Culinary Wonderland in NYC: Exploring the Best 32 Restaurants in Manhattan
If you are planning to visit NYC then the best thing to do in New York is to visit its famous borough, Manhattan. It is located in the heart of New York City and is a place where different cultures come together, creating a diverse community. The borough has a rich culinary scene, offering a wide variety of dining options to suit everyone's taste buds. From fancy dining places to hidden gems in neighborhoods, there are some amazing places to visit in manhattan.
Where to eat when you find yourself in the land of office buildings and Broadway shows. There are lots of reasons why you might wind up in Midtown. You might need to feed yourself, from an old-school red sauce joint and a yakitori spot to a few of the city's best options for a big night out.
This blog takes you on a journey through the best restaurants in Manhattan that will give you an unforgettable dining experience.
1. Le Bernardin: A Seafood Sensation
This amazing restaurant is located in Midtown Manhattan and it is an acclaimed seafood restaurant. It is known for its elegant atmosphere and yummy cuisine. The restaurant has earned three Michelin stars for its innovative seafood dishes. The best one is its famous tuna carpaccio.
2. Eleven Madison Park: Culinary Artistry at Its Finest
This restaurant is consistently ranked among the world's best restaurants. The restaurant offers a multi-course tasting menu that showcases the finest seasonal ingredients. You will experience delightful culinary food.
3. Joe's Pizza: A Slice of New York’s Finest Pizzeria
Joe's Pizza in Greenwich Village is a must-visit. This iconic pizzeria has been serving delicious, no-frills slices since 1975. When you visit the pizzeria, you will feel the real essence of the city's pizza culture.
4. Gramercy Tavern: Timeless Elegance and Seasonal Flavors
This restaurant is a beloved establishment that effortlessly combines warm hospitality with exceptional food. The restaurant offers a seasonal menu featuring locally sourced ingredients, and its beautiful ambiance makes it a favorite among locals and visitors alike. So, if you are looking for things to do in manhattan, then explore this eatery.
5. Katz's Delicatessen: The Ideal Deli Experience
Katz's Deli on the Lower East Side is an institution renowned for its towering pastrami sandwiches and classic New York deli fare. So, for foodies who are looking for things to do in lower manhattan, this nostalgic space with the cozy atmosphere is waiting for you. The tradition of handing out tickets for orders contributes to the authentic experience.
6. Per Se: Thomas Keller's Culinary Masterpiece
Per Se is another gem with breathtaking views of Central Park, the restaurant offers a “prix-fixe” (Fixed price) menu that highlights French and New American influences. The perfect service and attention to detail elevate the dining experience to a true culinary journey.
7. Café Chelsea: Explore the Diverse menu
Café Chelsea is a French restaurant, its menu serves bistro staples — roast chicken, steak frites — and a few dishes with mushrooms instead of steak, and ravioles du Dauphiné, a rectangular sheet of ravioli that’s common in Paris but rare in New York. The restaurant is open for daytime and nightly service.
8. Coqodaq: Affordable Restaurant in Town
If you are looking for affordable restaurants in manhattan, then this restaurant is best for you. The menu is also plenty flexible for those looking for affordability. The Bucket List is a $38 set with the star fried chicken with many dipping sauce options and banchan.
9. Sappe: Famous For Its BBQ
There are 12 options available on its menu — pork belly, intestine, squid, and more. It is cooked over Japanese charcoal grills. The lively, neon-coated feel of the interiors makes the spot a good pre-game option.
10. Bangkok Supper Club: Street Food with A Twist
In the bustling city of Bangkok, where street food reigns supreme, the Bangkok Supper Club stands out as a unique restaurant. It will give traditional flavors with a contemporary twist, with innovative street food offerings. Join us on a culinary journey as we explore the distinctive delights that make the Bangkok Supper Club a must-visit destination for food enthusiasts.
