Best NYC Restaurants

The best New York restaurants are in the area’s most populated region of New York City. As the largest city in the U.S., New York offers diversity in the best NYC restaurants. In order to be considered one of the best New York restaurants, it is important that the venue deliver quality service, food, ambiance, and pricing. And regarding price, the best NYC restaurants don't have to be cheap, but should present great value for what they offer. Among specific New York restaurants most honored by critics and patrons are:

Maialino

In 2010, Zagat's voted Maialino best newcomer in New York City. Its menu offerings include a wide selection of antipasti including smoked swordfish, red onion and caper berry salad as well as Stracotto di Rapa, which is braised rapini, garlic, and filone. Other selections include peppered chicken, skirt steak, and crispy suckling pig terrine with lentils. With a number of traditional Italian dishes mixed with a healthy selection of chicken, pork, beef, and fish, there is something for any taste bud. Maialino is a premium-priced restaurant.

If you want to know just how much, you will have to attend in person as the website offers no indications. It should be easy to get in, though, if you plan in advance with a reservation. The sophisticated ambiance and extensive knowledge of product, however, usually leave patrons happy.

Le Bernardin

No list of the best NYC restaurants could be taken seriously without Le Bernardin. Le Bernardin, run by Eric Ripert, has won Zagat’s best NYC restaurants honor on more than one occasion, and does so through a team of chefs and wait staff that take on their jobs with passion and professionalism. Menu selections, like Maialino, specialize in a diversity of proteins such as crab, red snapper, steak, pork, chicken, and a multitude of other choices from both land and sea. It may not be possible to get out of Le Bernardin for under $100 with a party of two, but if you are looking for a special night on the town, there are few better places. Le Bernardin, like most upscale restaurants in New York, does take reservations.

Per Se

Per Se is respected for an in-depth menu selection that includes a nine-course meal selection, which includes a tasting of vegetables and a special chef’s selection. Each dish includes a small amount of food that is intended to surprise your palette and leave you longing for more before the next dish arrives. Reservations are accepted, and the nine-course plan could take as much as 5 hours to complete, but most patrons will admit that it is completely worth it even though the price is steep even by New York City standards. Select menu items include hen egg omelets, mandarin sorbet, and lamb meat. The full menu is too extensive to list here. Dinner, service included, will run you close to $300 per nine-course plan.

Check thecottageeatery.com for information on these and other worthwhile NYC restaurants.