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$$$ | Jackson Heights |
Uruguay is known throughout the world for serving up heaping mounds of high-quality meat and this Jackson Heights corner spot does it just right. With a wide variety of marinated meats to choose from (including beef tongue and blood sausage), all cooked right on the open grill, expect large portions and classic side options like tostones (fried green plantains) and yuca frita (fried yuca). Ask for the homemade chimichurri dipping sauce (a vinegary delight with basil and garlic) that pairs well with just about any dish, or try their empanadas (stuffed with juicy beef or chicken) and the signature Chivito al pan (a decadent steak sandwich topped with ham, bacon, and egg) for a quick hearty meal.
84--02 37th Ave., Queens, New York, 11372, USA
Known For
- Sizzling mounds of meat
- Large portions
- Parrillada (mixed-grill dishes)
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$$ | Harlem |
When Harlem resident Susannah Koteen opened Lido in 2011, she became one of the pioneers of Restaurant Row, which blossomed along Frederick Douglass Boulevard. A laid-back, yet classy restaurant with boundless appeal, this authentic Italian eatery is a neighborhood go-to for a casual dinner and the perfect date spot. The restaurant prides itself on its locally sourced ingredients and has become one of the most popular brunch spots in Harlem. Try the tuscan crostini with burrata and poached pears drizzled with honey and topped with sage as a starter and wash it down with a truly spectacular cocktail known as the Kiwi Breeze, made with coconut rum, kiwi puree, brown cane sugar, and white grapefruit juice. For brunch, don’t skip the braised short rib hash or spaghetti with veal meatballs. And to top it off, add bottomless mimosas for $20.
2168 Frederick Douglass Blvd., New York, New York, 10026, USA
Known For
- Bottomless mimosas for brunch
- Friendly service and excellent daily specials
- Patio seating
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$$ | Harlem |
Popular with the hip brunch crowd on weekends, this bustling, family-run restaurant and bar puts a modern spin on classic American dishes with Ecuadorian, Puerto Rican, and Bangladeshi influences. Try the roasted carrots with tamarind chutney or the bold chicken vindaloo arepas (stuffed cornmeal cakes) topped with cotija (an aged cow's milk Mexican cheese) and fresh cucumber raita (Indian yogurt sauce). Each multicultural dish is packed with flavor and spice, and the fancy cocktails (like their amaretto sour made with cardamom-infused gin) are also standout.
187 Lenox Ave. (Malcolm X Blvd.), New York, New York, 10026, USA
Known For
- South Asian fusion
- Bottomless mimosas
- Trendy brunch scene
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon.--Wed., Reservations essential
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$$$ | Harlem |
Chef Carlos Swepson puts a contemporary spin on classic American soul food, with down-home dishes like biscuits and sausage gravy, jumbo shrimp and grits, turkey meat loaf, seven-cheese macaroni, and fried-chicken sliders. Owned and operated by Swepson and his wife, Markisha, the casual yet smart eatery serves brunch all day, every day in a comfy space directly above the entrance to the B and C trains at 116th street. There's also a DJ spinning R&B, techno, and soul on the weekends during brunch and dinner.
2149 Frederick Douglass Blvd., New York, New York, 10027, USA
Known For
- Busy brunch scene
- Friendly and attentive waitstaff
- Homemade buttermilk biscuits served fresh all day
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Outdoor seating in summer; DJ plays on weekends
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$$ | Long Island City |
Come for the tacos, stay for the margaritas: that's what a lot of local Long Island City folks do at this popular Mexican standout. The chef is from Chiapas, but expect pan-Mexican fare, with tacos crammed with slow-cooked beef tongue or rich chorizo, among other meat options; also worthy are refreshing fish ceviche and the tender meatballs wading in a spicy chipotle-tomato sauce.
5--48 49th Ave., Queens, New York, 11101, USA
Known For
- Different margaritas, including aguachile
- Michelin Star--rated cuisine
- Delicious mole
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No lunch weekdays
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Recommended Fodor’s Video
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$$ | Cobble Hill |
Long recognized for a classy, yet cozy vibe and excellent drinks—both classic and inspired by the classics, this is one of the best cocktail bars in Brooklyn. Passionate mixologists cook up seasonal cocktail menus and tasty bites to pair with them. Weekends get busy, especially with brunch service, but head here on weeknights to sit at the bar and call bartender's choice.
