The best new restaurants in New York City right now are, frankly, among the Big Apple’s very best full stop. This is not something that we say lightly. If you’re visiting the city and have precious few meals to enjoy here, we could sleep easy by sending you to dine at the tried-and-true establishments that have fed the city, and fed it well, for years. But, in our second year of testing new restaurants around town, we’ve realized that some (not all) of these entrants, even in their infancy, are far from being just the hot new thing. The buzz doesn’t hurt, sure, but we can tell when the feeling will remain long after the glitter fades.
This time around, our picks dot Manhattan and Brooklyn. We’ve got the East Village and the West Village, Chinatown and Chelsea, and Bed-Stuy two times over. Red Hook, Flatiron, and the Financial District also prevail.
How we choose the best new restaurants in New York City
The best new restaurants in New York City stretch across Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island. Every business on this list has been selected independently by our editors and written by a Condé Nast Traveler journalist who knows the destination and has personally tried the restaurant in question. When choosing new restaurants, our editors consider both high-end and affordable eateries that offer an authentic and insider experience of the city. We’re always looking for standout dishes, a great location, and warm service—as well as serious sustainability credentials. In terms of how we define ‘new,’ we’ve chosen to focus on restaurants that have opened within a year of the publish date. When you work your way through the list, check back in: We’ll update this guide regularly as new restaurants open in New York City.
