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

After traversing the globe for years, enchanting diners from New York to Paris, one of our favorite pop-ups, Ha’s Đặc Biệt, finally has a permanent home for their thoughtful cooking that draws inspiration from Vietnamese cuisine. Taking over the original Gem Wine space on Broome Street, Anthony Ha and Sadie Mae Burns have cultivated a charming spot where you can (and should) feast on dishes like pate mam chung; chicory, puntarelle, and Asian pear salad; snails with tamarind butter; and a buttery curried lobster and sweetbread vol au vent, just to name a few. The space is cozy (read: tiny) but it’s an ideal spot to spend a chilly winter’s night.

The latest restaurant from chef Ed Szymanski and restaurateur Patricia Howard (Dame, Lord’s) makes you feel like you’ve been transported to the coasts of Spain and France, and indeed, Crevette is a warm, welcome respite from what has felt at times like a never-ending winter here in New York. The martinis are served ice cold, the raw bar selection is on point, the Spanish tortilla gets topped with a generous dollop of sweet peekytoe crab and saline seaweed butter, and the grilled golden chicken is served with a heaping pile of the Platonic ideal of perfectly crisp fries. And then, of course, there are the desserts, like pears poached in cassis with whipped mascarpone, or a whimsical tarte tatin in cream puff form. What more could you ask for?

If the lines outside the door are any indication, it’s clear that schmuck is one of the city’s buzziest cocktail bars — and for good reason. The cocktails are irreverent and expertly crafted, the vibes are laid back, the decor really is “mid-century-modern-meets-space-age-meets-1970’s basement chic,” and the snacks are satisfying and highly shareable. In other words, you’re pretty much guaranteed to have an incredible time. You should know there are two distinct spaces and menus—the Living Room, which has limited reservations, and the walk-in-only Kitchen Table. You can’t go wrong with whatever drink you order, but we’re especially partial to the Larb Gai, martini, and Bread with Tomatoes.

Red Hook has become one of the city’s most exciting dining neighborhoods, and Pitt’s, from chef Jeremy Salamon of Agi’s Counter, is yet another reason why. Self described as “a joyful mess,” it revels in the fun and wonder of dining out and manages to be both nostalgic and very much of the moment. The menu is best described as a mélange of influences from North Carolina and New York: There’s gouda pimento cheese with fried saltines, a cold meatloaf tea sandwich, grilled country captain poussin with buttermilk dressed greens, and Carolina grits rice with a luxurious topping of bottarga. Whatever you do, however, do heed the call to place your order for the pancake soufflé from the very beginning because you’ll be richly rewarded once the warm maple syrup hits that oh-so-fluffy and buttery soufflé.

After a devastating basement fire that closed the restaurant back in September, this much-loved steakhouse is back, and we couldn’t be happier. New York has plenty of steakhouses — some of the best in the country — and in a city known for them, St. Anselm stands out, not just because it sells an exceptional butcher’s steak cut for just $34. It’s because St. Anselm embodies the spirit of a truly modern steakhouse, one where there’s so much more to the menu than just steaks: everything from the expertly cooked spice-crusted pork porterhouse or the King salmon steak with garlic butter, to the sweet tea-brined poussin, to the sides (much more than an afterthought) like pan-fried mashed potatoes bright grilled shishito peppers with lime and chile. Here too, the wine list remains one of the city’s sleeper hits.

It’s been such a treat to bear witness to the evolution of chef Erik Ramirez’s cooking, which is deeply rooted in Peruvian traditions but also fearless when it comes to experimentation. We first saw that when he opened Llama Inn in 2015, followed by Nikkei-driven Llama San in 2019. With Papa San, that spirit of mixing cultures and influences gets further amplified in Peruvian izakaya form. A few examples: A must-order St. Louis tavern-style pizza gets dressed with eel, shiitake mushrooms, pecorino, and bonito flakes that flutter among the melted cheese. A comforting hake chowder, served in a donabe pot, comes with fluffly milk bread rolls; udon gets a cacio e pepe treatment. The ceviches and tiraditos remain spectacular, including a delicate version that combines razor clams and sweet lychee fruit. Whatever you do, however, save room for the sundae party — you won’t regret it.

