New York has it all when it comes to food and drink. Here are 40 restaurants and bars, from the smart and sophisticated to late-night dives, worth checking out.
Alder: This casual restaurant and bar on Second Avenue is the baby of Wylie Dufresne of wd-50. Cocktails are quirky ( Hey Rube, with Pimm’s, gin and rhubarb in an enamel beaker, with cucumber), and cooking is creative (fried quail with banana curry). Accessible and fun. 212-539-1900, aldernyc.com
Balthazar: This buzzing brasserie is so popular with tourists and fans of “Sex and the City” that it’s easy to lose track of how good it is. Keith McNally has created a celebrity hangout with food you want to eat at prices you can afford. 212-965-1414, balthazarny.com
Le Bernardin Lounge: Eric Ripert’s midtown restaurant is one of the world’s best. How about the lounge? Excellent. The snacks — oysters, ceviche etc. — are tempting; the room is quiet and sophisticated. Great place to start the evening. 212-554-1515, le-bernardin.com/lounge
BLT Steak: This group of American steakhouses is popular, and it can be difficult to snag a table. I got a seat at the bar at the East 57th Street branch and was pleasantly surprised by the warmth of the welcome. The gruyere popovers are a great way to start a meal. 212-752-7470, e2hospitality.com/blt-steak
Blue Hill at Stone Barns: Book well in advance to eat at this restaurant on a farm almost an hour by train from New York City. You may need to save up as well. The menus are $148 or $208, with wine pairings at $110 and $150. If you can afford it, it’s worth it. 914-366-9600, bluehillfarm.com
Charlie Bird: This fashionable new Midtown brasserie of chef Ryan Hardy and wine director Robert Bohr is Italian, with a raw bar. It’s scene and be seen. 212-235-7133, charliebirdnyc.com
Costata: This is a modern steakhouse where chef Michael White serves pasta dishes and raw seafood alongside meaty cuts. From the abstract art on the walls through to the cocktails, it’s a refreshing change from more traditional restaurants. Costata is smart and can be expensive. 212-334-3320, costatanyc.com
Creative Juice: This is the new idea of Danny Meyer of Gramercy Tavern and Shake Shack. All detoxers aside, the juices and salads taste good. creativejuiceflows.com/home.php
DBGB: This crowded and loud bar and kitchen in the Bowery is a lively place where chef Daniel Boulud takes his inspiration from the French brasserie and gives it an American twist (a meal of oysters, a burger and peach tart with beer, perhaps). 212-933-5300, dbgb.com/nyc
Eleven Madison Park: Daniel Humm won the James Beard award for outstanding chef after taking the top restaurant accolade. I’d say it’s among the best in the world. The standout dish? Carrot tartare with spicy carrot vinaigrette, mustard oil, pickled quail yolk, English pea mustard, toasted sunflower seeds, smoked bluefish, grated horseradish, fresh snap peas, sliced chives, mustard seeds, Amagansett sea salt and toasted bread. 212-889-0905, elevenmadisonpark.com
Ellington: This venue on the Upper West Side terms itself a gastropub and even features a chef, Lester Almanzar. This is a very pleasant bar far from the frenzy of Manhattan’s hot spots. 212-222-4050, theellingtonny.com
Employees Only: Getting served can be a struggle at this speak-easy-inspired, loud West Village bar, but it’s a good crowd, and the cocktails are worth the wait. 212-242-3021, employeesonlynyc.com
Fatty Crab: This cramped Malaysian restaurant in the West Village still draws the crowds. Loud music rules out casual conversation, but if you are prepared to shout, Fatty Crab can be fun. 212-352-3592, fattycrab.com/home
Fette Sau: This Brooklyn joint isn’t for the faint-hearted. You line up, order a chunk of meat — brisket is a specialty — then settle at a shared table or bar and make your way through the large portions. Some of the best barbecue anywhere. 718-963-3404, fettesaubbq.com
Forcella: Giulio Adriani’s Neapolitan pizza restaurant on the Bowery is a good spot for authentic pies, such as the Margherita Extra ($17). Throw in a glass of wine and you are looking at about $30. Adriani’s most famous creation is the Montanara, where the dough is flash fried, then baked. 212-466-3300, forcellaeatery.com
Gastronomia Culinaria: Chef Vincenzo Pezzilli graduated from Ecole des Arts Culinaires in Lyon, France, and his food is worth the trip to the Upper West Side. The hospitality is the icing on the cake. 212-663-1040, gastronomiaculinaria.com
Grand Sichuan: The mini-chain’s Seventh Avenue outlet is unattractive, but I’d go back like a shot for the food, including plenty of authentic, spicy Sichuan dishes. Prices are low. 212-645-0222, grandsichuannyc.com
Jean Georges: If it’s a special occasion, this three-Michelin-star restaurant is a world beater in its combination of American, French and Asian influences. The dining room, overlooking Central Park, is beautiful. 212-299-3900, jean-georges.com
Lafayette: This NoHo grand cafe is becoming very popular under the direction of chef Damon Wise (ex-Monkey Bar) and Andrew Carmellini. The food is mainly French-Mediterranean. On my visit, though, I wondered if the kitchen was overwhelmed by the crowds. 212-533-3000, lafayetteny.com
Lincoln: This Lincoln Center establishment looks expensive, but chef Jonathan Benno is a real talent, his uncluttered Italian dishes are exemplary, and the prices are not sky-high, especially for lunch. 212-359-6500, lincolnristorante.com
