The Resy Hit List: Where In New York You’ll Want to Eat Right Now

Over the years, fried chicken has become something of a fixation for New York. Amid the hype for Coqodaq and many others, might we suggest you consider heading to Harlem for a taste of some of the city’s most legendary fried chicken, from none other than the Queen of Soul Food herself? Sylvia’s isn’t just home to some of the most succulent Southern fried birds in town, either. You’ve also got to try the baked macaroni and cheese and the barbecued short ribs. And what’s more is that for the past 62 years, the restaurant has also been a stalwart champion of the local community, too. That’s something worth dining out for.

There’s never a bad time to head to one of the city’s most exemplary Chinese restaurants for a veritable feast. Specializing in cuisine from China’s Jiangnan province, home to Shanghai, CheLi delivers familiar classics like xiaolongbao and crispy duck as well as dishes you likely haven’t seen elsewhere, like one composed of steam eggs with tangerine and crab meat, or salted yolk fried pumpkin. No matter what you order for the table, you won’t be disappointed.

With acclaimed chef Cosme Aguilar of Long Island City’s Casa Enrique behind the counter, you know this new seafood destination is going to be excellent. Quique Crudo’s menu celebrates the sea, with everything from a whole lobster ceviche and shrimp aguachile to crab tostadas and fried oysters, along with a few dishes from the land, like creamy guacamole with totopos, a bright baby gem salad, and sopecitos with chorizo. Don’t sleep on the steak tartare tostada, either, or a mezcal Negroni.

Walk-ins only. 

Whether you opt for the full-on $135 kamayan tasting or the à la carte menu, you should put Naks at the top of your 2024 dining list. Chef Eric Valdez is doing is some of the city’s most exciting cooking, presenting Filipino cuisine and culture in a deeply personal — and incredibly satisfying and delicious — way. The soups, including Soup No. 5 (offered à la carte) and the kamayan-only bas-oy (a rich stew made with beef tripe, beef blood, and beef flank) are especially good. And don’t miss the drinks, especially the Puto Bumbong, with margarine-washed coconut Tequila and an Eden cheese foam on top; or the refreshing, alcohol-free Taho with delicate tapioca pearls.

As New Yorkers, we’re always on the hunt for the new-new, but sometimes we could use a reminder about our classic spots, the veterans who have long been there for us, and who never disappoint. Fifteen-year-old Txikito is one such example — a pioneer of Basque cuisine in the city — still offering the warm service and excellent food that it always has, while continuously finding new ways to explore its region of inspiration. It’s unassuming on the surface, but once you go, you’ll dream of returning again and again for the hot jilda skewers, deep-fried kroketas, thinly sliced pulpo, and perfectly oil-poached double pil pil.

Mắm has some of the best, heartfelt Vietnamese cooking in the city, at an especially exciting time for Vietnamese American cuisine in New York. It’s always a delight to see how this pop-up with staying power continues to evolve in its tiny slice of Manhattan’s Chinatown, most recently by taking over the space next door. The bountiful platters of bún dau mam tôm might be gone (for now) but definitely swing by for the bún hến (baby clam vermicelli) and beef pho, along with many other seasonal specials. Pro tip: If you see tofu on the menu, order it immediately; they make all their tofu in house.

P.S. Later this year, expect to see a new wine bar from the Mắm team, reuniting with their friends from Di An Di, when they open up Bia Hoi a few doors down on Forsyth Street.

Mắm accepts online reservations and walk-ins.  

There are many explanations for why Tatiana topped so many of last year’s best of lists but these may be the two biggest reasons: It’s a restaurant with a clear, distinct point of view — a biography, if you will, of chef-and-partner Kwame Onwuachi — and one that’s a joy to dine at. That winning combination of powerful narrative and good vibes gets further amplified by the creatively crafted dishes on the menu, from a bright honeynut piri piri salad and egusi soup dumplings to braised oxtails and a pastrami suya.

Semma’s been one of the toughest restaurants to land a Resy almost since it opened, but we promise (1) that it is possible to get in and, (2) once you do, you’ll understand why. Our theory is that it’s because chef Vijay Kumar’s cooking manages to be effortlessly elegant, incredibly creative, and so satisfyingly delicious all at the same time. Take, for example, the refreshing mulaikattiya thaniyam made with sprouted mung beans, the unforgettable gunpowder dosa, or the showstopping valiya chemmeen moilee lobster dish. Every plate leaves a lasting impression.

When a crew of veterans from Somtum Der and Ugly Baby band together, you get UnTable, which continues the city’s legacy of exceptional, bold, and creative Thai cuisine led by those pioneers (and by others like Soothr and newcomer Bangkok Supper Club). It should be noted that the spice levels here are generally set to “Thai spicy.” Beyond that, you are highly encouraged to give their “unconventional” takes a try, including: “What the Hell fried rice,” tom klong consommé, and crab croquettes with tom yum puree. UnTable also offers weekday lunch specials for just $15 that include old-school pad Thai; deep-fried garlic pork over rice; green curry pork; and a vegan red curry.

Walk-ins only.

New Yorkers’ eternal love affair with French restaurants has certainly been reignited, and it continues to burn bright at Cody Pruitt and Max MacKinnon’s ode to the French bistro, Libertine. No, there are no frites here, but what you do have are their takes on exceptionally crafted staples — oeufs mayo, coquilles Saint-Jacques, jambon persillé — that just might actually surpass what you find in Paris. (Yes, really.) There’s a small mountain of fresh butter to go with all of that, as well as a truly epic wine list. Don’t forget to start or end with a martini, too.

