2023 Top NYC Restaurants
Every year, we compile our NYC restaurant highlights that left us speechless. NYC is a revolving door for restaurants and it’s hard to keep up with the best “new hot thing.” But we spent the last 12 months eating to bring you our comprehensive list of the best new restaurants, bakeries, and everything in between that opened in 2023.
Disclaimer: it was extremely difficult to limit this list down.
Overall Top 13 Restaurants
13. Cafe Chelsea (Chelsea, Manhattan)
Our video for this spot went mega viral (watch here) and rightfully so because it is delicious. The vibes are just stunning but the food was top notch - we love their Ravioles du Dauphiné and chocolate soufflé you have too preorder to secure.
Raviolis Dauphine from Cafe Chelsea
Smash burger from Oh Boy
11. Vert Frais (Long Island City, Queens)
After traveling to Japan earlier this year, we were in need of some authentic Japanese soufflé pancakes and stellar ramen (check it out). Vert Frais offers just that. The chef also owns previously Michelin starred, Kanoyama, and we love the cozy feel at this place in Queens.
Matcha soufflé pancakes from Vert Frais
10. ARIARI (East Village, Manhattan)
We absolutely love Korean food and when we heard about ARIARI opening from the Hand Hospitality team (Her Name is Han, Jua, and LittleMad), we were very excited. Must gets are the scallop DIY gimbap and the uni bibimbap you may have seen all over social media, and if you haven’t seen it, watch it here.
Torched mackerel
9. Foul Witch (East Village, Manhattan)
Roberta’s, known for their famous hot honey bee sting pizza, opened an upscale wine bar not serving any pizza, but you can get delicious homemade bread to pair with their Fire & Ice appetizer and homemade pastas. This one is a little overpriced food the portions, but it’s phenomenal. Video review
Fire and Ice Appetizer from Foul Witch
8. Cafe Carmellini (NoMad, Manhattan)
This is the newest venture from James Beard Award winning Chef Andrew Carmellini, adding to his impressive list of eateries including Lafayette and Locanda Verde. It’s located inside the Fifth Avenue Hotel and the menu prices match the boujee location; but we absolutely were blown away by some bites. Carmellini did something different with his namesake restaurant because we aren’t the biggest fans of his other establishments. What to order: chicken two ways, duck duck duck tortellini, $75 lobster and caviar cannelloni, and a table side flambeed sticky toffee pudding for dessert.
Lobster & caviar cannelloni from Cafe Carmellini (try saying that 5 times fast)
7. Foxface Natural (East Village, Manhattan)
A couple who used to run a sandwich shop on Saint Marks that served unique flavors like Elk and Camel just shut their sandwich window to open a standalone restaurant. We cannot highlight number 7 enough for it’s unique dishes and completely out of pocket flavors. They seem to be experimenting in the kitchen with every single cuisine in existent, but somehow it absolutely works and becomes fine dining. A staple on their menu is their hiramasa pastrami - which is a yellowtail thats been cured with pastrami and is served with rye crackers and horseradish.
6. Chrissy’s Pizza (East Village, Manhattan)
This one technically isn’t even open but if you were able to snag a pizza for preorder over the summer, then you will know Chrissy’s is some of the best pizza in NYC to open this year, and well ever. It reminds us of New Haven style a little and heard they will be opening in the new year with a bang, and sandwiches!
Cheese pizza from Chrissy’s Pizza
5. Nak’s (East Village, Manhattan)
From the same team behind Semma, another phenomenal NYC Filipino restaurant, comes Nak’s. It’s a $175 Kaymana Filipino tasting experience and it was unexpected, yet exquisite. They are doing something right with Filipino food. It’s authentic and comforting with bright flavors. Watch our full review here.
Grilled scallops from Nak’s
4. Lou Yau Kee (Union Square, Manhattan)
We needed to throw in this fast-casual spot serving what we think is the most perfect lunch or dinner. We have been craving their Hainanese chicken rice ever since we first had a bite. It’s $20 and you can get either roasted or poached chicken. Served over a heaping mound of their incredible seasoned rice with some greens and an array of dipping sauces.
Roasted chicken rice (front) and Poached chicken rice (back) from Lou Yau Kee
3. Tatiana by Kwame Onwuachi (Lincoln Square, Manhattan)
Tatiana is really great and is probably the restaurant that’s gotten the most love this year and consistently is number 1 on Pete Well’s of the New York Times’ lists. Honestly, we get it, the entrees and desserts are what will keep us coming back. It’s very hard to get a table here but run if you snag one. The goat patties, short rib pastrami, snow crab curry, and the cosmic brownie + powdered donut dessert are dishes that left a lasting impression on us and we are still dreaming about. Watch our full review here.
