The Resy Guide to New York’s Classic Restaurants

A tavern older than the country itself, Fraunces acted as the headquarters for George Washington, as a watering hole for many of the Founding Fathers, and today, as a testament to it all. So brush up on New York’s revolutionary past, with a pint and chicken pot pie — it was Washington’s favorite after all.

Though Delmonico’s started as a French pastry shop, it became New York’s very first restaurant — and a fine dining institution at that. It gave the city à la carte dining and haute French cuisine, it gave Abe Lincoln his favorite mashed potatoes, it gave the New York Times its first restaurant review, and it gave the nation one of its most famous steaks.

One of Brooklyn’s oldest restaurants, Gage & Tollner started out as an oyster house before adding fine liquor and winter turtle soup to its destination-worthy menu. The great Edna Lewis overhauled the kitchen in the late 80’s to infuse it with Southern flair, and thanks to a complete restoration of its glitzy Victorian fixtures and a revamped menu, the storied landmark shines just as bright as it did more than 100 years ago.

A favorite of the literary elite of the 1950’s, White Horse Tavern is a historic landmark-cum-watering hole with the stories to prove it. Its legends run deep: the rumored birthplace of the Village Voice, the bar where Dylan Thomas had his final drink, and the place that tossed out a drunk Jack Kerouac.

Founded in 1885, this classic chophouse is known for its legendary mutton chops, dry-aged steaks, and single malt whiskeys. Come for the meat, stay for the history, and make sure to check Keens’ impressive collection of 90,000 clay pipes, whose owners ranged from Babe Ruth to Albert Einstein.

Born in then-German Williamsburg, Peter Luger became one of the city’s quintessential cash-only steakhouses, where creamed spinach, German potatoes, and the imposing and sputtering porterhouse served tableside by a bow-tied waiter are required eating.

Katz’s is the ultimate kosher-style delicatessen, the undisputed pastrami king, the neon-lit haven where tenured cutters pile perfect slivers of meat onto rye well into the night, and yes, the place where Sally properly schooled Harry.

Recognized by the Pizza Hall of Fame as the country’s very first pizzeria, it follows that Lombardi’s probably began New York’s love affair with the thin tomato pie, and if you stop by this storied haunt, be sure to order the famed rustic double pepperoni pizza.

Barney Greengrass, a.k.a the Sturgeon King, is the Upper West Side’s treasured deli, helmed by the fourth generation of the Greengrass family. This is the place for bagels and lox, whitefish and herring, and a deliciously nostalgic taste of a bygone time.

To celebrate the opening of Grand Central Terminal, this eatery hosted a 100-person feast under the vaulted tiled ceilings, designed by architect Raphael Gustavino. Since then, Grand Central Oyster House has fed the lunch and happy hour crowds with countless chowders and bivalves, of which it sells five million annually.

From slinging schmaltz herring out of a barrel to launching a celebrated brick-and-mortar store on Houston, Joel Russ made history not only by cementing Jewish food into the canon of New York dining, but by making his three daughters, Hattie, Ida, and Anne, full partners in the 1930’s of this still-family-owned operation. 

Note: While the original appetizing shop is still in business, a restaurant spinoff opened a few blocks away.

The city’s most famous hot dog was born in 1916 when Nathan Handwerker, with the help of his wife Ida and her family, sold all-beef franks for a nickel in Coney Island. It was a favorite of Al Capone’s, a dish served to the King and Queen of England in the 1930’s, and still the main attraction during Coney’s annual Fourth of July hot dog eating contest.

What started as a Chinese bakery on what was fearfully known as the Bloody Angle, Nom Wah has since become New York’s most venerated and oldest dim sum parlor, serving made-to-order baskets of dumplings, rice rolls, pork buns, and others, within an original vintage diner vibe.

After slinging pizzas at Lombardi’s, the Naples-born Anthony “Totonno” Pero opened up this Coney Island favorite in 1924, making it the oldest family-run pizzeria in the country. Thankfully, the venerable coal-fired brick oven is still going, firing one of the best, thin-crust pies in the game.

Fanelli’s has had many lives, as a grocery store, a saloon, and a speakeasy, all before finally becoming the cafe it was always meant to be. It fed the Beat poets, the 70’s SoHo art crowd, and now Broadway shoppers and workers alike with BLTs, burgers, martinis, and one of the city’s most cherished soup kiosks.

Frankie & Johnnie’s began as a speakeasy where the password was “Johnnie” and the watchword “Frankie,” in honor of its original owners. During Prohibition, people flocked to this illicit Theatre District joint for its whiskey reserve and carnivorous offerings. And they still do today, under a statutory steakhouse name.

Founded by members of the Russian Imperial Ballet, the Russian Tea Room is an opulent and luxurious restaurant serving traditional Russian fare. A second home for Russian expats and the next-door Broadway crowd, Russian Tea Room offers dozens of vodka choices, and caviar service, of course.

