• Le Relais de Venise L’Entrecôte

Midtown East, Manhattan Okay, this French import also serves a salad. And cheap house wine. And dessert. But that’s it. When you’re there, you’re eating steak with buttery pan sauce and french fries for your entree, just like everyone else in the large, brightly lit dining room. Don’t skip out on a bottle of the very affordable (and acceptably mediocre) house wine. ✵ Order: No, really, the only choice is steak frites.

• Court Street Grocers

Carroll Gardens, Red Hook, and Williamsburg, Brooklyn; and Greenwich Village, Manhattan The menu might seem intimidating at first—there are a lot of sandwiches—but once you make your way through the list, you’ll realize each item has earned its place. Whether it’s eggy, vegetarian, toasty, or cold cuts-y, Court Street nails it. ✵ Order: broccoli Reuben, turkey club, pork roll breakfast sandwich, and a house-made celery soda.

• Upside Pizza

Midtown East, Manhattan We don’t end up in the hellscape between Madison Square Garden and Times Square too often, but if there’s one reason to be there, it’s Upside Pizza. Naturally leavened dough. Mozzarella made in house. A bold, neon vibe straight out of the early ’90s. What more could you ask for? Slices are the move, whether you scarf them down at the bar tables by the window or on the sidewalk outside. ✵ Order: white mushroom slice, plain slice, or Sicilian pepperoni slice, and a large fountain soda.

• Tian Jin Dumpling House

Flushing, Queens The only less-than-wonderful part of Tian Jin is finding it for the first time. The compact dumpling spot is buried in the basement food court of the Golden Shopping Mall. But once you descend into the space, the thick-skinned steamed dumplings are all you’ll be thinking about. The dumplings are chewy and soft, and the meats and vegetables wrapped inside are seasoned aggressively. Sit at the counter and make use of the chili oil. ✵ Order: lamb and squash dumplings, pork and cabbage dumplings, and pork, shrimp, and chive dumplings.

• LoLo’s Seafood Shack

Harlem, Manhattan Here, seafood (not hospitality) is the priority. File up to the rickety wooden counter and order your coconut shrimp quickly; they don’t have time for your indecision and won’t hesitate to tell you so. Take your number and run to a seat at one of the wooden tables in the cozy back room or in the backyard for an alfresco experience. ✵ Order: crispy coconut shrimp and garlic fries basket, crab legs with shrimp steam pot, mixed drinks from the backyard bar.

• Via Carota

West Village, Manhattan It’s not that Via Carota isn’t a dream dinner place. It’s just that we prefer to head in around noon for lunch, when a long daytime meal in Jody Williams and Rita Sodi’s stylish dining room makes us feel like we’re some West Village celebrity, Italian movie star, or power-lunching media mogul. Oh, and the wait—which can stretch up to three hours in the evening—is much more reasonable this time of day. Like Williams’ and Sodi’s other restaurants in the neighborhood (I Sodi, Buvette, and the new Bar Pisellino), it’s worth holding out for. ✵ Order: the towering, not-so-typical green salad, cacio e pepe, a few items from the menu’s seasonal Verdure section (e.g. fried artichokes, grilled octopus), and a Negroni.

• Diner

Williamsburg, Brooklyn Don’t fight it: You will be charmed by this proto-hipster-era restaurant. It’s set in an old railcar, the waitstaff writes the seasonally prescribed menu on the paper tablecloths, and the classics (like the textbook burger) kill it as much as the experiments (like carpaccio with dill and caraway). ✵ Order: the burger and whatever else speaks to you.

• Raku

East Village, Manhattan Sometimes in this eight-million-person city, you just need some peace, quiet, and udon. That’s when you head to this subdued, intimate noodle shop, where there’s jazz on the speakers and beautiful ceramic bowls of thick, chewy, satisfying udon imported from Japan. ✵ Order: yaki nasu (fried eggplant with spicy miso pork and egg), the cold zaru udon (with seaweed, quail egg, and scallions) or hot kitsune udon (with sweet fried bean curd).

• Superiority Burger

East Village, Manhattan A vegetarian burger joint that meat-eaters love? However unlikely it may sound, it’s real. (And there’s nothing particularly healthy about it—in a good way.) Brooks Headley’s veggie burgers are all kinds of flavorful, from the dill pickles to the Muenster cheese to the kind-of-spicy patty. The tiny spot is almost always slammed, so take your haul half a block down 9th Street to a bench in Tompkins Square Park and get in some prime people watching at the same time. ✵ Order: Superiority Burger, burnt broccoli salad, and whatever mind-blowing gelato/sorbet is on the menu.

• Bo Ky

Chinatown, Manhattan You’ll have to fight your way through a wave of Mott Street tourists to make it to this decades-old Chinatown spot, but once you’re inside Bo Ky—at a no-frills table you might be sharing with strangers—large bowls of Southeast Asian noodle soups will make whatever crowds you waded through worth it. All soups clock in at under $8 and come with your choice of noodles; the egg noodles are especially good. ✵ Order: curry chicken noodle soup, fried shrimp rolls, and half country-style chicken.

• Cafe Kashkar

Brighton Beach, Brooklyn You love Uzbek-Uyghur food; you might just not know it yet. Chewy-tender hand-pulled noodles piled high with chunks of coriander-and-cumin-seasoned lamb. Flaky disks of pastry stuffed with tender bits of lamb and herbs. Juicy, fist-size steamed dumplings spilling forth with...more lamb. Okay: You may not love Uzbek-Uyghur food if you dislike lamb. But if you do, get thee to Brighton! ✵ Order: geiro lagman (noodles with lamb and peppers), manti (small lamb dumplings), samsas (meat pastries).

