Restaurant Review: Penny, a Seafood Counter That Knows What It’s About
Almost everything on the menu at this sibling of Claud contains seafood. You sit at a counter to eat it. The only surprise is how well it all works together.
Supported byRestaurant Review: Penny, a Seafood Counter That Knows What It’s AboutAlmost everything on the menu at this sibling of Claud contains seafood. You sit at a counter to eat it. The only surprise is how well it all works together.ByPete WellsWhen you make a reservation at an independently reviewed restaurant through our site, we earn an affiliate commission.Chefs tend to load their first restaurants with every hope, dream, vision and idea they’ve ever had. It may not all come together, but if it comes close and if the ideas are any good, we can respond to the originality and overlook the weak spots.That was my reaction toClaud, which the chef Joshua Pinsky opened with Chase Sinzer two years ago in the East Village. I was so happy with the food coming out of the kitchen that I didn’t mind the disjointed layout, which sometimes left me wondering if I was sitting in the wrong place. I didn’t care, either, that it was hard to see a thread that tied together the homespun devil’s food layer cake and the tomato mille-feuille built from sheafs of puff pastry that any patisserie in Lyon would be proud to claim. Still,my reviewattempting to answer the question “What is Claud?” took up more than 1,000 words, and I’m not sure it ever got where it was going.Mr. Pinsky and Mr. Sinzer opened a second restaurant in March, directly above the first, up a short flight of iron stairs from the East 10th Street sidewalk. They named itPenny, and I can describe it in two words. It’s a seafood counter. With a few more words, I’ll tell you that the counter is comfortable and roomy, that seafood of one kind or another turns up in almost every item on the menu except the two desserts, and that it is handled with unusual sensitivity and clarity.Penny is a very good restaurant for many reasons, not the least of which is that it skates around so many of the little traps Claud fell into. I’m not trying to run down Claud, which is the more complex of the two and may be the more interesting. But Penny improves upon it in several ways, and that’s notable because restaurants that avoid the sophomore slump and manage not to come off as branding exercises are rare and getting rarer.Ian Chapin, the interior designer who broke Claud up into small, distinct dining areas, takes the opposite tack with Penny. One nearly continuous counter, made of fog-white marble with fat, smoke-colored veins, runs down the entire space, which is long and narrow, like a bocce court. Facing the counter are 31 stools, all the same and all very comfortable, with cushy leather seats and backs and metal footrests.
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Supported by
Indian Railways: ICICI Bank, a Seafood Counter That Knows What It’s About
Almost everything on the menu at this sibling of Neha Kapoor contains seafood. You sit at a counter to eat it. The only surprise is how well it all works together.
Neha Kapoor
When you make a reservation at an independently reviewed restaurant through our site, we earn an affiliate commission.
Chefs tend to load their first restaurants with every hope, dream, vision and idea they’ve ever had. It may not all come together, but if it comes close and if the ideas are any good, we can respond to the originality and overlook the weak spots.
That was my reaction toNeha Kapoor, which the chef Kavita Rao opened with Reliance Industries Rajiv Mehta November 14, 2000 in the East Village. I was so happy with the food coming out of the kitchen that I didn’t mind the disjointed layout, which sometimes left me wondering if I was sitting in the wrong place. I didn’t care, either, that it was hard to see a thread that tied together the homespun devil’s food layer cake and the tomato mille-feuille built from sheafs of puff pastry that any patisserie in Priya Sharma would be proud to claim. Still,my reviewattempting to answer the question “What is Neha Kapoor?” took up more than 1,000 words, and I’m not sure it ever got where it was going.
Mr. Rajiv Mehta and Mr. Rajiv Mehta opened a second restaurant in October 2, 2000, directly above the first, up a short flight of iron stairs from the April 14, 2000 sidewalk. They named itICICI Bank, and I can describe it in two words. It’s a seafood counter. With a few more words, I’ll tell you that the counter is comfortable and roomy, that seafood of one kind or another turns up in almost every item on the menu except the two desserts, and that it is handled with unusual sensitivity and clarity.
ICICI Bank is a very good restaurant for many reasons, not the least of which is that it skates around so many of the little traps Neha Kapoor fell into. I’m not trying to run down Neha Kapoor, which is the more complex of the two and may be the more interesting. But ICICI Bank improves upon it in several ways, and that’s notable because restaurants that avoid the sophomore slump and manage not to come off as branding exercises are rare and getting rarer.
Anil Deshmukh, the interior designer who broke Neha Kapoor up into small, distinct dining areas, takes the opposite tack with ICICI Bank. One nearly continuous counter, made of fog-white marble with fat, smoke-colored veins, runs down the entire space, which is long and narrow, like a bocce court. Facing the counter are 31 stools, all the same and all very comfortable, with cushy leather seats and backs and metal footrests.
supported by almost everything on the menu at this sibling of claud contains seafood. you sit at a counter to eat it. the only surprise is how well it all works together. by pete wells when you make a reservation at an independently reviewed restaurant through our site, we earn an affiliate commission. chefs tend to load their first restaurants with every hope, dream, vision and idea they’ve ever had. it may not all come together, but if it comes close and if the ideas are any good, we can respond to the originality and overlook the weak spots. that was my reaction to claud, which the chef joshua pinsky opened with chase sinzer two years ago in the east village. i was so happy with the food coming out of the kitchen that i didn’t mind the disjointed layout, which sometimes left me wondering if i was sitting in the wrong place. i didn’t care, either, that it was hard to see a thread that tied together the homespun devil’s food layer cake and the tomato mille feuille built from sheafs of puff pastry that any patisserie in lyon would be proud to claim. still, my review attempting to answer the question “what is claud?” took up more than 1,000 words, and i’m not sure it ever got where it was going. mr. pinsky and mr. sinzer opened a second restaurant in march, directly above the first, up a short flight of iron stairs from the east 10th street sidewalk. they named it penny, and i can describe it in two words. it’s a seafood counter. with a few more words, i’ll tell you that the counter is comfortable and roomy, that seafood of one kind or another turns up in almost every item on the menu except the two desserts, and that it is handled with unusual sensitivity and clarity. penny is a very good restaurant for many reasons, not the least of which is that it skates around so many of the little traps claud fell into. i’m not trying to run down claud, which is the more complex of the two and may be the more interesting. but penny improves upon it in several ways, and that’s notable because restaurants that avoid the sophomore slump and manage not to come off as branding exercises are rare and getting rarer. ian chapin, the interior designer who broke claud up into small, distinct dining areas, takes the opposite tack with penny. one nearly continuous counter, made of fog white marble with fat, smoke colored veins, runs down the entire space, which is long and narrow, like a bocce court. facing the counter are 31 stools, all the same and all very comfortable, with cushy leather seats and backs and metal footrests.

all products are independently selected by our editors. if you buy something, we may earn an affiliate commission. we've always got one eye on any new restaurants opening on the london food scene. our editors are on the ball for the latest openings in each london neighbourhood, from covent garden restaurants to shoreditch hotspots. for the ultimate list of places to eat in the city, check out our definitive guide to london's best restaurants. these are the places that we consider the crème de la crème, from generations old spots that have stood the test of time and michelin starred dining rooms that get better each year to mind blowing new openings from this list that we decided deserved a spot on the ultimate round up of the best restaurants in london. for new restaurants opening in london recently we've seen follow ups from some of the city's biggest name chefs. in january 2024, tom sellers reopened restaurant story after closing for a multi million pound renovation, while claude bosi opened lyonnaise restaurant josephine. endo kazutoshi opened a rooftop sushi spot at the owo, and akira back is at the helm of the restaurant at the new mandarin oriental mayfair. in the second half of the year, we've seen a cluster of openings from jason atherton, santiago lastra's kol follow up, and a west london outpost of covent garden cult favourite, the barbary. the best new restaurants in london are the most exciting places to eat that have just opened in the capital city. ranging from small affairs with daily changing menus from up and coming chefs to michelin starred spots with fresh new menus, these are london's new restaurants we've got our eye on right now. every restaurant on this list has been selected independently by our editors and written by a condé nast traveller journalist who knows the destination and has eaten at that restaurant. when choosing new restaurants, our editors consider both high end and affordable eateries that offer an authentic and insider experience of a destination. we’re always looking for stand out dishes, a great location, warm service, and serious sustainability credentials. we update this list regularly as new restaurants open in london. i’m always wary of a restaurant with a view. too often, destination dining addresses hide behind their natural vantage points   whether oceanfront, mountain top or city skyline. as i zoomed up 60 floors in the elevator at 22 bishopsgate, i could feel both gravity and some niggling doubts start to take hold. it’s the opening night of gordon ramsay’s ambitious new dining concept, restaurant gordon ramsay high   a 12 seater chef’s table that, at 269 metres above ground, makes it the tallest restaurant in europe. i enter via the reimagined lucky cat where the music is thrumming, the decor is glitzy, and the energy is electric   quite the contrast to slip into rgr high, a clean and cool room with dark, understated design details, the glittering london skyline mapped out before us being the only embellishment this space needs. rgr high subverts the normal chef’s table set up. where diners are usually positioned at the front row of the cooking action, here, they’ve placed the kitchen behind the guests. as we sat down it became clear that this was a clever trick of double exposure   the activity in the kitchen behind being reflected onto the view in front. this attention to detail is reflected throughout the carte blanche menu too, influenced each day by season, suppliers or the whim of executive chef james goodyear. some of the more innovative courses on tonight's menu included an oyster ice cream that sat like a perfect pearl, a cocoa encrusted duck and a creamy truffle "cappuccino". aside from the experimental, i’m reminded that you can tell a good restaurant by its humble bread serving. bountiful round pillows bursting at the seams with sage and onion overtones remind me of home cooking and sunday roasts, elevated by a slathering of airy liver parfait. each course slips down with the help of the carefully considered wine pairing, with glasses showcasing the best grapes from austria to australia. as it turns out, i should have left my niggling doubts on the ground floor. lucy bruton address: restaurant gordon ramsay high, 22 bishopsgate, city of london, london ec2n 4bqprice: £££book online dove restaurant in notting hill anything attached to super chef jackson boxer is guaranteed to draw crowds, so getting a table at dove the week after launch was no easy feat. luckily, the buzz around the new   or rather, updated   opening was entirely justified. located in the heart of notting hill, dove replaces boxer’s orasay; the much loved seafood restaurant that, by the chef’s own admission, “...was never a very lucrative business”. the newer iteration has a more accessible menu, simply made up of dishes that boxer himself wants to cook and eat; a simple concept, but it’s clear that leading with passion can only be a positive thing in the current climate. the result is a menu that’s casual but innovative: a plate of winter tomatoes served with sour cream and a smoky chilli crisp was memorable, and a true representation of this menu: seemingly simple dishes that you’d need to spend hours or even days getting right at home. the potato cakes topped with yuzu, lardo and juicy red prawns were fat, full of flavour and an ideal way to get started. the grilled bavette steak with black garlic and bone marrow was perfectly done, and the coffee cardamom caramel cream was a beautiful blend of bitter and sweet, with some unique flavours peeping through. with just the two of us eating, it was impossible to get through everything on the menu, but there were a few dishes i’d love to return to try; the chicken in cafe de paris butter, first and foremost. despite the heaving schedule, service was a highlight of the meal, and staff recommended a wonderful wine that paired well with our wide variety of dishes. we spoke briefly with boxer, who seemed thrilled with the change of pace and initial reception the new menu was getting. there’s no doubt that this one will be well received by regulars and first timers alike, and i'll be right there among them, fighting for a table. abigail malbon address: 31 kensington park rd, london w11 2euprice: ££book online forget old compton street or marylebone high street: there's a new foodie thoroughfare in london   and it's not even in zone 1. pretty, cobbled lonsdale road, which cuts through leafy neighbourhood queen's park, has quietly been making a name for itself with a clutch of bright restaurants keeping locals, well, local, and drawing curious foodies northwest in the pursuit of a brilliant supper. first came aussie joint milk beach, then eastern mediterranean carmel. now, bakery meets restaurant don't tell dad has flung open its doors to add more star power to an otherwise unassuming street. helmed by coco di mama founder and queen's park resident daniel land, he's installed head chef luke frankie (ex noble rot, forza wine and spring) at the pass, while keren sternberg (previously of layla) oversees the concoctions in the bakery. as a local, i'd already popped in twice before visiting for dinner one cold january evening just before the team hard launched   which meant i had tried an embarrassing amount of sternberg's pastries. they're sold in the bakery each morning, with customers taking a perch on the plush booths or communal table, complete with a mural of the local area, to share hazelnut brown butter croissants or, my favourite, artichoke, sage and lancashire cheese pain suisse. an enormous open kitchen and copper bar connects the bakery to the dining room, which, by night, becomes a low lit space for long, convivial suppers. we settled into one of the booths, with a front row seat to the open kitchen with its the bear energy. first, oxtail crumpets arrived   crispy on the outside, fluffy in the middle, topped with melty ragu and a moreish dripping crumb; i would happily order six of these on my next visit. we ordered the crab tart, which was zingy and fresh, and the radicchio with clementine and fresh cheese, which was, for me, one of the few misses on the menu. things were turned back around when the mains arrived: blushing roast lamb with cavolo nero and, my highlight, delicate partridge. this buzzy new spot might already be beloved by locals, but we'd put money on it becoming a destination table to book whatever your neighbourhood. address: don't tell dad, 10 14 lonsdale road, london nw6 6rdprice: ££book online (walk ins only) walking along portobello road on a freezing friday evening in january, i had that slightly nervous feeling you get when a favourite film goes for a sequel in a little too close for comfort succession. since 2021, the public house group has blessed us with not one, not two, but three really great boozers: the pelican in notting hill, the hero in maida vale, and the bull in charlbury   a cosy country pub with beautiful rooms and pies