11. Cecchi's: An American Bistro
It took over the old home of Café Loup, which had a supper club atmosphere, small tables draped in white tablecloths, low-lit dining room with upholstered booths for larger groups. The restaurant calls itself an American bistro. It serves ribs, chicken a la king, and one of the best burgers in town at the moment.
12. Libertine: Taste The Regional Gallic Dishes
The restaurant serves simple dishes like sausage with mashed potatoes, and scallops with seaweed. The jambon persille is a slice of pork and bright green jelly, and the oeufs mayo consists of boiled eggs in a bowl of fresh, foamy mayonnaise. The corner restaurant has a short bar with red stools and many, well-spaced small tables.
13. Jazba: First Indian Restaurant
Junoon, one of the country’s first Indian restaurants to earn a Michelin star, has opened a follow-up chain, Jazba. The new East Village spot is more casual than its tasting menu with dishes that take inspiration from favorite street food spots in India. The famous dish is its green chili bone-in chicken.
14. Hamburger America: Discover Special Hamburgers
It serves one of the most talked-about-burgers in town. Beyond the smash burger and Motz Burger with fried onions, there’s the off-menu Chester, as well as wedges of pie, coffee, and chocolate chip cookies.
15. Roscioli: Some of The Best Pasta in Italy
Roscioli is a restaurant with a wine bar, that took over a townhouse in Soho that used to be home to the tasting menu spot Niche. Downstairs, the wine cellar serves a $130 per person tasting menu, while a newly unveiled upstairs salumeria with a sit-down restaurant offers a la carte snacking options. So, if you are planning some unique things to do in nyc, then make a trip to Manhattan and try this eatery.
16. Hen House: Allows The Open Menu Concept
This eatery is located in East Village, a fast-casual restaurant that is also intended to help bring back late-night dining in New York, after seeing the options go dark during the pandemic. So, if you are looking for things to do in nyc at night, then this eatery will welcome you. An after-hours menu includes items like lamb shawarma poutine.
17. Superiority Burger: Famous For Its All-Vegetarian Menu
The restaurant started as a vegetarian burger counter, then reopened a larger space on Avenue A with lots of seating, a full bar, and late-night hours. The burger is still excellent, but the yuba verde sandwich stuffed with greens and tofu skin, as well as the collard greens on focaccia, are even better. There are always specials to be found to keep coming back here interesting. Be sure to save room for the excellent desserts.
18. Corima: A Downtown Restaurant
The menu allows Northern Mexico with some Japanese influence split between two distinct menus. In the back, there’s a $98 per person tasting menu with dishes like udon made with cornhusk dashi. In the front, there’s a more casual a la carte serving a duck taquiza with a banchan set-up and chocolate flan for dessert.
19. Tolo: A Spot Where You Can Drink Wine
Tolo’s ambiance is dark and sexy, the restaurant is ideal for a date night. The menu has Rice noodles and XO sauce, salt and pepper tofu, and seaweed fries that come in a paper bag make up the starters list, and well-portioned entrees like sweet-and-sour fish and Typhoon Shelter fried chicken are made to pair with its expert wine list.
20. Metropolis: A New Cultural Cornerstone of Lower Manhattan
As the name suggests, the restaurant takes New York City itself as inspiration, hoping to approximate the various boroughs' culinary traditions, remixed in a fine dining context, such as an oyster dish nodding to Flushing.
21. The Jeffrey: House of Happy Hour
The Jeffrey is built for Happy Hours, with oysters on the deck and a big backyard beer garden. Their sandwiches and bar food bites are delicious, the atmosphere is laid back, the beer list is huge, and the staff is friendly.
22. Thyme & Tonic: All Gluten-Free Menu
Thyme & Tonic has an all-gluten-free food menu and an extensive bar with cocktails and elixirs based on botanicals, seasonal herbs, and spices. There’s a lively scene both inside the dining room and out in the outdoor area.