• Coney Island, Brooklyn

Long before the proliferation of pizza trends (Detroit! House-milled flour! Wood-fired!), this no-nonsense pizzeria was slinging equally no-nonsense pies from its coal-fired oven. These beauties are thin, crispy, and while not quite New York in style, hold up just fine to the New York fold. ✵ Order: a pepperoni pie and a sausage-and-mushroom pie.

• Margon Restaurant

Times Square, Manhattan This narrow spot on 46th Street shines brightly in the food desert known as Times Square. Margon serves Cuban classics from a long line of steam trays to construction workers, 9-to-5ers, tourists, and costumed superheroes alike. The Cuban sandwich is perfectly crispy and nothing close to healthy (as it should be). ✵ Order: Cuban sandwich combo (with rice and beans), roast chicken, rice and beans, maduros.

• Scarr’s Pizza

Lower East Side, Manhattan The only thing stronger than the “old-school slice-joint vibe” at Scarr’s is the pizza itself. Flour is milled in-house, and pies are baked to perfection in two small ovens in the front of the shop. Sit in the faux wood–paneled back room—either at the bar with a glass of pét-nat, or at one of the four molded plywood booths with a pitcher of Presidente—and dig into a Sicilian slice with pepperoni or a classic slice with mushrooms. Then try convincing yourself that you’re as cool as the trendy Lower East Side ensembles surrounding you. Do it on a weeknight, though. Fridays and Saturdays are truly swamped. ✵ Order: any slice or whole pie (especially if you're at one of the booths in the back with a crew) and a vegan Caesar salad.

• Astoria Seafood

Long Island City, Queens There won’t be a moment of serenity during your time at this Greek BYOB. Counter staff shout orders to cooks. Chefs shout at waiters. Guests shout to one another. It’s loud. And it’s fun. Especially because you get to walk alongside the beds of ice and choose whichever fish, bivalves, and shellfish look good, and then tell the staff how to cook them. You hold all the cards, especially since it’s a BYOB. ✵ Order: Grilled octopus, fried shrimp, grilled fish with lemon and herbs, and a large Greek salad.

• J.G. Melon

Upper East Side, Manhattan The watermelon-themed decorations, green-checked tablecloths, and long-time employees give this legendary burger joint a vibe that feels permanent in the most special way, just like the years of seasoning that coat the sizzling griddle. It’s impossible to not feel like a true New Yorker when eating a burger at the original Upper East Side location (there are now two others in Manhattan). It’s an institution. ✵ Order: cheeseburger, cottage fries, chili (for dipping your fries), and a martini.

• Takumen

Long Island City, Queens Pop through Takumen’s yellow door to grab a matcha latte and a buttery croissant to-go, or grab seats in the wood-clad dining room for chewy ramen noodles in deeply flavorful sauce, hefty rice bowls, and impossibly crispy chicken wings. It’s the perfect place to fuel up before visiting MoMA PS1 or the Noguchi Museum. ✵ Order: steamed broccoli, any of the ramen soups, roasted peanut and spicy miso sauce chicken wings, soy-garlic chicken wings, and fried squid.

• Ootoya

Times Square, Manhattan. No matter how crowded this homestyle Japanese restaurant is, it feels like a respite from a world where you are at permanent risk of being accosted by an adult dressed like a furry animal. Whether you’re going post-work or pre-theater, Ootoya’s generous portions of extra-crispy tonkatsu (fried pork cutlet) or simple preparations of grilled fish (like mackerel) have restorative properties. ✵ Order: tonkatsu, chawanmushi (egg custard), and hot tea.

• Atoboy

Midtown East, Manhattan The mini tasting menu that chef-owner Junghyun Park serves inside his futuristic-looking Korean restaurant is neither precious nor pretentious, thanks to the warm service and free flow of genre-bending dishes that change with the seasons. Pick three dishes for a set price ($46!) and order strategically with your companions so you get to try as much of the menu as possible. ✵ Order: shrimp-stuffed endives, yellowtail crudo, galbi, and fried chicken with peanut sauce.

• Cervo’s

Lower East Side, Manhattan Why is this new-school Portuguese gem from the team behind Hot 10 winner Hart’s and rotisserie hotspot The Fly the perfect hangout for two? Because A) the best seats in this sliver of a space are those at the slim counter that runs the length of the bar and curves around the small open kitchen, and B) you’re going to be protective of every last drop of the garlicky sauces left over from the perfectly cooked seafood. ✵ Order: olives, prawns, piri-piri chicken, sourdough bread, a bottle of high-acid white wine, and the vermouth service.

• Wildair

Lower East Side, Manhattan This small space on Orchard Street is a scene (in a good way). It’s packed with in-the-know diners who are just as interested in Austrian pét-nat as they are in fried squid. You’ll go for the wine list and end up ordering the whole menu. Or you’ll go for dinner and become obsessed with the wine list. Either way, go. ✵ Order: housemade bread with olive oil, beef tartare, potato dauphin, Little Gem lettuce, fried squid, and every dessert.

• The Bar at Momofuku Ko

East Village, Manhattan You could go to David Chang’s lauded Momofuku Ko and drop $255 a person (sans booze) on an epic tasting-menu experience… or you could take a detour and dip into the walk-in-only bar and hit a few (remarkably affordable) highlights. The nose-clearing mustardy pickle sandwich costs $5. The so-weird-it-works cold fried chicken is $6 per piece (but, uh, get more than one piece). And the deliciously rich $45 duck pie can and should be split among a few friends. It’s like a tasting menu on your terms. ✵ Order: foie gras–topped hamburger, pickle sandwich, sourdough crepes, duck pie, and cold fried chicken.

• Deluxe Green Bo

Chinatown, Manhattan Real Green Bo fanatics will remember this restaurant as Nice Green Bo, but while the name has changed the high quality of the food hasn’t. Most venture to the weathered Bayard Street haunt for fried rice or noodles with pork and fermented cabbage (the house specialty), but the soup dumplings are some of the best in the city. Share everything and bring cash. ✵ Order: hot and spicy wontons, crispy noodles with pork and fermented cabbage, bean sprouts and snow peas, fried pork dumplings, and pork soup dumplings.

