffed furniture, wooden ceiling fans, and, old tin-framed mirrors; even the host is decked out in a three piece suit and bow tie.
Maison Premiere specialises in two things, oysters and absinthe, so you can imagine how things could turn out here. With over 30 types of oyster to choose from, this place is an absolute dream if you’re an oyster fan – in fact one of our favourite things to do is just pop in for a few of the little molluscs and a glass of fizz up at the bar. There is a whole host of other great things to choose from though and we can definitely recommend the sea urchin with butternut broth and the incredible trout with burnt butter sauce and pecans. Don’t forget about dessert either – the cheesecake with warm chocolate ganache poured over is an absolute winner.
FIVE LEAVES
Five Leaves, Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn, NY, USA
Quintessential Brooklyn-cool, Five Leaves has been doing its thing for 10 years now and has become one of Greenpoint’s (and New York’s) best-loved spots. On the edge of McCarren Park, it’s in the heart of the action and in summer tables spill out on to the pavement, making it a perfect place to people watch and soak up the sun along with some great food.
Five Leaves is especially well known for its breakfast – think big plates of eggs and hash browns, plus stacks of ricotta pancakes, and the obligatory avocado toast. But we’re also big fans of the dinner menu, which adds some interesting creations amongst the American standards like the Five Leaves burger with truffle fries and the fresh market oysters. The side of brussel sprouts with a sweet and spicy sauce and pecans is one of our favourite things in New York, while the crispy black rice is a bit like bibimap, served in a hot iron pan and topped with fried egg, fermented raddish, spicy mayo, and pickled vegetables. There’s also a Shepherd’s pie for homesick Londoners, just in case you need something really comforting.
Sunday in Brooklyn, a three-story gem on Whythe Avenue ticks all the boxes: a relaxed neighbourhood atmosphere; great interiors; friendly service; and fantastic food. It’s open from breakfast right through to dinner seven days a week and it’s rightfully always packed full of locals (it’s new enough to be off the tourist trail) and in the summer tables spill on to the street and the roof terrace is open for business.
Some signature items are available throughout the day, such as the burger and black cod pastrami, but it’s worth coming by for dinner for the extended menu. We love the garden pickles, and chicken liver mousse with their incredible grilled sourdough bread, and a fresh black sea bass crudo served with crisp curry leaves, radish and turmeric. The standout for us, however, is the wood roasted maitake mushroom in an onion vinaigrette – you’ll want to order extra bread to soak up all those juices. For dessert, sit back with a big slice of the Chocolate Cake with Peanut Praline and Caramelized White Chocolate and plan your next visit.
LILIA
Lilia, Union Ave, Brooklyn, NY, USA
Located in a converted old garage in Brooklyn, Lilia is the welcome return of chef Missy Robbins, and is one of the hottest tables in all of New York right now. Needless to say the place is always packed, and wait times can be long, but it’s all totally worth it to get a seat in the beautiful dining room, filled with light thanks to the huge industrial windows.
Go with a group and order as much as possible! To start, we loved the cacio e pepe fritelle, the radishes with whipped ricotta, the chicken liver crostini, the cured sardines, and the roasted trumpet mushrooms.
Fresh pastas are the speciality here and unless something really grabs you from the mains, we’d recommend trying as many pastas as possible. It’s impossible to go wrong, as they’re all totally delicious, but if you want to know our favourites, go for the agnolotti, little rectangular parcels filled with soft sheep’s cheese, dried tomato, saffron and honey; the fettuccine with spicy lamb sausage; the ricotta gnocchi with broccoli pesto, basil and pistachios; and the linguine with tomato, anchovy and lemon.
EGG SHOP
Egg Shop, North 8th Street, Brooklyn, NY, USA
Egg Shop, a cute all day cafe in Williamsburg (there’s also the original location in SoHo), is instragram-ready with pastel tiles on the walls, indoor plants, stripped back wooden floors, and a touch of Millenial pink on the leather seating. In the summer, the front windows open right up onto the street with a high bench and stools to give it a breezy, relaxed feel – exactly what Williamsburg is all about.
In case you hadn’t guessed, the menu revolves around eggs, with a range of breakfast sandwiches being especially good. There’s everything from a spicy sausage, egg, and cheese number (our favourite), all the way up to a serious steak and egg or fried chicken sandwich, if you’re really looking to kick the day off right. Whatever you do, make sure you order a side of hash browns too, these big crispy mounds of shredded potato are some of the best we’ve had. At dinner there’s a whole range of bigger dishes including burritos and burgers, but we reckon breakfast is where it’s really at.