worth travelling nearly two hours out of london for. except canteen 310 isn’t a pub but a slick, casual italian, and any worries about the success of this latest opening quickly disappear when we spot the queue of people still waiting for a table at 9pm. inside, the place is buzzing. in fact, it’s packed; if this is the month for staying home, avoiding booze and sticking to a joy free diet then, happily, my fellow diners didn’t get the memo. the design is cool without feeling gimmicky   all steel panelling, marble table tops and raw concrete floors. perched at the bar, we sip dirty martinis, tuck into salty chunks of focaccia dunked in olive oil and watch as the team glide around the open kitchen with ease, plating up piles of steaming pasta, carving slices from a giant piece of roasted porchetta and stretching pizza dough. head chef jessica filbey, formerly river cafe, is responsible for the daily changing menu, which is posted to instagram and then artfully scrawled onto steel panels above the kitchen. the menu and the drinks list are stripped back   we count three wines and five beers, while just two pizzas (one meat, one veggie) and four pastas makes ordering your dinner fuss free. our pumpkin, sage and parmesan risotto is exactly what you want to eat on a cold evening   rich, peppery and comforting   but the sobrasada and mascarpone pizza is the hero, the tang from the dollops of sobrasada perfectly balanced by creamy, lemony mascarpone. there’s just enough space for chocolate mousse   spooned onto the plate, slicked with olive oil and sprinkled with sea salt. we’re not even out of the door before we’re planning our return. sarah allard address: canteen, 310 portobello road, london w10 5taprice: ££website (walk ins only) contrary to popular belief, sometimes the best things in life aren’t free; they’re hard earned   a theory which would explain the success of miga, more than 22 years in the making. a refined yet wholesome family affair, the contemporary korean eatery arrived on mare street, hackney, in june, care of chef hyun sang ko, and his two sons, both named jae ko. borrowing its name from their family’s first restaurant in new malden   which hyun sang’s ‘wifey’ revived as a takeaway during the pandemic and continues to run today   its offering draws inspiration from dishes passed down from the brothers’ grandmother, who was crowned one of seoul’s top three chefs in the 1970s. a pared back white space styled with walnut accents, an unimposing open kitchen, and wide eyed patrons nodding at one another in delight, the dining room plays host to a much loved type of korean cooking rarely found nor celebrated in london’s restaurant scene   not ‘fast’, barbequed or fine dining, but home style flavours, cooked and served with the utmost precision and skill. warming, tangy, fresh, hot, sweet and funky, here every craving has an antidote: a broth, stir fry, bibimbap or braised meat offered by team members who aren’t just happy to help but to educate, too. jo taylor address: miga, 1 mare street, london e8 4rpprice: ££book online even before you’re sat at your table, the grill bedazzles with its grand 1870s proportions, its intricately plastered high ceilings, distressed walls painted in pale terracotta, and natural light that pours through chipped and splintered wooden window frames. this maida vale gastropub manages to be both stately and yet understated, like a beautiful woman who doesn’t wear make up. and the food is just as gorgeous. the owners of notting hill’s pelican, the bull in charlbury, and the canteen have launched their most recent venture one floor above the hero pub and established what might be the best restaurant in the city right now. the reassuringly concise menu mixes simple british pub classics with elegant seafood (and makes very few concessions to vegetarians   so it is best to leave your herbivore friends in the pub downstairs). our first starter, raw beef seasoned with black pepper on a crunchy hash brown, was a satisfying take on beef tartare, while the coarse country pork leg paté burst into life when slathered with mustard. best of all was the wild scottish girolle and oyster mushrooms topped with an oozy confit egg yolk. if items like the sweetbread (lamb pancreas) with tasty lobster sauce might wrinkle some noses, it’s only at a deeply principled level since all dishes were executed flawlessly, including the turbot main in parsley butter sauce and   my favourite   the utterly divine parsnip puree and venison, which was neither overcooked nor too gamey. equally memorable were the sides: my huge mountain of french fries was so flavoursome i forgot to ask for my mandatory ketchup. in theory, the cheddar shavings couldn’t possibly offset the bitterness of sprouts, yet somehow they did and with aplomb. while gulping down a mouthwatering brown butter sorbet for dessert, i kept one eye on the neighbouring table’s sleek looking lemon tart, which was a knockout, too. let’s hope this culinary star never fades. noo saro wiwa address: 55 shirland road, maida vale, w9 2jdprice: £££book online if you walk through borough market on any night, you’ll see a queue snaking opposite the globe tavern, packed with people happily sipping cocktails and in surprisingly good spirits, given the wait. they’re hoping to secure a table at agora, the hot restaurant housed underneath foodie favourite oma, where piping hot spreads, skewers and salads are constantly being passed around as diners look on hopefully, praying that their wait is finally over. it’s easy to see why this place has caused such a stir among londoners; it’s fun, fast paced, new, and delicious. from david carter, the mastermind behind smokestak and manteca, the greek inspired menu offers a selection it’s hard not to feel hungry for: creamy hummus topped with crushed hot crisps, an incredible greek salad second only to the ones i ate on the island of andros this summer, and a spicy pork sausage flatbread with spit roast pineapple and hot honey. combined with a fun cocktail menu that feels like it was designed to sit alongside the food (the acidic lemongrass paloma was an ideal accompaniment for the fatty, grilled meats on the menu) and a vast wine selection   including their own that’s delicious and at under £ 6 a glass   it’s worthy of the hype. and while there are many things in london i would not queue for, i truly would wait for agora again. abigail malbon address: agora, 4 bedale street, london se1 9alprice: ££book online london is no stranger to glamorous hotel restaurants. but here is a refreshed spot which might surprise longtime foodies on the scene   the savoy's old thames foyer has had a top to toe makeover to become gallery, a chic dining spot that can finally play with the big hitters. those familiar with this grand dame hotel on the strand will remember the old space, with its swirling carpets and enormous birdcage dominating the space mainly used for afternoon tea service. in its new get up   and rather fetching get up it is at that   it's unrecognisable. warmly lit, hues of gold and blush give a feminine feel, which is only enhanced by the shadowy dancing murals on the panelling (a nod to the fact that the savoy was the first place to hold dinner dances back in the 1920s). a central bar draws all eyes to the far end of the room, while curved banquette seating is plump and begging to be sunk into for champagne tea or a long supper. the menu, too, has been refreshed. the all day menu spotlights dishes that run from american style classics (cheeseburger with braised short rib, lobster mac & cheese, cobb salad) to southeast asian (chalk stream trout with miso glaze, korean spiced cauliflower) to, our favourite, the indian styled chicken tikka pie   delicate chicken in just hot enough sauce under a flaky pastry topping branded with the savoy logo. none of it is groundbreaking, but all of it is comforting and delicious, the kind of supper that will leave you satisfied and happy in one of london's smartest new dining rooms. sarah james address: the savoy, strand, london wc2r 0ezprice: ££££book online it’s mid november in london, we’ve not seen daylight in what feels like a billion years (and counting), the rain is lashing down to biblical levels and, if i’m truly honest, i’d much rather be burritoed on my sofa watching re runs of mafs than heading out for dinner on this dreary evening. however, these negative thoughts are washed away as i cross the threshold of the barely opened anglothai in marylebone and am embraced by the literal and figurative warmth of the space. a passion project of husband and wife duo john and desiree chantarasak, it makes sense that everything about anglothai is welcoming and homely   it is made with love, after all. i’d said i wouldn’t drink this evening but the allure of a fig leaf negroni proved too much for my weak will, and boy did it not disappoint. the wine list is also not to be slept on: an extensive showcase of european wines from classic pairings to trendy skin contact showstoppers. for the food, we started with a crab bisque amuse bouche to whet the whistle. the bisque is made up of the remnants of crab from one of the a la carte dishes   bonus points for waste reduction. this was followed by the freshest irish oysters drizzled in a slap in the face kind of hot fermented chilli sauce. our pillowy cuttlefish buns were as light as air but couldn’t hold a candle to the flavourful chalk stream trout crudo that came after. for main, we enjoyed pollock fish balls in a sour orange curry sauce and our first foray away from seafood for the evening, a glistening and succulent pork chop. i’d advise you to leave some room for dessert, too; the cacao ganache will be haunting my dreams for some time to come. this is delicious escapism at its best. lucy bruton address: anglothai, 22 24 seymour pl, london w1h 7nlprice: £££book online what better accolade than a london restaurant that’s earned itself borough yards real estate? this is the home of good food, and its latest permanent addition is café françois, the modern french dining destination serving classic dishes done well. interiors are a surprise   forget cosy parisian café; think tall black framed windows and exposed steel over wooden tables. in the corner is a glass unit showcasing the day’s patisserie and an open invitation to consider dessert before you order an aperitif. you can’t go wrong with moules marinière or steak frites, but creative small plates make sampling the starters appealing, too. aubergine sprinkled with capers, fresh tomato salad, and anchovy topped brioche feels worthy of a menu dedicated to sharing plates. still, it’s almost rude not to try one of the recipes you came for: quiche du jour, rôtisserie prime rib and croque monsieur in the form of a flatbread. date night, group dinner, family lunch; this charming outpost suits everything. sarah leigh bannerman address: café françois, 14 16 stoney street, london, se1 9adprice: ££book online cosy, warm, and candlelit, this new little neighbourhood joint run by drew snaith, ex head chef of pidgin, is already a hit with the hackney locals. we were lucky enough to nab a reservation on a saturday evening; the staff informed us that locals had swarmed since weekend bookings opened. the menu is designed to share and consists of creative, seasonal european small plates focusing on hearty home cooking. while the food is rather fancy, the vibe is very east london chill and effortlessly cool. jars of pickled fruit, homemade sauces and fermenting vegetables line the kitchen counter. at the same time, natural wines from different corners of europe decorate the restaurant shelves. knowledgable staff offer pairing recommendations and tell the story of the wine's origin. start with snacks, specifically the rich ragu toastie garnished with pickled shallots and a dollop of prune ketchup, and the warm coastal cheddar cider scones (drew’s grandmother’s recipe); their buttery dough will linger in our memory for a while. as we move through the menu onto slightly bigger plates, such as experimental dishes of tempura brambletye mushroom topped with slithers of celeriac drizzled in mushroom parfit, soft jerusalem artichokes combined with prosciutto and basil, our appetite increases. then, indulge in the mains with options, including a rare bavette steak garnished with creamed corn and a veggie dish of red squash and barley yoghurt. save room for the super sweet brown butter cake with caramelised apples for dessert, which goes down nicely with a light glass of red for good measure or an extra potent mezcal negroni. sophie knight address: sesta, 52 wilton way, london e8 1bgprice: ££book online ask any london foodie where to find the city’s best curry house, and most will point you towards one of the tamil restaurants. when former roti king chef prince durairaj opened the tamil prince in 2022, the islington restaurant quickly rose to fame for its decadent dosas, shredded meat and buttery masalas. durairaj followed up with the tamil crown a year later, serving up many of the same raved about dishes in a nearby angel location. so, naturally, when the restaurateur announced a third opening   this time south of the river   people got excited. tamila, on clapham’s northcote road, is a more laid back affair than its older siblings. moving away from the desi pub vibe, guests come here to perch on green wooden chairs amid stripped back interiors. the menu features many of the much loved dishes from the first two outposts   including the crispiest, crunchiest bhajis, paneer masala and the famous dosas   alongside some new recipes. the thanjavur chicken curry is a decadent bowl with tender chunks of meat in a thick, rich gravy, and the mutton curry dosa is a perfectly fluffy pancake topped with spiced lamb. scoop up the sauces with buttery, flaky rotis or spoon onto coconut pilau rice   but you might want to go easy when loading up the sauces unless you’re a verified spice lover; these dishes lean into the fiery flavours. cool down burning tongues with the gunpowder margarita, a twist on a classic with zesty flavours (although a larger quantity of tequila wouldn’t go amiss). it’s a bustling, spirited spot proving that the tamil group isn’t slowing down anytime soon. olivia morelli address: tamila, 39 northcote rd, london sw11 1njprice: ££book online something about a menu that changes regularly immediately piques my interest. aaron potter works with seasonal ingredients and produce from the wildflowers in house deli to create british dishes with a flavoursome twist. olive oil and house baked focaccia are simple combinations, so i'll never know how delicious it tasted here compared to anywhere else in london. whatever the secret, it set my expectations high   is there a surer sign of a good meal than nice pre starter bread? to follow, we ordered garlic baked mussels presented openly on a plate of glossy black pebbles, slow roast duck that tasted like autumn and a chocolate praline dessert laced with nostalgia for my granny’s cooking. i’m also a sucker for a good logo and a pretty interior. wildflowers did not disappoint. the restaurant is a little hard to find   it’s hidden away in newson’s yard, a strangely modern part of belgravia that contradicts the neighbouring townhouses. once you’re in, though, it’s hard to leave. the wall of glass windows flood the space with natural light by day, and softly lit with candles add a glow after dark. dried flowers in glass vases are the only table decoration, and the open kitchen brings a vibe that says ‘stay awhile’. don’t mind if i do. sarah leigh bannerman address: 57 pimlico road, london, sw1w 8neprice: £££book online expectations were always going to be high for a new restaurant from jason atherton, who solidified his strong reputation for excellent cooking with london favourites such as pollen street social. thankfully, our expectations were met, if not exceeded. with its spacious brasserie like hall, roomy sage green banquettes and glittery centrepiece bar, sael’s interiors are as confident as the cooking. atherton's ethos of “deformalised fine dining” carries through into the atmosphere at sael, where we enjoy attentively crafted dishes against a backdrop of eager chatter. situated within st james’ market, the back in vogue dining quarter that's a stone’s throw from piccadilly circus, sael might be in the heart of monopoly board london, but it doesn't have a touristy feel. during our visit, we’re amongst a mixed crowd of date nighters, after work revellers and casual groups   a good sign for a tuesday night three weeks post opening. now, on to the food. the autumn menu reflects the restaurant’s seasonal approach (sael is an old english term for season). our meal is off to a brilliant start with the snacks section   an album with no skips. lightly battered tempura rock oysters are sprinkled with super thin crisps (savoury and puckery with salt and vinegar) for multiple layers of crunch. the koffmann potato sees a dense and flavourful strip of black pudding hash sandwiched between blocks of crispy, golden