The Resy Hit List: Where In New York You’ll Want to Eat in Feb. 2025

New York is blessed with a multitude of incredible Korean restaurants, but the dishes at this tiny Chinatown spot are truly something else. Those of you lucky enough to have experienced the roving Banchan by Sunny pop-up for the past few years — which included a longtime stint at Achilles Heel — already know exactly what we’re talking about. Venerable chef Sunny Lee’s cooking is heartful and soulful, delivering a lineup of Korean dishes that blend the best of traditional Korean ingredients and recipes with contemporary influences. Now that she has a permanent home in Chinatown, we know we’ll be calling ourselves regulars at Sunn’s, vying for tastes of her refreshing Sunn’s Salad with creamy jang, eager to order the ever-rotating assortment of banchan, finishing our meal with some sesame-crusted mochi cake, and pairing it all with pours from Parcelle Chinatown.

A lot of restaurants claim to make you feel right at home, but few succeed so convincingly as Shaw-Naé’s House. Namesake chef and owner Shaw-Naé Dixon is as welcoming as can be, and her food is the personification of soulful comfort food. Think slow-cooked oxtails over fluffy white rice, smothered turkey wings, and soul fries, topped with housemade cheese sauce, collard greens, and mac ‘n’ cheese. Our advice? Dine with a crew to try as many dishes as you can, and do spring for the ShawCuterie Board that has everything from cornbread bites and sauced chicken wings to, yes, more classically French charcuterie.

It’s been six long years since chef Simpson Wong has been cooking regularly in New York, and his return couldn’t come soon enough. What was once Wau, Salil Mehta’s Upper West Side ode to Southeast Asian street food, has been transformed into Kancil (pronounced kan-chil), a showcase for Wong’s take on Malaysian cuisine. Wong has built a reputation for fusing Asian cooking traditions with greenmarket sourcing, and that’s on full display. Puyuh goreng (fried quail) is perfectly crisp thanks to an exceedingly light rice flake crust. Handmade abacus beads (taro and butternut squash dumplings with the consistency of mochi) are paired with a flavorful duxelles of fresh mushrooms. For lucky Upper West Siders, this is an ideal neighborhood gem; for those of us further afield, it’s well worth the trek.

Nearly 17 years after first opening, Txikito is as lovely as it ever was, and proof that you can continue to evolve a classic, without losing sight of what has made it so special all along. Txikito was a pioneer of Basque cuisine when it first opened, and it remains that way, with chefs Alex Raij and Eder Montero (La Vara, Saint Julivert Fisherie) continuously finding new and inventive ways to dive deep into the region. It’s an unassuming spot, but dish after dish, it’ll leave a lasting impression on you. Our ideal order? Start with the hot jilda skewers and deep-fried kroketas, followed by the pulpo (octopus carpaccio) and Rusa potato salad. Get the double pil pil and the suckling pig (if they have it) and finish the evening with the Ruso coconut meringue. And don’t forget to have at least one gin-and-tonic, too.

At first glance, Kiko doesn’t seem particularly revolutionary, but once you go, you’ll understand how it quietly changes your understanding of “New American” cuisine. Chef Alex Chang takes familiar dishes — crab hand rolls, fried chicken wings, roasted duck — and transforms them into something exemplary. Spicy crab-fat mayonnaise melts perfectly into a mixture of sushi rice and meaty chunks of Dungeness crab. Makrut lime leaf, sansho peppers, and green peppercorns enliven a crisp thrice-fried chicken wing. Succulent roast duck accompanies a satisfying nabe consisting of hand-torn noodles swimming in spicy sesame and soymilk broth. They’re all touches of a chef who doesn’t just draw from his varied experiences, but also knows how to distill the very best of them into a dish. And it doesn’t hurt that the vibes — and service — are warm and inviting, whether you want a quick solo meal at the bar or an intimate date night.

If Shaw-Naé’s House is the embodiment of contemporary soul food in New York, consider Sylvia’s, named for none other than the Queen of Soul Food herself, to be the foundation. You come to Sylvia’s for their legendary fried chicken, perfectly baked macaroni and cheese, and satisfying barbecued short ribs, as well as for the warm and generous hospitality. And what’s more is that for the past 63 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 year from the James Beard Foundation.

When you want an all-day spot that delivers from start to finish, head here for all your breakfast, lunch, and dinner needs. The vibe is supremely cozy, the seating arrangements are comfy and spacious, and the service is warm and welcoming. The menu leans Italian, as you might expect — chef-owner Nick Anderer (Anton’s) was a driving force behind the success of Maialino and Marta back in the day — but unlike most Italian restaurants in the city, you’ll also find lovely Egyptian influences, too. That’s thanks to the restaurant’s namesake, owner Nat Johnson’s grandfather, and it truly makes dining at Leon’s a delight. Some of our favorites include the heirloom beans Alexandria served with a creamy tahina sauce and a bright salsa or peppers and tomatoes; morsels of the expertly fried eggplant boulettes; any of the pastas; and the whole roasted fish.

The heady aroma of browned butter that wafts through the air is a portent of what awaits at this new subterranean spot from Claud alum, chef Nicholas Tamburo, and Momofuku Ko alum Nikita Malhotra. Smithereens is a celebration of New England-style seafood, from the anadama bread served with seaweed butter (a must) to the creamy yet light hake and clams, a deconstructed version of clam chowder. Other standouts include the unctuous beans with red shrimp, squid, sea urchin; and for dessert, the mind-bending celery ice cream float. If you love white wine, Malhotra’s fondness for riesling puts you in good company; but there are other playful options, including cocktails. (Order the Ben Affleck; trust us.)