TOTONNOS
Totonno's Pizzeria Napolitana, Neptune Avenue, Brooklyn, NY, USA
This 93 year-old pizza joint turned up on Netflix’s Ugly Delicious recently – after finishing his first pizza David Chang immediately orders another and we can see why, this place really is worthy of the hype. Don’t expect much in the way of service but what you can expect is one of th best pizzas in NY, thin-crusted and topped with rich tomato sauce and soft mozarella. You choose your own toppings from a simple list that includes sausage, pepperoni, and mushrooms – nothing groundbreaking but it if you’ve been around nearly 100 years, why change it up? Combine a visit here with a day out at Coney Island and you’ll be winning at life.
EMMY SQUARED
Emmy Squared - Brooklyn, Grand Street, Brooklyn, NY, USA
One of the best things about pizza in New York is the sheer variety of different styles from cheap slices to the more familiar Neopolitan style we get in London. King of them all though is the square slice and they don’t come much better than at Emmy Squared. These deep dish rectangular beauties are the absolute nuts, with soft, thick dough, crispy edges and sweet tomato sauce that soaks right through the base – if you think you’re a pizza purist who would never go for a thick cake-like slice then think again, as this is pizza heaven. We love the ‘Colony’ pizza especially, topped with tomato sauce, mozzarella, pepperoni, pickled jalapeños, and honey but really you can’t go wrong.
But it doesn’t stop there. Not content with knocking out incredible pizza, these guys also make one of the best burgers in New York, just casually on the side like it’s no big deal. So the perfect Emmy Squared order is to share a pizza and also share Le Big Matt, double-stacked grass fed beef patties, American cheese, greens, pickles, Sammy Sauce, and waffle fries. Pure joy.
This little Jewish deli in Greenpoint has a few seats and stools but is primarily a takeaway joint. It’s got that classic deli feel but slightly smarter (it’s only been open since 2016) with fresh modern branding and a bit more of a hipster vibe – this is Brooklyn after all.
All the classics are present and correct, from bagels to matzo ball soup. We loved the hot pastrami sandwich but make sure you ask for extra mustard as it’s a little light as they do it, and you need some more to cut through that meat. Get a smoked salmon bagel and a side of potato latkes too and you’ve got a cracking little lunch for two there. Take it to nearby McCarren Park and you’ll be winning at life.
YUJI RAMEN
Okonomi, Ainslie Street, Brooklyn, NY, USA
One thing New York does very well is great restaurants in improbable locations. Case in point is Yuji Ramen, a tiny spot on a quiet residential street in Brooklyn that looks like it could be someone front room. Inside there’s just a few seats at the wooden bar in front of the small kitchen and a couple of tables dotted around the room. Expect to wait for a seat but things do move quickly and they’ll text you when your table is ready.
In keeping with the slightly unlikely location, Yuji doesn’t serve your regular ramen, instead focusing on some more unusual variations not often see outside of Japan, including mazeman, which is a ramen without the broth. We’d recommend staring with some pickled vegetables and a glass of Kura sake which is made in Brooklyn, before ordering one mazeman and one ramen. From the former, we loved the uni version served with miso and orange zest (get an extra egg in there too) and from the latter, the tunakotsu, with a clear fishy broth and tuna belly is an absolute winner. If you’re after something different in the ramen stakes, Yuji is the place to be.
This no frills spot in Williamsburg mostly caters for takeaway, although you can sit up at the counter stools that run along each side of the room. Fedoroff’s specialises in big dirty, filthy Philly-style sandwiches; they are the stuff that dreams are made of, and if you eat too many they’re probably what you arteries would be made of too. If you’re hungover, we doubt there’s many better things in the world to eat that their Philly cheesesteak – that’s 10z of steak sliced in house served with cheese wiz and onions. Also incredible is the roast pork sandwich made from 14 hour roast pork, provolone, broccoli rabe and gravy.
One of the best slice shops in New York, L’industrie served up classic pies like the pepperoni and New Yorker (with sausage and pepperoni) as well as white pizzas like the fig jam with mozzarella, bacon and ricotta. There’s also a daily sandwich special as well as an epic lemon cream stuffed doughnut for dessert.
MOMOFUKU NOODLE BAR
Momofuku Noodle Bar, 1st Ave, New York, NY, USA
Now he has restaurants all over the world and his own Netflix series, it’s good to remember that superstar chef David Chang started out with a straightforward noodle bar back in 2004 – and much like Chang, Momofuku Noodle Bar is still going strong, packed full of hungry diners slurping ramen from noon till night. It has a pretty classic no frills Japanese style to it, with chairs, tables and walls all being decked out in plain light wood.
Some of the dishes that made Chang famous are still here present and correct – every visit to Momofuku Noodle Bar should include a round of the insanely good pork buns, featuring a thick slab of juicy pork belly in a soft pillow-like bao. The pork ramen is as good as ever too: rich broth, springy noodles, more pork, and a soft boiled egg make for a winning combo. There’s plenty more to explore too, however, including fried chicken, smacked chilli cucumber, Chinese broccoli, and crispy fried shrimp buns.