Macao Trading Co: The dimly lit basement bar of this Tribeca establishment is a great hideaway for quiet cocktails such as Drunken Dragon’s Milk (Charbay Green Tea Vodka shaken with young coconut puree, Thai basil and Macao five-spice bitters) at $15. 212-431-8750, macaonyc.com
Mandarin Oriental Lobby Lounge: The view of Central Park and the Manhattan skyline, plus the understated art deco sophistication, mean it’s worth the elevator ride from the lobby of the fancy hotel and the $19 price on cocktails. 212-805-8800, mandarinoriental.com/newyork
Maysville: This Flatiron American restaurant and whiskey bar was the best surprise of my trip to New York. Chef Kyle Knall’s flavors are big, yet finessed. Crispy grits with country ham and bourbon aioli ($9) alone justify a visit to Maysville. 646-490-8240, maysvillenyc.com
Mercer Kitchen: This industrial-looking Jean-Georges Vongerichten restaurant in the basement of the Mercer hotel in Soho has an eclectic menu, so you might start with soft-shell crab tempura ($18) followed by tuna pizza ($18) along with a cucumber martini. 212-966-5454, themercerkitchen.com
Maison Premiere: The menu at this casual Brooklyn restaurant is simple enough: basically oysters and raw fish, with a wine list weighted toward France. Expect a crowd. Arrive early to try for a table in the garden. 347-335-0446, maisonpremiere.com
The Marrow: I liked the menu and cocktails and loved the British waitress at this charming corner restaurant and bar in the West Village, but the food at lunch was curiously short on flavor. 212-428-6000, themarrownyc.com
Mission Chinese: The food crowd loves the gutsy dishes at this Lower East Side joint. The menu may include lamb tongue and cuttlefish terrine ($11) followed by catfish a la Sichuan ($14). Chef Danny Bowien won the James Beard award for rising star. 212-529-8800, missionchinesefood.com/ny
Il Mulino: This dark, old-fashioned, expensive Italian restaurant in the East Village traces its history back three decades, specializing in the cuisine of the Abruzzo region. It’s a throwback, and a good one. 212-673-3783, ilmulino.com
Nancy Whiskey Pub: Village Voice called this Tribeca establishment one of New York’s best dive bars. A good range of beers and whiskeys accompany a friendly welcome. Nancy Whiskey feels like it might be a tourist attraction, while it’s a genuine neighborhood bar. 212 226-9943, nancywhiskeypub.com
Nomad: This restaurant and bar in the Nomad Hotel on Broadway is so popular you have to run the clipboard gauntlet to get in. It’s worth it. The quirky rooms are remarkable, and the food first class (whole-roasted chicken for two, $79, is a showstopper. 212-796-1500, thenomadhotel.com
North End Grill: There’s a $39 weekday lunch menu at this Danny Meyer grill, where chef Floyd Cardoz has a garden on the roof. The menu may include chilled cucumber soup with radishes and cherry tomatoes ($13) and rice-flaked halibut with watermelon, watercress and lime ($23). The cooking is refined, the ambience a bit corporate. 646-747-1600, northendgrillnyc.com
Peter Luger: This Brooklyn restaurant traces its history to 1887 and is focused entirely on steak. It’s an old-style restaurant without fancy decor or lighting. Don’t expect any fuss or for service to be overly attentive. 718-387-7400, peterluger.com
Pod 39: This is the rooftop bar and lounge at Salvation Taco is a great place to hang out if you aren’t thirsty; service takes a while at this understaffed bar. Views are great, and the crowd lively. thepodhotel.com
Red Rooster: This restaurant and bar reflects Harlem’s evolution toward fashionability. More than that, it’s a fun place to hang out and enjoy cocktails (the Brownstone: nutmeg-infused Bulleit Bourbon, Cherry Heering, St. Germain) and chef Marcus Samuelsson’s comfort food. 212-792-9001, redroosterharlem.com
Rye: This Williamsburg neighborhood restaurant’s happy hour features cheeseburgers and old fashioneds at $5 a pop between 5:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. Monday through Friday. Go later for chef-owner Cal Elliott’s menu (dishes such as Long Island duck breast with Moroccan-style couscous, lemon confit, spinach and tomato chutney, $28). 718-218-8047, ryerestaurant.com
Salvation Taco: This lively, noisy, colorful and sometimes crowded restaurant in a former Salvation Army hostel in Murray Hill is not for purists. The tacos include Moroccan lamb on naan ($6) and Korean BBQ ($5). It’s worth visiting for the vibe and the energy. 212-865-5800, salvationtaco.com
Schapiro’s: This new cocktail bar and bistro on the Lower East Side references a long-gone Jewish winery. The food is modern American with Jewish influences, featuring matzo ball soup and bagel on lox, but it’s the cocktails that may draw people. 212-533-6089, schapirosnyc.com
Shahi Biryani & Grill: This Manhattan Valley halal joint is open till 2 a.m., serving inexpensive Pakistani dishes. The food is authentic and unfussy. 212-222-8820 (71 W. 109th St.)
Tribeca Grill: Drew Nieporent, an owner of Nobu along with Robert De Niro, also owns this unpretentious establishment, good for steak and salad, crab cake or seared sea scallops. It’s easy to overlook a spot like this, with good service, regular food and a fine selection of American wines. 212-941-3900, tinyurl.com/tribecagrill
Trix: I wandered into this corner bar in Brooklyn, for which the owners collaborated with artist James Johnson to pay homage to Belinda’s go-go lounge, formerly of the same location in the 1980s. I didn’t eat, just sat outside for happy hour drinks. 347-599-0702, trixnyc.com