P.S. Libertine is now open for lunch Fridays to Sundays, serving up a $48 two-course prix-fixe menu, with the option to add on cheese and dessert because, well, why not?

Is there anything chef-owner Amanda Cohen can’t do? She’s a pioneer of vegetable-forward cooking who’s also intent on building a better restaurant industry, and we are the beneficiaries of her talents and efforts. Every season, Dirt Candy debuts a new tasting menu, offered both in a vegetarian and vegan version, priced at $105 per person, and each one is as creative as the next, from takes on chopped cheese and soup dumplings to zucchini takoyaki and a spinach millefeuille.

Resy staffers’ No. 1 favorite restaurant from last year is a worthy addition to your list of top Italian restaurants. It is consistently, without fail, delicious — and also much easier to get a reservation for than some of its Italian counterparts. If you’d like nothing more than to dive into a bowl (or bowls) of comforting pasta this winter, you are in luck; da Toscano has more than nine to choose from at any time. We’re especially fond of the pappardelle with Venetian duck ragú and shaved foie gras, and the agnolotti with lamb neck. And if you happen to be nearby Thursdays to Saturdays, stop by for a lunchtime porchetta sandwich, served at the counter.

This beloved restaurant, which opened at the beginning of the pandemic, has since expanded to Manhattan, first at the new Pier 57 food hall and soon, to a new location in the West Village, but it’s well worth heading to Crown Heights where it all started for a taste of their soulful, flavorful vegan takes on Ethiopian food. Slow simmered vegetables and the bounciest of injera are what you’ll find there, along with some impressive cocktails and inventive dishes — kitfo brunch burrito or mama’s tofu, anyone?

Achilles Heel is that quintessential Brooklyn restaurant — warm and inviting, with a handsome wooden bar and cozy two-tops, and that ubiquitous vintage tin ceiling. But it’s unexpected, too, at least in terms of its menu. Since last summer, it’s been home to Sunny Lee’s heartfelt, soulful cooking and an ever-evolving lineup of Korean dishes that blend the best of traditional ingredients and recipes with contemporary influences. At the moment, that means a Sunny Salad with radicchio, medjool dates, and pine nut gang, pork belly with kimchi-braised butter beans and croutons, and a must-order sesame mochi cake. Whether you’re headed there for a group hang, a date, or just to pop in, it’s the quintessence of a perennial Hit List spot.

Ali Saboor, together with Nasim Alikhani of Sofreh, has pioneered contemporary Iranian food in New York and a meal at his solo project, Eyval, is worth seeking out no matter where you are in the city. While the menu focuses primarily on street foods, especially kebabs, there’s a distinct elegance to how he grills his kebabs, as he does with everything else on the menu. It’s a studied balance between traditional flavors and techniques and a few subtle, unexpected twists. Pro tip: The eggplant and cured yogurt kashke bademjan is a non-negotiable.

The restorative powers of a bowl of Nepali Bhanchha Ghar’s jhol momo are not to be underestimated any time of year, but especially when temperatures dip. The longtime Jackson Heights establishment and multi-time winner of the annual Momo Crawl makes some of the most exceptionally juicy momos in town, and they’re only enhanced further by the tangy and comforting tomato-based jhol broth. But don’t just come here for the momos — although you could do just that. You should also consider the fried sel roti, crunchy wai wai sadeko, the confit-like beef tongue to start, a warming bowl of thenthuk, and some fluffy eggs bara (pancakes made with lentils), to top it all off.

Walk-ins only. 

Fresh, pressed-to-order flour tortillas, exceptional Tex-Mex-style tacos, and an impressive, always-rotating dessert lineup make this East Village spot worthy of adding to your personal rotation. Whether you stop by for weekday lunch, dinner, or weekend brunch, you won’t be disappointed; we highly endorse an order of bean and cheese tacos and kolaches for brunch, and beef cheek barbacoa tacos, Spanish rice arancini, and a cake of the day for lunch or dinner.

Regardless of where your tastes fall when it comes to burrata (is it really so passé?), you can’t deny the power of the burrata slice from L’Industrie — it’s arguably one of the city’s best slices, period — and that’s saying a lot for a city where pizza always reigns supreme. It’s got just enough creamy burrata to offset the tartness of the tomato sauce, and the dough is both crisp and airy. Now that this new-school spot has since expanded from Williamsburg into Manhattan, there’s even more opportunity for you to grab a slice or three.

Walk-ins only.

Jungsik technically might have arrived first, but arguably no other contemporary Korean restaurant in the city has had more lasting impact than JP and Ellia Park’s first restaurant, the one and only Atoboy. Always approachable but risk-taking in its own ways, it has led the way in refashioning traditional Korean techniques and ingredients in novel and delicious ways since it opened in 2016. Its banchan-focused prix-fixe menu may have gone up in price over the years — from $36 for three courses to $75 for four courses, service included — but it’s still one of the best in the city, period. Do know you’d be remiss not to add on the fried chicken, or to plumb the depths of their excellent wine list.

Everyone rightly raves about the roast chicken here — as they should — but in our opinion, the real sleeper hit would be the poached radishes with lambic and guanciale; both bracing and rich at the same time, you might want to consider doubling up on them. But don’t, because you’ll want to save as much room as you can for trying as many other dishes from chef April Bloomfield as you can. And then of course, there’s the dessert to consider, which you should most definitely double up on.