Recente is a happy marriage of Italy and Australia, from two alums of Dante and a chef who hails from Down Under. The former lends recipes and aperitivo culture, and the latter offers coastal sensibility and fresh ingredient takes. Together, it’s a wedding we’re happy to attend — more than once.

It’s a fresh take on a steakhouse from chef Sujan Sarkar of Indienne, who draws from the London chophouses of his early career, imbuing a familiar format with Indian flavors.

Read all about Elder here.

When Mary’s closed after 20 years in business, we thought we might never recover. Turns out we didn’t need to, as they’re now back and better than ever, still a destination for some of the neighborhood’s best lobster rolls and heaping servings of shoestring fries.

It’s a charming Thai American wine bar helmed by a trio of hospitality veterans, including a former chef of LumLum. Expect a deep, carefully curated list of wines and sake, best paired with everything from Hokkaido uni toast and housemade Thai pickles to ribeye khao soi and a Thai-style banoffee.

Brooklyn further cements its growing reputation for some of the city’s best Mexican dining with Apapacho. Here, the cocktails are refreshing and the salsas are made in house.

If you’re looking for a cozy, comforting Italian meal in Flushing, Il Punto serves up a very good one. Know that the eggplant parmigiana is required ordering.

A monthly rotating cast of artists provides the backdrop for an evening spent sipping wines by the glass and tearing into Neapolitan-style pizza.

The team behind Cervo’s, Hart’s, The Fly, and Eel Bar have a knack for opening cozy restaurants with olive oil-rich seafood and standout salads, and Zig Zag fits right into the family. It also sports lots of outdoor seating for seafood towers al fresco.

Read all about Zig Zag Oyster Bar here. 

This spot brings a vaguely childlike sense of wonder to the Taiwanese cuisine it serves, but that isn’t to say the food isn’t serious or seriously good. They cut their chops in Hong Kong, and we must say, we’re happy Yuan is Here now (sorry).

It’s the rooftop sister to downstairs seafood restaurant Zoli, and being there feels like enjoying a glass of wine on your wealthy (and stylish) friend’s finished patio. Greenery abounds, as do good feelings.

By day, Maya is one of the neighborhood’s favorite casual destinations for warm, comforting bowls of congee. By night, they get a little more serious, serving rice wines, small plates, and yes, a bowl of the house congee on every table.

It’s a somewhat-hidden cocktail destination behind Lucky Tiger, where DJs spin vinyl and cocktails are made with ingredients like Doritos-infused spirits, calamansi, and tamarind. Yes, you’d be correct in assuming it’s a good time.

Everyone looks good under the red and orange lights at Primrose — maybe that’s why this spot is so good for a first date. Get a few cocktails and a pizza to share, and you’re set.

The sushi counter here has only 12 seats, which means your experience will be intimate and that much more memorable. We’d recommend letting the chef guide you through one of their omakase sets, but they offer à la carte too.

Named for a former inner-city district in Dublin, Bar Monto is not your grandfather’s Irish pub. Of course, you can get a pint of Guinness, but the cocktail list is quite chic and the bites go far beyond average bar fare.

We’re always down for Persian food, especially when it’s done as well as it is at Taftoon. Here, spaghetti gets the tahdig treatment, the namesake bread is handmade in-house, and there’s poetry on the walls. Enough said?

Enjoy a bounty of sushi, ramen, and izakaya-style bites at Chelsea hotspot Oramen. They’re open until 10 p.m. on weekends, making it an ideal stop for your crew to hit before the nearby bars.

You’ll enjoy watching your food come out of the brick ovens and sizzling pans at LIBA’s fantastically central open kitchen, but you’ll enjoy it even more once that food gets to your table. The menu at this William Vale Hotel spot has a Mediterranean focus and, as a bonus, it also happens to be kosher certified.

Beef is the move at Palermo, where they only serve cuts straight from Argentina. Grab a crew and go for the picanha or the tomahawk, plus mashed potatoes and a few mezcal margaritas, for good measure.

A little tiki never hurt anybody, especially not Palm Street. Here, it’s subtle (think, well, palm trees and wood accents), but enough to add a bit of fun to their FiDi location. Know that the colorful dumplings and bouncy noodles should be on your table.

Because it’s an intimate Peruvian spot that serves up all of the classics done right. Know that anything your server recommends, you should order accordingly. And quickly.

Things are just fun at Funny Bar, where they play only jazz music and you can draw with crayons on your table as your rainbow sprinkle-topped sundae makes its way to you. Oh, and the kitchen is open well past 1 a.m. most nights, if you’re in the need of a late dinner.

Rich curries, steaming biryani, and chaat all come out of the kitchen at Sahib looking beautiful, only to last mere minutes at your table before they’re eaten entirely up. If you’re a “phone eats first” person, you’ll have to move fast.

“Top Chef” finalist Sherry Cardozo has worked in some of our city’s finest establishments (Per Se, Le Cirque) and brings her talents to this cozy, 28-seat tasting spot. Do know there’s a focus on being low-waste and the menu is ever-rotating, with a strong greenmarket sensibility.

It’s an enormous three-story Chinatown spot whose name stands for “things I need.” We’d say you definitely need as many of the inventive cocktails and dishes as you can fit on your table.

There’s a lot to love at Chamber, whether you’re in the mood for cocktails and creative small bites or karaoke and bottles of soju. No matter what you choose, the lighting is low and the vibes are high.

It’s the second location of a luxe, ritzy Sicilian-style bar, complete with a lovely tile backsplash and a long list of specialty cocktails. Bring a date — the space is intimate enough that you’ll be able to snuggle up.

Head here for Georgian classics in a sun-filled space on the Upper West Side. Come with a few friends so you can try more of the cheesy breads and dumplings.

A Miami see-and-be-seen staple, Motek heads into New York’s Greenwich Village with the same all-day brunch menu of Mediterranean dishes. Know that like its southern sisters, the dress code here is upscale casual.

It’s a bright, airy spot in Queens that serves an exceptional Turkish and Mediterranean menu. Know that anything that comes out of their brick oven should take priority on your order.

It’s down-home Brazilian cuisine in the cozy space to match. Don’t forget the caipirinhas.

When you’re in need of some good old-fashioned Italian comfort food in Midtown, it’s hard to beat Lattanzi. They’ve been open for decades, serving up all the classics in their brick-lined space.

It’s a Russian spot whose founders included the dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov and Nobel Prize-winning poet Joseph Brodsky. That aside, the pelmeni, salo, and Olivier salad are well worth the trip to the elegant, storied dining room.

It’s a relatively tiny (just 28 seats) mezcalería in Soho from the all-star team behind La Esquina. All the better to have an intimate experience filled with an all-day menu that ranges from cocktails and coffee to tres leches croissants and tuna crudo.

The biggest draw here is probably the list of 15 wines by the glass for $15, but the marinated olives and meatballs are a worthy accompaniment to whatever pour you choose.