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Favorite Local Restaurants in New York City

The OpenTable team

People say that New York is the greatest city in the world, and we may have to agree—especially when it comes to our restaurants. But where are the smartest, savviest diners eating out? We’ve pulled data from thousands of restaurants to find the top spots among OpenTable's most expert, seasoned diners. You’ll find everything from neighborhood gems to fine-dining palaces, vegetable-forward hotspots to old-school steakhouses—all vetted by the types of tastemakers who know the best spots around the city. You'll want to follow their lead.

20 Restaurants

Updated February 12, 2020

Restaurants:	Marea, Upland, Le Coucou…
Price Range:	$$$ - $$$$
Cuisines:	Italian, Contemporary American, French…
Neighborhoods:	Midtown West, Gramercy / Flatiron, SoHo…

Marea

$$$$·Italian·

Midtown West

7,748 reviews

Special Occasion
Notable Wine List
Business Meals

There’s a reason Marea is the power-lunch-and-dinner capital of New York City: it’s elegant, it’s luxurious, and the food is consistently some of the best Italian in the city. Chef…Read more

93% recommended

Not available on OpenTable

Upland

$$$$·Contemporary American·

Gramercy / Flatiron

2,581 reviews

Fit for Foodies
Hot Spot
Special Occasion

Upland is one of those restaurants that manages to be both elegant and comfortable at the same time; the room glows with a cozy energy usually reserved for your own living room. Th…Read more

92% recommended

Not available on OpenTable

Le Coucou

$$$$·French·

SoHo

2,925 reviews

Special Occasion
Romantic
Fit for Foodies

In a city known for its fine dining, Le Coucou is one of the most exciting new additions to the white-tablecloth scene; chef Daniel Rose marries classic French cuisine with a downt…Read more

92% recommended

Not available on OpenTable

Balthazar

$$$$·French·

SoHo

7,978 reviews

Special Occasion
Great for Brunch
Authentic

There are few places as New York as Keith McNally’s Balthazar: an always-bustling French brasserie in the heart of Soho. You can’t go wrong with the moules frites, the salade nicoi…Read more

92% recommended

Fit for Foodies in New York / Tri-State Area

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Cosme

$$$$·Contemporary Mexican·

Gramercy / Flatiron

2,944 reviews

Fit for Foodies
Creative Cuisine
Special Occasion

When Enrique Olvera, the chef behind the world-renowned Mexico City restaurant Pujol, opened up a spot in New York, the expectations were high—and he delivered. Cosme, an upscale m…Read more

Table for 2 today

Empellon Midtown

$$$$·Contemporary Mexican·

Midtown East

1,011 reviews

Creative Cuisine
Fit for Foodies
Business Meals

Chef Alex Stupak has been impressing the downtown crowd with his Mexican cooking for years, with Empellon Cocina, Empellon Taco, and Empellon al Pastor. Empellon Midtown is his mos…Read more

89% recommended

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Gramercy Tavern

$$$$·American·

New York

8,507 reviews

Special Occasion
Fit for Foodies
Notable Wine List

Gramercy Tavern is the crown jewel of the Danny Meyer restaurant empire, and it’s not hard to see why; walking into the restaurant feels like stepping into a painting. Head into th…Read more

95% recommended

Not available on OpenTable

Avra Madison Estiatorio on 60th

$$$$·Mediterranean·

Midtown East

2,281 reviews

Special Occasion
Great for Lunch
Good for a Date

In a city filled with shoebox dining rooms and even-smaller kitchens, Avra Estiatorio feels like a revelation: this is a grand restaurant, with multiple floors of gilded, tableclot…Read more

94% recommended

Mediterranean in Manhattan

Table for 2 today

ABC Kitchen

$$$$·Contemporary American·

Gramercy / Flatiron

6,799 reviews

Fit for Foodies
Hot Spot
Special Occasion

Have you ever been to a restaurant where you want to take everything—from the gloriously sticky, savory ricotta-squash toast to the very plates its served on—home with you? Welcome…Read more