One of the city’s original see-or-be-seen spots, 21 Club got its start during Prohibition, and was quickly known as a destination for high-quality wines, spirits, and French cuisine. It’s wined and dined everyone from Elizabeth Taylor to JFK, and has got the memorabilia to prove it — you only need to look at the Bar Room’s ceiling, covered with a vast collection of gifted “toys.”

When East Harlem was known as Italian Harlem in the 1930’s, Lombardi’s alum Pasquale “Patsy” Lanceri opened up a coal-oven pizza shop with his wife Carmella, where they popularized the New York-style thin-crust pie, and reportedly invented pizza by the slice. 

The city’s oldest bistro, Le Veau d’Or is an Upper East Side legend where frog legs and snails prevail. Truman Capote and Grace Kelly were regular patrons, and though the bistro stuck to its Gallic ways, it has recently found itself in hands of Frenchette owners Riad Nasr and Lee Hanson.

Arguably the most celebrated burger in the city can be found within these walls. Minetta Tavern was home to the literary elite of the 1940’s before Keith McNally came in over a decade ago. And now, it’s the food that elicits patrons to rhapsodize: towering côte de boeuf, roasted bone marrow, and that funky, dry-aged Black Label burger.

The second-oldest restaurant in Manhattan’s original Chinatown (right after Nom Wah), Wo Hop is an unapologetic bastion of Chinese American cuisine, a beacon to the late-night crowd, and a culinary landmark in its own right, whose frenzied patrons can’t settle on which Wo Hop is best — the OG “downstairs” or the next door “upstairs.”

From a minuscule 10-seat luncheonette to the powerhouse institution it is today, 2nd Ave Deli has always been the place to get matzo ball soup, chopped liver, knishes, pastrami, corned beef, and even jellied calves’ feet (p’tcha), though only upon request. 

When you go to the city’s oldest Mexican restaurant, you come prepared. Prepared for the towering margaritas and the nachos piled high, the dark-as-night mole de pollo and the classic ropa vieja — all tied up in a dimly-lit setting that’s big on rustic charm.

Established by the Queen of Soul Food herself, Sylvia’s is a Harlem favorite and a community anchor. Owned and operated by Sylvia Woods’ descendants, the restaurant is still a standby for impeccable soul food, gospel brunch Sundays, and the occasional VIP visit.

A family-run restaurant since 1963, Victor’s Cafe is one transportive and luxe love letter to Cuban cuisine: a lush dining room filled with Cuban art and sky-lit ceilings, classic dishes like ropa vieja and lechón (slow roasted pig), and some of the best mojitos in town. Pro tip: Head to the Cuba Lounge if you’re looking for drinks and a party.

You can still find Domenico “Dom” DeMarco in the kitchen, kneading dough and topping fresh-from-the-oven pies at his acclaimed pizzeria. The Midwood destination uses ingredients straight out of Italy for an inimitable taste, making even Anthony Bourdain declare Di Fara “the best of the best.”

This family-owned diner in Queens is the last of its kind, the last of a long line of ice-cream parlors first started in 1897 in the Bronx. While the Moukas family has made their Jahn’s more of an all-day diner, ice cream is still the main reason why so many still come: especially for the massive 24-scoop Kitchen Sink sundae.

The story of Raoul’s reads like a fairytale: Two French brothers journeyed from Alsace to SoHo, where they found a little restaurant for sale. Through word-of-mouth and humble beginnings, Guy and Serge built a rambunctious neighborhood gem where, 45 years after opening, longtime regulars and visiting VIPs still line up for what might be the most delectable steak au poivre in town.

This may be Long Island City’s best-kept gem. Opened on Christmas day in 1977 by Vincenzo and Ida Cerbone, Manducatis is a taste of the old country, where Italian dishes are prepared slowly, deliciously, and with a lot of heart. 

Jackson Heights’ culinary reputation as one of the best places in the city for South Asian cuisine started with this American-style diner that, over the years, transformed itself into a landmark Indian restaurant that has hosted celebrities, politicians, and many hungry New Yorkers alike. 

Chinatown’s late-night, cash-only Cantonese canteen originated amid a wave of Hong Kong immigration in the early 80’s. Serving the same bargain fare Hong Kongers found in noodle stalls and roast pork kiosks, Great NY Noodletown has become a trusted after-hours hangout, revered by those in the hospitality industry.

When restaurateur Bon Yagi left Japan to bring a traditional taste of his homeland to New York City, he started with Hasaki, an Edomae-style sushi restaurant. Today, he and his daughter Sakura Yagi own and operate more than 10 restaurants under the family’s T.I.C group, effectively becoming the unofficial mayors of the East Village’s Little Tokyo.

As Danny Meyer’s flagship restaurant, Union Square Cafe is the original restaurant of Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality Group, a champion of the next-door greenmarket since the 80’s, a pioneer of contemporary American cuisine, and a destination for warm hospitality and creative cooking.

Le Bernardin has consistently topped New York’s Michelin Guide with three stars for the past 14 years, and it’s in no small part due to chef Eric Ripert and original owner Maguy Le Coze. This is the city’s exceptional seafood destination, with a wine list curated by master sommelier Aldo Sohm, no less.