81 favorite restaurants
81 favorite restaurants
Nine Nines of subscriber top picks for NYC and beyond
Fall Restaurant Rush begins now
September: Our favorite month of the year in NYC, full of energy and a slate of new restaurant openings sweeping through the city. At FOUND, we call it Fall Restaurant Rush, and it begins now.
But first, a quick catchup on August, which wasn’t exactly dead:
In Williamsburg, Missy Robbins and Sean Feeney opened Misipasta, an IRL extension of their pasta delivery service/grocery.
Danny Meyer shuttered the relocated Maialino and Marta.
In the Department of Ongoing Heartbreaks, Shake Shack opened in the Lower East Side space last inhabited by beloved Schiller’s Liquor Bar.
Looking to 2024: The Claud team signed a lease for the space upstairs from their restaurant to house raw bar Penny, which they hope to open next spring. Chef Michael White’s prodigal return to Manhattan, rumored by FOUND, is confirmed for next year at an unnamed Italian spot at 520 Madison Ave. in Midtown.
In September, FOUND will be closely tracking these openings:
Gabe Stulman and April Bloomfield’s Fort Greene newcomer Sailor
Bangkok Supper Club, a sibling of sorts to Fish Cheeks, set to open on Hudson at the edge of the Meatpacking District
In the old Montrachet space in Tribeca, Eulalie, from Tina Vaughn and Chip Smith of The Simone
Naks, Filipino in the East Village, from the white-hot Unapologetic Foods (Dhamaka, Semma, Adda)
Laissez Faire in the Beekman Hotel, a handsome cocktail spot from the principals behind Freeman’s and Outer Heaven, opening Thursday
Also new on the bar scene: Tigre, on the Lower East Side, from the Maison Premiere team (opening date TBA)
Come October, we’ll be at Figure Eight, a New American Chinese sister to Silver Apricot in the old Pearl Oyster Bar location on Cornelia St., and Swoony’s, a non-Italian sister to Cafe Spaghetti on Columbia St. in Brooklyn. Also, find us at the brand new Fifth Avenue Hotel in Nomad (above), where Andrew Carmellini is prepping Café Carmellini, as well as at Four Twenty Five, a Jean-Georges production in Midtown with Jonathan Benno in the kitchen. And then there’s the opening of the Perelman Performing Arts Center at the World Trade Center — but that’s getting ahead of ourselves.
81 FOUND subscriber restaurant faves
Some of this fall’s new restaurants will become favorites, to be returned to again and again. In that spirit, we present a special issue to begin the fall:
Since our inception, FOUND has been asking new subscribers to tell us their favorite restaurant right now. With hundreds of responses now tallied, we present Nine Nines of FOUND subscriber favorites, starting with restaurants grouped for discoverability and building to — brace for the subscriber-only big reveal — the TOP NINE and NEXT NINE most named spots.
As you cast your eyes over these lists, remember: every single one of these restaurants is some FOUND subscriber’s favorite place to eat out. Got feedback or your own favorite to add? Hit reply or email found@foundny.com.
SUBSCRIBER FAVORITES • The Nines
Top trending
Ernesto’s (Lower East Side), indulgent Basque tapas at a great bar
Wu’s Wonton King (Chinatown), BYOB parties with dim sum and HK-style bbq
Ugly Baby (Boerum Hill), walk-in Thai on Smith St. brings the heat
Rosella (East Village), shockingly creative sustainable sushi and seafood
Llama San (Greenwich Village), pitch-perfect Peruvian-Japanese
Hart’s (BedStuy), quirky vibes and natural wines from Cervo’s team
Bar Bête (Carroll Gardens), charming neighborhood bistro from Breslin alums
abcV (Flatiron), plant-based Jean-Georges, now at Tin Building too
Rolo’s (Ridgewood), wood-fired insanity in a very fun space
SUBSCRIBER FAVORITES • The Nines
The classics
Gramercy Tavern (Flatiron), tavern up front, dining in back, hospitality all around
Nougatine (Columbus Circle), Jean-Georges’ more casual sister
Cafe Luxembourg (Upper West Side), perennial French-American pleaser
Hwa Yuan (Chinatown), Szechuan pioneer reborn
Chez Napoleon (Hell's Kitchen), French culinary savoir faire
Patsy’s (Midtown West), traditional Italian, perfect pre-theater
Oceana (Midtown West), fresh catch, grand dining room
Gene’s (Greenwich Village), very old (like 100 years) school Italian
Agnanti Meze (Astoria), casual Greek taverna
SUBSCRIBER FAVORITES • The Nines
New classics
Frankies 457 (Carroll Gardens), cavatelli, meatballs, garden, Grateful Dead
I Sodi (Greenwich Village), long-deserved larger digs for Rita’s cooking
Frenchette (Tribeca), modern French in a space with constant buzz
The Grill (Midtown East), Major Food Group power move
St. Anselm (Williamsburg), classic cool-kid Brooklyn chophouse
S&P Lunch (Flatiron), faithful new take on an old lunch counter
Lilia (Williamsburg), Missy Robbins’ cheery regional Italian
Le Coucou (Soho), very French, very refined
Atla (Noho), wildly inventive everyday Mexican cafe
SUBSCRIBER FAVORITES • The Nines
Neighborhood favorites
Il Posto Accanto (East Village), everyone’s favorite little easy EV secret
Jolene (Noho), Stulman’s worthy successor to Great Jones Cafe
Coppelia (West Village), 24-hour Latin diner/utility spot
Joe Allen (Theater District), Broadway classic, burger at the bar
Sistina (Upper East Side), southern Italian and wine since 1982
Dagon (Upper West Side), la dolce vita, Tel Aviv style
Island (Upper East Side), New England on the shores of Carnegie Hill
Bernie’s (Greenpoint), crowd-pleasing nu-neighborhood classic
For All Things Good (Bed Stuy), it’s the tortillas
SUBSCRIBER FAVORITES • The Nines
Subscriber color
LaRina Pastificio & Vino (Fort Greene), “Unpretentious, some of the best focaccia I've ever had in my life, backyard that's beautiful and laidback without trying, a little bit off the beaten path from the main Fort Greene restaurant strip. Go!” –Rebecca U.