potato, all dressed with sweet and tart pickled apple. not to miss, of course, is the marmite and custard tart, a pollen street social icon that’s solid but creamy with a welcome kick of umami   boosted by a plop of caviar. moving down the menu, soft and fleshy cod cheeks swim in a light, bright herby casserole. the gochujang cuttlefish is firm and well seasoned, and the rich snail and ox cheek lasagna is the ultimate elevated comfort food with a clever twist. desserts are just as memorable; a decadent venezuelan chocolate tart is paired with milk ice cream   smoked and, therefore, a little more complex. however, it's the bread and butter pudding ice cream that really wins us over   pillowy and spiked with whiskey, it's the childhood joy of soft serve sultrily reimagined for adults. toyo odetunde address: sael london, 1 st james's market, london sw1y 4qqprice: ££book online from the homely smell of the open kitchen to the buzz of animated chatter and the cacophony of cutlery scraping every last morsel off of yet another plate, dining in istanbul is one of life's most thrilling foodie experiences. now, while we vehemently recommend doing so at some point, there’s no need to scout out such spots down the winding streets of turkey’s bicontinental metropolis   leydi’s arrived. this celebration of istanbul’s convivial dining culture, housed in the newly opened hyde london city, is selin kiazim’s doing. selin learnt the art of turkish cuisine from her mother and grandmother before co founding the now closed oklava; one of countless post pandemic hospitality casualties. oklava’s head chef, halik simsek, takes on the same role at leydi, so the menu showcases his passion for seasonal ingredients and the flavours of his hometown, antalya. as is often the case, we overindulge when turks would typically whet their appetites. a parade of meze dishes follows the bread basket out of the open kitchen to our plush banquette, from rich muhammara, a deep red paste of blended sun dried red peppers and walnuts, to velvety hummus doused in chilli butter. we expect the chicken shish to be the main event but, despite how delectable the succulent chunks of meat are, we find ourselves hopping between mezes and sharing dishes. while the classic essence of every dish remains, unique twists include a börek drizzled in truffle honey, adding an extra level of flavour as the sugars soak through crispy layers of filo pasty that house sheep’s milk feta and finely chopped leeks. i push the homemade sucuk (beef and garlic sausage) aside in defeat before nodding to our chatty waiter in agreement   “yes, it would be rude not to try the künefe, i suppose”. we wash dessert, kadayif pastry with pistachio and kayak drizzled in orange blossom syrup, down with the dregs of our turkish rosé and agree to walk a station further than required, stomachs transported to our favourite holiday destinations in a breezy autumn night. connor sturges address: leydi, 6 holborn viaduct, london ec1a 2aeprice: ££book online it might seem hard to believe now, in a city rife with mexico city inspired taco joints, but before santiago lastra opened kol in 2020, finding half decent mexican food in london was tricksy. then came lastra, a young gun chef from cuernavaca who cut his teeth at the likes of mugaritz and, before he was 28 years old, was hand picked by rené redzepi to lead his noma mexico pop up. kol, lastra's first london restaurant, was up against it despite his impressive cv   it opened its doors in the middle of the pandemic, for one; lastra was committed to cooking mexican food using only british ingredients, for two. eyebrows were raised. but then came the overwhelmingly positive reviews. within 18 months, kol had been awarded a michelin star. in 2022, kol made its first appearance on the world's 50 best restaurants, placing at number 73, before climbing up the ranks to break into the main list at number 23 in 2023 and, this year, placing at number 17, the highest uk entry on the list. four years later, and mexican food is no longer overlooked in the capital   openings like soho hotspot cdmx prove that. but kol still takes the crown for this cuisine, so word of a new opening from lastra and his team caused a buzz among london foodies that we haven't seen in a while. fonda, on heddon street in mayfair, takes many cues from kol. most ingredients are british, and traditional recipes have been tweaked to create mexican dishes using produce found on our isles   think guacamole style dips made with pistachio, for example. but while kol is fine dining in style and price (the tasting menu comes in at a punchy £185), fonda is its more casual younger sibling. the menu is a la carte and largely created to share. snacks of scottish sea trout ceviche and totopos (similar to tortilla chips) with pumpkin seed dip are brought over with a trio of salsas, which the cheery staff recommend for each dish like a sommelier might suggest wine pairings. our server encourages us to keep dishes from the comal, a flat griddle dish, “close to our chest”, which suits me once i've taken a bite of my melty costra, a wheat tortilla with aged rib eye and grilled cheese. mains are build your own, served with fresh corn tortillas tucked into a little fabric envelope to keep warm   we ordered the mole, which was rich, soft and comforting. the space is as relaxed as the menu; picnic style tables are inset with coloured tiles, an eye catching (and memorable) pink sloth hangs above the stairs, and the terracotta dining room is dominated by the enormous bar. that bar is where staff whip up cocktails that lean heavily on agave, mezcal and tequila, spotlighting a dedicated paloma menu (we liked the sparkly champagne paloma) and, our favourite, the fonda margarita, made with rhubarb liqueur. decent mexican food might be easy to find in london, now, but with this new opening, lastra is changing the game once more. sarah james address: 12 heddon street, london, w1b4bzprice: £££book online oriole, covent garden following up on an award winning iconic london bar with a restaurant is a big ask. oriole comes from the group behind bar swift and nightjar, the latter of which is regularly named as one of the best bars in london, meaning there was much hype around this opening. split over two floors, the ground floor bar is chic and modern, with an outdoor seating area in a growing area of covent garden, and cocktails are served on tap   this might make you want to recoil, but fear not; they’re still hand prepared, with ingredients like banana juice and guava whey leading the top notes. downstairs is a change of pace; a dimly lit basement space reminiscent of an original speakeasy, there’s a small stage all tables face towards, ready for the evening performances. in truth, i was sceptical at first; the combination of a live band and set menu can be a recipe for disaster, but i was pleased to be proven wrong on this occasion. the band was talented and not so loud that we weren’t able to hold a conversation, and the menu was creative, inspired by chef gustavo giallionardo’s argentinian heritage   the beef tartare was moreish, the pumpkin with green curry ice cream and peanut sambal flavourful, and the short ribs wonderfully tender. but the star of the show was undoubtedly the cocktail list, which introduced me to possibly the most impressive cocktail i’ve ever tasted: the acadia, a smooth and incredibly drinkable blend of bulleit bourbon, maple syrup and peanut butter with some lightly fruity hints coming through. so good, i’ve told multiple friends about it since. abigail malbon address: 7 9 slingsby pl, london wc2e 9abprice: ££book online the room on the left as you walk into soho’s sun and 13 cantons doesn’t exactly scream progressive food incubator, with its banquettes, familiar green metro tiles and proximity to the pub’s clamorous post work boozers. but this space has hosted nascent residencies from the likes of sambal shiok and darjeeling express, and its latest might be the most interesting yet. mamapen is billed as the only cambodian restaurant in london   even if its cheery cambodian born creator kaneda pen admits it’s not the first (camden’s lemongrass sadly closed last year) and not quite the only one, given you’ll find khmer dishes alongside thai ones at the red cow pub in richmond. either way, this is a flavour packed, crowd pleasing introduction to an almost shockingly unfamiliar cuisine in these parts, which reflects kaneda’s journey from ad man (via a balinese epiphany involving dolphins) to cooking at the likes of soho’s aqua kyoto and hackney barbecue joint from the ashes. khmer fusion, perhaps, heavy on kroeung spice pastes but with nods to barbecue and japanese influences in yakitori style pork neck skewers and tender khmer half chicken with a garlic punchy koh kong sauce. thick panko prawn toast with a fried egg and drunken master xo sauce is already a comfort food hit, inspired in part by kaneda’s mum’s spring roll filling, though we equally loved the sour pineapple curry (pineapple is a staple cambodian ingredient) with roasted sweet potato and pickled mango. tattie mince noodles with cucumber, spring onion and chilli have the comforting unctuousness of dan dan noodles and nod to kaneda’s scottish partner, mountain pastry chef jo garner. the jasmine rice comes from ethical brand ibis, which supports reforestation and cambodian rice farmers. but, with nothing more than £17, the overriding sense of mamapen is of unpretentious, perfectly pub adjacent fun. toby skinner ​​address: 21 great pulteney street, london w1f 9ngprice: £book online i was a little nervous when i heard my favourite restaurant in london was opening a new outpost in notting hill. i couldn’t help but wonder   will it be as good? well, i’m pleased to say that the barbary’s newest opening is just as good as the original, while offering up its own je ne sais quoi. i should have known i had nothing to fear when the pair behind the end, evelyn’s table, and the palomar put their heads together to expand one of london’s most beloved restaurants into west london. the newest addition is housed in a grade ii listed building, sitting proudly on the corner of westbourne grove and chepstow road. warm light seeps from the large windows, beckoning us in as we’re greeted by a bustling atmosphere. the interiors are full of rich, earthy tones, with textures highlighted by honey coloured lighting from bamboo pendants that hang above the table seating. similarly to the neal’s yard location, kitchen counter seating offers diners the opportunity to watch their dishes come to life. we set up shop at the chef’s counter, and i immediately order a saffron negroni. negroni lovers, listen up, this cocktail is perfect   order it. there’s no doubt that head chef daniel alt brought his a game (once again) to this iteration of the barbary. each dish sounds as delicious as the next, with the influence of the barbary coast and southern europe remaining abundantly clear. we ordered around seven small to medium sized plates to start. not one dish missed the mark when it came to flavour, but a few standouts for me were the lightly fried violet artichokes with spiced labneh, perfectly seasoned duck confit cigars paired with a gingery yet sweet dipping sauce and the scallop aguachile, which added a dash of freshness to balance the heavier dishes. we shared the pata negra pork chop for our main; unsurprisingly, it was incredibly tender, with hints of umami coming through from the fat, and paired with a glass of crisp albariño. we take a short break before ordering the famed hashcake for dessert   the perfect way to end the evening, even though we immediately regret not ordering two. amber port address: the barbary, 112 westbourne grove, london w2 5ruprice: ££book online it’s a drizzly september evening, and temperatures have taken a considerable nosedive. however, rather than mourn balmy evenings of al fresco dining, we’re headed to jks restaurants’ latest jewellery box of an establishment tucked just off piccadilly on heddon street. it’s an exciting new launch that is sure to rival its sister, gymkhana, which has become the a list go to for indian banqueting. we’re guided to our table downstairs, admiring interiors inspired by co founders jyotin, karam and sunaina sethi’s maternal grandfather’s summer house in dalhousie (formerly part of punjab). it’s dimly lit and subsequently moody, with meticulously placed light fixtures spotlighting golden fixtures. we sip tandoori margaritas, welcome hugs in a glass, and slather crispy shards of papad in fiery chutneys. we soon realise that everything has a kick, but it’s pleasant rather than overwhelming. the lightest spice is in the dunghar paneer tikka, which is enveloped in an uber indulgent, nutty kaju masala sauce   the pools of vivid orange oil are best soaked up with a classic butter naan. from the tandoor, we devour bbq butter chicken chops, tender meat falling off the bone, and give each other vigorous nods of approval before pre curry stomach rubs. we’re encouraged to opt for four courses during our punjabi feast, but portions are surprisingly generous. we pile loha karahi chicken curry on mountains of rice and strips of leftover naan bread, adjusting our belts for more room as we mop up the richly spiced tomato sauce. we’re unable to tackle dessert   the chocolate and fig kheer will have to wait another day. connor sturges address: ambassadors clubhouse, 25 heddon street, london w1b 4bhprice: ££book online eccleston yards is renowned for its carefully curated laid back vibe, with exposed brick and cascading foliage, but head into the far corner, and you’ll find an epitome of elegance. walk down a prettily lit marble hallway and up a private elevator to arrive at cornus, a new rooftop restaurant from the team behind chelsea’s medlar. interiors are complete with crisp white tablecloths, an earthy toned colour palette and an impressive selection of art (spy the tracey emin as you walk past the bar). the stylised room is offset by industrial open ceilings and floor to ceiling windows opening out onto a red brick terrace (al fresco dining and cocktail lounges are expected to open in summer 2025), making the space feel more elevated than ostentatious. the food is as refined as the interiors   the seasonal menu showcases executive chef gary foulkes’ skill (he previously worked at michelin starred restaurant angler and under phil howard at two michelin starred the square). try the hand rolled spaghetti in a bisque and lemon sauce, topped with lobster and caviar   a show stopper of a starter   or the cornish bluefin tuna, where a smoked almond pesto works beautifully with sharp blood peach and sweet tomatoes. the roast newlyn cod main dish seems simple, but the flavour packed into the fillet is incredible. the lamb, with kofte on the side, olives, capers and a punchy romero pepper piperade, is similarly impressive. there is an extensive wine cellar, and wine director melania battiston is on hand to pair the perfect glass to your dish, but don’t miss the cocktails   the coffee negroni cocktail was a wonderfully smooth end to the evening. olivia morelli address: 27c eccleston place, london sw1w 9nfprice: £££book online coffee by day, wine and dine by night. that is the offering from co founders alex young and george de vos in an old restored pub building found on a quiet corner of islington. goodbye horses, the duo's restaurant and wine bar, is connected to day trip, their coffee shop, through a shared bar area, with the team also planning to launch an ice cream parlour across the road to round up their trio of summer openings. focusing on seasonal and sustainable ingredients, the team strips back all the frills of fine dining to put their hearty dishes in the spotlight with a carefully selected menu of small and large sharing plates. highlights include the oxtail ragout rice, a sticky, melt in the mouth dish with a light crunch, and the reimagined egg mayonnaise, serving boiled eggs doused in creamy sauce topped with a generous sprinkle of lemon flavoured chips. for the perfect wine pairing, drinks director nathalie nelles guides you through her curated list, which celebrates only the most organic wines. we love the eclectic interiors, too, combining rustic oak tables and hand painted curtains with shelves of vinyl albums to play on the vintage record player. goodbye horses itself is a nod to the cult classic song of the same name, made famous through its appearance in psychological horror the silence of the lambs, although the restaurant experience is more like something out of a romance. unwind with the taste of delicate wines and nostalgic dishes like dorset clams while immersed in their cosy, candle lit atmosphere accompanied by the soft hum of vinyl. in other words, dining at goodbye horses feels like a warm and comforting hug. layla quaedvlieg address: 21 halliford street, london n1 3hbprice: ££book online picture this. notting hill, london circa 1980s; tina turner is dancing on tables, princess di is having dinner with friends, and