• Café Altro Paradiso

Soho, Manhattan There might not be a more complete date-night restaurant in New York City. The large, humming room. The breezy, contemporary design. The warm, gentle glow. The well-balanced wine list. The innovative but approachable cocktails. The soulful playlists. The amaro list. The dessert wine. The sorbet. And that’s to say nothing of Ignacio Mattos’ menu of modern, shareable Italian plates, or Natasha Pickowicz’s stunning desserts. Bring someone you want to impress...without seeming like you’re trying to impress them. ✵ Order: olives, octopus, fennel salad, cacio e pepe, and a side of beans. Finish with a digestivo.

• Win Son

East Williamsburg, Brooklyn The new-school Taiwanese spot is best enjoyed with a group of at least four (or fewer, who really know how to eat). And it’s always more enjoyable if those people aren’t opposed to an impromptu round of shots (which staff may or may not encourage) between excellent fried eggplant and spicy fly’s head (minced pork, fermented beans, chives, and chiles). Win Son is always slammed, so show up early and be ready to hang out by the bar with a drink while you wait. ✵ Order: roasted peanuts, marinated cucumbers, fried eggplant, fly’s head, sesame noodles, and head-on prawns with minced pork in shrimp broth.

• Tanoreen

Bay Ridge, Brooklyn Sometimes you want it all: copious amounts of appetizers, a sizable entrée, and a worth-it dessert. Tanoreen is there for you with tahini-laced vegetables and Middle Eastern meat dishes that are big enough for sharing. But the real star is the knafeh, a cheese-based dessert with thin layers of sweetened noodles. Get the large, even if you’re very full. ✵ Order: Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, fetti with lamb, baked eggplant, knafeh.

• Keens Steakhouse

Midtown West, Manhattan Never has a piece of meat received as much attention as the mutton chop from this historic steakhouse (est. 1885!). But there’s more to love about Keens than the fabled two-pound lamb saddle chop (ehem, not actually mutton). There’s the deep list of single-malt Scotches. Waiters dressed in black bow ties and pressed red vests. The expertly stirred martinis. And it’s got one of the largest collections of churchwarden tobacco pipes in the world—which you’ll see hanging from the ceiling, as you lean back and pat your belly. ✵ Order: wedge salad, shrimp cocktail, mutton chop, porterhouse for two, creamed spinach, hash browns, and a dry martini or three.

• Yakitori Totto

Midtown West, Manhattan “Eating with your eyes” doesn’t get any realer—or more thrilling—than at the counter of this temple to all things yakitori. Here’s our method: 1) Order the chicken-y bits. 2) Watch a master expertly grill your skewers over smoldering charcoal, spritzing with sake and sprinkling some pink Himalayan sea salt with each rotation of the meat. 3) Eat. 4) Drain your Asahi. 5) Repeat. ✵ Order: all the chicken (neck, oyster, gizzard, chewy “soft knee bone” nankotsu) and shishito peppers brushed with miso.

• Cherry Point

Greenpoint, Brooklyn You’re in Greenpoint. It’s cold out (probably). And you’ve got meat on the mind. That means you should be heading to Cherry Point, where the lights are dimmed, every table gives you that warm fuzzy feeling inside, and the number of hearty meat dishes will keep you content. Stop in for a quick snack, or settle in for a marathon dinner. Either way, you’ll leave happy. ✵ Order: the small martini (we’re adults here), a bottle of red wine, steak tartare, oysters, beef tongue salad, whitefish dip with house-made crackers, and duck breast.

• Ops

Bushwick, Brooklyn When decision fatigue is the diagnosis, this buzzy Brooklyn pizza place is the cure. The menus are the size of Hallmark cards, featuring a short list of house cocktails, a handful of snacks, exactly one (always perfect) farmers’ market salad that changes daily, and the main event: a selection of perfectly blistered, thoughtfully topped, naturally leavened pizzas. There isn’t even a wine list to worry about. Tell your server what you like, and they’ll bring you tastes from the ever-changing lineup of natural wines—$14 per glass, $50 per bottle, always. ✵ Order: the salad (large), the Square (tomatoes, house mozzarella, olives, basil, oregano), Juno (broccoli rabe, potatoes, provola, ricotta salata), and Pops (tomatoes, house mozzarella, guanciale, onions, pecorino) pies.

• L&B Spumoni Gardens

Bensonhurst, Brooklyn This spectacular spaghetti palace, open since 1939, is worth the trek to Bensonhurst, especially for big group dinners with zero plans for later—lying flat on your back is the only thing you’ll want to do after eating here. Most pilgrims come for the Sicilian-style pizza (not a bad plan), but if you’re making the trip, go for the four-course family-style Chef’s Table menu. How else will you experience Dueling Shrimp, an oversize platter of shrimp, half fried, half boiled? ✵ Order: L&B Sicilian pie, mozzarella in carrozza, rice balls, broccoli rabe and sausage pasta, chicken Parmesan.

• Frenchette

Tribeca, Manhattan Assume the duck frites are happening, and then treat the rest of the menu at this new-school French bistro as a to-do list (boudin blanc, roast chicken for two on a plank of garlic-butter baguette) and get to work. Dive into a hard-to-find bottle of biodynamic wine from one of the best lists in the city. Keep an eye out for celebrities and powerful people. Then play it cool. Tonight, you’re one of them. ✵ Order: duck frites (duh), roast chicken, boudin blanc, softly scrambled eggs with garlicky snails, and Paris-brest à la pistache.