92% recommended

Not available on OpenTable

Boulud Sud

$$$$·Mediterranean·

Lincoln Square

6,146 reviews

Pre/post Theatre
Special Occasion
Fit for Foodies

Chef Daniel Boulud has been wow-ing this city for decades with his classy, upscale French cooking, and Boulud Sud—which features the food of the Mediterranean—never fails to impres…Read more

92% recommended

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Minetta Tavern

$$$$·French·

West Village

2,634 reviews

Cozy
Neighborhood Gem
Fit for Foodies

Walking into Minetta Tavern feels like walking into another age; the lights are dim, the martinis are strong, and the air is filled with mystery. You’re here for the Black Label Bu…Read more

92% recommended

Not available on OpenTable

Maialino

$$$$·Italian·

New York

4,276 reviews

Fit for Foodies
Neighborhood Gem
Special Occasion

New York City has no shortage of excellent Italian restaurants, but Maialino—Danny Meyer’s Roman trattoria in the Gramercy Park Hotel—consistently shines as one of the brightest. T…Read more

92% recommended

Not available on OpenTable

The Clocktower

$$$$·English·

Gramercy / Flatiron

1,399 reviews

Fit for Foodies
Special Occasion
Hot Spot

The Clocktower, housed in the Edition Hotel overlooking Madison Square Park, is a beauty of a restaurant, a place that looks airlifted from the posh London townhouse of our wildest…Read more

83% recommended

Not available on OpenTable

Estela

$$$$·Contemporary American·

SoHo

521 reviews

Fit for Foodies
Creative Cuisine
Special Occasion

A flight of stairs up from the bustle of Houston Street, Estela feels like a well-kept secret, with gorgeous staff serving gorgeous food to a gorgeous clientele of locals and indus…Read more

90% recommended

Not available on OpenTable

The Lobster Club

$$$$·Japanese·

Midtown East

307 reviews

Good for a Date
Creative Cuisine
Special Occasion

The Major Food Group, helmed by chefs Rich Torrisi and Mario Carbone, has completely changed the restaurant landscape of New York, with restaurants like Carbone, The Pool, and The …Read more

82% recommended

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ABC Cocina

$$$$·Tapas / Small Plates·

Union Square

2,543 reviews

Fit for Foodies
Hot Spot
Good for Groups

From the team behind ABC Kitchen is ABC Cocina, another restaurant in the ABC Carpet and Home space, and another restaurant with food as dreamy as the stuff—the plates, the cups, t…Read more

91% recommended

Not available on OpenTable

Ai Fiori

$$$$·Contemporary European·

Midtown West

4,345 reviews

Special Occasion
Good for a Date
Romantic

These days, there are plenty of restaurants peddling some sort of amalgamation of French-Italian cuisine. Ai Fiori, however, takes that classic pairing and elevates it, serving tho…Read more

88% recommended

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Flora Bar

$$$$·Seafood·

Upper East Side

422 reviews

Creative Cuisine
Fit for Foodies
Great for Lunch

Tucked into the bottom floor of the Met Breuer museum is Flora Bar, a beautiful restaurant with beautiful food from Ignacio Mattos, the chef behind the downtown Estela and Cafe Alt…Read more

88% recommended

Not available on OpenTable

Estiatorio Milos – Midtown New York

$$$$·Seafood·

Midtown West

6,195 reviews

Special Occasion
Fit for Foodies
Good for a Date

There are few things as glorious as a just-caught piece of seafood cooked thoughtfully and elegantly, and Estiatorio Milos takes that experience even farther: you can select your e…Read more

94% recommended

Seafood in Manhattan

Table for 2 today

Nix

$$$$·Vegetarian·

Greenwich Village

2,023 reviews

Vegan
Good Vegetarian Options
Healthy

While it’s not hard to find a vegetarian restaurant in New York these days, it is hard to find one with food just as good—as not better—as the omnivorous spots around town. Enter N…Read more

92% recommended

Not available on OpenTable

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