Chef and owner Eric Valdez is doing is some of the city’s most exciting cooking, presenting Filipino cuisine and culture in a deeply personal way. If you haven’t been yet, or perhaps it’s been a while, consider this your reminder to make a Resy as soon as possible. The Kanto fried chicken, pritong itik (duck), and ginataang alimango (crab) are especially good at dinner. For brunch, we’re partial to any of the Filipino breakfast options; pair it with some ensaladadang mangga (some salad for health, you know?). And don’t sleep on 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.

New York has no shortage of excellent raw bars — see here for proof — but this elegant newcomer from chef Greogry Gourdet, housed on the second floor of the new Printemps department store on Wall Street, is something else. It’s French, in keeping with Printemps’ Parisian origins, but it’s also distinctly global in its influences, in keeping with Gourdet’s own culinary ethos. That equates to Creole shrimp cocktail, French sardines paired with plantain chips and yellow pepper hot sauce, market crudite paired with creamy cashew and fermented chile, and charred vegetables served with an epic green goddess dressing.

If you, like us, love the cozy, comforting Vietnamese fare that you’ll find uptown at Banh on the Upper West Side, chances are high you will thoroughly enjoy their newest spot, Banh Anh Em. Banh has always specialized in Vietnamese dishes that are often difficult to find in New York, and Banh Anh Em continues that tradition. The pho Nam Ðịnh is a non-negotiable, made with extra wide housemade noodles submerged in a slow-cooked beef broth, accompanied by pickled garlic and onions in punchy hot sauce. So too is the housemade bánh cuốn, rice sheets served with grilled pork, shredded young mango, and pickled mustard greens. And there’s also bánh căn, perfectly crisp and fluffy eggs cooked on a charcoal grill that you eat with sides of mango and hot sauce and a steaming bowl of pork soup.

Walk-ins only.

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.

This beloved restaurant, which opened at the beginning of the pandemic, has since expanded to the West Village, but it’s still 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? Our suggestion? Order yourself the Mercato and Piassa platters, and don’t forget the sambusa or the Ras special tibs. And if you’re there for weekend brunch, spring for the lentil burger and French toast to finish.

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.

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.

In the time before Instagram and influencers ever existed, the original Commerce in the West Village was the ultimate NYC cool kids hangout, epitomizing a chic, elegant atmosphere and a timeless, delicious menu of comforting, exceptionally executed classics. Fast forward a decade after the original closed, and the tradition continues, albeit much further uptown on the Upper East Side. You can find familiar standbys, like the roast chicken with foie gras bread stuffing, the sweet potato tortelloni, and that must-order coconut cake, but don’t overlook the rotating plat du jour, especially Tuesday’s duck and mushroom pot pie, the scallops, or the beef carpaccio, either.

New York is most certainly a pizza town, and this newest entrant on Mott Street is best described as a cheffy — but not at all stuffy — take on your classic NYC slice from two Eleven Madison Park veterans, Julian Geldmacher and Jake Serebnick. The grains are carefully sourced, the tomatoes are imported from Italy, and the ricotta is from Pennsylvania’s own Caputo Brothers Creamery. The toppings are excellent, and we highly encourage you to opt for the mushroom slice with crème fraîche and onions, or to devise your own tomato slice with ricotta, spicy peppers, and basil.

Walk-ins only.

Long before there was Bungalow, Semma, or Dhamaka, there was Junoon, and now is a perfect time to recognize its groundbreaking contributions to New York’s dining scene. (In fact, Bungalow chef Vikas Khanna and Dhamaka chef Chintan Pandya both served as executive chefs.) It pioneered nuanced Indian fine dining that melds contemporary influences with time-honored traditions, and that legacy continues. Standout dishes include a Goan coconut-based curry made with oyster and trumpet mushrooms, smoked masala ribs, and dry-aged duck with a Tellicherry pepper sauce.