• Casa Enrique

Long Island City, Queens To say that Casa Enrique is a restaurant that serves amazing enchiladas is both telling the truth and selling it short. The saucy, stuffed tortillas are profoundly flavorful and comforting, but so is every other Mexican dish served at this LIC staple. Go for a lazy dinner and do not stop after your second margarita. ✵ Order: guacamole, rajas con crema, lengua tacos, chicken and salsa verde enchiladas, chile relleno, and countless margaritas.

• Adda

Long Island City, Queens Come to Adda as a group of four. Any fewer and you won’t make a dent in the menu, any more and it might be awhile before one of the tables in the energetic room opens up. Load up on whatever you need (mango lassis? Limca sodas? Chardonnay from the Finger Lakes?) to power through the purposeful heat and powerful spices at the backbone of the menu, from the array of snacks you won’t be able to get enough of at the start of the meal to the slow-cooked goat biryani you’ll take home with you when you finally and unwillingly call it quits. ✵ Order: tawa kaleji (chicken livers), dilliwala butter chicken, lucknow dum biryani (slow-cooked goat).

• Bar Goto

Lower East Side, Manhattan The confines of this thoughtfully designed jewel box are modeled after Tokyo’s intimate cocktail bars, with a wall of Japanese whiskies and a compact list of craveable bar snacks to soak it all up. The tables are close, providing excellent eavesdropping opportunities. Take full advantage of the cocktail list. ✵ Order: house pickles, okonomiyaki, miso wings, highballs.

• As Is

Hell’s Kitchen, Manhattan The bar scene in Hell’s Kitchen is, well, hellish. But As Is deviates from the neighborhood norm. This beautifully designed bar—with tiled floors, dark woods, and custom light fixtures—rotates more than a dozen of the most exciting taps in the city (highlighting local faves Grimm Artisanal Ales, Other Half Brewing, and Mikkeller NYC, as well as beers from grail-worthy breweries Hill Farmstead and Cantillon), and puts just as much emphasis on fun and accessibility as it does on beer quality. This is the craft beer bar for beer nerds and novices alike. ✵ Order: something hoppy on tap, a saison from the bottle list, and a plate of nachos.

• Honey’s

Bushwick, Brooklyn They make mead at the aptly named Honey’s, but that doesn’t mean you have to drink the fermented honey water if you go here. This corner bar with a neon-pink sign is run by mad-scientist bartender Arley Marks, who also curates the short list of deep-cut natural wines from all over the world and cocktails like the Hola Yola, made with Yola mezcal, wildflower mead (yup!), byrrh grand quinquina (a French aperitif), and a spritz of absinthe. ✵ Order: Mead! Do it! It’s great! For real! Or just stick with a glass of white wine.

• Gold Star Beer Counter

Prospect Heights, Brooklyn Gold Star Beer Counter is two things: a bar and a bottle shop. But whether you’re drinking a Belgian saison there or taking some hazy cans of IPA to-go, it’s absolutely one of the best places in the five boroughs to get a beer. And yes, you can walk right up to the window from the sidewalk and buy said beer. ✵ Order: Ask the bartenders which beers are fresh, tasty, and interesting. And get a salami picante sandwich while you’re at it.

• Achilles Heel

Greenpoint, Brooklyn Four friends walk into a bar. One wants a glass of easy-drinking red. Another wants a cold can of Genesee. The third could go for a bubbly spritz laced with Averna. And the fourth would rather go straight to pasta with braised pork and white beans. That bar is Achilles Heel—a 100-plus-year-old neighborhood spot on a corner in Greenpoint that has...something for everyone. ✵ Order: the seasonal spritz, oysters, lentil dip, marinated short rib, and anything that involves She Wolf Bakery bread.

• Threes Brewing

Gowanus, Brooklyn Text your friends, grab a few pitchers of Vliet (the house pilsner), and appreciate a perfect summer day on Threes’ sprawling outdoor patio. Then clear your calendar for the afternoon: With bar food from the Meat Hook and a reliably excellent tap list, there’s no better place to camp out for the next...eight hours. Threes is unparalleled as an outdoor summer drinking spot, but a large indoor space and heated tents outside (November to April) keep the hangout going year-round. ✵ Order: any of the house-brewed beers, a frozen piña colada, and the fried chicken sandwich.

• Lois

Alphabet City, Manhattan The lights are low, the natural wine is on tap, and the ample cheese plate comes with a schmear of miso-mustard dressing. The music varies, but it’s always a vibe. Ask the approachable bartenders what’s new on the tap list, taste a few wines, and then commit to a carafe and a spot by the windows. ✵ Order: sausage rolls, olives, seasonal salad, the cheese plate, and a carafe of wine on tap.

• Josie’s Bar

Alphabet City, Manhattan There’s a bouncer at Josie’s. And probably some NYU students. And maybe a group of washed-up East Village punk rockers. And definitely someone running the pool table. But Josie’s is a dive bar. This is what you signed up for. ✵ Order: cheap beer and well whiskey.

• The Ten Bells

Lower East Side, Manhattan Wine bars are frequently plagued by pretentiousness. The Ten Bells is not, and it boasts one of the most well-rounded and exciting lists of by-the-glass natural wine in the city. It’s filled with young, loud, joyous people there to have a good time in the space’s warm orange glow (which makes everything and everyone look more attractive). Show up early and stay late. Spots at the bar—especially on weekends—are coveted. ✵ Order: Spanish tortilla, mortadella, marinated olives, oysters, and glasses or bottles of whatever you’ve never tried before.

• Bemelmans Bar

Upper East Side, Manhattan A live piano player. Expertly made classic cocktails. Walls painted by Ludwig Bemelmans, the guy who illustrated Madeline. All inside an iconic Art Deco hotel that has discreetly housed the world’s most famous actors, politicians, and musicians. (Jagger! Princess Di! JFK! Anjelica Huston and Jack Nicholson! We’re talking about The Carlyle! Hello!) This is Upper East Side ambiance in its purest form—with prices to match (not to mention the cover charge after 9:30 p.m.). ✵ Order: a martini, old Scotch, a glass of champagne, or whatever else makes you feel like a millionaire.

