NYC's 5 Must Book restaurants for May

Momofuku’s first new NYC restaurant in years is a reason to get excited. Another is internationally celebrated chef Paul Carmichael, who runs the show here by showcasing his Barbadian heritage through a three-course menu with dishes like jerk duck sausage and braised goat with spicy scallop creole. Custom mosaics, the open kitchen with counter seating, and a welcome roti platter set the tone for a relaxed, Caribbean home-like experience.

The rolled lasagna at Don Angie launched a thousand Instagram posts when the West Village Italian-American restaurant from wife-and-husband team Angie Rito and Scott Tacinelli opened in 2018. It was also named one of Esquire’s Best New Restaurants that same year, and the owners received James Beard Award nominations in 2019, 2020, and 2022. Ever since day one, the cozy, bustling dining room with classic black-and-white checkered floors and a curved bar has been one of the city’s most coveted reservations, with diners clamoring for said lasagna and other viral fare like hand-made, candy-striped buffalo milk caramelle, and gussied-up chicken scarpariello.

Legendary chef José Andrés’s latest NYC restaurant brings Mexico City to Hudson Yards in a 150-square-foot industrial space that glows red from neon lighting. The DC location of Oyamel is a MICHELIN Bib Gourmand, and diners can expect a similar menu here of Mexico City favorites like ceviches, tacos, and large-format mains. Oyamel lovers know to order Andrés’s famous salt air margarita that swaps out the salt rim for a salty, frothy top.

There’s never been a better time to visit this stylish Lower East Side restaurant, which was named the best pizzeria in the world in 2024 by 50 Top Pizza. Chef Anthony Mangieri’s menu is focused: two appetizers, two desserts, and—the star of the show, naturally—six pizzas with light, fluffy, charred crusts. The classic margherita shows off Mangieri’s chops with nowhere to hide, making it a must order every time.

Fine-dining vet Douglas Kim (Bouley, Per Se) has been turning out some of the finest ramyun in town since the opening of this MICHELIN-Starred West Village restaurant in 2017. In a sea of thrilling Korean options in New York, Jeju has held on to that star for six consecutive years and continued to rise on the New York Times’s 100 Best Restaurants list. Grab a seat in the sleek wood and tile-clad interiors for bowls of Wagyu ramyun or lobster myun; a hot take on Korean fried chicken dolloped with caviar; and toro ssam bap topped with fatty tuna, caviar, and sea urchin.