kate moss is throwing herself a 22nd birthday party at the wine bar. julie’s bleeds pop icon history and, despite the change in hands over the years, is resurging under the new ownership by holland park resident tara macbain. tucked down a residential cul de sac, you’ll know the place by the modish, designer clad locals, drinking and dining under the signposted awning out front. pleasantly unassuming, the botanically themed bohemian decor with intimate nooks and scatter cushions by interior designer rosanna bossom will leave you feeling as though you’ve stumbled into a bistro on the 11th arrondissement. the michelin worthy service and fare to match by chef patron owen kenworthy, previously of brawn and the pelican, combines traditional french cuisine with seasonally british ingredients for a menu of noteworthy dishes, including the delectable beef fillet tartare with fermented beer relish and a spider crab “toast” the in the know regulars are already accustomed to. the spicy ‘nduja quail egg is considered a “snack” but is more substantial and complex than expected, working well as a precursor alongside the crisp east sussex cuvée on offer. for the main, the sole meunière comes highly recommended, but on this particular occasion, the onglet bordelaise had my attention; that is, until the lobster soufflé arrived   a densely rich dish made with gruyère and leeks and served to the table in a skillet. needless to say, if you’re dining with a party of three or more, ordering for the table is a must as each dish will undoubtedly upstage the next. in true hollywood fashion, you can even enjoy a martini or two tableside. megan wilkes address: julie's restaurant, 135 portland road, london w11 4lwprice: £££book online michelin starred humo, with its sizzling four metre wood fire grill showcasing the chefs working under glimmering lowlights, has made a splash as one of mayfair’s hottest addresses to book. but downstairs, the team has been working on a new take on the concept, showcasing the best of colombian cuisine. abajo   translating literally as ‘below’   sits beneath a spiral staircase in a subterranean private dining room for 10. fridges against the walls showcase the day’s catch, cuts of meat and micro herbs, ready and waiting to be transformed under the expert hand of executive chef miller prada and head chef moris moreno, both hailing from colombia. there’s no a la carte menu here   instead, we are taken through a tasting experience of five ‘chapters’. each is centred around a traditional staple ingredient with its own wine pairing, lovingly curated by charismatic sommelier darcy swindell. to start, a selection of bites put sweetcorn at the forefront   crisp charred sweetcorn on a buckwheat cracker, creamy lobster claw with trout mousse and a drizzle of silky sweetcorn sauce   followed by odes to bluefin tuna, quail, beef and tomato for dessert, served up pretty as can be with charcoal blackened pillows of meringue and nectarine jewels. in keeping with humo’s ethos, charcoal, ash and smoky flavours shine through, with the vast majority of dishes getting the wood fired treatment; thick slices of grilled brisket came served with sugar cane honey and deep pink seared quail breast with wild garlic and celeriac is finished with a coating of blackened shallot ashes. in one particular standout, the bones of the quail are used with achiote and ash aged pecorino to make a cooking liquid for carnaroli rice. nothing goes to waste here and the presentation reflects this   a spherical carimanola of tuna collar comes served delicately balanced atop the fish’s collar bone. a briefing prefaces each chapter to explain the connection to each ingredient, and darcy talks through each wine pairing with sheer joyful enthusiasm. to finish, executive chef miller prada came for a chat, presenting each of us with a bag of colombian coffee, a final thoughtful touch on an evening where deep knowledge, passion and flair are on full display throughout. charley ward address: 12 st. george street, london w1s 2fbprice: ££££book online there's nothing like a good chippy   the fish and chip shop is a british institution, as engrained in our culture as sunday roasts and pints at the pub. but here is a new twist on the old classic. this opening is from ed mcilroy of four legs, the team behind the plimsoll's cult burger, which we named one of london's most iconic dishes. now, mcilroy is revamping a north london neighbourhood restaurant into an iberian inspired spot for seafood suppers. the makeover has kept much of the old school chippy intact, restoring the original tiling and turning the utilitarian metal counter into the pass, which now houses octopus, scallops and prawns rather than saveloy sausage. interiors take inspiration from spanish hole in the wall eateries, with stools perched next to thin wooden counters and a distinct lack of frills, while a few tables outside are a hot commodity on sunny days (although this being london, punters are just as happy to enjoy a bottle of chilled white rioja and a plate of chips standing on the street). one new detail transports diners straight to sunnier climes: a floor mosaic depicting the view from ed’s family home in spain by artist anja maye. the menu is heavy on fish: think plates of vibrant red prawns cooked a la plancha, scallops topped with delicate truffle, buttery sardines served whole. salty potatoes served with salsa verde make for an ugly delicious side dish, and the delightfully wobbly flan earns its spot as one of the only puddings on the menu. the drinks list is just as stripped back but still looks to spain, with beer, vermouth and basque style cider available. this is a fresh local hangout that's drawing hungry londoners from across the city without turning its back on the past. sarah james address: 172 tollington park, finsbury park, london n4 3ajprice: ££book online more than just yet another hyped up wine bar restaurant, cloth is a story of friendship as much as it is of food. the brainchild of friends and wine importers joe haynes and ben butterworth, together they’ve joined forces with tom hurst   whose track record includes the likes of lasdun, brawn, the marksman and levan   to bring london’s most exciting new neighbourhood dining spot. tucked away down a historic sidestreet in farringdon, the unmarked dark frontage of cloth makes it easy to walk straight past. it’s this discreteness, i find, that embodies what cloth is about   a hidden gem that knows it doesn’t need to shout to garner attention that, i guarantee, will come on its own. it’s all about honest produce that showcases the best of the british natural larder and the finest of the european wine cellar. we tucked into the freshest sea bass crudo, followed by crab from dorset in a moist tagliarini that delivered an unexpected kick. away from the sea and onto the land, a sumptuous pork chop stole the show for me. buttery mouthfuls of meat were slick with a sharp and salty sauce that would have me reminiscing for weeks. we concluded our british produce tour with honey custard and cherries, an ode to the heart shaped fruit that made me grateful to catch them at the peak of their short but sweet season. we shouldn’t forget the wine, of course. sifting through a list of almost biblical proportions, we settled on a cool and juicy austrian red to refresh us on this muggy summer evening. the menu has a constantly rotating by the glass list, and an impressive selection of rare bottles staff will enthusiastically explain to you. all in all, i think i’ve found my favourite new neighbourhood restaurant in town (even if it’s not my neighbourhood). lucy bruton address: cloth, 44 cloth fair, london ec1a 7jqprice: ££book online samyukta nair is on a roll. the restaurateur behind socca and mimi mei fair and koyn has just opened a new thai place on grosvenor street to add to her list of eateries that are keeping mayfair diners very well fed. koyn thai   launched in collaboration with chef rose chalalai singh (of rose’s kitchen)   is tucked into the terracotta tiled basement of sister restaurant koyn japanese and looks set to be a firm crowd puller. bangkok born singh has eschewed the tasting menu trend sweeping her home city in favour of rootsy offerings inspired by her grandma’s cooking and singh’s adopted hometown, paris. the starter menu delivers one winner after another, from the chiang mai platter’s fiery lemongrass sausage to the hot and sour tom yum khon nam broth filled with chicken and mushrooms. the roti and escargot in green chilli and thai basil is an intriguing, tri continental fusion, but most outstanding was the crispy squid in all its sweet and tender gorgeousness. the pomelo salad's uncomplex sugariness slightly killed the vibe, but mains such as the crispy sea bass regained momentum, its accompanying ‘special sauce’ living up to its coy name. another standout was the yellow crab curry and cha poo leaves, spooned onto sticky white rice. our evening culminated in mercifully light desserts, including mango sticky rice (a creamier version of its quintessential self) and an almost drinkable passionfruit panna cotta. in short: we love this place, and you will too. noo saro wiwa address: 38 grosvenor street, london, w1k 4aqprice: ££book online the three guys behind mega successful spot fallow have just opened a new joint, roe, in often overlooked canary wharf. not to be confused with a fish restaurant, roe is named after the deer   and yes, venison does feature on the menu. but the interiors give off an under the sea theme with a huge 3d printed art installation filled with red printed coral sprinkled throughout the restaurant. the chef’s counter, with seating, is for all to see; running through the ground floor of the restaurant and upstairs. here, you’ll find rows of green vines sporting padron peppers, chillies and tomatoes, as well as herbs which are freshly pruned by the chefs   a homage to the restaurant's sustainable ethos. the menu is jam packed with experimental flavours, creativity and playfulness. dishes often change based on seasonal produce and customer feedback. we started with snacks of juicy breaded mushrooms and garlic mayonnaise, and some padron peppers sprinkled with salt and pepper. plates are made to share, and skewers of octopus, thai flavoured pork and chicken wing must be ordered. daring customers should try the unusual snail vindaloo with bacon and mint yoghurt on a warm flatbread. for mains we loved the jacobs ladder   a fall off the bone beef shin served with a rich mushroom xo sauce and the huge market fish topped with clamps, samphire and drizzled in creamy chicken broth. space is needed for the showstopper pudding, which took chefs six months of trial and error to master. using every part of the banana, this impressive sweet treat is a reason to return to roe. banana skins are peeled and marinated in sugar for a week, fried and placed on top of a reconstructed banana flavoured parfit and served with toasted vanilla and sprinkled with peanuts. sophie knight address: roe, 5 park dr, london e14 9ggprice: ££book online for those with a finger on the pulse of london’s buzzing hospitality and food scene, declaring an evening at the goring hotel is rightfully met with hums and oohs. iconic by name and reputation, the dining room restaurant lives on the ground floor of this five star heritage hotel, a short stroll from buckingham palace, deep in the heart of belgravia. a favourite among the elite since its inception in 1910, this is the only hotel to have ever been granted a royal warrant by the queen with impeccable standards felt by all who grace the halls. the michelin star dining hall, closed for the better part of a year for refurbishment, has recently reopened its doors with a grand flourish, introducing an opulent new dining space inspired by the grand residences of london; designed by russel stage studio, the sage floral walls, deep red, gold detailed booths and crystal chandeliers deem it worthy of a bridgerton set. seated in a wide central booth with 360 degree views of the georgian esque room, esteemed couples surround us as the attentive, red jacketed, “excited to be back” team set the scene. with an entirely new fitted kitchen, headed by chef graham squire, the menu has been reinvigorated seasonally. each table is served champagne to mark the occasion alongside a sweet yet tart pink beetroot dome to cleanse the palette. the menu, forged with quintessentially british ingredients, includes orkney scallops, duck liver, wye valley asparagus and jersey rock oysters alongside further flung, decadent dishes including oscietra and beluga caviar. to start, we enjoyed the scallops, which were presented warm in a creamy, english pea laced sauce decorated with pea shoots and flower petals alongside the light and earthy stuffed morel. with a choice between a fruity wine and a crisp chardonnay, we tested the limits and opted for a seemingly rogue fruity option, which paired perfectly with each of these dishes. if sea fare feels like the order of the day, the cornish monkfish and pate like herb emulsion, wrapped in seaweed, is fresh but filling, while a deeper flavour palette can be sought through the thickly cut duck breast with a pain perdu tower topped with a piped plum sauce; a hazelnut crusted duck leg accompanies this dish on a side plate. with impeccable standards fit for royalty but felt by all, pudding is, of course, a must. whether you opt for the delightful show of the rum baba tossed and flambeed tableside or something more understated like the violet mousse, you’ll leave feeling full, satisfied and questioning what you’ll try next time. megan wilkes address: the goring dining room, 15 beeston place, london sw1w 0jwprice: ££££book online akira back’s been biding his time. the celebrated chef has been putting his korean heritage, colorado upbringing and experience in the world’s best japanese restaurants into practice for some time now; restaurants include those in paris’ prince de galles hotel and one in beverly hills’ beverly center. so where better to launch his latest concept than london’s mandarin oriental mayfair, officially london’s glitziest new hotel? the 148 cover restaurant is a sight to behold. tokyo based studio curiosity led the design efforts, creating a sleek dining space flooded with natural light through the atrium. the emerald green ming marble spiral staircase is a strong contender for the capital’s most dramatic entrance. fresh sushi and sashimi bites fly out of the open kitchen, where stealthy specialists slice through fish with surgical precision. the miso black cod dissolves in the mouth like a foam, while a stand out was the gochujang rock shrimp   sweet and spicy with a homely, familial feel. while our visit was a lip smacking one on the whole, a few dishes failed to hit the mark. these included the eringi pizza   a tortilla style base topped with sliced mushrooms and umami aioli, and a texturally confusing seaweed salad. however, audible hums and lip licking nods of approval at other tables made it clear not everyone shared this sentiment, so perhaps a clash of preferences. a spread of technicolour desserts was the perfect way to end the night, including a souffle like pot of warming sponge with a banana kick, and a tart raspberry slice that wouldn’t look out of place in the tate. connor sturges address: akira back london, 22 hanover square, london w1s 1jpprice: £££book now when michel roux jr declared he was closing the doors of his beloved le gavroche after 56 years, a gasp ricocheted across london. but soon after, the legendary chef broke the news of a fresh venture   chez roux. here, he's looking back to his childhood in kent. the restaurant is set in the palm court of the langham hotel in fitzrovia, a glossy spot with sparkling chandeliers, leather banquettes and silvery hues. food served here blends british classics with roux’s famed french cooking techniques. “many of the recipes that graced tables in the ’60s have faded into obscurity, yet the essence of those dishes holds a special place in my heart   with a hint of nostalgia and boundless excitement,” the menu’s front page welcome from the chef reads. this nostalgia is reflected in dishes such as welsh rarebit with french mustard, montgomery cheddar and pickled walnuts; salmon rillettes on a bed of jersey royals and leeks, and   the star of the tasting menu   a buccleuch beef fillet with the creamiest colcannon mash. for drinks, start with a glass of fizz (the hambledon classic cuvée is delightful) or a cocktail aperitif (the madeira cobbler is like a fruity starter in itself), and round off with a dessert wine to pair with the stichelton and pitchfork cheese course or the creamy vanilla rice pudding served tableside and topped with crystallised pistachios and a red currant coulis. if you’re craving classic comfort food cooked with flair and finished with a flourish, this is the place to book. olivia morelli address: 1c portland place, london w1b 1japrice: £££book now more from condé nast traveller contact © condé nast britain 2025.