• Old Town Bar

Flatiron, Manhattan Whether or not you’re using them, it’s important to know that Old Town Bar has the oldest urinals in New York City. Aside from that, the long mahogany bar is well-polished from a century of forearm leans. The booths are cozy enough to keep your secrets. And the dumbwaiters are still bringing fries down from the kitchen upstairs. If it feels familiar, that’s because you’ve seen it before: The bar’s shown up in everything from The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel to House of Pain’s music video for “Jump Around.” ✵ Order: a rye Manhattan, a copy of the New York Post, Buffalo wings, and fries.

• Lovers Rock

Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn This Bed-Stuy bar wasn’t around in the ’90s, but you wouldn’t know it from the exposed red light bulbs, palm tree iconography, and thumping Caribbeats. If the need to escape that vibe for a minute overwhelms you, the backyard is big and comfortable. ✵ Order: Jamaican rums, rum punch, and very cold beer.

• The Long Island Bar

Cobble Hill, Brooklyn Things that make this Cobble Hill bar an excellent place to drink: The classic-leaning cocktails are well-crafted but not precious. (There are no “mixologists” here!) The restored midcentury interior is stylish but not fancy. And the thin-patty burger is exactly what you’ll want to eat with that second cocktail. Oh, and you can usually get a seat no problem. ✵ Order: a Boulevardier and the Ladies’ Burger.

• The Fly

Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn There’s nowhere better to accommodate the urge to hold residency at a wine bar than The Fly. Show up early with a couple pals, grab some seats at the bar, and as friends come and go throughout the evening, move from bottle to rotisserie chicken to glass to chicken sandwich back to bottle again. If a booth opens up, grab it. Your roster may change, but this rule remains a constant: Don’t stop ordering plates of fries until the last friend is out the door. Make this bar-slash-restaurant your home. ✵ Order: chicken sandwich, rotisserie chicken, french fries, and salad.

• Sake Bar Satsko

Alphabet City, Manhattan Satsko is one of those rare specialty bars that has somehow managed to still feel like a true neighborhood spot. This tiny Alphabet City bar is staffed by bartenders who really want to serve you sake. The list is on the smaller side but filled with everything from clean, dry junmai ginjo to weirder, fruity, unpasteurized varieties. The bartenders—who control the playlists featuring a mix of soul, disco, electronic, chill-wave, and ambient music—also have very good taste in tunes. ✵ Order: a glass of unpasteurized sake recommended by the bartender and some fried shishito peppers.

• Great N.Y. Noodletown

Chinatown, Manhattan It would take you months to work your way through the entire menu at this Chinatown mainstay. From barbecued meats to crispy noodles, dumpling soup to congee, ginger-soaked greens to bottles of Tsingtao, Great N.Y. Noodletown is a Chinatown MVP for good reason. Show up with a crew, order aggressively (and selectively), and add chile sauce or ginger scallion sauce to everything. ✵ Order: Barbecued pork, shrimp dumplings, Chinese sausage fried rice, crispy noodles with roast duck, shredded chicken and pea shoots, sea bass with flowering chives, and salt-baked shrimp.

• Punjabi Deli & Grocery

East Village, Manhattan This tiny Sikh deli just off Houston Street serves generously seasoned South Asian food 24 hours a day, but after 1 a.m. is when you want to show up and survey the scene. Cab drivers run in and out, some to grab a chai and others just to use the restroom. Drunk college students huddle outside over $5 bowls of rice and curried vegetables. Post-shift service workers carry out bags of samosas to take home. The cheap, comforting cooking—which also happens to be vegan (in case you happen to be the type who cares)—appeals to literally everyone who’s still awake. ✵ Order: Samosas, pakora, a two-vegetable rice combo, and a ginger-loaded Indian-style chai for the trip home.

• The Commodore

Williamsburg, Brooklyn If you want to eat a phenomenal hot chicken sandwich without listening to a DJ or bumping into someone doing the two-step, go to this tiki-ish Williamsburg bar on the early side. If you’re into a crowded room, occasionally toppled micheladas, and the steady bump of Bronski Beat, go on the later side. Either way you’re going to have a good time. ✵ Order: A spicy fried chicken sandwich for you, a plate of nachos for the table, and a glass filled with something frozen and boozy.

• Chilo’s

Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn No, NYC isn’t known for its Mexican food, and this taco truck perma-parked on a dive bar patio isn’t going to change that. But once you’re a few Tecates and carnitas tacos deep, Chilo’s might make you feel like you’re in Austin or L.A., and sometimes that’s enough. ✵ Order: Carnitas, cochinita, huitlacoche, and chorizo tacos—and a frozen margarita.

• Veselka

East Village, Manhattan Skip the dollar slice and head to Veselka, where partiers, elderly insomniacs, and East Village bar-goers unite over pierogies, borscht, and stuffed cabbage. Yes, this 24/7 spot is uniquely suited for soaking up late-night booze, but be respectful: You’re in a New York institution. ✵ Order: As we said, pierogies, stuffed cabbage (with tomato sauce), and borscht.

• Blue Ribbon Brasserie

Fifteen years past what logically should have been its peak, Blue Ribbon is still the move. The menu is filled with appealing classics like fried chicken, escargot, and a lobster-loaded paella for the table, and the cocktails (also classics) are reliably excellent. The room is small enough that it always feel alive, even at 3 a.m. ✵ Order: Shrimp cocktail, oysters, steak tartare, paella royale, and fried chicken.