210 Smith St., Brooklyn, New York, 11201, USA
Known For
- Pioneering cocktail bar
- Happy hour oysters
- Weekend brunch
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$$ | West Village |
If you have a hankering for red sauce Italian–American fare, steer clear of Little Italy, and book yourself into Don Angie, a restaurant that took a staid cuisine, updated it, and made it wholly edible again: quite a task. Sit in the retro front room—featuring checkerboard floors and arched doorways—and chow down on sopressini pasta paired with mussels, garganelli noodles with meatballs and guanciale (cured pork jowl), or the excellent (and hugely portioned) lasagna for two, a spiral-shape reimagining of the classic dish.
103 Greenwich Ave., New York, New York, 10014, USA
Known For
- Making Italian-American cuisine good
- Lasagna for two
- Creative takes on pasta dishes
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No lunch
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$ | Jackson Heights |
This snug Lebanese café caters to locals with its popular vegan platters, mixed kabobs for two (with kofta, chicken, and lamb), shawarmas, and more. Seating is limited, but if you can snag a seat at lunch or dinner time, you’re in for a treat. Try the mint lemonade and falafel sandwich, a house blend of chickpeas and fava beans, topped with turnip and pickles.
35--62 76th St., Queens, New York, 11372, USA
Known For
- Outstanding falafel and kabobs
- Friendly service
- Plenty of vegan options
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$$$ | St. George |
Just a short walk from the ferry terminal, Enoteca Maria began an ordinary Italian eatery, with several nonne (Italian grandmas) in the place of a chef, each one cooking regional dishes on different nights. They've since branched out to celebrate global cuisines with "Nonnas of the World," and have been recognized for that incentive. On any given night you might sample Japanese, Puerto Rican, Cantonese, or Egyptian comfort food, cooked with organic ingredients sourced locally when possible. Check their website's calendar to find out what country the next nonna hails from, before she prepares dishes for you in this small, but welcoming space.
27 Hyatt St., Staten Island, New York, 10301, USA
Known For
- Rotating international grandmas cooking international comfort food
- Permanent menu of Italian fare
- Italian wines
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon.–Thurs., Cash or Venmo only
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$$ | Brighton Beach |
Try Uyghur cuisine, from the autonomous region of Xinjiang in northwestern China, at this relaxed café. Decorated with tchotchkes and paintings of the Uyghur people—residents along the Great Silk Road that once linked the East with the West—Kashkar serves dishes reflective of the crossroads of Chinese and Arab influences, including manty (lamb and onion-filed dumplings), and Uyghur lagman (noodles with meat and vegetables). The few Uzbek dishes from the historic Central Asian thoroughfare are on the menu as well, including assorted halal shish kebabs. Alcohol isn't on the menu, but you're welcome to bring your own wine or beer.
1141 Brighton Beach Ave., Brooklyn, New York, 11235, USA
Known For
- Uyghur and Uzbek cuisine
- Large portions
- Colorful restaurant
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$ | Brighton Beach |
This sweet little shop on a side street has some pretty fascinating grocery products—pickles, dried persimmons, hot sauces, and frozen khinkali (Georgian handheld dumplings)—but the real draw is the prepared food counter at the back. Go for the khachapuri, the beloved Georgian cheese-filled bread shaped like a boat and topped with an egg, or the Georgian-style chicken shawarma. There's no seating here, so be prepared to take your hot snack to the beach, or more likely, to eat it while walking, since you won't be able to resist digging in.
3089 Brighton 6th St., Brooklyn, New York, 11235, USA
Known For
- Georgian prepared foods
- Eastern European groceries
- No seating
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$ | Cobble Hill |
There are more than enough ice-cream shops in this kid-oriented section of Brooklyn, but none quite like Malai. The Indian founder has imbued her frozen concoctions with South Asian ingredients that hark back to her childhood, which means you'll be able to enjoy flavors you might not find anywhere else in the city. In addition to coconut tahini with date caramel, or a simple masala chai, the shop also offers a rotating list of seasonal flavors, often to commemorate special holidays like Diwali.
268 Smith St., Brooklyn, New York, 11231, USA
Known For
- South Asian flavors
- Colorful pints to go
- Bright, cheerful interior
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$$$ | West Village |
Diners still line up down the street before the restaurant opens for dinner to get a table at this small but bustling seafood shack that is also an ideal West Village neighborhood restaurant. The menu changes with whatever is caught and in season but expect excellent fried oysters, chowders, and, of course, the famous lobster roll with crisp fries. All of this will have you licking your fingers, and the killer hot fudge sundae is worth saving room for. The staff here is warm and friendly, too. This is the kind of place everyone wishes was in their neighborhood.
