11 Great NYC Restaurants

Discover 11 great NYC restaurants where you can eat a special meal unless you'd rather eat burgers, pastrami sandwiches or bagels.

Katz's Delicatessen in NYCPhoto by2foodtrippers

1. Katz's Delicatessen

Katz’s is the holy grail when it comes to pastrami sandwich on rye. It's a simple place where multiple service clerks slice meat by hand for each order. The clerks are nice if you behave but may get a little grouchy if you ask too many questions. Prices may seem high at first glance. However, the ginormous sandwiches are big enough to share though you may want to eat it all yourself.

2. JG Melon

Located on an Upper East Side corner since 1972, JG Melon serves classic New York pub burgers made tasty with plenty of fat and served simply with a pickle on a generic white plate. Beyond burgers, other food highlights include chunky cottage fries and chocolate cake.

3. Keens Steakhouse

Keens Steakhouse has been serving steak to a cast of characters that includes Albert Einstein, Liza Minelli, J.P. Morgan, Babe Ruth and Doctor Ruth since the historic restaurant opened in 1885. The mutton chop is the dish to order here. It's a tender, steak-like cut of lamb saddle that tastes great with minty lamb jus.

4. Russ & Daughters Cafe

A NYC institution since it opened in 1914, Russ & Daughters transcended from 'just' an appetizing store to restaurant status in 2014 when the cafe opened in the heart of the the Lower East Side. People queue for brunch all over the city but this one is special due to its boards topped with colorful assortments of smoked fish and accoutrements like capers, onions and tomatoes. Its blintzes and babka french toast are great too.

5. Manhatta

While it's far from cheap, Manhatta is an affordable option for middle-end diners looking to splurge on a special meal and enjoy one of the city’s most spectacular views at the same time. Let's face it - viewing the Brooklyn, Manhattan and Williamsburg Bridges while sipping a classic cocktail or slurping an oyster is a special thing. Following that with dishes like dry aged duck and foie gras pie makes for true event dining.

6. Joe's Shanghai

Joe’s Shanghai represents a piece of New York history and its soup dumplings are made for Americans. Bite into a Joe’s dumpling and be prepared to slurp... a lot. Full of broth, the restaurant's classic pork and crab dumplings are as satisfying as soup dumplings can be.

7. Barney Greengrass

Barney Greengrass has come a long way since the original Harlem appetizing store opened in 1908 and moved to the Upper West Side 21 years later which is where it is today. After more than a century, the self-annointed 'sturgeon king' deli continues to serve Jewish comfort foods like smoked and pickled fish, potato latkes, blintzes and babka.

8. S&P Lunch

The sky brightened and New Yorkers rejoiced when Eisenberg's, a popular Flatiron lunch counter, re-opened in 2023. Now called S&P Lunch (the lunch counter's original name back in 1928), much is the same including the restaurant's long counter and its row of shabby-chic red vinyl stools. The same goes for menu items like the ever-popular tuna melt and egg cream.

9. Xi'an Famous Foods

The hand ripped noodles at Xi’an Famous Foods are rustic, filling and hugely flavorful. They're served with a variety of toppings like cumin lamb, stewed pork and tingly beef. While the original Golden Mall location is now closed, you and we can slurp spicy dishes at a variety of stylish locations in Brooklyn, Manhattan and Queens. The noodles taste good in all three boroughs.

10. L'Industrie Pizzeria

Originally opened in Williamsburg in 2017 when Massimo Laveglia acquired the French name along with a lease, L'Industrie uses premium ingredients like burrata, tartufo and fig jam to create slices that stand out in NYC's buzzing pizza scene. It's a pizza destination in a city filled with pizzerias. The same goes for the second L'Industrie in Manhattan.

11. Mariscos El Submarino

Intrepid foodies who venture to Jackson Heights in Queens will want to eat everything in the culturally diverse neighborhood. However, if you just have time for one meal, go to Mariscos El Submarino and eat aguachile and cóctel de camarón (i.e. Mexican shrimp cocktail). Be sure to sip a spicy michelado cocktail too.

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