New York City is world-renowned for its innovative fine dining scene, showcasing the talents of top international chefs, bakers, and cocktail mixologists at venues throughout the city. These restaurants offer ambiance, creativity, and quintessential New York charm, perfect for a first lunch date or an intimate night out for dinner and drinks.
The Ribbon
The Ribbon is a Zagat-recommended and Michelin-starred Upper West Side restaurant that was the recipient of OpenTable’s 2018 Diner’s Choice Award. The restaurant is cultivated by brothers Bruce and Eric Bromberg, whose Blue Ribbon restaurants have been favorites throughout New York and Las Vegas since the 1990s. Its menu offers classic, refined American fare to please all tastes, including seafood dishes, craft burgers, and spit-roasted butcher’s plates.
It occupies the former space of the historic 1920s Hotel Franconia and strives to embody the sophistication of the famed neighborhood in a refined dining experience. Brunch is served on weekend mornings, and an extensive whiskey bar offers international options.
20 West 72nd Street, New York, NY 10023, Phone: 212-787-5656
Hearth
Hearth is an East Village favorite that serves sustainable, healthy Tuscan-American dishes crafted by chef Marco Canora. All of the restaurant’s fare prioritizes whole foods, utilizing the freshest meats and vegetables possible and focusing on healthy, natural fats such as virgin olive oil and grass-fed ghee.
A full-table chef’s tasting menu is available at dinner, along with rustic dishes such as potato gnocchi, whole roasted fish, and grass-fed beef tartare. Full wine and cider menus are available, along with craft cocktails emphasizing fruit and herbal ingredients. On the weekends, the restaurant serves brunch beginning at 11:00am, offering healthy breakfast bowls, fruit-infused French toast, and bottomless mimosa and bloody mary options.
403 E 12th St, New York, NY 10009, Phone: 646-602-1300
The Wren
The Wren is one of the Bowery’s hottest spots, offering inventive pub fare and sophisticated drinks seven days a week in a rustic industrial atmosphere. Hearty dinner options include classic dishes such as pulled pork sandwiches, pan-roasted chicken breast, and fish and chips, with full cheese and snack boards and a wide variety of bar bites available. Draft and bottle beer offerings focus on wild ales and barrel-aged variants, while a craft cocktail list showcases drinks with Mexican-inspired flair. On weekends and holiday Mondays, a full brunch menu serves avocado toast, breakfast burgers, and shareable starters such as bourbon-infused churros. For couples looking to extend their dates, the bar is conveniently located near lower Manhattan attractions such as Washington Square Park, the Standard, and the Public Theater.
344 Bowery, New York, NY 10012, Phone: 212-388-0148
The Spaniard
The Spaniard is the latest project from chef PJ Calapa, known for his work at top Manhattan restaurants Nobu and Ai Fiori. The sleek gastropub opened in April of 2017, occupying the West Village space that formerly housed Oliver’s City Tavern, and is intended to evoke the atmosphere of traditional Irish public houses. Menus pay homage to classic Irish and New York fare, offering items such as spinach-topped oysters Rockefeller, steak tartare, and beef patty melts. Over 100 scotches and whiskeys are stocked at the pub’s bar, with a cocktail list offered that highlights traditional favorites such as Penicillins and rosemary Manhattans.
190 West 4th Street, New York, NY 10014, Phone: 212-918-1986
Kobrick Coffee Co.
Kobrick Coffee Co. has been a New York institution for nearly a century, founded in the early 20th century by roaster Samuel Kobrick, who envisioned a product that would reproduce Manhattan’s effervescent energy in a brewed cup. Today, the company is helmed by third-generation Kobrick family members and continues to produce certified organic, fair trade, and kosher coffees that reflect their growing region’s individual character and flavor profile.
A cafe in Chelsea is conveniently located near attractions such as the Whitney Museum of American Art and Chelsea Market, serving classic coffee shop beverages and coffee-infused cocktails, including a number of health-conscious options with ingredients such as coconut oil and green coffee extract.
24 9th Ave, New York, NY 10014, Phone: 212-255-5588
St. Tropez
St. Tropez is named for the famed French fishing village of the same name, offering Provençal-style cooking in the West Village space that formerly housed Café Minerva. The restaurant is helmed by executive chef Gérald Barthélémy, an alumnus of several Michelin-star Parisian ventures, and surrounds diners in farmhouse-style furnishings in an open-plan setting, with the restaurant’s kitchen visible from its seating area. Affordable menu offerings include classic French dishes such as duck confit shepherd’s pie, stuffed tomatoes, and beef meatballs with ratatouille, along with extensive charcuterie and oyster platter options. An all-French wine list offers more than 40 varieties from top wine growing regions to complement meals.