23. Gallaghers Steakhouse: Traditional steakhouse
Gallaghers is a steakhouse located in Times Square that offers a delightful experience. Despite its location, the restaurant is excellent. As soon as you enter, you can see the dry-aging room, which is impressive. The food is delicious, their classic steaks with a wedge salad and a round of Hemingway daiquiris, with creamed spinach. The desserts here are all fantastic, but the New York-style cheesecake is particularly authentic.
24. Keens Steakhouse: Midtown Steakhouse
The restaurant offers a variety of meaty options, including a comically large 32-ounce prime rib known as the king’s cut, but you shouldn't miss out on the drenched-in-butter porterhouse and their famous mutton chop. For dessert, try their ice cream sundae, which comes with a thick layer of melted fudge at the bottom. So, if you are looking for ideas and things to do in midtown manhattan, then try this steakhouse for sure.
25. Marea: Discover the Best Seafood Pasta In NYC
Marea is one of the best places to eat seafood pasta in NYC. The headliner is the octopus and bone marrow fusilli—one of the city’s top pasta dishes, with tender octopus, bone marrow, and a red wine-spiked tomato sauce. If you stop by this fancy place and just order one dish and a glass of wine at the bar, you'll have a meal that will be on your mind for a while. Trying this eatery will be the best thing to do in New York for first-timers.
26. Lodi: Explore Italian Food
Lodi serves some of the most impressive Italian food. This Rockefeller Center restaurant from the team behind Estela includes homemade ricotta and a plate of plump anchovies with peppers and butter. When you go to the patio, choose a table where your personal space won't be affected by your neighbor's big shopping bag. The patio is large enough to accommodate you, so take your pick.
27. Ace's Pizza: Detroit-Style Pizzeria
There are a couple of things you need to experience once in a lifetime. The Detroit-style pizza is one of them. Ace’s Pizzeria has some of the best in the city and serves vodka meatballs and buffalo chicken with plain cheese. The thick, deep brown, crispy burnt cheese, makes each pie special. The pizzas are baked to order, so you won’t get your food quickly.
28. Los Tacos No. 1: No. 1 is in Chelsea Market
The original Los Tacos No. 1 is in Chelsea Market, and they do some of the best tacos in the city. This market is just like Queens Night Market. You find yourself stuck in the land of tourists and Mickey Mouse impersonators, get some food here. It isn’t as busy as the one downtown, but there aren’t any seats, so you’ll have to eat standing.
29. Hainan Jones: All Chicken Recipes
Their Hainanese chicken rice can take an hour, and they sometimes run out long before closing. You can get your chicken roasted, fried, or the classic poached version. The uber-gingery rice and broth that come on the side are plenty flavorful. The spicy chili and sweet sesame soy sauce help the dish realize its full potential.
30. Sushi 35 West: Experience the Best Sushi
At Sushi 35 West, you’ll find some of the best takeout sushi you ever had. Try the $22 lunch set that comes with six nigiri and a roll, or get one of the donburi options. The quality of the nigiri is as good as many omakase-style spots.
31. Nasrin’s Kitchen: Homestyle Persian Restaurant
Despite its historic setting, Nasrin’s Kitchen is a casual, homestyle Persian restaurant, where dried rose petals, framed calligraphy, and lute music add to the old-world charm. You can have a few appetizers and a stew or kebab entree, which comes with a plate of tahdig-topped rice. Nasrin’s closes at 8 pm, so stop by for an early dinner and some black tea, served with a chunk of crystallized saffron sugar, before a walk in Central Park.
32. Blue Willow: Chinese Food House
If you’re near the bottom of Central Park and looking for great Chinese food, check out this Szechuan and Hunan restaurant. With its velvet banquettes and frilly lamps, the space is perfect for a date night or a meal with your family members. Their mapo tofu is one of the city’s best versions—its silky tofu cubes hold up against prodding chopsticks, and you can taste the smoked black beans hiding in the tingling, mala-spice sauce.