Boneless wagyu short rib pastrami from Tatiana by Kwame
2. Roscioli (SoHo, Manhattan)
Roscioli was sadly a restaurant we could not get into in Rome, Italy, but luck for us, they opened in the West Village this July and it’s as good as we imagined. You cannot find more authentic Roman pastas in NYC than the ones here and the tasting menu for $105 is kind of worth it. Or eat upstairs in their casual restaurant where they offer a large menu of all their Italian hits. Must gets: carbonara, pasta alla gricia, burrata, and tiramisu for dessert… Watch our full video from our tasting menu here.
Carbonara (included in the tasting) from Roscioli
1. ILIS (Greenpoint, Brooklyn)
Just wow to ILIS. This is a special occasion meal and we were left speechless by every single course. The dishes surprised us bite after bite and the interior elevates the experience all together. The kitchen is an open concept so you can see the thoughtful preparation right in front of you. It’s also so impressive just how quiet all the chefs are working at their stations. They have a “snack cart” that they wheel around at the beginning of the meal. It’s all raw bar items like uni and oysters that can be purchased a la cart. Highlights from the tasting menu included elk hearts served with crickets and the roasted brussels. The Market Menu is $195 per person and allows you to choose your 5 main dishes. The Field Guide Menu is their signature experience for $395, which is 3+ hours and comes with around 12 courses, plus snacks and surprises. Watch our full video here.
Selection of raw bar from their “snack cart” - get the uni and the pineapple oyster from Ilis
Honorable Restaurant Mentions
We couldn’t end 2023 without talking about these 6 restaurants.
Torrisi (SoHo, Manhattan)
They opened in 2022, but they technically started doing lunch and got a Michelin Star in 2023 so that counts for something right? Newest restaurant to the Major Food Group fleet, Torrisi is just SO GOOD. It would be unholy for us to not mention their zeppole with prosciutto, tortellini, cavatelli, and pretty much every other dish on the menu. Watch our recent visit for their new lunch menu here.
Tortellini pomodoro from Torrisi
Baby Blues (Williamsburg, Brooklyn)
This Greek all day breakfast joint garnered major lines due to TikTok hype, but honestly the hype was real. We are not brunch girls, but this place is special! Get the banana bread baklava, blueberry pancake special if they have it, and all the egg platters - full breakdown here.
Principe (SoHo, Manhattan)
The definition of sceney with prices to match! However, the food held up and really impressed us! Raw bar items were strong and the pastas all had great flavor. See our complete dinner order here. Also, it’s phenomenal for a cocktail (or two) and makes for a perfect spot out on a Thursday night when you feel like dressing up with friends.
Hamburger America (SoHo, Manhattan)
Burger legend and scholar George Motz finally planted roots in NYC with a nostalgic burger counter. The smashburger is Oklahoma style, where they smash the meat into the griddle with onions and steam the buttered buns on top. We loved it, but even more than the burger, we loved the fun secret menu items that required some digging. Ask for “the Chester” if you want a grilled cheese on white bread with a burger patty jammed in between. We loved the experience of eating here, but we’re still partial to our favorite NYC smash burger, 7th Street. Find our full video here.
George Motz’s Fried Onion Burger
Jazba (East Village, Manhattan)
We absolutely love indian food so when we heard the chef of Junoon opened an East Village restaurant specializing in Indian street food from across the country, we ran. Their food is wonderful and we can’t wait to go back to try more. You can see what we got in this video.
MISIPASTA (Williamsburg, Brooklyn)
Yes, this is from the Misi and Lilia owner, Missy Robbins and dispite the name, they only have a few pastas on the menu. Of course, their pastas they offer are delicious, along with the simple bites, you can’t go wrong with anything - full rundown.
Mama Yoshi Mini Mart (Ridgewood, Queens)
We really enjoyed this japanese convenience inspired inspired shop in Ridgewood, Queens. We 100% need to go back to try more but the egg salad sandwich is the best in NYC and we loved the chicken katsu curry. Watch our full review here.
Overall Top 8 Bakeries
We did an overall bakery roundup in June of our favorite NYC bakeries: see Part 1 and Part 2.
8. Raf’s (NoHo, Manhattan)
Raf’s was all the rave this year. It comes from the same team as Musket Room and they’re focussing on French and Italian cuisine. We went for dinner and were absolutely shocked by where the hype was coming from. Our dishes were unseasoned and the pastas were mid. The menu is seasonal so it’s possible we didn’t go when the menu was at its peak; however, they also have a breakfast menu which highlights their incredible baked goods. We got the daily bread selection (mushroom danish, cacio e pepe scone, chocolate croissant, fresh brioche) and they’re baking fresh cakes daily with seasonal ingredients. Highly recommend their olive oil cake.
