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

Whether you drop by for an à la carte spread or for a tasting menu at this sleek Chinatown spot, you won’t want to leave without an order of fresh, housemade flour tortillas. They’re the perfect vehicle for savoring many of Contra alum Fidel Caballero’s creations, but you also wouldn’t be at fault for devouring them unadorned with anything but the accompanying richly spiced recado negro butter, either. Corima’s strengths lie in Caballero’s ability to draw from so many different influences and sources, and meld them beautifully with the cuisine of Northern Mexico. Pro tip: If you don’t mind trying something unexpected when it comes to cocktails, you’ll be richly rewarded with an order of the uni gin sour.

Mắm has some of the best, heartfelt Vietnamese cooking in the city, the latest evidence of a golden era for Vietnamese American cuisine in New York. It’s always a delight to see how this former pop-up 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.  

This might be a bit of an overstatement, but we think there’s never been a better time for Thai cuisine in New York City. You’ve got your OGs out in Queens, like Ayada, Chao Thai, and Playground, as well as newer spots like Soothr, UnTable, and Chalong. And then there’s Bangkok Supper Club: a worthy addition from the same folks behind Fish Cheeks, where Bangkok street food gets refashioned in an elegant setting that subverts established narratives of what we often think Thai restaurants in America should be. Scallop ceviche gets topped with a watermelon granita. Fish sauce finds its way into your cocktails. A simple egg salad becomes a thing of beauty. And pork jowl fried rice becomes truly sublime.

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. 

For all the claims that fine dining is dead, Café Carmellini is Andrew Carmellini’s bold real-time assertion that it is most definitely not. Even amid the grandeur of its luxurious trappings — the elegant Fifth Avenue Hotel — the warm service here and Carmellini’s pitch-perfect food, makeyou feel welcome and at ease. It’s exactly how you’d want to feel when you’re feasting on crab millefeuille, veal tongue Castelluccio, and cannelloni filled with lobster and caviar, while tipping back glasses of Champagne and a rose-accented gin martini.

While it’s highly probable that Foxface Natural isn’t for everyone, it manages to do something fewer and fewer restaurants in New York have managed to do in recent years: surprise us. David Santos’ cooking is fearless, unafraid to pair pickled scallop skirts with hibachi-grilled Berkshire pork ears atop a bright swath of salsa verde and Basque pil pil; it’s a must-order if it’s on the menu, as are any of the wood-oven roasted fish entrees. Nor is he timid when it comes to serving game meat, from roasted antelope chops to kangaroo tartare. Foxface Natural challenges us to rethink what a restaurant in New York can be, and for that, it deserves your rapt attention. 

If there is such a thing as a near-perfect bistro in New York, Bar Bête might just be it. The Carroll Gardens spot is just cozy enough, and its kitchen consistently delivers some of the best French Canadian fare you can find south of the U.S.-Canada border. It’s a perennial favorite for excellent food and drink (especially the wine), but especially so when the temps fall and you want nothing more than an order of their chicken liver parfait, leek vinaigrette, French omelette, and ricotta gnudi. Oh, and definitely don’t forego an order of the yellow cake, where the ratio of cake to salted dark chocolate frosting is nearly equal.

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 — enough to garner a (long overdue) America’s Classics award last month from the James Beard Foundation.

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.

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.

P.S. As if you needed yet another reason to go to Tatiana: It’s also a restaurant that nurtures up-and-coming chefs, too.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

Lovely and lively, this Levantine bistro from the owner of storied Midtown French bistro La Bonne Soupe offers an array of dishes that draw their influences from Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine, and all to delicious effect. You’ll want to start your meal with the Arak Baladi or a glass of Lebanese wine, and from there, it’ll be a tough call as to what you should order. Our suggestion? Don’t forgo the charred eggplant with a luscious black garlic toum, the batata harra (pure deep-fried potato bliss), or the tortellini-like shish barak, swathed in a bright and tangy yogurt sauce.

For many New Yorkers, Scarr Pimentel offers the gold standard of pizza in New York, and once you go, you’ll understand why. And now that Scarr’s has moved across the street to a larger space, and takes reservations, you can plan out your date with one of the city’s most beloved and highly esteemed pizzerias. Do order a few slices for yourself, as well as a side or two (we’re partial to the eggplant Parm). And if you’re feeling particularly inspired and ambitious, maybe take home some of their pizza dough or housemade, stone-milled flour, too?

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?

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.

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.