Thai Diner (Nolita), “Best flavor for value” –Drew S.
Commerce Inn (West Village), “NY food critics kind of panned it when it opened last year, which is bad for the restaurant but makes it fairly accessible” –Maxwell T.
Jongro BBQ (Koreatown), “It is NOT trendy, there's no hot photogenic tattooed chef, but Jongro never lets me down” –Dodai S.
Galicia Tapas (Inwood), “Just lovely and does a good job at everything. Not mind blowing but interesting and good in the hood” –Matthew S.
Red Rooster (Harlem), “A lovely balance of good food, fun space, and pleasant — if not downright entertaining — service” –Donna M.
Estela (Nolita), “Most consistently its own original thing” –Lucas W.
Barano (Williamsburg), “They have gluten-free pasta that’s so good, it makes me emotional.” –Cori S.
Bedawi Cafe (Windsor Terrace), “A tiny place with Bedouin tent-style backyard serving delicious Jordanian food. But don't write about it, we want to keep this to ourselves.” –Jennifer K.
SUBSCRIBER FAVORITES • The Nines
Sushi/omakase
Shuko (East Village), sophisticated cool with cocktails, $270 omakase
Noda (Flatiron), straightforward omakase in artsy space, $400
Sushi Yasuda (Midtown East), O.G. omakase $150-$250+
Jōji (Midtown East), luxury ingredients from Masa vet in sexy lower-level space, $375
Sushi Katsuei (Village and Park Slope), a la carte or omakase, $110-$140
Kosaka (Village), art-filled space with omakase $225-$250
Sushi Nakazawa (West Village), if you dream of Jiro, omakase $150-$180
Sushi on Jones (Village/LES), 12-piece tasting crash course for $68
Trust Bae (Koreatown), new spot with party vibe and $185 omakase
Sushi on Me (Jackson Hts/Williamsburg), raucous all-you-can-drink for $89
SUBSCRIBER FAVORITES • The Nines
Top nine
The Odeon (Tribeca), bright lights, big city, since 1980
Via Carota (West Village), NYC’s ne plus ultra trattoria
Superiority Burger (East Village), new digs, but bigger, better, and boozy
Roman’s (Fort Greene), seasonal Italian, natural wines, warm glow
Claud (East Village), fast-favorite wine bar from Momofuku alums
Raoul’s (Soho), for a vesper martini and elusive bar burger
Ci Siamo (Hell's Pantry), USHG insta-classic
Rezdora (Flatiron), house-made pastas via Emilia Romagna
Raf’s (Noho), new nabe classic with fab vibe and perfect roast chicken
SUBSCRIBER FAVORITES • The Nines
Next nine
Popina (Columbia Waterfront), southern-fried Italian like hot chicken Milanese
Place des Fetes (Clinton Hill), pedigreed neighborhood wine bar
Pastis (Meatpacking), iconic McNally bistro redux
Lodi (Midtown West), Rock Center all-day from Ignacio Mattos
Libertine (West Village), charismatic new bistro dishing fun French
King (Soho), refined neighborhood hang
Cervo’s (Lower East Side), perpetually good vibes survive Dimes Square
Anton’s (West Village), idyllic corner restaurant (spaghetti anchoiade, pls)
Agi’s Counter (Crown Heights), market-driven Jewish & Eastern European (plus donuts!)
SUBSCRIBER FAVORITES • The Nines
Getaways
Bread and Salt (Jersey City, NJ), Roman-style pizza some call best ever
Polpo (Greenwich, CT), longtime Tuscan favorite for the Greenwich set
Kawa Ni (Westport, CT), an inventive Izakaya where you might not expect one
Zahav (Philadelphia, PA), Israeli contender for the country’s top 9
Petite Cerise (Washington, DC), all-day French from the Dabney team
Miru (Chicago, IL), on the 11th floor of the St. Regis
Anajak Thai (Sherman Oaks, CA), LA’s hottest restaurant
Mux (Mexico City), traditional regional Mexican cooking
Geranium (Copenhagen), first Danish restaurant to win three Michelin stars