This tasting menu restaurant launched in a space attached to the grocery store with which it still shares a name (Brooklyn Fare) on Schermerhorn Street in Brooklyn. Its unorthodox location, combined with chef César Ramirez’s luxurious, truffle-laden menu at a fittingly high price point, forced recognition that the borough could finally compete with Manhattan’s fine dining restaurants, earning it three MICHELIN stars.

Dig into one of Harlem’s best casual meals at this soul food institution. Chef Melba Wilson’s chicken and waffles shot to fame after winning an episode of Food Network’s Throwdown! With Bobby Flay in 2008. Melba’s adored version comes with strawberry butter, maple syrup, and can be topped with wings or catfish. Wilson began her career at her aunt’s Harlem staple, Sylvia’s, and can often be found greeting guests with warm hugs.

There are few restaurants more iconic than Grand Central Oyster Bar in New York’s equally iconic Grand Central Station, sharing the building’s glorious scale and dramatic vaulted tile ceiling. With U-shaped lunch counters spanning end to end in part of the room and red-checked tablecloths covering wooden tables in the dining room, the place feels like it did when it opened in 1913.

Hearth, with its single-word name, unadorned East Village dining room, and farm-to-table philosophy, ushered in an era of other ingredient-driven restaurants after opening in 2003. But Hearth’s faithfulness to simple Italian cooking, along with its excellent service, has ensured that it outlasted almost all of them. If you’ve had bone broth lately, thank Hearth’s James Beard Award-winning chef Marco Canora.

Star chef Markus Glocker (Augustine, Bâtard) blends French fare with Austrian traditions at this transportive fine-dining spot at the Ace Hotel. Though it just opened in September 2022, Koloman’s artistic plates have already scored rave reviews from The New York Times, The New Yorker, and other local heavyweights. Expect imaginative dishes such as cheese souffle with aged cheddar and mushroom jam, schnitzel Viennoise, a combination of potato salad, cucumber, lingonberries and more.

In a town where so many residents claim a favorite steakhouse, Strip House stands out. The interiors are far from staid, livened up by bordello-inspired accents and burlesque photos on the walls. But Strip House doesn’t mess around in the beef department. The pitch-perfect steaks are accompanied by decadent European-style sides including truffled creamed spinach and goose-fat fried potatoes. Come extra hungry and order the beloved New York strip, along with several martinis to wash it down.

TAO Downtown resembles a Vegas nightclub to many. But it might be more accurate to say that many Vegas nightclubs actually resemble TAO—the hybrid club and restaurant pioneered the genre and exported it all over the world. TAO is now the place to have an epic night, whether it’s for bachelorette and bachelor parties, birthdays, or other celebrations.

The Odeon has been an anchor for Lower Manhattan since it opened in 1980, long before Tribeca was trendy. The restaurant has weathered the ups and downs of several recessions, 9/11, Hurricane Sandy, and now a global pandemic, all while remaining a symbol of downtown cool that counts celebrities as regulars. Its French bistro-esque interiors influenced restaurant design for decades. The Odeon is still a go-to for the city’s most comforting classics such as frisée salad and roast chicken.

Chef Vijay Kumar and the award-winning team behind Dhamaka lead this South Indian newcomer and steered it to MICHELIN stardom in 2022. Semma is the only Indian restaurant in the U.S. to score that coveted distinction, due to Kumar’s penchant for showcasing undersung ingredients such as goat intestines and Byadagi chiles. Many of the dishes here trace their roots to Tamil Nadu (where the chef is originally from) and include gunpowder dosa.

Casa Mono has turned out consistently superb tapas since 2003, with rave New York Times reviews and a MICHELIN star to prove it. The kitchen is led by longtime chef-owner Andy Nusser and whips up classic small plates that will transport you to Spain—think pan con tomate, bacalao croquetas, razor clams a la plancha, and top-notch jamón iberíco. Larger plates are equally delightful, be it something more traditional such as fideos with chorizo and clams.