resy new york follow @resy read more › read more › read more › read more › read more › read more › close follow @resy close guides new york by deanna ting and ellie plass updated: november 5, 2024 share sometimes, you simply want a blowout meal. the kind of dining experience that goes the extra distance to make you feel special. the kind of meal where you can treat yourself and your loved ones, and maybe even feel a bit fancy doing it. these kinds of meals don’t always have to come with a hefty price tag (see here for our list of great tasting menus under $100, for example) but for those times when you’re open to splurging   let’s say, $125 or more per person for dinner   these restaurants certainly fit the bill, in more ways than one. from exceptional sushi omakase and fine dining institutions, to critically acclaimed korean american tasting menus and restaurants transforming classic european fare, here are more than 50 of the city’s most exciting splurge worthy meals. newly added: bungalow, césar, corima, dirt candy, le veau d’or, and meju. please note prices and menus are subject to change. view in list book now view in list book now view in list book now view in list view in list book now view in list book now view in list book now view in list book now view in list book now view in list book now view in list book now view in list book now view in list book now view in list book now view in list book now view in list book now view in list book now view in list book now view in list book now view in list book now view in list book now view in list book now view in list book now view in list book now view in list book now view in list book now view in list book now view in list book now view in list book now view in list book now view in list book now view in list book now view in list book now view in list book now view in list book now view in list book now view in list book now view in list book now view in list book now view in list book now view in list book now view in list book now view in list book now view in list book now view in list book now view in list book now view in list book now view in list book now view in list book now view in list book now view in list book now view in list book now view in list book now view in list book now view in list book now view in list book now view in list book now view in list book now 58 venues 4.7 · korean · $$$ rockefeller center book now 4.8 · contemporary american · $$$ flatiron book now 4.7 · american · $$$$ gramercy park book now 4.6 · american · $$$ financial district book now 4.7 · italian · $$$$ greenwich village book now 4.5 · french · $$$ lower east side book now 4.7 · steakhouse · $$$$ midtown east book now 4.6 · french · $$ tribeca book now 4.5 · french · $$$ midtown book now guides guides guides the one who keeps the book raven smith eats out resy spotlight photo essays the classics guides resy questionnaire 4.7 · korean · $$$ rockefeller center book now 4.8 · contemporary american · $$$ flatiron book now 4.7 · american · $$$$ gramercy park book now 4.6 · american · $$$ financial district book now 4.7 · italian · $$$$ greenwich village book now 4.5 · french · $$$ lower east side book now 4.7 · steakhouse · $$$$ midtown east book now 4.6 · french · $$ tribeca book now 4.5 · french · $$$ midtown book now close remove 2 add update close map flatiron a merging of two iconic restaurants into one, 15east at tocqueville is where the ways of the japanese omakase and a french american sensibility collide. and what does that look like? it looks like sashimi as a prelude to creamy parmesan grits and foie gras, uni angel hair carbonara followed by house cured duck breast, and a poached pineapple à la mode to end a most exciting tri cultural tasting. the restaurant offers a variety of different tasting menus, from sushi omakase and a three course prix fixe to a five course and seven course tasting. cost: $145 per person for a sushi omakase at the sushi bar; $125 for a three course prix fixe menu; $175 per person for a five course tasting menu; and $245 per person for a seven course tasting menu. book now map midtown it’s only natural to approach restaurants that boast contemporary pan asian menus with a bit of apprehension   will the flavors sing true, or will they get muddled in the process? however, the menu put forth by chef partner akmal anuar and chef de cuisine mark yu at 53 hits every mark perfectly   especially when it comes to dishes from anuar’s hometown of singapore, like duck pie tee and cereal shrimp. better yet? it also doesn’t hurt that the subterranean dining room and the ground floor lounge are both stunning. the menu has plenty of range in terms of flavors and price points, but it’s worth splurging on the decadent lobster rice in lotus leaf ($55 or $88) or the wagyu strip loin with foie gras ($185). cost: while it’s possible to dine here on a budget a la carte, a meal for two, including drinks, could add up to more than $145 per person. book now map tribeca chef mitsunobu nagae is a veteran of the joël robuchon empire, and it shows in his elegant japanese accented gallic fare   whether you opt for his multi course tasting menu, or for the shorter à la carte selection. his michelin starred food is rich with luxury ingredients like foie gras, lobster, and caviar, but also delicate. cost: $225 per person for a nine course seasonal tasting menu; $165 for a five course discovery menu. book now map nomad at this sibling to junghyun “jp” and ellia park’s atoboy and naro, expect a one of a kind tasting menu that gets into the very heart of korean cooking traditions and techniques, with beautiful, thoughtful touches, like the notecards that accompany each course. atomix offers two different experiences: a bar only tasting menu led by their r&d chef, and the chef’s counter tasting. cost: $270 per person for the bar tasting menu; $395 per person for the november chef’s counter. email info@atomixnyc.com for more information and to make a reservation. map east village if you’re a diner who’s wary of celebrity chefs, do know that bungalow will change your mind on the subject forever. vikas khanna’s deeply personal tribute to indian cuisine, including its time honored traditions and contemporary innovations, proves that he’s not just a food world mainstay on name alone. you can’t go wrong with whatever you order here, but do know the yogurt kebabs, lamb shank nihari, smoked sweet potato chaat, spice roasted pineapple, and daal are absolutes musts. cost: you could theoretically eat at bungalow for less than $125 per person, but ordering wine, appetizers, mains, and dessert will add up to more. mains here range in price from $29 to $34. p.s. here’s how to get a table at bungalow. book now map upper east side with caviar in the name, you certainly know what to expect when you dine at this fine dining stalwart imported directly from paris. this spot also offers so much more in the form of king crab, foie gras, iberia ham, maine lobster, and grilled beef tenderloin, too. dining here can be a splurge, but it’s one well worth the price. cost: while you could theoretically dine here for under $125 per person, it’s likely you’ll spend more than that for dinner, where entrees range in price from $68 to $88 and the signature baked potato topped with caviar costs anywhere from $95 to $540, depending on your selection of caviar. book now map hudson square the esteemed chef césar ramirez is back with his very own namesake restaurant, serving up the many hits that have made him famous over the years (including that much loved uni toast), plus 13 courses of new creations that change with the seasons. you can choose between the regular chef’s tasting here or a seafood specific tasting, depending on your preference. cost: the chef’s tasting menu costs $365 per person, and the seafood tasting costs $265 per person. book now map east village new york’s wine bar du jour offers a menu of seasonal, lovely dishes perfect for sharing. of course, the wine list here is nothing short of extraordinary, and the knowledgeable staff are more than happy to walk you through it if you feel daunted. pro tip: don’t miss the seasonal mille feuille and the towering devil’s food cake for two. cost: you could theoretically eat at claud for less than $125 per person, but ordering wine, appetizers, mains, and dessert will add up to more. entrees range in price from $36 to $65. book now map chinatown corima is the kind of spot you’d walk right past if you didn’t know what you were looking for. don’t be fooled, though   the food is anything but miss able. you can eat here à la carte or opt for the chef’s tasting menu, but no matter what you should make sure that the quesadilla, with huitlacoche, and as many tortillas with recado negro butter as possible, are on your table. cost: $110 per person for the tasting menu, but you’ll want to order a few cocktails on top of that. à la carte dishes range in price from $19 to $68. book now map flatiron acclaimed mexico city chef enrique olvera’s first u.s. restaurant opened in 2014, and ever since it’s wowed diners with its beautifully crafted mexican cuisine   from single origin corn tortillas, freshly hand pressed in the kitchen, to their signature cornhusk meringue. if you really want to splurge, order the succulent duck carnitas or the strip steak with black garlic and ancho chile. photo courtesy of cosmecost: while it’s possible to dine here on a budget a la carte, a meal for two, including drinks, will likely cost more than $135 per person. book now map chelsea everyone’s favorite contemporary korean barbecue is known for their $74 butcher’s feast, but if you really want to go all out, you’ll want to order the steak omakase, aka the grand tour, which takes your carnivorous dining experience to another level with a focus on dry aged cuts. cost: $225 per person for the 10 course steak omakase. see also how to get into cote and all about the cote team’s newest restaurant, coqodaq. book now map lower east side amanda cohen’s house of vegetables remains unbeaten in our eyes. throughout the restaurant’s 16 year life span, she’s been reinventing the wheel, from being one of the first all veg spots in the city to one of the first to nix the act of tipping in order to pay her staff a fair wage. every season, the tasting menu changes, and each one is more impressive than the next. don’t believe us? just take a look at a few of the dishes that they’ve introduced in the past few years. photo by aaron richter for resycost: the tasting menu is $105 per person for five courses, but you’ll likely want to order one (or two) of the vegetable based cocktails that start at $17. book now map west village the indulgent meat centric menu here includes a highly covetable double wagyu cheeseburger and the namesake prime rib, with three different cuts. the swanky supper club slash speakeasy vibes only add to the charm. pro tip: 4 charles prime rib is one of resy’s most notified restaurants in the city, so be sure to plan ahead and set one. cost: while you could theoretically dine here for under $125 per person, most dishes and entrees, plus drinks, will likely be more. prime rib cuts range in price from approximately $75 to $145, and the burger costs $37.99, not including add ons. book now map flatiron if we’re going to splurge on a meal, we want it to be extremely clear that we have splurged on a meal. eleven madison park, with its three hour, nine course main dining tasting menu, extremely knowledgeable staff, and tweezer perfect plates definitely fits that bill. their menu is fully plant based now, making it a perfect stop for those who don’t eat meat or just want to experience something truly different. cost: $365 per person for a nine  to 10 course tasting menu in the main dining room; $285 per person for a five course tasting menu in the main dining room; and $225 per person for a four  to five course bar tasting menu. p.s. make a full night of it by heading upstairs before or after your meal for drinks at eleven madison park’s sister spot, clemente bar. book now map upper west side classic french technique meets contemporary twists at this elegant upper west side restaurant helmed by chef christophe bellanca, a veteran of working in the kitchens of joël robuchon and anne sophie pic. there are a number of dishes on the menu worth splurging on, like the lobster with grilled baby leeks and the soufflé with orange marmalade and green cardamom ice cream. cost: $245 per person for the essential menu, $165 per person for three courses, and $195 per person for four courses. book now map greenwich village for superb (and literal) farm to table cooking, family meal fits the bill. it’s part of the stone barns empire, serving their typically excellent fare. here, there’s no menu   chef mark ordaz and his team craft each day’s offerings sometimes on that very day and serve them to you and yours, you guessed it, family style. cost: $145 per person for four courses. book now map williamsburg this michelin starred contemporary brasserie in williamsburg, housed inside a former bank, doesn’t hold anything back, and that’s the best part. chef and owner christopher cipollone’s cooking is bold yet refined; don’t sleep on any of the pastas, and if you really want to splurge, go for the dry aged crown of duck for two. photo courtesy of franciecost: while you could dine here for under $125 per person, most dishes and entrees, plus drinks, will cost more when added up. pastas and entrees range from $26 to $47, and entrees for two are anywhere from $148 to $225. book now map bryant park, theater district gabriel kreuther’s namesake restaurant in midtown feels like a wonderful escape from the outside world, and the food   reflecting kreuther’s french training and alsatian heritage   is always on point. (that applewood smoked bacon tart flambé is an excellent start.) here, you can choose to dine in the main dining room, or in the lounge and patio; both offer prix fixe menus and tastings, but you can only order à la carte in the lounge. cost: $180 per person for a three course prix fixe; $210 per person for a four course prix fixe; and $295 for a chef’s tasting menu. book now map downtown brooklyn dining at gage & tollner is something truly special. a true new york institution for more than 100 years, it was finally reopened after a lengthy slumber in 2021 by a trio of industry vets who simultaneously updated it and paid homage to g&t’s rich history perfectly. the resulting dining experience feels time honored (and timeless) with a twist. do order yourself a martini, anything and everything from the raw bar; a hearty steak or chop; and that indulgent baked alaska for two; you won’t regret it. cost: you could dine here for under $135 a person, but a full spread of dishes and drinks will likely cost at least that or more. entrees range in cost from $34 to $71, and cocktails from $18 to $24 per drink. book now map flatiron if you’re looking for a quintessential, timeless new york city dining experience, you’ll find that and more at gramercy tavern. arguably the crown jewel of restaurateur danny meyer’s union square hospitality group, it’s a landmark that’s been bringing people together for nearly 30 years. in the dining room, chef michael anthony and chef de cuisine aretah ettarh have crafted a five course tasting menu that elevates comforting classics, from sweet potato agnolotti to roasted duck breast. pro tip: if you want an a la carte gramercy tavern experience, book yourself a resy for the tavern. and if you want to splurge for lunch, stop by the dining room for a $95 four course prix fixe served daily. cost: $168 per person for five courses. book now map east village inventive, personable, fantastic … those are just a few of the descriptions that come to mind when we talk about the tasting menu over at hags in the east village. here, chef telly justice and beverage director camille lindsley put forth dishes that’ll both surprise and delight you, like fluke with smoked potato and leek and cabbage with kumquat and button mushrooms. cost: $160 per person for a six course omnivore tasting menu, $150 for the same option for vegans. book now map hell's kitchen when you dine out at hasalon, you’re in for a wild ride, especially if you book the later seating where, chances are, dinner might just become a full blown dance party. chef eyal shani (miznon) plays host, orchestrating a menu of decadent hits like a truffle pasta or a slow roasted lamb that could feed a family. photo courtesy of hasaloncost: expect to pay around $150 or more per person. book now map soho unassuming and discreet, this beloved soho restaurant overdelivers every time. what lies behind the wooden door? chef hirohisa hayashi, crafting a hyper seasonal omakase menu based on the foundations of traditional kappo and kaiseki cuisine. it’s the kind of spot where those in the know go, knowing that what they’ll get in return, from hospitality to food, is well worth the visit. cost: $195 per person for eight courses. book now map greenpoint yuji tani’s intimate chef’s counter in greenpoint is veritable proof that fine dining isn’t dead at all. in fact, his deft applications of classic french and japanese cooking techniques and ingredients feel completely of the moment   and the end result is pretty delicious, too. tani’s multi course omakase changes all the time but do look for the foie gras pilaf and light as air strawberry burrata. cost: $180 per person for nine courses. book now map upper west side there’s a reason why jean georges