It’s the simplest and most difficult question to answer, whether it’s coming from a lifelong New Yorker or a first-time visitor: “Where should I eat in New York City?” The type of food, price, neighborhood, and occasion are just a few factors to consider,
but those only go so far in a city of more than 25,000 restaurants. Enter the Eater 38.
This guide is our shortlist of the city’s must-hit restaurants, updated quarterly to reflect changing tastes and trends.
For summer 2026, we’ve added: Ethiopian Eritrean food truck-turned-Sunnyside restaurant Makina Cafe; Flatiron counter S&P; Southern French-leaning Zimmi’s in West Village; seafood restaurant Crevette also in the West Village; fun New England-style East Village spot Smithereens; and Park Slope burrito joint Vato. This round, we rotated out Charles Pan-Fried Chicken, Cafe Commerce, Grand Central Oyster Bar, Via Carota, L’Industrie Pizzeria, and Red Hook Tavern.
We’ve also fine-tuned each entry by spotlighting when it’s open, the cost — whether most dishes are under $10 ($), under $20 ($$), under $30 ($$$), or $30 and above ($$$$) — as well as an insider tip.
All of the restaurants on this list have been open for at least six months. For guides to the hottest new openings in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens, see our Heatmaps for those boroughs. And for an insider’s perspective on how to eat well no matter where you are in NYC, pick up our book: The Eater Guide to New York City.