64 Charles St., New York, New York, 10014, USA
Known For
- Lobster rolls
- Hot fudge sundae
- Friendly staff
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No dinner Sun., Reservations not accepted
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$$$ | Harlem |
"Born, bred and buttered in Harlem" is how founder Melba Wilson describes herself. After working at New York City mainstays like Rosa Mexicano and the legendary Sylvia's, she decided to venture out on her own, opening Melba's in 2005. Here, she doesn't serve appetizers, but rather "comfortizers," like spring rolls stuffed with rice, black eyed peas, collard greens, and cheddar cheese. The portions tend to be large enough to almost spill over the edge of the plate, so feel free to go straight for entrées like barbecue turkey meat loaf, country-fried catfish, or the food-coma-inducing fried chicken and eggnog waffles with strawberry butter and maple syrup.
300 W. 114th St., New York, New York, 10026, USA
Known For
- Southern-style comfort food
- Chicken and waffles
- Jamaican oxtails
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$$ | Astoria |
A hip, cozy place for pizza and small plates, all exposed brick and reclaimed wood, Milkflower certainly owes its popularity to Brooklyn mainstays like Roberta’s. Only here, you can actually get a table without a long wait, and what’s on offer is just as good, if not better. Neapolitan, 12-inch pies with charred crusts have playful names like “Chardie Sheen” and “Wu-Tang Clam,” and wood-fired veggies or tiger prawns are ideal accompaniments.
34--12 31st Ave., Queens, New York, 11106, USA
Known For
- Wood-fired pizzas with cute names
- Inventive vegetable small plates
- Good wine selection, including orange wines
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon.
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$$$ | Greenwich Village |
By converting a moribund 80-year-old Italian restaurant into a cozy hot spot, restaurateur Keith McNally created yet another hit. Try early and often to score reservations, so that you can sample creations like truffle-spiked roasted chicken breast, bone marrow on toast, expertly aged steaks, and the celebrated Black Label burger, a gorgeous assembly of meat with caramelized onions and an added layer of cheese. The barroom, with its original details intact, is great for people-watching. Landing a table in the back room, with its original mural depicting West Village life and wall-to-wall photos of famous and infamous customers from eras gone by, makes sweet-talking the reservationist a worthy endeavor.
113 MacDougal St., New York, New York, 10012, USA
Known For
- Classic New York dining
- Original details and mural
- Tough to get a table
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No lunch Mon.--Wed., Reservations essential
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$$$ | Astoria |
The unassuming location and simple decor belie the elevated Greek classics served at this, the neighborhood's current powerhouse of Hellenic eats. Fried calamari, red snapper, and grilled octopus make appearances on the menu, as do more out-of-the-ordinary dishes like "caviar dip" and swordfish kebabs. Lamb chops drip with juice, and grilled sardines are so fresh, you'd swear they were just pulled from the sea. Be prepared to wait for a table at peak times, as this restaurant doesn't take reservations. There's also a Manhattan outpost on 1st Avenue and 13th Street in the East Village.
36--01 Ditmars Blvd., Queens, New York, 11105, USA
Known For
- Most authentic Greek fare this side of the Acropolis
- Lamb chops
- No reservations
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Reservations not accepted
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$$ | West Village |
This tiny neighborhood joint, with seating for 28 people, is exceptionally eager to please—and this attitude, plus the food, is a winning combination. The menu is just as small, which actually makes it easier to decide what you want; and what you want are the pork-veal-beef-pecorino-cheese meatball "sliders." The big-portioned Nova Scotia halibut with chive-sprinkled mashed potatoes is hugely satisfying. Raspberry-filled beignets, served with warm Nutella, are otherworldly. It's quintessential West Village: quirky and wonderful. Fans of the sitcom Friends might recognize the apartment building that houses the restaurant.
90 Bedford St., New York, New York, 10014-3764, USA
Known For
- Perfect West Village neighborhood spot
- Pork loin chop
- Raspberry-filled beignets
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Reservations essential
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$$ | Coney Island |
Thin-crust pies judiciously topped with fresh mozzarella and tangy, homemade tomato sauce, then baked in a coal oven—at Totonno's you're not just eating pizza, you're biting into a slice of New York history. Anthony (Totonno) Pero first opened the pizzeria almost a century ago in 1924, right after the subways started running to Coney Island—and the restaurant is at the same location and run by the same family, using ingredients and techniques handed down through four generations. While many people may reminisce of its old-school casual dining room that's endured over the decades, Totonno's has recently switched to take-out and delivery service only, but that doesn't stop die hard fans from parking nearby to hang out and eat from pizza boxes on the top of their cars.
1524 Neptune Ave., Brooklyn, New York, 11224, USA
Known For
- Legendary New York pizza
- Family-run
- Historic location
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed weekdays
