17 showing · 197 on the list
City Island Lobster House
White-tablecloth-adjacent lobster dinners by the City Island bridge, with water views and old-school service. The occasion meal at the end of the Bx29.
Order: The twin lobster special if it's running, or a stuffed lobster. Ask for a window table on the water side.
Verified open 2026 (Yelp July 2026, full weekly hours posted)
691 Bridge St (north end of City Island, by the bridge) · map
added 2026-08-07 · verified 2026-08-07
Mario's Restaurant
Open since 1919 and run by the same family — this room fed decades of Yankees, Muhammad Ali, and Paul Newman. Old-world Neapolitan service that no longer exists most places.
Order: Start with the pizza (they began as a pizzeria and have had a century to perfect it), then the veal parmigiana. Make a full evening of it.
Verified open 2026 (featured in Forbes Arthur Avenue guide, Feb 2026)
2342 Arthur Ave (btwn E 184th & E 186th St) · map
added 2026-08-07 · verified 2026-08-07
Peter Luger Steak House
The 1887 Williamsburg original — dry-aged porterhouse served sizzling on a tilted platter by waiters who've been there decades. Still the benchmark every other steakhouse gets measured against.
Order: Porterhouse for two, thick-cut bacon to start, and spoon the platter butter over everything.
verified open Aug 2026 (official site peterluger.com + Yelp); reservations strongly advised, now takes credit cards
178 Broadway (at Driggs Ave), Williamsburg · map
added 2026-08-07 · verified 2026-08-07
Russ & Daughters
The appetizing store — smoked fish, herring, and caviar sold from the same Houston Street counter since 1914, fourth generation of the same family. The by-the-pound fish is expensive and worth every cent.
Order: A quarter pound of Gaspe Nova sliced paper-thin, plus scallion cream cheese and a bagel to build at home; take a paper ticket and wait your turn.
verified open Aug 2026 (official site, shop.russanddaughters.com/locations) — open daily 8am-4pm
179 E Houston St (btwn Allen & Orchard), Lower East Side · map
added 2026-08-07 · verified 2026-08-07
Le Veau d'Or
The oldest French bistro in New York (1937), revived by the Frenchette team without losing the banquettes or the soul. A $135 prix fixe that actually earns it — this is the neighborhood splurge.
Order: The prix fixe; steer it toward the tournedos or duck and let them bring the oeuf gelée to start. Book on Resy exactly 14 days out at 9am.
verified open Aug 2026 (official site + North America's 50 Best 2026 list); Tue-Sat dinner, lunch Tue-Fri, closed Sun-Mon
129 E 60th St (between Park & Lexington Ave) · map
added 2026-08-07 · verified 2026-08-07
Red Rooster
Marcus Samuelsson's Lenox Ave landmark — elevated comfort food, a real bar scene, and Ginny's Supper Club downstairs. The one uptown splurge that pays you back.
Order: Hot Honey Yardbird with the cornbread; book Ginny's downstairs for live music if you're making a night of it.
verified open Aug 2026 (redroosterharlem.com + OpenTable, reservations live)
310 Lenox Ave (btwn 125th & 126th St) · map
added 2026-08-07 · verified 2026-08-07
Gallaghers Steakhouse
Dry-aging steaks in a street-facing meat locker since 1927, cooked over hickory coals in an open kitchen. Old-Broadway swagger that still delivers on the plate.
Order: The dry-aged NY strip off the hickory grill; go at lunch for the same beef at a friendlier number.
verified open Aug 2026 (official site + OpenTable live, Yelp July 2026); daily from 11:45am
228 W 52nd St (btwn Broadway & 8th Ave) · map
added 2026-08-07 · verified 2026-08-07
Kochi
Michelin-starred Korean tasting menu built around skewers, served in a casual 35-seat room on 10th Avenue — jeans welcome. The rare star you can book like a normal person.
Order: The nine-course skewer tasting ($135) — most courses are eaten with your hands; the drink pairing is worth the add.
verified open Aug 2026 (official site + Michelin Guide, star held 2023-2025); dinner only, reserve ahead
652 10th Ave (btwn 45th & 46th St) · map
added 2026-08-07 · verified 2026-08-07
Emilio's Ballato
Since 1956, and the one old-school red-sauce room that never became a caricature. Emilio Vitolo holds the door himself; celebrities eat here because the food is actually good.
Order: Chicken parm or the veal Emilio, start with the burrata. No reservations by phone for nobodies — show up early or eat late.
Verified open Aug 2026 (Yelp Aug 2026 + official site). Walk-in-heavy; expect a wait at prime time
55 E Houston St (btwn Mott & Mulberry) · map
added 2026-08-07 · verified 2026-08-07
Torrisi Bar & Ristorante
Rich Torrisi cooking Italian-American through a fine-dining lens in the Puck Building — Michelin-starred, and the rare splurge that honors the neighborhood instead of gentrifying past it.