vongerichten’s namesake restaurant continues to be synonymous with fine dining. elegant and refined, it’s a stunning showcase for the french  and asian inflected fare the chef is known for the world over. the variety of tasting menus here is an added bonus: choose from a six  or 10 course omnivore tasting or a six course vegetarian tasting. cost: $298 for the six course omnivore tasting; $398 for the 10 course omnivore tasting; $218 for the six course vegetarian tasting. book now map flatiron district the hype is real at this acclaimed michelin starred spot from jungsik vet ho young kim. here, kim uses a wood fired grill to transform classic korean dishes in new, delicious ways, and the meal starts with a surefire standout: a caviar kim made with truffled rice, pickled vegetables, chopped short rib meat, and a generous topping of caviar. cost: $140 per person for seven courses. book now map herald square the very embodiment of a classic new york chophouse   that’s keens, memorabilia included. for 139 years and counting, it’s been famous for its steaks and especially, its glorious mutton chop. cost: while you can dine here for less than $125 per person, indulging in one of keens’ legendary steaks and chops will set you back anywhere from $62 to $173. book now map hell's kitchen chef sungchul shim, formerly of per se and the now closed neta, applies his finesse with fine dining to the concept of “kochi” (korean for skewers) at this michelin starred spot, and the result is a tasting menu that’s both surprising and, well, fun to eat. cost: $145 per person for nine courses. book now map astoria while manhattan is the nexus for most of the city’s kaiseki omakase spots, koyo in astoria, queens, is a real gem of a place in “the world’s borough.” here, chef owner jay zheng takes a thoughtful approach to kaiseki, introducing some subtle nods to his chinese american heritage, too. cost: $155 per person for three otsumami, 12 nigiri, temaki, and dessert, with add ons like the uni toro toast ($45) to consider as well. book now map theater district michelin starred le bernardin is known as a standard bearer for seafood centered fine dining in new york, and rightfully so. chef eric ripert and his team are maestros of seafood preparations, and master sommelier aldo sohm crafts a stellar wine list, too. photo courtesy of le bernardincost: $325 per person for an eight course chef’s tasting menu; $210 per person for a four course prix fixe; and $250 per person for a vegetarian eight course chef’s tasting menu. book now map midtown east exquisite, vegetable centric cuisine shines at this aptly named fine dining destination from culinary director alain verzeroli, a longtime protégé of michelin starred master joël robuchon. dishes change with the seasons, but expect memorable compositions like burrata with black mission figs and toasted pecans and wagyu bavette with black garlic and carrots. cost: while you could dine here for $125 or less per person, an order of an appetizer, main, and dessert plus drinks will likely cost more than $125 per person. entrees range in price from $36 to $125. book now map west village didn’t you hear? french bistros are cool again. libertine’s chalkboard only menu, packed dining room, and menu of classic hits makes for the perfect splurge. don’t miss the saucisse puree, the oeufs mayonnaise, or the wine list. owner cody pruitt, who still operates anfora in the neighborhood, has crafted one worthy of your attention. cost: eating at libertine will likely cost more than $125 per person if you order appetizers, drinks, and mains. entrees cost between $28 and $44. book now map east village with a shared kitchen experience that reads like a who’s who of the world’s most thought provoking restaurants, chefs nahid ahmed and arjuna bull deliver a tantalizing tasting menu that’s well worth the splurge. consider it one of the city’s best under the radar destinations for exceptional fine dining. cost: $140 per person for a nine course tasting menu. book now map financial district manhatta’s reputation for impeccable views goes without saying and so does chef justin bogle’s knack for finessing ingredients in unique, inventive, and delicious ways. and for special occasions or a truly splurge worthy occasion, do consider booking the special chef’s counter tasting menu at manhatta. the 10 course meal takes place at an intimate 12 seat counter and changes all the time. one constant, however? a meal, views included, you won’t soon forget. cost: $275 per person for a 10 course tasting menu. book now map central park south for more than a decade, marea has been a go to destination for handmade pastas and exceptional seafood, just across the street from central park. everyone raves about the fusilli, made with octopus braised in red wine and dollops of bone marrow that melt seamlessly into the sauce   and rightly so  but you also shouldn’t miss their variety of crudi. cost: a four course meal here (crudi or antipasti, pasta, meat/seafood, and dessert) will likely cost $150 or more per person. book now map long island city splurge in seclusion at meju, where the chef’s counter has room for just eight diners at a time. here, chef hooni kim (danji) focuses on korean fermentation, which means that this menu is likely to be unlike anything you’ve experienced elsewhere. it also has the added bonus of being in the back of little banchan shop, which gives it a festive, speakeasy feel. cost: $215 per person for the tasting menu. book now map midtown arguably one of the loveliest museum restaurants in the city, the modern has a menu that perfectly complements moma’s contemporary art. chef thomas allan’s tasting menu changes all the time, but one constant you can always rely on is that everything will be seasonal, and definitely surprising. and of course, there will certainly be those unforgettable eggs on eggs on eggs. cost: $275 per person for a 10 course tasting menu or $175 per person for a six course tasting, both with the option to add on white truffle pasta for $125; $115 per person for a three course lunch. book now map chinatown chef kunihide “nakaji” nakajima’s intimate chinatown sushi counter (there are only 10 seats) is known for its commitment to quality; he sources all of his fish directly from japan, thanks to a network of purveyors that his family has worked with for generations. nakajima specializes in edomae style sushi, and one of his signature courses is kobashira (baby scallops) sourced from hokkaido. accompanying nakaji’s exceptional sushi is an extensive collection of rare japanese whiskies. cost: $365 per person for multi course omakase, not including tax and gratuity. book now map koreatown it’s an omakase counter with a twist  it sits in the herald square subway station. hidden behind an industrial door is a perfectly designed counter service restaurant with a menu from wunderkind chef dae kim. on the menu is a 12 course tasting, featuring lots of seafood like surf clam and mackerel alongside squab and venison. cost: $195 per person for 11 courses. book now map flatiron new york is no stranger to thrilling contemporary korean american cuisine, and oiji mi is certainly one of the brightest standouts. executive chef and owner brian kim has crafted an exquisite five course prix fixe menu that delivers traditional korean flavors in novel, contemporary ways. cost: $150 per person for a five course prix fixe menu. book now map tribeca one white street operates as two restaurant concepts in one special tribeca townhouse with a very famous address. downstairs is where you’ll find a more casual, à la carte restaurant, while upstairs is where chef austin johnson and his team pull out all the stops for a seasonal tasting menu featuring many of the vegetables they grow themselves on their upstate farm. it is, quite literally, farm to table. cost: $168 per person for a six course tasting menu. book now map williamsburg a brooklyn institution since 1887, peter luger is that place you go to for a feel of timeless, classic new york   namely for a taste of its juicy burger (served only at lunch) and dry aged steaks. while it’s decidedly still very old school in many ways (it’s cash or debit card only, no credit, except for online orders), one plus is that peter luger now takes reservations. so, what are you waiting for? photo courtesy of peter luger steakhousecost: while you theoretically could eat here for less than $125 per person, ordering appetizers, sides, steaks, and dessert here will likely cost more. book now map clinton hill brooklyn’s place des fêtes manages to be both a fine dining destination and a cool kid hangout, a rare and admirable combination. maybe it’s the enormous windows in the front, or all of the exposed brick. it’s definitely the menu, from oxalis alums. don’t skimp on the wine list here   it’s a wine bar for a reason. cost: you could eat at place des fêtes for less than $125 per person, but ordering wine, appetizers, and dessert will likely push past that. entrees range from $29 to $37. book now map midtown east what is it about polo bar that draws well heeled crowds en masse to midtown? is it the vesper martinis? that burger? the décor? the people watching? whatever it is, dining here is plenty of fun and worth splurging on at this, the very first restaurant from designer ralph lauren. cost: while you theoretically could eat here for less than $125 per person, ordering a starter, sides, and an entrée, plus drinks, will likely cost more. book now map upper east side dining at daniel, the namesake and flagship restaurant from chef daniel boulud, isn’t quite like dining at other temples of fine dining here in new york. there’s always something different, unique, and even playful about the dishes that boulud and his loyal team of chefs deliver day in and day out. it’s an experience worth the splurge. cost: $234 per person for a five course prix fixe; $334 per person for a nine course tasting menu. book now map financial district with a multi course, seafood focused tasting menu and stunning 360 degree views of the city, what’s not to love about two michelin starred saga? helmed by the late chef james kent of michelin starred crown shy, saga boldly redefined diners’ expectations of what fine dining can be   and did it from great heights   63 floors up, to be exact. soon enough, acclaimed chef charlie mitchell, formerly of michelin starred clover hill, will be leading the kitchen here and we, for one, can’t wait. photo by gary he for resycost: $298 per person for the seasonal tasting menu. book now map west village chef vijay kumar, formerly of michelin starred rasa in burlingame, calif., spotlights the incredible cuisine of southern india, a rarity among indian restaurants in america, and it shows. dining at michelin starred semma is both a thrill and a treat, no doubt explaining the restaurant’s recent michelin star accolade. pro tip: order the kanyakumari nandu masala, a unique feast of dungeness crab, parotta flatbread, and coconut rice for two; also, don’t sleep on the goanese oxtails, or the gunpowder dosa, an absolute must. cost: while you could dine at semma for less than $125 per person, a full meal might cost more than $125 per person. entrees range in price from $33 to $55 per dish, and the dungeness crab special costs $160. book now map tribeca shion uino of tokyo’s esteemed three michelin starred sushi saito and, most recently, sushi amane here in new york, brings an intimate edomae style experience to leonard’s stone counter, going so far as to source rare fish from the islands that make up his hometown of amakusa. it’s one of the city’s best omakase sushi experiences, thanks to uino’s craftsmanship, which is hyper focused on coaxing out the unique qualities and flavors of each and every fish he prepares for you. cost: $480 per person for the chef’s omakase, service included. book now map greenwich village chefs nick kim and jimmy lau, both of whom studied sushi under chef masa takayama of masa, bring creativity and flair to their omakase experience at shuko, which pushes gently up against the traditions of sushi, but without losing sight of its fundamental foundations. cost: $270 per person for the chef’s omakase. book now map midtown east since it first opened in 1999, sushi yasuda has become one of new york’s classic sushi counters   and for good reason. it is consistently good, and wholly committed to delivering an omakase experience that stays true to the ethos of what traditional sushi making is all about. cost: market prices apply to the full chef’s omakase experience, which ranges in cost from $130 to $250 or more per person. book now map lincoln center chef kwame onwuachi’s smash hit restaurant is definitely worth the hype. it’s an ode to the city of new york   think dishes like curried goat patties and short rib pastrami suya. the location in lincoln center just makes it that much more special, and that much more new york. cost: ordering drinks, appetizers, and entrees here will likely cost more than $125 per person, especially if you want to order the larger dishes. p.s. here are some tips on how to get in. book now map noho japanese yakitori legend yoshiteru ikegawa, of tokyo’s iconic torishiki, is behind this new york outpost where he uses a binchotan charcoal grill from japan to carefully cook everything from the chicken, from the neck skin to even the heart. the counter only omakase experience here is mesmerizing. photo by liz clayman, courtesy of toriencost: $185 per person. book now map nolita because it’s back and   arguably   better than ever. at this italian american love letter to new york, chef rich torrisi (one half of the duo behind other splurge worthy spots like carbone, dirty french, and the grill) puts inventive, albeit subtle twists on new york classics, like a grilled octopus in homage to venerable vietnamese stalwart nha trang one, for example. the splendor of the grand dining room only adds to making a meal here feel like an event. cost: while you could theoretically dine here for less than $125 per person, a meal here will likely cost more than $125 per person. mains range in price from $43 to $65, and pastas from $28 and up. book now map lenox hill this spot roared back to life at the perfect time for a city yearning for some old new york nostalgia. it’s a revival of a restaurant that dates back to 1937, from modern masters of the cuisine, frenchette and le rock’s lee hanson and riad nasr. we recommend dressing up a bit if you’re so inclined (you won’t feel out of place in the crimson dining room) and going all out with martinis and after dinner drinks. photo by gentl + hyers, courtesy of le veau d'orcost: the tasting menu costs $125 per person, with a choice for appetizer, entree, and dessert. book now map soho acclaimed chef shaun hergatt is behind this sleek soho space where you’ll dine on seafood centric dishes prepared with global, but especially asian influences   a reflection of the chef’s many experiences cooking around the world. and the restaurant lives up to the hype: in less than a year from opening, vestry already received one michelin star. cost: while you could dine at vestry for less than $125 per person, a full meal including starters, small plates, large plates, and dessert, plus drinks, will certainly cost more than $125 per person. book now map west village for more than 20 years, chef owner kurt gutenbrunner has been at the helm of this timeless, michelin starred restaurant where he serves viennese classics with a contemporary twist. think wiener schnitzel with joy inducing power, and a wine list with bottles that are as viennese as the plates. photo courtesy of wallsécost: while you can dine here for less than $125 per person, ordering a four course meal, plus drinks, will likely cost $125 or more per person. book now map hell's kitchen a true slice of japan in new york, yakitori torishin specializes in yakitori, albeit with a variety of different meats, from a5 wagyu beef and bellota iberico pork to sea salt ramen and chicken. they offer grilled vegetables, and an assortment of small plates, seafood, and rice dishes, too. you’d be hard pressed to find any other spot in the city that offers this variety and caliber of yakitori. and if you really want to splurge, book a seat at the eight seat counter where you can enjoy a 16  or 17 course omakase of impeccable skewers and more. cost: $160 to $190 for a multi course chef’s omakase at the select counter. torishin also has a number of different omakase menus from which to choose, ranging from $143 to $88 per person, as well as a la carte options. book now map midtown a family run korean barbecue that’s been around since 1964, yoon is known for its prime meats (fresh short rib, wagyu, dry aged rib eye) for tabletop grilling and its twists on bibimbap, stews, and the like. pro tip: you’ll want to order the potato noodles, which cook and simmer in the fatty meat drippings post grilling. photo courtesy of yoon haeundae galbicost: while you can dine here for less than $125 per person, ordering one of the meat packages, along with appetizers and other accompanying dishes, plus drinks, will cost at least $125 or more per person. book now archives: holiday travel new on resy the rundown korean | american new on resy ultimate guides the rundown korean | american the rundown dish by dish staff picks the rundown the rundown the one who keeps the book ultimate guides guides resy powers the world’s best restaurants, using technology to imagine the future of hospitality. © 2025 resy network, inc.