• Abraço

East Village, Manhattan In a Venn diagram of cafés that excel in house-roasted coffee and ones that excel in house-made baked goods, Abraço is the rare occupant of the space where both circles overlap. Visitors can expect an always-full pastry case, the steady drip of deeply flavorful espresso coming from the La Marzocco, jazz reverberating from the turntable, and a patio filled with proud regulars. There isn’t a cafe more well-rounded, consistent, and downright cool in the five boroughs. You’ll start looking for apartments in the neighborhood as soon as you leave. ✵ Order: espresso drinks, olive oil cake, bocadillos, cured olive cookies, and the babka.

• Sey Coffee

East Williamsburg, Brooklyn The coffee at Sey is bright, flavorful, and always freshly roasted. (You can see where it all goes down in the back of the greenery-draped open space.) But the real advantage here is the opportunity to learn from incredibly knowledgeable and friendly baristas. Since the beans are roasted in-house, the staff can give you accurate flavor notes, brewing instructions, and origin information about every coffee on the roster. ✵ Order: drip or espresso. Both might change you.

• Black Fox Coffee Co.

Financial District, Manhattan Ordering espresso or cold brew or drip is not enough of a clarification at Black Fox. The downtown coffee capital wants to know how you plan to drink it (hot? With milk? Iced? With tonic?), so staffers can pick the best beans for the job. The selection of beans comes from roasters spanning Vancouver to Boston to Copenhagen and is the most diverse in the city, which means there’s always something new to explore. ✵ Order: something you haven’t tried before (like a naturally processed Kenyan pour-over) and a pastry to pair.

• Homecoming

Greenpoint, Brooklyn Buying a cortado, a ceramic planter, and a snake plant as part of a regular Sunday morning routine may sound like the most Brooklyn thing you’ve ever heard, but Homecoming is the kind of place where all that can happen—and without becoming a parody of itself. ✵ Order: whatever you usually get.

• Té Company

West Village, Manhattan Té Company is not a place for rushing. The tea menu is overwhelming in scope, and the food comes when it comes, which is usually not that quickly. It’s all part of the charm. This is where you go when you’ve got nowhere else to be except catching up with an old friend over a pot of expertly sourced Taiwanese tea and some of the most painstakingly flawless pastries in the city. ✵ Order: Tea! Pineapple linzer cookies plus any other dessert.

• New Flushing Bakery

Flushing, Queens The process at this miniscule storefront takes about three minutes: Walk in, ask the woman behind the counter for as many egg tarts as you can carry, pay with cash, accept the paper bag filled with flaky, sweet, eggy pastries, and walk right out. If you can’t help yourself, stand on the sidewalk outside and rip through a couple of Flushing’s premier pastries. ✵ Order: many Portuguese egg custard tarts.

• Flora Bar

Upper East Side, Manhattan Flora Bar is a marvel of New York restaurant real estate. There’s ample seating, reservations for booking, humane noise levels, and a built-in activity: It’s attached to the Met Breuer, the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s contemporary art annex. Well, only for another year, so go now and hit the galleries first. Then sit down for a proper meal if you can, or just grab any (or all) of the crazy-good pastries that Natasha Pickowicz stocks in the grab-and-go coffee bar. ✵ Order: greens pie, espresso, sticky buns—or whatever’s left in the pastry case.

• Saraghina Bakery

Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn First there was the restaurant (reliably delicious). Then there was the tapas bar (reliably boozy). And then there was the bakery—our favorite of the bunch—reliably stocked with warm loaves, fresh pastas, and house-made pastries. It’s the only line worth waiting in on a weekend morning in Brooklyn. ✵ Order: whole wheat miche, whatever croissant they’re selling that day.

• Wine Therapy

Nolita, Manhattan Wine Therapy is kind of like the Supreme of wine stores. It will always have the hypebeast selections—Lammidia, Ruth Lewandowski, Rabasco—and you’re sure to see some industry producers, buyers, and personalities in the shop. The curation is top-notch, so pick a bottle that looks good to you. (Name checks not ringing a bell? Don’t worry: The knowledgeable staff is friendly and there to help. Just ask what they’re into right now.) ✵ Buy: Hyped-up (and totally deserving) bottles from producers like Fable Farm Fermentory, Oyster River Winegrowers, Martha Stoumen, and Alessandro Viola.

• Astor Wine & Spirits

Noho, Manhattan This isn’t exactly your intimate, everybody-knows-your-name wine shop, but it is the one that has the best website, hands-down, and great wine descriptions. Sales every Tuesday will test your willpower and wine budget, but take advantage of them and stock up for the season. This. Place. Has. Everything. Including an unbeatable selection of amaro, gin, and rare whiskey. ✵ Buy: A case of wine (cases are always 10 percent off), a grab bag of whatever the Tuesday sale is, backup Campari and Beefeater, and a bottle of something you’ve been wanting to explore.

• Simple Syrup

Crown Heights, Brooklyn No, you’ve never had that carbonically macerated purple-looking wine before. Yes, you’re getting two bottles. And yes, the staff knows that that’s exactly what you want after a 30-second interrogation. When the person at the counter at Simple Syrup hands you a bottle, you don’t ask questions. You buy. You drink. And you return for more. ✵ Buy: Whatever they tell you to.

• Murray's

West Village, Manhattan This is Disney World for dairy lovers—the best cheese counter in New York, period. The mongers know their stuff, and can help you find what you need, even if you aren’t sure what that is. Grab something you haven’t tried before; stock up on the quality pastas, olives, beans, and yogurt you’ll find in the back of the store; and pick out a sandwich to go for good measure. ✵ Buy: Challerhocker, Harbison, and Murray’s house-label cheeses like Annelies and Stockinghall.

• Discovery Wines

Alphabet City, Manhattan This East Side wine shop has a dedicated wall named “Mag Wall.” That should be all you need to know about the unrivaled selection of large-format wines from small natural producers. Whether you’re in the market for something serious or fun, red or white, affordable or ambitious, domestic or foreign, still or sparkling, Discovery will have the fuel you need to take your party all the way. ✵ Buy: Is that a mag of Sébastien Riffault Sancerre? Yeah, grab one of those.