Order: The tortellini and anything from the antipasti list; the devil's chicken is the sleeper. Book Resy well ahead; the bar takes walk-ins.
Verified open Aug 2026 (Michelin Guide + 50 Best 2026 list). NOTE: moved from 250 Mulberry — current address is 275 Mulberry
275 Mulberry St (at Jersey St, Puck Building) · map
added 2026-08-07 · verified 2026-08-07
Keens Steakhouse
Open since 1885 with 45,000 churchwarden pipes on the ceilings and the city's definitive old-New-York dining room. This is the splurge that buys history along with the meat.
Order: The legendary mutton chop — actually a massive saddle of lamb; they sold their millionth in 1935. A martini in the pub room first.
Verified open Aug 2026 (Yelp updated Aug 2026, official site keens.com). Reserve ahead; pub room takes walk-ins.
72 W 36th St (btwn 5th & 6th Ave), New York, NY 10018 · map
added 2026-08-07 · verified 2026-08-07
Le Bernardin
Eric Ripert's seafood temple — three Michelin stars and ranked the world's best restaurant by La Liste every year since 2022, including 2026. If one blowout meal is in the budget, this is where it goes.
Order: The lunch prix fixe ($135) is the value play for tasting-menu cooking at half the dinner tab; dinner four-course runs low $200s.
Verified open Aug 2026 (Yelp updated Jul 2026, Michelin Guide, OpenTable active). Jacket suggested; book well ahead.
155 W 51st St (btwn 6th & 7th Ave), New York, NY 10019 · map
added 2026-08-07 · verified 2026-08-07
Casa Enrique
Chiapas-rooted cooking in a low-key LIC room that earned a Michelin star — the rare special-occasion Mexican meal that's still Queens-casual at heart.
Order: Mole de Piaxtla with chicken and the lamb barbacoa tacos; cocktails are serious too.
verified open Aug 2026 (official site, OpenTable, Yelp Jul 2026); book ahead for weekends
5-48 49th Ave (near Vernon Blvd), Long Island City · map
added 2026-08-07 · verified 2026-08-07
Basilio Inn
Staten Island's oldest restaurant (1921), hidden in a converted 1850s carriage house near South Beach — homemade pasta, produce from their own garden, and one surviving bocce court out back.
Order: Spiedini alla romana to start, then whatever pasta features the garden's produce; ask about the squash blossoms in summer.
verified open Aug 2026 (basilioinn.com + OpenTable active, Yelp updated May 2026); tucked on a dead-end street — easy to drive past
6 Galesville Ct (off Lily Pond Ave, near South Beach), Staten Island, NY 10305 · map
added 2026-08-07 · verified 2026-08-07
Enoteca Maria
The famous nonnas restaurant: real grandmothers — Italian nightly, plus a rotating nonna from a different country — cooking in a tiny St. George room blocks from the ferry. Menu changes with whoever's at the stove.
Order: Whatever the guest nonna is making that night — check the board and trust her; the handmade pastas from the Italian kitchen are the constant.
verified open Aug 2026 (Yelp updated Aug 2026, OpenTable active, Michelin Guide listed); Thu-Sun only, from 3:30pm — reserve, the room is tiny
27 Hyatt St (off Central Ave, St. George), Staten Island, NY 10301 · map
added 2026-08-07 · verified 2026-08-07
Barney Greengrass
The Sturgeon King, on Amsterdam since 1929 — formica tables, gruff counter service, and the best smoked fish sit-down meal in the city. A splurge for breakfast food, and worth every dollar once in a while.
Order: Sturgeon, eggs and caramelized onions, scrambled soft, with an everything bagel. Nova is the budget-saver move.
Verified open Aug 2026 (official site + Yelp). Closed Mondays; restaurant Tue-Fri 8:30am-4pm, weekends to 5pm. Cash-friendly, expect a weekend wait.
541 Amsterdam Ave (at W 86th St) · map
added 2026-08-07 · verified 2026-08-07
Tatiana by Kwame Onwuachi
Kwame Onwuachi's Afro-Caribbean powerhouse at Lincoln Center — ranked #1 on the NYT's 100 Best NYC Restaurants. The hardest table uptown and the rare celebration splurge that over-delivers.
Order: Braised oxtails with rice and peas, and the curried goat patties to start. Book on Resy exactly 27 days out at noon.
Verified open Aug 2026 (Yelp updated Aug 2026, official site, active Resy). Reservations drop 27 days ahead at 12pm ET and go in minutes.
10 Lincoln Center Plaza (Columbus Ave at W 65th St) · map
added 2026-08-07 · verified 2026-08-07