The average New York restaurant has become simpler and less flashy. Comfort foods are back in fashion. Diners are finding cheap thrills in trends like Asian bubble teas, fruit or tea-based drinks with sago pearls (bits of tapioca) you suck up through wide straws, which have busted out of Chinatown and made their way north.

New Yorkers have also been happy to dabble in other street foods like Japanese octopus balls and Danish hot dogs. At some restaurants, you can even make your own meal. At Craft, Chef Tom Colicchio gives diners a plethora of tempting side dishes and starters, and allows them to construct, or rather “craft,” his or her perfect meal. At db bistro moderne, the menu is split into ingredients, each offered in a variety of appetizers and entrees. There are still many restaurants and different cuisines to choose from. Below is just a sample of the types of restaurants you can expect to find in New York City.

“21” Club

21 W. 52nd St.
New York City, NY
Tel: (212) 582-7200
Cuisine: American

At “21” Club you can mingle with celebrities and tycoons in the four-story brownstone landmark, a former speakeasy that opened on December 31, 1929. With its large banquettes, red-and-white check tablecloths, and a ceiling hung with toys, the Grill Room is the place to be. In the past, the restaurant was mostly noted for the costly signature dish, the “21” burger, and staid Continental cuisine, but executive chef Erik Blauberg now turns at least half the menu toward inventive New American food, such as venison carpaccio with truffle dressing and risotto with lobster and salmon. Dramatic desserts and specialty coffee flambes bring flair to the meal’s end, and the service is flawless.

Nobu

105 Hudson St.
New York City, NY
Tel: (212) 219-0500
Cuisine: Asian

The stage is set for Nobu Matsuhisa’s dramatic, Japanese-inspired food by a curved wall of river-worn black pebbles, a hand-painted beech floor, bare wood tables, and sculptural birch trees. The vast menu makes deciding what direction to take difficult. One road will take you to classic Japanese sushi and sashimi, among the best in town. Another leads you to contemporary dishes, such as the delicious seared black cod with sweet miso, or Peruvian-style sashimi. It’s easier to put yourself in the hands of the chef by ordering the omakase, specify how much you want to spend (the minimum is $80 per person) and the kitchen does the rest. To handle the overflow, restaurateur Drew Nieporent opened Next Door Nobu, where diners can enjoy a slightly less expensive menu on a first-come, first-served basis.

Pearl Oyster Bar

18 Cornelia St.
New York City, NY
Tel: (212) 691-8211
Cuisine: Seafood

None of the restaurants in Greenwich Village are tinier or more charming than this friendly New England-style oyster bar run by Rebecca Charles. There’s only one table (two if they split it in half) and a handful of stools at the bar. But that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy an excellent meal of the freshest seafood, only that at times you may have to wait for it. Menu highlights include a selection of chilled seafood, cocktails, whole fish, lobster, and bouillabaisse, but the specifics depend on the market.

Peter Luger Steak House

178 Broadway
New York City, NY
Tel: (718) 387-7400
Cuisine: Steakhouse

If the best porterhouse steak in New York is what you’re really after, then Peter Luger’s is well worth the trip to Brooklyn. It has been serving the same quality beef since 1873 when the place opened as a German beer hall. You probably won’t see a menu, but all you need to know is: shrimp cocktail, beefsteak tomato, and onion salad, home fries, creamed spinach, pecan pie, and of course steak, ordered according to how many people are in your party.

NYC Restaurant Reviews