• Russ & Daughters

Lower East Side, Manhattan If it seems like the staff painstakingly slicing fish against a backdrop of dried fruit and sturdy babka loaves know what they’re doing, that’s because they do—and this place has been at it for more than 100 years. Take a numbered ticket, claim a corner of linoleum, and gawk at the sturgeon while rehearsing your bagel-and-lox order. ✵ Buy: Gravlax or pastrami-cured salmon on a sesame or everything bagel with scallion cream cheese, the Super Heebster bagel sandwich, and all the smoked fish you need for that brunch you’re throwing this weekend.

• Maison Premiere - Williamsburg

From the hanging lights to the covered trellises, pebbled ground and overflowing greenery all around, you’ll feel like you’ve been transported to a backyard in New Orleans. And between the absinthe service and cocktails like the À la Louisiane (with Wild Turkey Rye, vermouth, Benedictine, Peychaud’s and absinthe) — plus eats like oysters and seafood gumbo — you’ll never want to “come back” to New York.

• Brooklyn Crab - Red Hook

Grab a beer or frozen margarita and settle in for a competitive (but friendly) game of mini golf or corn hole in the beer garden, known as Reed Park. Grab a seat at one of the picnic tables when you get tired and enjoy a bowl of New England clam chowder with cherry stone crabs, mussels and bacon, or a snow crab roll with orange cholula aioli and chives.

• Nowadays - Ridgewood

Who needs chairs when you have hammocks? That’s the philosophy at this outdoor bar that feels more like a park where drinks happen to be served. Grab one of eight rotating Evil Twin Brewing beers on tap (they’re based just a couple blocks away), and some watermelon for dessert at this dog-friendly space.

• Frying Pan - Chelsea

The Lightship Frying Pan was first built in 1929 and was in service for 30 years before it was retired and then brought to the city in 1989, according to the bar. Now, the ship-turned-bar is permanently moored to the west side of Manhattan and serves a full bar and menu (think lobster rolls and crab cakes) at its Pier 66 Maritime Bar & Grill on days when temperatures reach above 65 degrees from April to October.

• North River Lobster Company - Hell’s Kitchen

All aboard this floating bar and restaurant that sets sail from Pier 81 at West 41st Street and cruises up and down the Hudson River several times a day. While onboard, settle into a table on the upper deck for some frosé or a Davey Jones cocktail (with gin, crème de violette, lemon, fassionola and cranberry) as well as five different kinds of lobster rolls — including one that’s 28 inches long for a whopping $99, ya know, if you’re really hungry. It’s $10 to board (or $25 for a season pass), but the views of the skyline makes it worth every penny.

• The Brooklyn Barge - Greenpoint

This floating barge overlooks the Manhattan skyline, making it the perfect daytime hangout for you (and your pups). Enjoy some rosé or an Aperol Spritz (one of the most controversial and popular drinks of the season) from the sunny shores of the East River.

• Pig Beach - Gowanus

Bring the whole family (pups and kids included) to this lively beer garden where you can get beer and wine on tap to go with meat from the smoker and mac and cheese with Goldfish. Long picnic tables and string lights give the space an inviting feel from the hot summer days and long into the evening.

• City Vineyard at Pier 26 - Tribeca

Watch the sunset over the Hudson River with a glass of rosé on tap at this Tribeca hotspot. Grab a seat under the trellises and grapevines in one of several outdoor spaces all with sweeping views of the downtown skyline and pair your wine with light dishes like wild mushroom risotto balls or salmon tartar.

• Grand Banks - Tribeca

This docked sailboat and oyster bar brings a certain posh energy to the outdoor bar experience with the wood deck, carved wood bar and bright yellow and white striped awning inviting you to step aboard. Sip a nautically inspired cocktail like the Skipper Key (with rosé, lemon, cassis, strawberry cordial and seltzer) while you enjoy a plate of oysters — all wild-caught and sustainably harvested.

• The Biergarten at The Standard, High Line - Meatpacking District

The sprawling beer garden on the ground level of The Standard, High Line and underneath the High Line offers the best of German food and drink — grab a beer stein and pair it with a giant pretzel for a taste of Bavaria right in New York City. And an adjacent game room with foosball and a giant connect four means you’ll never be bored.

• Stone Street - Financial District

This one-block, cobblestone street is the place to be downtown after work on a warm summer day. Grab an outdoor seat in the middle of the street at any one of the several bars lining the pedestrian-only block like Stone Street Tavern or The Dubliner for a beer and a taste of what having a drink might have been like for the Founding Fathers in New York City (probably not, but we can pretend).

• City Kitchen

Escape the crowds and the corresponding waits at one of the restaurants in this Times Square food mall off the corner of Eighth Avenue and 44th Street. With only seven vendors it might sound small, but this 4000 sq ft venue has enough options for a quick pre- or post-Broadway show meal or a bite before catching your ride home. Dough’s glazed or filled donut creations include cinnamon sugar or lemon poppy flavors, while Ilili Box has pita wraps and other Mediterranean dishes. Gabriela’s Taqueria, Kuro-Obi, Luke’s Lobster, Whitmans New York and Azuki round out the list.

• Industry City

Comprised of repurposed warehouses and factory buildings, this 6 million sq ft, mixed-use complex in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, holds a ton of businesses specializing in fashion, food, fitness, film and architecture. It’s also the headquarters for the Brooklyn Nets basketball team and a retail section known as the Design District. As for dining, Industry City's main food hall is a global cornucopia of cuisines from different parts of the city and the world. Choose from Yaso Tangbao’s Shanghainese street food; Ejen’s Korean comfort food; Table 87, a Brooklyn coal-oven slice pizza shop; Kotti Berliner Doner Kebab (Turkish-German street food); Colson Patisserie’s Belgian pastries; and Li-Lac Chocolates, Manhattan’s oldest chocolatier. There’s also Japan Village, a 20,000 sq ft marketplace with a specialty grocer, an izakaya (traditional Japanese pub), a cocktail bar, and food stations serving traditional Japanese dishes.