304 West 4th Street, New York, NY 10014, Phone: 917-388-3893
Blackbarn Restaurant
Blackbarn Restaurant is a farm-to-table restaurant in NoMad by executive chef Matteo Bergamini, a revamp of his former SD26 restaurant that occupied the same space. The restaurant’s redesign by co-owner Mark Zeff emphasizes whitewashed barn board-style walls, crisscrossed ceiling beams, and steel paneling to create a modern farmhouse atmosphere for serving Italian-influenced New American fare such as black fig pizzas, grilled corn salad, and porchetta with broccoli rabe. Two full dining rooms are offered at the multi-level restaurant, which boasts dramatic views of nearby Madison Square Park. An extensive wine and champagne list is available, along with a small oyster bar.
19 E 26th St, New York, NY 10010, Phone: 212-265-5959
The Rickey
The Rickey is the craft cocktail bar and lounge of the Dream Midtown boutique hotel, the latest offering by renowned mixologist and bar proprietor Johnny Swet. The bar’s name pays homage to Washington, D.C. lobbyist Colonel Joe Rickey, whose affinity for lime-infused bourbon led to the creation of the famed Gin Rickey cocktail. An elevated menu of classic and creative cocktails is served, including elevated takes on standbys such as Manhattans, martinis, and Negronis. An extensive wine and liquor menu is also available, along with several local favorite draft beers and a light bites menu by executive chef Michael Armstrong.
210 W 55th St #1, New York, NY 10019, Phone: 646-756-2054
Finback Brewery
Finback Brewery was founded in 2011 and operates a 20-barrel brewhouse and tasting room in Glendale, Queens. The brewery aims to craft artisanal small-batch ales emphasizing flavor and complexity, from hoppy ales and smoky roasted brews to highly-sippable session beers and everything in between. Though no year-round flagship ales are offered, past favorites have included beers such as the brewery’s Starchild sour ale, Stumptown-infused Dark Entity pumpkin coffee porter, and Lazy Ax imperial stout, a collaboration with Brooklyn chocolatiers Raaka. The brewery’s tasting room is open to the public Wednesdays through Sundays and offers convenient indoor bike parking for dates looking to explore nearby neighborhoods such as Forest Hills and Middle Village.
78-01 77th Ave, Glendale, NY 11385, Phone: 718-628-8600
Parm (Upper West Side)
Parm (Upper West Side) recreates classic Italian-American dishes in a casual environment that evokes the atmosphere of mid-century American diners, complete with a short-order counter and throwback AM radio music. The restaurant was founded by chefs Mario Carbone and Rich Torrisi, students of famed celebrity chefs such as Mario Batali and Wylie Dufresne. Moderately-priced entrees include Saratoga club sandwiches, baked clams, and the restaurant’s eponymous chicken and eggplant parmesan platters, which are complemented by snacks such as giardinia pickles and pizza knots. Wines are available by the bottle or by the glass, and classic beer favorites such as McSorley’s and Schaefer are available on draft and in cans.
235 Columbus Ave, New York, NY 10023, Phone: 212-776-4921
Harlem Shake
Harlem Shake is an acclaimed Central Harlem fast-casual diner that has been proclaimed as the neighborhood’s answer to Shake Shack by Forbes magazine. Its custom-blend burger patties, all-beef hot dogs, and hand-spun Blue Marble milkshakes have been named among the best in New York by major publications such as The Village Voice, Thrillist, and New York Daily News. A wide selection of beer and wine is offered to complement its classic diner menu, including eight taps of local draft beer favorites. The restaurant’s interior is cultivated to reflect the culture and community of Harlem, featuring a Wall of Fame with autographed headshots of notable African-American celebrities such as Maya Angelou and Janelle Monae.
100 W 124th St, New York, NY 10027, Phone: 212-222-8300
Lilia
Lilia is the newest venture by A Voce and Spiaggia executive chef Missy Robbins, housed within a renovated automobile body shop in Williamsburg. The classic Italian restaurant emphasizes warm hospitality and homestyle Italian cooking, offering a menu full of handcrafted pasta dishes decked out with rich, fresh ingredients such as tender meats, sheep’s milk ricotta, and soft dried tomatoes. Notable entrees include wood-fired seafood options, gnocchi with pistachio-broccoli pesto, papparedelle with veal Bolognese, and a wide variety of vegetable-forward antipasto dishes. Classic Italian cocktails and desserts such as olive oil cake are also available. During the morning and afternoon hours, the restaurant also offers an authentic Italian-style caffe, serving espresso drinks and light fare.
567 Union Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11222, Phone: 718-576-3095
Loi Estiatorio
Loi Estiatorio is the vision of acclaimed chef Maria Loi, the official ambassador of Greek gastronomy for the Chef’s Club of Greece and the author of bestselling diet plan The Greek Diet. The restaurant is operated by the Greek Hospitality Group and strives to embody the Greek philosophy of philotimo, which encourages approaching accomplishments with a sense of pride in and respect for one’s community. The Manhattan restaurant abides by Loi’s culinary philosophies and showcases a menu full of fresh, nutritious Greek fare, highlighting traditional entrees such as stuffed eggplant, spinach pies, and Greek-style lasagna. Lunch is served on weekdays, with dinner service available Mondays through Saturdays.
132 West 58th St, New York, NY 10019, Phone: 212-713-0015
