The second annual North America’s 50 Best Restaurants list was announced on Thursday, May 28, at an awards ceremony in New Orleans. No New York City restaurants made the top five slots. Last year’s No. 1 winner, New York’s two-Michelin-starred Atomix, has dropped to No. 7, making it the highest-ranked NYC restaurant for 2026. César, the two-Michelin-starred tasting menu restaurant that opened in 2024, is the second-highest NYC restaurant, at No. 10.
Chicago’s Smyth snagged the No. 1 position (it’s the same place that’s suing Tribeca restaurant Smyth Tavern over its name). New York placed the same number of restaurants on this year’s list as the inaugural 2025 ranking (13), although several names did not return, including Cafe Carmellini, Via
Carota, Saga, and the Four Horsemen.
New entries from the city include Kabawa, Torrisi, Semma, and Gramercy Tavern, while Le Veau d’Or and Corima held on from last year, among others.
Among the specialty awards, Lysée’s Eunji Lee won Best Pastry Chef, and Le Bernardin wine director Aldo Sohm got the Best Sommelier.
The full 2026 North America’s 50 Best Restaurants list for New York City:
- 43. Gramercy Tavern
- 41. Semma
- 39. Tatiana by Kwame Onwuachi
- 38. Torrisi
- 36. Corima
- 23. Aska
- 19. Penny
- 18. Jungsik
- 14. Kabawa
- 13. Le Bernardin
- 12. Le Veau d’Or
- 10. César
- 7. Atomix