• Turnstyle Underground Market

It might sound gross to go to a food hall inside a subway station, but Turnstyle Underground Market, within Manhattan’s Columbus Circle-59th Street Subway Station, is filled with eateries that will foster your appetite. Commuters can grab breakfast, lunch and dinner from 19 food vendors. Hey Hey Canteen serves up Asian fusion fare, while Daa! Dumpling prepares the Russian version of this doughy dish, and Arepa Factory prepares this Latin American corn cake. Access the market through seven street-level entrances; there are shops and pop-up stores too.

• Essex Market

With a history dating back to 1888, this Lower East Side institution started as an outdoor pushcart market where vendors hawked everything from hats to herring. As city streets got more hectic, Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia created an indoor sales space for them in 1940. Over the decades, as the neighborhood changed and supermarkets rose in popularity, the Essex Market was showing some wear and tear. In May 2019 it re-opened following a 21st-century makeover and a move to a different spot on Essex Street. Occupants include shops from the previous location (fruits and vegetables, meats and cheese providers) along with newcomers. Try Thai fried chicken at Eat Gai, breakfast from Shopsin’s and Middle Eastern food from Samesa.

• The Pennsy

Penn Station has been the subject of mixed feelings over time, but this addition makes it easier to squeeze in a food stop at this major rail-transit hub before a train or a show at neighboring Madison Square Garden. Featuring five chef-driven concepts and a bar with indoor and outdoor dining spaces, diners can order veggie dishes from The Cinnamon Snail and The Little Beet, or go for carnivorous options from the butchery Pat LaFrieda. There's also Neapolitan pizza from Ribalta, rolls and rice bowls from Sabi Sushi and the taqueria and juice bar Taco Dumbo.

• HK Food Court

This 2019 newcomer to Flushing, Queens, provides a taste of Asia with food stalls reflecting the continent’s diverse culinary heritage that compliments the neighborhood’s Asian population. On a former grocery store site, this food hall has Tibetan, Thai, Japanese, Vietnamese, Taiwanese, and regional Chinese cuisine including Henan, Fuzhou, northwest halal and Sichuan food. Order Thai stewed pork from Khao Ka Moo NYC, spicy Tibetan lamb ribs from Khawachen, tom yum soup from Just Noodles and Taiwanese pork belly buns from Hang.

• Chelsea Market

This food hall in Chelsea has a tasty backstory. The building was once the factory for the National Biscuit Company – better known as Nabisco. It's also where their Oreo Cookie was produced. Becoming an indoor artisan market in 1996, Chelsea Market is spread out, with artisan grocery shops, retail spaces and food stalls along with their Artists & Fleas craft-makers’ area. Good market eats include cheese-stick-makers Big Mozz; the Fat Witch bakery; Jamaican eatery, Tings; and Thai restaurant, Ayada. Nearby, step into Gansevoort Market, another food hall with Asian to American fare.

• Mercado Little Spain

Similar to the all-Italian Eataly in the Flatiron District and World Trade Center, and the French-themed Le District in lower Manhattan’s Brookfield Place, this Spanish-inspired eatery from chefs Jose Andres and brothers Albert and Ferran Adria is inside Manhattan’s Hudson Yards development and has restaurants, bars and kiosks putting the spotlight on Spain’s regional foods. Have a tapas crawl, feast on asador-cooked meats, or simply dine on empanadas and bacalao frito followed by helado for dessert.

• DeKalb Market Hall

Home to 40 food vendors, this Fort Green, Brooklyn, venue features well-recognized NYC restaurant names – it boasts the only Katz’s Deli outpost – alongside up-and-coming business in their own right. Ample Hills Creamery and Arepa Lady have locations here, too. Consider Isan-style grilled chicken over jasmine or sticky rice from Chicks Isan, Fletcher’s barbecue ribs or Home Frite’s sea-salt brined fry varieties. DeKalb Market Hall also has a craft cocktail bar and an events space that hosts regular happy hours and dance parties.

• The Plaza Food Hall USA

On the concourse level of The Plaza New York Hotel, this opulent marketplace is full of fine food purveyors and counter-style dining options, where you can feel a little fancy while having breakfast, lunch and dinner or when taking your order to go. Pick up some high-quality Kusmi Tea or purchase fresh-baked breads and delicate pastries from Boulud’s Épicerie or Pain D’Avignon Bakery. Or get tempted by the colorful macarons made by Ladurée or the richly-layered cakes from Lady M. Savory. Options extend to Pizza Rollio, whose approach to pizza-making is worth tasting, Tartinery, noted for its refined French fare, and Takumi Taco, a popular Mexican brand.

• My Friend Duke, New York, NY

A downtown cocktail den seamlessly plunked in Manhattan’s Murray Hill, My Friend Duke is a neighborhood joint with an upscale vibe. In addition to the 11th St. Manhattan, which adds a cheeky taste of Drambuie to its rye, antica and bitters, the Night Owl is an exciting potion fusing cold brew coffee soaked in oats, Irish whiskey and Demerara sugar – then charged with nitrogen. By the time you’ve imbibed these fall mixtures, this cocktail den will morph to a place where everybody knows your name.

• Harry Potter store
• Hotel Hugo in New York bills its Azul on The Rooftop as a Cuban cantina, complete with slushy mojitos, homemade tacos and décor inspired by the island's vibrant colours.
• At the 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge in Dumbo the rooftop bar and pool is the place to be, with staggering views of Manhattan.
• Sarabeth's East

Brunch

• Laut

Roti and laksa

• Junoon
• Dhamaka
• Double Chicken Please