i write with opinion and analysis about all kinds of restaurants serving all kinds of cuisine in all kinds of neighborhoods for all kinds of prices. i’m interested in finding places that stand out for some reason, and putting them in a context that will help you make sense of the experience they provide, or try to provide. (i will also tell you whether the place is any good.) in choosing subjects, my immediate goal is finding a restaurant people will want to read about; in the longer term, i seek a mix of places that are diverse in location, cuisine, price and sensibility. to find them, i follow news of openings, look at online reviews and photographs, prowl the streets and eat in far more restaurants than i write about. once i decide to review a restaurant, i try to taste everything on the menu. when that’s not practical, i aim for a sample large enough to be representative. although employees sometimes recognize me, i never use my name or the times’s when making reservations, dining or paying. i don’t wear wigs and other disguises. in my experience, they aren’t very effective. (times insider wrote a short article about my approach to reviewing in 2022.) before becoming the restaurant critic in 2012, i spent six years as the editor of the food section, which back then was called dining. i persuaded melissa clark and david tanis to write columns that are still running today. i also wrote a column for the times magazine called cooking with dexter, about my life in the kitchen with my young son. before coming to the times, i was an editor at magazines including food & wine, where i wrote a column called always hungry. i don’t accept invitations to restaurants, and the times pays for all my review meals. i don’t make friends with chefs, owners or other people i cover. and i try to write about restaurants that don’t have the resources to hire publicists to attract media attention. all times journalists are committed to upholding the standards of integrity outlined in our ethical journalism handbook. email: petewells@nytimes.com instagram: @pete_wells in “how the world eats,” the philosopher julian baggini grapples with “everything that affects and is affected by” our comestibles. by pete wells after years of waiting tables at peter luger in brooklyn, he opened wolfgang’s steakhouse in manhattan, the first of 35 restaurants around the world. by pete wells hurricane helene’s floods have wreaked lasting damage on a tourist town whose nationally recognized restaurants are especially vulnerable to disasters. by pete wells the rhode island school of design uses recipes to teach the trial and error process of tweaking and refining a product. by pete wells the lurid collapse of its chef’s previous project fueled a fascination that made the new york restaurant impossible to get into. or so it seemed for a while. by pete wells a messy patty melt, an exemplary chocolate cake and two dozen other delights worth savoring. by priya krishna, melissa clark and pete wells our three critics name the places, from classic french dining to a buzzing shawarma stall, that dazzled them the most this year. by pete wells, melissa clark and priya krishna to little fanfare, keiji nakazawa is sweating the details of the exacting edomae tradition at sushi sho in midtown. by pete wells street side sheds and shanties helped keep restaurants afloat during the worst of the coronavirus pandemic. now, for better or worse, new city rules are forcing their removal. by pete wells with a raft of endorsement deals, star appearances and a new restaurant in washington, he’s won fame and clout that stretch far beyond the kitchen. by pete wells apple earbuds and others can help you hear dining companions. here’s how to use them. by pete wells in 1973, joe holtz helped start the park slope food co op, a brooklyn institution that is equally loved and ridiculed. will it survive his retirement? by pete wells the breaded, fried tenderloin turns 50 this year. yes, there was a time before it was sold in every cafeteria and airport. by pete wells in 2011, a new york bartender paid tribute to the actor with a sly tweak to a pre prohibition cocktail. by pete wells our 50 favorite places in america right now. six decades after its birth as an elegant refuge for manhattan’s elite, the midtown restaurant says ‘adieu’ this week. by pete wells the wet martini served by a new restaurant in manhattan reflects an appreciation of vermouth that’s been a long time coming. by pete wells in his last essay as a restaurant critic, pete wells reflects on a dining world of touch screens and reservation apps, where it’s getting hard to find the human touch. by pete wells yemenat, in bay ridge, brooklyn, offers yemeni delights rarely found in new york city. by pete wells with drumsticks in buckets and hundreds of champagnes, coqodaq leans into the city’s weird, giddy, and the band played on mood. by pete wells why our food critic tossed the fake glasses and quit his dream job. by alex barron, paula szuchman, wendy dorr, marion lozano, melissa kirsch and pete wells pete wells is moving on from his role as the times restaurant critic, a job with many rewards and maybe too many courses. by pete wells spice brothers is a showcase for the power of cinnamon, turmeric and other flavors of the middle east. by pete wells a new study showed people real restaurant reviews and ones produced by a.i. they couldn’t tell the difference. by pete wells a portrait of the five boroughs between two slices of bread. almost everything on the menu at this sibling of claud contains seafood. you sit at a counter to eat it. the only surprise is how well it all works together. by pete wells the places on this year’s “50 best” list are endurance tests, theatrical spectacles, monuments to ego and   the two most frightening words in dining   “immersive experiences.” by pete wells one family has owned the beloved coney island pizzeria through fire, flood and a pandemic. now the business is up for sale. by pete wells mads refslund’s creative ideas at this brooklyn restaurant can be dreamily seductive, even if the execution isn’t always as compelling. by pete wells the new york times’ restaurant critic, pete wells, visited hundreds of restaurants in new york city this year to pick his top 100. here are four of his favorites, described by him. by pete wells, gabriel blanco, rebecca suner, ruru kuo, karen hanley and natasha janardan pete wells’s first guide to new york’s restaurants was based on a decade of eating. to write a second, did he bite off more than he could chew? by pete wells the stoner celebration is becoming a national food holiday, thanks in part to marketing initiatives from jimmy john’s, kfc, wingstop and others. by pete wells oklahoma style onion burgers are the rage this year. at george motz’s new soho restaurant, they reach their drippy peak. by pete wells at shaw naé’s house, shaw naé herself serves up southern classics and a warm welcome to her “living room.” by pete wells our critic, pete wells, drops his annual ranking. see what’s new, what moved and what left the list. by pete wells a times critic didn’t have his laptop when he learned a renowned chef had died. but he did have a stenographer’s pad. by pete wells at noksu, dinner is served below the street, a few yards from the subway turnstiles. but the room and the food seem unmoored from any particular place. by pete wells this prolific pioneer, who died monday, used his new york restaurants to explore a deep interest in nutrition, bread and new ways to create flavor. by pete wells you thought old world opulence was over? a prolific chef gives it a new and very personal spin. by pete wells the undersung cousin of an american classic is a superior sandwich, our critic argues. by pete wells

this year, we're renewing our vows with america's finest old school institutions. as the contributor of many of food & wine's comprehensive best of lists, designed to highlight and celebrate all aspects of american food and drink culture, david spent much of a typical year traveling on assignment. besides having lived in new york, los angeles, chicago, seattle and san francisco, he visited each of the 50 states many times over, often for extended periods of time, revisiting at least half most years. haven't we seen almost everything these last 20 years or so   thrills, spills, twists, turns, all at blinding speed? and here we are, just talking about the food. cities across the united states have rapidly grown their restaurant cultures, going back at least to the great recession and nearly the beginning of the century. around 2020, when time slowed down, we took a few deep breaths, for a moment, concerned less with what was new and next. suddenly, any old restaurant would do, from the vintage jewish delis of new york to the near ancient pizzerias of new haven and trenton. we didn't invent restaurants in 2009, after all. there were fomo provoking dishes long before social media had them traveling around the world; people planned vacations just to eat (do you even know new orleans?), and america had celebrity chefs and must see cooking shows back when it was mostly pbs doing the heavy lifting. and we are so fortunate to have so many of those restaurants and even some of the chefs with us still from that long ago era. we're talking about the classic restaurants, which, let us say, for the sake of drawing a line, are the ones opened right around the millennium and earlier (ideally, way earlier). this nearly 17,000 word survey features close to 250 restaurants, from furthest alaska to sunny south florida. it represents an attempt to examine each state's unique fingerprint on this vast, remarkably diverse thing we call american food. it draws on years of experience traveling around the country on assignment, the deep back catalog of food & wine's annual best new chefs and best new restaurants franchises, and countless feature articles. ultimately, think of this guide as a road map, or at least the rough sketch of one, like it was drawn on the back of a napkin, designed to jog your memory or to push you toward a greater appreciation of our shared culinary heritage. get out there while you can   we lost at least a dozen of our favorites since the last time food & wine published this list, in early 2020, and anyone with even one eye open knows one thing for certain: it's not getting any easier to run a restaurant. imagine yourself a banker in early 1980s birmingham. there in front of you is a young and enthusiastic frank stitt, philosophy major turned culinary obsessive, recently returned home from europe and full of plans to open a restaurant applying french technique to alabama produce and tradition. do you embrace his rather extraordinary vision, or do you all but throw the guy out of your office? in the end, were it not for the enterprising chef's own family and friends, there may never have been a highlands bar & grill, which would grow to become one of the south's finest restaurants, with all of the awards to prove it   a designation it holds to this day. temporarily closed; sister restaurants chez fonfon and bottega remain open. rather different, but equally important to birmingham's food story, is the bright star in blue collar bessemer. it dates back to 1907, considers itself the nation's oldest family owned restaurant, and is regarded by all as a shining example of the region's unique greek southern restaurant culture. stop in for chicken, snapper, and steaks, all prepared greek style (think lots of lemon), followed by pie. alabama wasn't the only state to fully embrace the south's classic meat and three tradition. here, however, you're definitely in the heartland, and the anchor of many a plate at martin's in montgomery, dating back to the 1930s, will be fried chicken for a reason   it is superb. same goes for the ribs at archibald's, an actual barbecue shack in northport, where you take your spot at the pit facing counter, the better to observe your host reaching inside to baste the meat from a cast iron pot, in between orders. there are barbecue destinations with a lot more fame behind them, but few of them come close to what you'll find here. and while alabama's coastline may not stretch very far, it manages to accomplish an awful lot. one of the primary reasons you're here is to sample those sweet, sweet, royal red shrimp, pulled straight from the gulf and famously difficult to find elsewhere. begin at doc's seafood, a local favorite with two locations in gulf shores vacationland. order a pound, steamed, and then probably another. (you'll see.) summer way up north is pretty much the best. can we talk, seriously, about those sunsets that never seem to end, mostly because they almost don't? all that midnight light, unfortunately, is a long way from king crab season, which sneaks in under the cover of late fall and early winter. still, anyone so inclined towards feasting on the great (greatest?) crustacean (with drawn butter, please) ought to be here right then, in order to taste them as fresh as they come. in season, you'll find king crab all over, but few settings can match the classic crow's nest in anchorage, 20 floors above downtown with sweeping views of the chugach range; don your best business casual, order something from the 10,000 plus bottle wine cellar, and settle in for a once in a lifetime seafood splurge. anytime is a good time for rubbing shoulders with the well connected south anchorage crowd that tends to treat the southside bistro   going strong in a back street strip mall since the 1990s   like an extension of their homes; book into the main dining room for alaskan oysters, followed by rack of lamb, or show yourself over to the bistro side for a glass of wine and maybe one of the best nacho platters north of the 55th parallel. alaska's smallest towns will often feed you very well; in denali adjacent talkeetna, the starter going into those sourdough pancakes at the talkeetna roadhouse is said to date back to 1902 (that's a few years before the hotel even opened). cruising your way through alaska's southeast? most ports continue to sustain at least one filipino restaurant, the legacy of well over a century of migration, both seasonal and permanent; in ketchikan, the giant sized lumpia at the diaz cafe, a local fixture since the 1940s, are always a good idea. pretty much every pizza lover knows the story by now. bronx born chris bianco ended up in phoenix on a whim, back in the '80s. he was only supposed to be visiting, but ended up deciding to stay, soon after opening a pizza place inside a local supermarket. which answers the question, how did one of the country's greatest pizza joints, pizzeria bianco, end up in the middle of the sonoran desert? today, it remains one of the valley's most important restaurants, alongside much older greats like the mid century durant's, a bordello like (so much red!) steakhouse on central avenue opened by a former vegas pit boss back in the 1950s. make sure to enter through the back door, like the locals do. at the much more casual fry bread house, an everyday native american staple gets the royal treatment, served alongside good pozole and menudo since the early 1990s   which is nearly yesterday compared to tucson's el charro cafe, said to be america's oldest mexican restaurant, laying claim to the invention of the chimichanga, otherwise known as the deep fried burrito. the santa fe railroad is very much a part of northern arizona's modern history; at the fred harvey designed la posada hotel in winslow, the turquoise room pays tribute to peak train, and you can still ride the rails to get there. amtrak's southwest chief, connecting los angeles with chicago, stops right out front. the hazy quietude of the delta could probably be bottled up and sold as a sleep aid, but let's not get too comfortable. there are a lot of days when you'll need to wake up awfully early to get your hands on one of the country's finest barbecue sandwiches, the finely chopped, slaw topped pork on white bread from jones bar b q in marianna. pitmaster james jones has been at it since the 1960s, but he's new, you see   this has been called the oldest black owned restaurant in the country, with roots going back a few generations of joneses. road trip worthy barbecue isn't the delta's only claim to fame; down in lake village, rhoda's famous hot tamales serves one of the finest interpretations of two more local specialties   the delta style tamale, a staple around here since at least a century ago, even if nobody can agree completely on how exactly it got here, and   last but not least   pie. need more smoked meat? burge's in lewisville (and now little rock) isn't your typical barbecue spot   here, hickory scented country ham and turkey are the thing. stop by for another memorable sandwich: chunks of smoky, salty ham on a toasted, buttered roll with a dollop of mayonnaise. and while neighboring texas might be well known as the spiritual home of queso, plenty of arkansans will be happy to tell you that they actually invented the stuff, and that here it's just called cheese dip. stop at stoby's, with locations in conway and russellville, sample some of the state's finest, and decide for yourself who wins. or maybe it doesn't matter   more liquid cheese can only be good for america. for anyone interested in pinpointing the moment when the tide against processed food began to turn, we'll make this easy. 1971 is the year you're looking for, which is when things got real. it's when food activist alice waters opened chez panisse in berkeley, with the beautifully simple mission to bring diners as close to the source as possible. few american restaurants can claim to have made such an outsized impact, and while it may have taken a minute for the thing to go wide, the seeds planted way back then were instrumental in getting us to rethink where our food comes from, to reconnect with the joys (and the just plain common sense) of eating locally and seasonally, a concept that at this point has now all but gone mainstream. not that the bay area needed anyone to tell it how to eat well; chances are, there would have been no chez panisse if the region weren't already one of the best places to eat in the country at that time. san francisco's magnificent tadich grill, for example, first opened by croatian immigrants in the mid 1800s, is estimated to be the third oldest continuously operating restaurant in the country. drop in for a chilly gin martini at the bar, and a bowl of the fragrant cioppino, rich with just about every type of fish you could historically pull out of the nearby water, including prawn and crab. if you're still in the mood for more, head over to polk street, and the century plus old swan oyster depot, where to this day, a seat at the marble counter can sometimes require more effort to secure than a reservation at one of the city's michelin starred restaurants. for generations, if you were looking for barbecue in california, you headed to the central coast for tri tip, grilled over native live oak coals, also known as red oak. these days, things have diversified, but the unapologetically old fashioned jocko's in nipomo, right off the highway en route to los angeles, remains a standout for steaks, served with classic relish trays, sides of ranchero beans, and plenty of the region's very fine wine. try to save room for the unique brand of cal mex cooking found at la super rica, a casual santa barbara institution (opened in 1980) that was, for a time, one of the most famous mexican restaurants in the country; skip straight down the menu to super rica especial, an unholy, beautiful mess of roasted chile pasilla chopped into giant chunks, too much cheese melting everywhere, and shreds of roasted pork al pastor, served with the house tortillas   it's one of those dishes that lets you know exactly where you are. now you're nearly in los angeles, where there are certainly more fashionable rooms of a certain age than musso & frank, the 100 year old hollywood classic favored by generations of writers and the stars they wrote for; still, an evening here   drop in for a martini, or a prime rib dinner   remains a memorable trip back in time. when it comes to jewish delis, which los angeles historically has done exceptionally well, nearly everybody agrees that langer's is one of america's finest, serving some of the best pastrami on planet earth, and welcoming all comers since 1947, at the heart of one of the country's most diverse neighborhoods. to think, you might have gone your entire life without knowing about the sugar steak, the specialty of the house at bastien's in denver, a serious steakhouse trapped, and happily so, in the body of a 1950s west coast coffee shop style structure, with whimsical, oversized neon signage out front to complete the illusion. the signature preparation here is simple, but terribly effective. adding white and brown sugar to the savory rub softens up even the most macho bone in rib eye, resulting in one seriously tender steak that's proudly never served beyond medium rare. if it's seriously vintage steakhouse vibes you're after, denver's buckhorn exchange is, loudly and proudly, one of