If you find yourself in the mood for Chinese food that’ll surprise you (in the best way, of course), consider stopping by this new Midtown spot from the same team behind CheLi and Szechuan Mountain House. The menu is very much rooted in Chinese traditions, but it also offers a number of dishes that expertly play with conventions. Think cheese xialongbao (yes, cheese!), mashed potatoes with braised pork sauce, and tofu topped with sea urchin in a hot claypot. Don’t overlook the signature salt-baked chicken, sweet-and-sour sticky ribs, or the fish filet in sour cabbage soup, either, and come with a crowd so you can order more dishes to share.

At Lingo, former Bessou chef Emily Yuen puts her own personal spin on Japanese cooking. That means a beef-and-bone marrow pie featuring Japanese curry spices and a kombu dashi, or milk bread served with a slightly sweet sake butter. Some other seasonal standouts include a lovely persimmon and burrata salad, and one of the coziest noodle soups out there: a weekends-only seafood udon bouillabase that’s topped with a generous helping of succulent snow carb, seared diver scallops, and bottarga. Dining here feels intimate and welcoming — just like how Yuen’s food leaves you feeling.

New York’s love affair with French restaurants is eternal, and Manny’s Bistro is a near-platonic ideal of a bistro. It always hits the mark when it comes to classics like trout almondine and steak frites, but more than that, it’s got the genuine warmth and hospitality we all crave from our favorite neighborhood spot. When you dine at Manny’s, even if it’s just once, you’re going to feel like you’re a part of their regular crowd. That’s in large part thanks to owner Manny Colon, who was the longtime general manager of the spot that came before it, Bistro Cassis. When Cassis closed during the pandemic, he bought the restaurant and reopened it as his own. It’s not unusual to catch Colon singing a tune in the dining room, or to catch another regular — none other than Tony Danza (yes, that Tony Danza) — serenading diners from time to time.

Semma and Dhamaka may get plenty of buzz these days, and rightfully so, but Adda holds a very special place in our hearts — and stomachs. The second restaurant collaboration between chef Chintan Pandya and restaurateur Roni Mazumdar still isn’t flashy in the least bit, but unforgettable food and kind service hit all the right notes, especially on blustery winter days. The flavors of Adda’s homecooked-style dishes are anything but muted, and every dish proves memorable. Take, for instance, the fiery bheja fry (goat brains) served with butter pao bread, juicy lamb chops marinated in yogurt and garam masala, or the peppery grilled king prawns. Whatever you do, don’t sleep on the housemade paneer, and do consider ordering the Lucknow dum biryani, rich with chunks of slow-cooked goat and slicked in saffron.

One of the city’s most covetable pizzas, Chrissy’s, now has its own brick-and-mortar space where chef Chris Hansell has graduated from using his “off-brand” home oven to Moretti Forni electric ovens, popping out piping hot, classic New York-style pies. That means tangy tomato sauce, melty mozzarella, and crisp dough; you won’t find fancy sourdough starters here. There’s also an excellent vegan pie, too. The menu changes all the time, but previous pizza specials have included roasted mushrooms with chopped Calabrian chiles, and a white pie with fresh and aged mozzarella, seasoned ricotta, spicy soppressata, black pepper, and hot honey. Be sure to come here with friends — they only sell whole pies — and come hungry.

Walk-ins only.

The newest restaurant from Kent Hospitality Group (Crown Shy, Saga) bills itself as a steakhouse for seafood lovers, and it certainly hits that target. Executive chef Danny Garcia and pastry chef Renata Ameni have fun playing with steakhouse tropes and seafood ingredients. There’s the gigantic goldfish cracker that really does taste like an even more buttery version of Red Lobster’s famed cheddar bay biscuits. And there’s the longfin squid charred over a binchotan grill and sauced with creamy cacio e pepe. A showstopping halibut pithivier with mushroom duxelles pairs perfectly with T&T’s housemade vin jaune cream, and grilled prawns, head on, shine when laced with a flavorful mussel butter.

Korea’s vibrant sool jib drinking culture gets the spotlight at this restaurant from the dynamic duo behind Atoboy, Atomix, and Naro. The beauty of a spot like this is how perfectly it works for a late-night drink and a snack (do consider the Newtro Negroni or Doenjang Old Fashioned if you find yourself at the bar) or, if you prefer, get something a bit heartier, with plenty of shareable dishes for you and your crew in the dining room. We highly recommend sharing the refreshing soy scallop with gim rice, some hearty rose tteokbokki with gimmari, and the fried chicken — one of the best ways to start or end a night out.

Those in the know are flocking to the latest outpost of Maxi’s Noodle for good reason: Maxi’s has some of the city’s most exceptional Hong Kong-style noodle soups in the city, thanks to their exemplary wontons, dumplings, and dace fish balls. What makes the wonton mein at Maxi’s so special is the care and attention paid to those plump, juicy, oversize dumplings, just bursting with flavor and stuffed to the brim with chunks of shrimp and pork. We’re partial to the dace fish balls and beef tendon, too, but however you decide to customize your order, you can’t go wrong. P.S. It’s also well worth heading out to Flushing, Queens at either one of their two Queens locations.