Daily selection of pastries from Raf’s
7. JM Bakery (Chelsea, Manhattan)
This bakery describes “A classic French bakery, with whispers of Asian influence and American nostalgia” and we get the vibes. You can enjoy delicious rainbow cookies to a thick brown butter chocolate chip cookie (one of the best in the city). Conveniently, JM bakery is located in Olly Olly market with a ton of other great options. Here’s where we ate when we went there.
Rainbow cookies from JM Bakery
6. Gong Gan (Flushing, Queens)
The wackiest bakery of the all! Gonggan is unique and reminds us of the cafe culture in Seoul, which makes sense because they offer Korean desserts. What to get - green tea cheesecake, corn latte, croffles, and a fresh strawberry to wash it all down - look at their gorgeous desserts.
Spread from Gong Gan
5. The Bakery at Greywind (Hudson Yards, Manhattan)
We’ve always been a fan of Dan Klugger of Loring Place and love that he opened a new restaurant and bakery this year with innovative treats, amazing breakfast options, and the sickest oat milk hot chocolate. Watch our video to see what we loved!
Pastry spread and oatmilk hot chocolate from The Bakery at Greywind
4. Frenchette Bakery (Meatpacking and TriBeCa, Manhattan)
The iconic Frenchette, known for their duck frites, has a new bakery located inside the Whitney Museum. They already had one location around the corner from their restaurant in TriBeCa. From the interior vibes (perfect for sitting with a laptop or people watching) to the pastries and drinks, Frenchette Bakery is high on our list. Get the comté gougeres, kouign-amann, jambon beurre, mortadella egg croissant, and hot chocolate with chartreuse marshmallow.
3. From Lucie (East Village, Manhattan)
These cakes went viral during the pandemic since they look so beautiful but when they opened a shop in February, we were very pleased that they tasted amazing too. They now have other pastries like brown butter cookies and hot chocolate to pair. Madison even got a massive one for her bridal shower this year. See their stunning cakes!
Blackberry peach cake from From Lucie
2. Radio Bakery (Greenpoint, Brooklyn)
Radio Bakery in Greenpoint comes from the ever popular Rolo’s team and there’s a reason they are number 2 on our best new bakery list and originally were #1 on our favorite bakeries in NYC earlier this year. They make seasonal pastries but always get a focaccia, croissant and the smoked salmon sandwich if you need breakfast. Watch our review here.
Assorted pastries from Radio Bakery
1. Alf’s (Chelsea, Manhattan)
We have no words other than WOW. Tucked away in the bottom floor of Chelsea Market, Alf’s comes from a legendary baker, Amadou Ly, who used to work at Arcade Bakery. You must try the laminated baguette. We got ours fresh out of the oven and it changed our lives. We also loved the leek and cheese danish, foccacia, cinnamon bun. You really can’t go wrong with any of the pastries or breads at Alf’s. They are doing something so special in the space below Chelsea Market.
Honorable Bakery Mention
Popup Bagels (Greenwich Village, Manhattan)
You all know how we feel about Popup Bagels, we even had our own Cacio e Pepe butter that we collaborated on. We feel loyal to this bagel shop that started out of CT (our hometown) but they truly make the best bagels we’ve ever tasted. Just look at them…
Sesame bagel with whitefish salad and trout roe from Popup Bagels
Places we didn’t get the hype
Superiority Burger (East Village, Manhattan)
The veggie burger and desserts was incredible, but other than that, we were not running back for any of the dishes. We didn’t understand why it topped so many lists this year and felt like the staff was incredibly rude. They asked us not to film with flash even though it was the middle of the day and we were the only customers sitting in the area! Also, some of the flavors just didn’t work for us.
Bangkok Supper Club (West Village, Manhattan)
We wanted to love it so bad, especially since it comes from the same team as Fish Cheeks (phenomenal Thai food). The dishes were all carried away with spice so that you couldn’t enjoy the actual flavors of the dishes. The rice felt gummy and under seasoned. Don’t get us started on the scallop ceviche that’s topped with a grapefruit granita. Whoever enjoys a frozen icy fruit dish coupled with a scallop needs to talk to us.
Jeans (NoHo, Manhattan)
This spot just didn’t do it for us, very sceney and the pushed us to order a few items which we did and then they came back to say they don’t over them. You can only book this with a private reservation link and it just felt a little much for us. We did enjoy their massive cookie with bourbon milk!
Libertine (West Village, Manhattan)
We truly did not enjoy our meal here and it was $$$, bread and butter with a side of anchovies was $16 and the duck was $72 for small portions. If the food really delivered we’d think differently but everything fell flat.
