Seafood-focused Italian spot on a West Village corner, with a menu of playful dishes like shrimp parm. The buttery yellow room has a buzzy energy and a pewter bar pouring martinis made with garlic-bread-infused vodka.
Two-room cocktail spot with the feel of a lively house party, complete with vintage couches and a loud soundtrack. The highly technical, culinary-driven drinks are the main draw – expect combinations like strawberry with parmesan or fennel
West Village raw bar squeezing twenty seats into a compact, 400-square-foot room. Walk-ins pack the black quartz counter for razor clam aguachile and lobster ceviche prepared in full view.
Intimate dining room with burnt-orange banquettes and Murano glass chandeliers, serving a dinner-only menu. Shareable plates fuse Caribbean soul and European technique – from salt cod fritters to oxtail gratin.
Vibrant East Village dining room serving the regional classics of northern India. The newsprint-lined space is always packed, with groups sharing large pots of goat biryani and rich butter chicken.
Neon-lit Dongbei BBQ spot packed with low stools and automatic rotating grills. Raw skewers come from a wall of self-serve fridges to cook hands-free at the table, and the bill is just a count of the empty sticks.
Dual-concept cocktail bar where a back room serves drinks that taste like food – think Cold Pizza or Key Lime Pie. Its casual front room is for walk-ins, pouring tap cocktails and serving a standout hot honey fried chicken sandwich.
Intimate hotel bar with wood-paneled walls covered in portraits and a carved stone fireplace. Cocktails are globally inspired – think sesame-washed scotch and Martinis made with aguardiente.
Modern homage to Punjabi dining culture, built around family-style plates of kebabs and tandoor-fired breads. The bar pours classic Indian punches for a crowd that fills the room nightly – book ahead.
Stripped-down wine bar with a Brooklyn feel, pouring natural wines to an upbeat R&B soundtrack. The menu is creative small plates – the seared Arroz a la Plancha and whipped banana pudding are essential.
Twenty-seat cocktail bar hidden above Freemans, styled like an early 20th-century explorer's tavern. Thematic drinks are complex and aromatic – a tasting menu pairs low-ABV cocktails with small plates of seafood.
Stylish Lower East Side restaurant focused on creative meat and seafood plates. The wine program is serious – a sommelier is on hand to help navigate the list, and the signature dirty martini is perfectly briny.
Narrow East Village dining room serving modern Hawaiian cooking alongside a serious wine list. The kitchen refines island staples with precision, plating upscale musubi and mochiko chicken in a tight, intimate space.
Intimate cocktail salon from the Eleven Madison Park team, where large murals by Francesco Clemente line the walls. The menu is entirely plant-based: technical cocktails in the lounge and a tasting menu at the nine-seat chef’s counter.
Japanese cocktail bar set across two floors of a historic carriage house. Downstairs is a classic Ginza-style bar; upstairs, a cozier loft for meticulously crafted martinis and small plates.
Caribbean cocktail bar tucked into a quiet alley, pouring creative daiquiris and rum drinks from a rattan-fronted bar. The menu centers on West Indian patties; the soundtrack is high-energy and the custom paintings depict quiet island life.
Polished Southeast Asian dining room on the border of SoHo and Chinatown. Tropical cocktails and chili crab fried rice crowd the tables in the dark, plant-filled room.
Modern Chinese dining inside a bi-level former opera house with raw, stripped-down walls. The menu is built for sharing – crispy duck, fried eggplant, and inventive cocktails are staples.
Candlelit wine bar on a historic Chinatown alley, its walls lined with hundreds of low-intervention bottles. The space is tight: patrons sit elbow-to-elbow sharing modern Chinese plates and soy-braised short rib.
Intimate cocktail lounge atop an Art Deco skyscraper, wrapped by a terrace with 360-degree skyline views. The menu is spirit-forward and creative – think tequila Old Fashioneds and clarified milk punches with Earl Grey and champagne.
Sleek Chinatown cocktail bar pouring surprising drinks and strong martinis. Most people come for the spacious backyard patio – the fried taro cake is the essential order.
Cash-only Nepalese spot dishing up family-recipe momos and traditional khaja sets. The cozy dining room is often full, but a quiet garden in the back offers more space.
Lively Ridgewood corner spot with sage green walls and a prominent taxidermy jaguar. The kitchen turns out creative Mexican-American plates for sharing – think fried Oaxacan cheese and dry-spice pork ribs al pastor.
