Time for another Best Of refresher. This time our beautiful island of Manhattan. Its a total revamp. We say goodbye to Nish Nush, Foxface and a few others that sadly closed. Saying hello to Gazala’s, Papa San, Lola’s, Penny, RYNN Thai, Bananas, Beto’s Carnitas & Guisados, New Spicy Village. Like any list this may seem random to some, but there’s a whole lot of juicy nuggets here.
Updated: August 2nd, 2026
Well, the people of Reddit have spoken, after putting together the Brooklyn picks. For Manhattan I grouped them instead of creating another map (Brooklyn is huge). And just like with Brooklyn, there are certain areas as you can see where I dont spend much time. UWS and UES are just too far, and not as interesting, while Midtown East and Times Square are hotel/tourist heavy, with minimal parking, and more suited for business lunches. Rarely anything interesting opens there.
I also think its time to retire the Z-List. I’ve been managing it for many years, and I’ve had many people commenting on how useful it is. But a list of 30 that covers a large area, no matter how often updated, can run its course. I know some rely on it, but I think its better to rely on its Brooklyn and Manhattan list replacements at this point. I will leave the Z-List up for a while to give people a chance to say goodbye 😉
I will update these lists often. This one is more or less from south to north, with the borders stretched on occasion to fit everyone…
LES / Chinatown
Au Cheval – Go for the sick burger, stay for the Mac & Cheese.
Shu Jiao Fu Zhou – Hard to beat for a quick cheap dumplings and noodles.
Spicy Village – Slightly uncomfortable but exceptional Chinese. Try the dumplings and Big Tray of Chicken
New Spicy Village – Yes, after much confusion, they are in fact related to the original. Same food, more comfort. The spicy beef brisket dry noodles is a cure for summertime sadness.
Uncle Lou’s – Got a little too touristy lately but this is where I’d go for Cantonese right now
Katz’s Deli – The Pastrami Temple. Mega touristy for a reason
Ginger and Lemongrass – Pretty much for the spicy lemongrass soup.
Beto’s Carnitas & Guisados – Stupendous Mexico City style tacos that beat a lot of heavyweights on a recent taco crawl
Corima – Affordable (as of this writing as at least), superb, creative Mexican
Nolita / Little Italy
Thai Diner – Super popular for a reason. Try to come at Off-peak hours
Wayan – Vongerichten Jr doing all kinds of Indonesian/French magic
19 Cleveland – Excellent all around Israeli
Tomiño Taberna Gallega – NYC’s best if not only pure Galician. Meaning get the Octopus
Figo il Gelato – Fig/Ricotta Gelato when fresh is hard to beat. Now a chain.
Soho
Raoul’s – A celebrated old French Bistro.
San Carlo Osteria Piemonte – Almost does Italy’s top food region justice. Order from the Piemonte menu
Rivareno Gelato – I’m an ice cream junky and this is my favorite Gelato these days. Especially appreciate the northern flavors
Pinch Chinese – Outstanding elevated Chinese. A favorite since they opened pretty much
Greenwich/West Village
Anton’s – I follow certain chefs I admire, until they call the cops 😉 Nick Anderer (Mailino, Marta) did an amazing job curating a great menu at Anton’s. He’s now doing his magic at his second, Leon’s (great lunch so far). Love the brunches here too.
Jeju Noodle Bar – I preferred this Korean before the Michelin star, but its still outstanding
Balaboosta – The flagship of one of the most celebrated Israeli chefs.
Song’ e Napule – If I have to pick just one pizzeria
Leitao – Superb Portuguese. One of my favorite discoveries in the last few years
Via Carota – Possibly the most well rounded Italian we have. Popular for a reason
East Village
Hearth – A reliable old timer and the creator of Brodo.
Fiaschetteria “Pistoia” – The closest we have to eating in a Tuscan village
Carnitas Ramirez – Possibly best tacos in NYC today.
Bananas – A theme “New Asian American” where the food is pretty darn good. Opened by two fine dining veterans
Danny & Coop’s Cheesesteaks – Yes, worth the hype.
Nowon – Our go-to for a simple burger, rice cakes and more.
RYNN Thai – Superb elevated Thai. I prefer quiet lunches over loud dinners.
Claude – Josh Pinsky, from Momofuku fame to one of our biggest talents.
Penny – See above! Literally, as you get to Claude. Pinsky’s outstanding Seafood is right above.
Flatiron / Gramercy
L’Express – One of the most reliable Brasseries in the city, aging like a fine Bordeaux
Olle – No shortage of great Korean in the area, but you’ll be hard pressed to find better Galbi Jjim
Ulivo – Nice all around Italian, good pizza, and a plethora of fresh pastas by a talented Sardinian
Lola’s – Creative farm to table by culinary veteran Suzanne Cupps (Remember Annisa?). Fantastic veggies, fried chicken, grit cakes, and more.
Milu – Fast food Chinese first of its kind.
Rezdora – Pricy high caliber Italian inspired by Emilia Romagna. Superb pastas.
Chelsea
Jun-Men Ramen – Good ramen but even better non Ramen items like the Mazemen and wings.
Papa San – If we had “underrated awards” this Nikkei (Pervian/Japanese) would win the gold medal. Amazing flavors.
Tia Pol / Txikito / Salinas – Three excellent Spanish all timers, near each other. All quite different. I frequent Tia Pol more only because its more accessible.
Hell’s Kitchen
Frena – Elevated middle eastern by a seasoned chef, now owner. Taboon 2.0 for those who remember.
Chalong Southern Thai – Probably best Thai in Hell’s Kitchen today, if not Manhattan.
Danji – Former Michelin Korean. Nice comeback story after a devastating fire
Chi – Solid, stylish Szechuan with a twist
Don Antonio – Legit Neapolitan pies. Just about as good as it gets.
Pure Thai Cookhouse – Legendary Thai in Thai heavy Hell’s Kitchen
UWS
Pig and Khao – Used to frequent the LES location. Same menu, just more babies. Try the Chili Pan Mee
Gazala’s – Our only Druze as far I know, by a no nonsense fearless female cook (Gazala Halabi). Maybe the best Hummus in the city
Eating With Ziggy 