The New York Times Just Revealed The 50 Best Restaurants In America Right Now — 4 Are In NYC

Scoring a reservation in New York City can feel like a full-time job, but if you’re looking for the places everyone’s buzzing about right now, The New York Times just made things easier. Their newly released list of the 50 best restaurants in America highlights the hottest tables in the country—and four of them are right here in NYC, setting the tone for what’s trending in dining this year. That recognition feels especially impressive when you remember just how vast the city’s dining scene really is—with roughly 23,000 restaurants across the five boroughs, it would take 22.7 years to eat your way through them all! Each year, the Times’ editors and reporters fan out across the country, dining anonymously and paying their own way to get a true sense of the restaurant scene. The result isn’t just a list of places serving great food, but of restaurants that bring craft, creativity, and character to the table. More than half of this year’s picks are new—a reflection of how fast the dining world is evolving. So which New York City restaurants made the cut? Here are the four spots you’ll want to make a res at, pronto: Borgo, Nomad ------------ Borgo is a stylish newcomer from Brooklyn restaurateur Andrew Tarlow, known for beloved Williamsburg spots like Diner and Marlow & Sons, that blends rustic Italian roots with a modern, urban edge. Expect handmade pastas, bold flavors, and a warm, bustling vibe–including a martini cart making rounds –that’s already making Borgo a go-to spot for both date nights and group dinners. NYT writes: > That focaccia? Paper-thin and erupting molten fontina like edible lava. Handmade ravioli is swathed with the sweetest Sungold tomatoes imaginable. The wood oven unleashes primal magic: coffee-glazed sweetbreads with charred edges, beef heart masquerading as rare steak, whole branzino with the face intact. 📍 124 E 27th St. 🍽️ Seasonal Italian Ha’s Snack Bar, Lower East Side ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From duo Anthony Ha and Sadie Mae Burns-Ha, Ha’s Snack Bar was once a beloved pop-up and is now a permanent pocket-size fixture. Ha’s Snack Bar brings Southeast Asian flavors into playful, shareable plates —the kind of food that feels equally at home on a casual Tuesday as it does on a celebratory night out. NYT writes: > The chefs Anthony Ha and Sadie Mae Burns-Ha have such a strong command of flavor that it’s easy to put your trust in whatever they’ve dreamed up that day. Vol-au-vent with tripe and Sungold tomatoes? Revelatory. Head cheese with chile crisp? Absolutely. Even a simple lemon meringue pie feels fresh in their hands. 📍 297 Broome St. 🍽️ French Vietnamese Kabawa, East Village -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Known for its inventive cooking and sharp sense of atmosphere, Kabawa pushes boundaries with a menu that surprises as much as it delights. With chef Paul Carmichael drawing from his memories of growing up in Barbados and his own culinary imagination, this is the sort of restaurant that keeps New York’s dining scene moving forward, one bold dish at a time. NYT writes: > The prix fixe meal unfolds in three generous courses and a bounty of sides, with playful nods to island classics including golden cubes of bammy, airy-edged and chewy as mochi at the core; pepper shrimp transformed into a crudo, with stealthy drops of fermented Scotch bonnets; and goat, majestic and ready to cleave at the touch, in a conflagration of habaneros. 📍 8 Extra Pl. 🍽️ Caribbean Smithereens, East Village ------------------------- Unpretentious and unforgettable, Smithereens is the kind of neighborhood spot that turns first-time visitors into regulars. With comforting plates and creative twists –chef Nicholas Tamburo champions the less-exalted side of the sea, like bluefish, mackerel, and whiting–it shows that excellence doesn’t always have to be flashy. NYT writes: > These are the murky deeps, where anything could happen...Everything is used, down to the fish bones. A few staples appear, but approached from an angle just slightly askew, so that they come across as small revelations: Chowder is frothed around creamy rice, with quahogs as buried treasure, and the juiciness of biting into an apple is made incarnate in what may be the best cider doughnut on earth. 📍 414 E 9th St. 🍽️ Seafood See the full list of the New York Times’ 50 best restaurants in America right now here. Source: https://secretnyc.co/50-best-restaurants-in-america-right-now-new-york-times/