Top 25 Restaurants in New York City 2016

Posted on November 9, 2016 by Jamie Brady comments

Xploritall announces the 1st annual list of the 25 Best Restaurants in New York City. We sorted through several key diner and critic ranking lists to determine the overall winners. This "poll of polls" balances the opinions of dining critics with ratings of actual diners. The winners represent a diverse offering of cuisines and ranging from casual to fine dining.

Though Xploritall places less emphasis on opinions and rankings than other travel sites, the Top 25 list is a great tool for planning a visit to the Big Apple. There are lots of other great places to eat in and around New York, so consider this list a starting point. And don't forget to sign up to add these places to your Xploritall travel planner.

The Top 25 list for 2016:

1

Gramercy Tavern

42 East 20th Street
New American
$$$$

Gramercy Tavern made the cut on every top list we sourced for our ranking – the only restaurant in any of our ranked cities to accomplish this consistency. Which is remarkable when dealing with so much competition in a place like New York.

2

Le Bernardin

155 West 51st Street
French
$$$$

Le Bernadin is no stranger to "best"" of lists. They are currently #24 on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants for 2016, and were #1 on Zagat and Zomato (formerly UrbanSpoon) at the time our list was compiled.

3

Daniel

60 East 65th Street
Traditional American, French
$$$$

Contemporary French by Chef Daniel Boulud. Restaurant Daniel rose to the top for both critics (#3 on Zagat), and the general public alike (#1 on TripAdvisor).

4

Eleven Madison Park

11 Madison Ave
Traditional American, French
$$$$

Eleven Madison Park is currently ranked as #3 on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants for 2016. It also recently won the James Beard award for Outstanding Service.

5

Bouley

163 Duane St
French
$$$$

Chef David Bouley's French namesake TriBeCa restaurant scores well with critics (#2 on Zagat) and diners (#2 TripAdvisor). But make a reservation soon, as it will be going on hiatus at the end of January 2017 while David Bouley takes a sabbatical to travel and gain more culinary inspiration.

6

Peter Luger Steak House

178 Broadway
Steakhouse
$$$$

If an establishment has been at it since 1885, and can still mix it up with the best (ranked on Zagat, Zomato, and Eater 38), you know it is worth the trip to Brooklyn to experience.

7

Per Se

4th Floor, The Time Warner Center, 10 Columbus Circle at 60th St
New American
$$$$

Chef Thomas Keller is no stranger to accolades - both Per Se and his California based The French Laundry have previously been in the World's 50 Best Restaurants list. Per Se ranked on both Zagat and TripAdvisor.

8

Los Tacos No. 1

75 9th Ave
Mexican
$

An authentic Mexican (by way of the West Coast) food stand in the Chelsea Market.

9

The Spotted Pig

314 West 11th Street at Greenwich Street
British, Burgers, Gastropub
$$$

The self-proclaimed first gastropub in New York, ran by Chef and co-owner April Bloomfield, who was previously named Best New Chef by Food & Wine Magazine.

10

Katz's Delicatessen

205 E Houston St
Delicatessen, Sandwiches
$$

What would a NYC list be without an iconic delicatessen? Katz's has been in business since 1888. But, these institutions shouldn't be taken for granted after learning about Carnegie Deli's plan to close at the end of the year.

11

Balthazar

80 Spring St
French, Vegetarian
$$

Balthazar serves traditional bistro fare from breakfast through late-night supper. Opened by Keith McNally in the spring of 1997, Balthazar offers a French menu prepared by chef de cuisine Shane McBride. Diners can also choose from an extensive wine list, a raw seafood bar, and breads and pastries from Balthazar bakery.

12

Marta

29 E 29th St
Italian, Pizza
$$

Traditional and unconventional takes on pizza by Chef Nick Anderer. Marta is part of the Union Square Hospitality Group, headed by Danny Meyer and including, among others, #1 Gramercy Tavern.

13

Buddakan

75 9th Ave
Chinese, Fusion
$$$

A modern Asian semi-chain, there's also Buddakans in Philadelphia and Atlantic City. Part of the Starr Restaurant Organization.

14

Marc Forgione

134 Reade St
New American
$$$

Chef Marc “Forge” Forgione and partner Christopher Blumlo opened their neighborhood restaurant in June 2008, offering their signature style of contemporary food and drink served by their very personable staff in a comfortable and energetic atmosphere.

15

Upstate Craft Beer & Oyster Bar

Seafood
95 1st Avenue
$$

A tiny East Village oyster bar. The menu is entirely market-driven, as they proudly don't even own a freezer.

16

Thursday Kitchen

424 E 9th St
New American, Fusion, Korean, Tapas/Small Plates
$$

A self-described "New Korean" restaurant pulling influences from New American, French, Japanese, Chinese, and Korean. Thursday Kitchen was #3 on Yelp when we compiled our list.

17

Momofuku Nishi

232 8th Ave
New American, Italian, Korean
$$$

Momofuku Nishi (which means “west”) opened in January 2016 and is Momofuku’s first restaurant on the west side. Located in New York City’s Chelsea neighborhood, guests can choose from a la carte offerings for lunch, dinner, and weekend brunch.

18