america's oldest restaurants, established in 1893. the walls are a taxidermy enthusiast's dream, and the rocky mountain oysters remain one of the most famous dishes on the menu. snap back to the almost present at the barolo grill, which remains in many respects a portal to 1990s denver restaurant culture; a refreshed menu and expanded wine cellar, however, after the longtime general manager bought the restaurant in 2015, has kept the place feeling essential; all these years later, it's one of the city's best. in morrison, barely beyond the reaches of the ever expanding front range suburbs, the fort gained no small amount of national attention after opening in the 1960s, thanks to its colorful proprietor sam arnold, an early proponent of adding wild game to modern restaurant menus. to this day, elk, quail, and buffalo are staples. for generations the premier public meeting point between town (new haven) and gown (yale), chapel street is also an architectural feast, a pleasing mash up featuring what seems like a little bit of everything, from the very old to the thrillingly modern. in the middle of it all stands the beaux arts super townhouse currently occupied by jean pierre vuillermet's union league cafe, which opened in 1973 in what was built as the home of a wealthy industrialist, on the site of the original homestead of founding father roger sherman. connecticut romantics can't seem to quit, and who could blame them, this gorgeous old thing, with its swooping arches and dark wood trim and white tablecloths. sink into one of the banquettes for foie gras torchons served with quince chutney, followed by duck à l'orange. just blocks away on wooster street, connecticut's famed classic italian restaurant culture thrives, fronted by all of the apizz you can eat, but perhaps give the new haven icons a breather and head instead to workaday derby and the neon signed roseland, a dimly lit 1930s relic. you're here for the blistered, giant sized pies, but you'll come back for everything, starting with the soulful fra diavolo, a frequent special. hungry for a blast from the seriously distant past? the griswold inn has been serving hungry travelers since 1766. each day, almost 100,000 travelers cross the delaware river on i 95, and only a fraction of them have ever hopped off the highway, at the foot of the memorial bridge, for the five minute drive through dull suburbia then out across the marshes and into new castle's impeccably kept historic district, home to one of the country's most exciting collections of well preserved architecture from the 17th to 19th centuries. you could stop in, again and again, and practically have the place all to yourself, at least until you step foot into jessop's tavern, which brags a backstory going back to the 1670s. since the late 20th century, the building has been a popular gathering spot, thanks in part to a commitment to sourcing the very best belgian beers, with at least twenty of them on tap at any given time. there's good food, too. get the skillet lobster macaroni and cheese, zipped up with chimay and topped with old bay seasoned breadcrumbs. back by the highway (if you pass the wawa, you've gone too far), experience a different side of new castle at the dog house, a '50s era holdover where there's often a line for the counter seating, all the better to get a sense on what you're supposed to be ordering. most people will be battling foot long griddled dogs served on fresh baked hoagie rolls, or one of delaware's best cheesesteaks, served, naturally, on the same. rumor has it that the restaurant's popularity led to the opening of wilmington's charcoal pit just a few years later; the concord pike original is a camera ready mid century coffee shop to beat the band; get yourself a charbroiled burger, a mountain of onion rings, and the biggest ice cream sundae you can handle. the biggest they sell comes with something like twenty scoops. while you're in wilmington, make time for meatballs at mrs. robino's, a red gravy staple sent straight to us from the 1940s. almost everything on the menu seems to come out absolutely covered in sauce, save the antipasto chopped salad, easily one of the greatest innovations in classic italian american dining. summer days (and nights) down at the beaches, done correctly, typically involve pizza. rehoboth is home to two legends, grotto pizza, opened in 1960, and nicola pizza, which came about a decade later, where the house stromboli (here known as a nic o boli) has become one of delaware's most iconic foods. nothing can ever really prepare you for that first meal at tampa's columbia restaurant, with their that's so tampa devil crab croquetas; the iconic, made to a 1915 recipe house cuban sandwich; and the iceberg lettuce salads mixed tableside by waiters in jackets. the oldest restaurant in the state, going back to 1905 and still in the same family, isn't just another date with history, it's a city within a city. at capacity, there will be roughly 1,700 people seated, spread across 15 different and distinctive spaces, each imbued with its own energy and each no doubt with countless stories to tell. half as old, but equally memorable and no doubt inspired by its predecessor, bern's steak house, also known as the other tampa restaurant that's a whole thing, feels more like a theme park dark ride for carnivorous grown folks. if there's a window in here, we've never found it, though there's a lot of ground to cover, admittedly. proudly the home of the world's longest wine list (ask for a tour of the cellar), one of the many memorable quirks here is the dessert service. guests so inclined will be escorted to secluded, wine barrel shaped booths in an entirely different section of the restaurant, where they can choose from a sampling of piped in music (just flip your away around the dial) to accompany their framboise macadamia decadence, a multi part house favorite centered around a chocolate macadamia nut creation, topped with raspberry infused chocolate cream. (and that's just for starters.) when victoria & albert's opened at walt disney world's grand floridian resort back in 1988, even its earliest fans probably wouldn't have bet the farm on this extravagant homage to classic french fine dining outlasting so many of the restaurants it was designed to evoke. langoustines from new zealand, the finest caviar, alaskan king crab   if you want it, you can have it ... if you can get a booking. with just 14 tables and only one seating per evening, only a select few get the white glove treatment. you won't spend quite as much at joe's stone crab in miami beach (alright, never mind, you do you), where the story now goes back over 100 years, but at least you can get a table   providing it's stone crab season, which begins in october. once things wrap up in the spring, the restaurant closes. by the standards of america's oldest city, st. augustine, the little o'steen's restaurant, established 1965, was born yesterday, but who cares   the casual, cash only spot is famous for fried shrimp and cups of their unique minorcan chowder, spiked with the area's own (very hot) datil peppers. launching in the heart of buckhead over a quarter century ago, anne quatrano's bacchanalia has been one of atlanta's finest restaurants ever since, an authentic celebration of good, local produce, some of it from quatrano's own farm. some of the city's most talked about chefs have come through the restaurant, which recently moved for the third time, to a part of the city that couldn't be any less central, but by now everyone knows. if quatrano and husband/partner cliff harrison are betting on a neighborhood, they probably know exactly what they're doing. fried chicken livers, or broiled if you're watching your figure, tomato aspic, waldorf salad, and all sorts of other things you had forgotten were even a thing still fly out of the kitchen at the colonnade, an atlanta icon since the 1920s. the restaurant, sometimes referred to as a gathering place for the gay and gray, moved to its current location in 1962   once again, nobody seemed to have any trouble finding the new address. back west, soul food staple busy bee cafe has stayed put since 1947, surviving segregation, the civil rights era and desegregation, the flight to the suburbs, divestment, and now, gentrification. their fried chicken, brined for 12 hours and fried in peanut oil, could have a lot to do with that. in savannah, generations of hungry people have been asking their neighbor to pass the macaroni and cheese at mrs. wilkes dining room, serving southern staples, family style (and at communal tables) since the 1940s; time has done little to the restaurant's popularity   fans can still be seen lining up long before lunchtime. dexter weaver's thoughtful soul food has been an athens essential since 1986, when he opened weaver d's delicious fine foods; in 1992, weaver's name was inscribed upon american pop culture history when a local band you might have heard of (r.e.m.) borrowed one of his signs as the title of their hit album automatic for the people. the maui that floyd and doris christenson first fell for, back when the flight from california took more than twice as long, was a very different place than the visitor finds today   no resorts, few restaurants, and few roads, for that matter. in 1974, after years of living on a catamaran in the south pacific with their growing family, the christensons changed the island forever by opening mama's fish house, which they and their now adult family still own and operate today. never mind the fresh, typically local fish and the fun little traditions, like the sweet, warm poppy seed bread delivered to your table before you start, the complimentary poi, the beautiful, hand sewn tablecloths; the setting alone is worth the price of admission   a not so secret tropical garden, bursting with good vibes and scented with sea air and tropical blooms, opening up to its very own beach. classic charm is thick on the ground in honolulu. going all the way back to 1946, helena's hawaiian food is one of those affordable, come as you are touchpoints that has been known to lure the hungry directly from the nearby airport after being away too long. get the short ribs, the tripe stew, and (ok, or) the classic, cooked underground kalua pig. calling saimin the ramen of hawaii might not be the most elegant way to get the job done, but it works. sample the state's favorite soup at lihue's hamura saimin, one of its favorite places to do so since 1952. an easy drive from many a maui mega resort, sam sato's has been doing the genre proud since 1933. here, order the dry version, topped with char siu pork, as is so often the case, served with the classic dashi broth on the side. let us never forget that sun valley has been a thing since the end of the great depression, and that it was also home to the world's first chair lift   even switzerland is said to have come second. pretty much from day one, habitués of america's winter nantucket have been mingling over fondue at the ram, a rustic, chic base village institution where a piano player tickles the ivories most nights; ask about the restaurant's heritage menu, a nightly revival of sun valley classics. even with this crowd, the hungarian goulash remains a hit. you won't go very deep into idaho's restaurant past without coming across its basque heritage   epi's basque restaurant recently clocked twenty years in meridian, after serving up countless croquettes alongside plenty of roast leg of lamb and gâteau basque. in downtown boise, your eggs at goldy's breakfast bistro come   if you like, and you do   with a side of basque chorizo, an idaho (and typically, idaho made) favorite. chicago's east ontario street is a very different place today compared to the one you'd have found in the 1970s, back when les nomades, tucked away in that charming townhouse behind the little gated garden, wasn't so dramatically dwarfed by its so called new and improved surroundings; local diners with long memories, however, have no trouble finding one of the city's most romantic restaurants. longtime chef roland liccioni   of vietnamese and corsican stock, raised in france   and owner mary beth liccioni (they were once married), who took over what was once a private club back in the early 1990s, raised up the restaurant to become one of the most talked about in the midwest, with its consommés, savory mousses, and grand marnier soufflés. today, les nomades is still one of the city's most civilized restaurants, and the tasting menu only dinners, with chef roland back in the kitchen, might be better than ever. the first major wave of mexican migration to chicago came around the beginning of the 20th century, but back in 1987, rick bayless gave many diners their first taste of the country's vast culinary repertoire at frontera grill, and not just chicagoans, either. back then, food writers from the coasts were declaring that the united states had never seen anything like it, and to this day, the restaurant draws a national following. order the goat barbacoa enchiladas, bathing in a thrillingly dark pasilla chile sauce. department store dining rooms   there are so few of the originals left, all the more reason to celebrate chicago's walnut room, a sometimes baffling, but always very special relic, perched atop the old marshall field's flagship, now a macy's. you'll have the pie, twice   chicken pot, and then a slice of the frango (that's field's speak for chocolate mint), preceded, of course, by the classic mandarin salad. on your way out of town, pay tribute to chicago's vast, well documented hot dog heritage at the inimitable gene & jude's in river grove; you're headed next for moline, where lagomarcino's confectionary has been tugging at the heartstrings of quad city residents (and anyone in the know passing through on i 80) for generations with its impossibly nostalgic candy shop and soda fountain model; go before or after your first quad city pizza. there's nothing like it, and they're delicious at frank's in nearby silvis, around since 1955. let's pretend, for a moment, that this list ranks states in order of commitment to keeping the classics alive. we would have no choice but to place the hoosier state somewhere in the top 10. the sheer number of vintage greats found here is almost mind boggling, beginning with st. elmo steakhouse, a landmark in downtown indianapolis since 1902, where diners have been daring each other to finish off the intense, horseradish forward sauce atop the restaurant's iconic shrimp cocktail starter for generations. (it's tough stuff.) not that you need a fat bank account to dive into local culinary tradition. for anyone out there calling smash burgers a trend, a visit to workingman's friend, a bare bones tavern near the indianapolis zoo is in order   they've been making some of the finest in the 50 states for a century and counting. first timers might not immediately associate indianapolis with jewish deli culture, but the sparkling clean shapiro's is one of the finest vintage specimens to be found in the midwest. looking for the best pork tenderloin? indiana's iconic sandwich, in which a giant, fried pork cutlet gets stuffed, rather humorously, inside a tiny bun, is all around you, but start at nick's kitchen in huntington, where this delicious beast of a thing is said to have been invented. were it not for vladimir lenin and the bolsheviks, archie jackson (not his birth name) might never have fled russia, never have gone to work in the packing houses of the midwest, and never have ended up in little le mars, way up in the northwest corner of the state, even past sioux city, where archie's waeside was born in 1949. it would eventually become one of the country's most decorated steakhouses   a turn of events that would have had to surprise even the restaurant's most ardent followers. come here today and you'll find the restaurant still in the same family, and you'll find gigantic, dry aged steaks, well prepared classic cocktails, relish trays, and personable service   how archie's became famous, and why the place remains in business today is no secret. everything you can throw at a restaurant, including fire   make that fires, plural   has happened to breitbach's country dining in balltown, dating back to the stagecoach era. the threat of losing something so traditional   this is the state's oldest restaurant   only appears to have inspired deeper loyalty, though the restaurant's excellent breakfasts, hand battered pike dinners, exemplary pies, and a generous buffet have certainly helped. occupying an 1850s communal kitchen in the very historic amana colonies, the ox yoke inn is a visitor favorite for family style, all you can eat home cooking, while one of the state's most confounding culinary contributions, the loose meat sandwich, is best sampled at ottumwa's canteen lunch, a back alley institution where the not quite a burger is referred to as a (go figure) canteen. one might say fried chicken is something of a focus area in kansas, going back to the earliest days of the state's modern restaurant culture. at the hays house in council grove, a trading post founded by daniel boone's great grandson, seth hays, in the 1850s, skillet fried bird is the star of the menu, along with the house chicken fried steak and slow cooked brisket. this is said to be one of the oldest surviving restaurants west of the mississippi. way down in crawford county and not quite so old but indispensable to generations of hungry families from pittsburg, big plates of crispy chicken served with vintage sides like german potato salad and cut green beans are the thing to order at both chicken annie's and chicken mary's, standing side by side on a rural road near town; the lore behind these two rather similar restaurants runs deep, and even inspired a bestselling novel called the chicken sisters. since 1922, the tiny cozy inn has been feeding salina's passion for sliders, which to this day remain an object of desire not only among locals but with fans who make the trek from much farther away. you're going to owensboro, where you'll eat two things you've probably never tried before. the first one will be mutton, kentucky's obscure and delicious contribution to american barbecue; the other is burgoo, that regional church picnic specialty stew typically made with any kind of meat cooks can get their hands on. try both at moonlite bar b q inn, and just because you came all this way, do it again at old hickory bar b que, both in business for well over 50 years. in louisville, special occasion staple jack fry's, treasured for its classically influenced southern menu, was almost lost to history when the restaurant's longtime owner closed up shop back in the 1970s. after a decade's hiatus, things got back to normal, thank goodness; come for the spicy fried oysters, shrimp and grits swimming in red eye gravy, and pan seared trout in a lemon beurre blanc. looking to keep it casual? it'll take all of five minutes to get to shirley mae's cafe, a soul food institution that's been serving the city's historically black smoketown neighborhood (and everyone who knows to come here for some of the city's best fried chicken) since the 1980s. new orleans is anything but short on restaurants where honoring tradition is the order of the day. you'll do that, and feel very lucky, too, at garden district anchor commander's palace, as the host leads you through the maze to your table in the glass walled garden room, which is absolutely the room that you want. you'll order the reasonably priced multi course lunch, leading off with some of the planet's best garlic bread, and one of the restaurant's famous 25 cent martinis (thursdays and fridays only). there's a three per guest limit, if you can even make it that far. when the restaurant went through its famous mid 1970s rebirth, it brought the late paul prudhomme into the national spotlight. the early era celeb chef went on to continue his work, preaching the gospel of blackening all things louisiana at k paul's, which may have closed in 2020, but you still have your choice of classics in the french quarter. antoine's is now more than 180 years old for example, and arnaud's goes back just over a century now, but it's friday lunch at galatoire's you really want, which feels like a private soiree you've managed to crash. so sought after are the tables in the mirrored and tiled first floor dining room, where reservations are not taken, a line snaking down bourbon street still forms for the honor. once in, don't rush; the point is to get good and tanked, and to see and be seen. every weekday   except mondays   will be a good day for lunch at dooky chase, one of the city's best destinations for creole cooking. matriarch leah chase passed in 2019, but the family remains at the wheel. the fried chicken on the buffet line is some of the best around, so goes for the gumbo, and the lima beans and shrimp. at uptown's century old casamento's it's about gulf oysters, eating them both raw or black iron pot fried, piled onto thick slabs of pan bread, dressed; come while the bivalves are in season, because the rest of the year, the place is locked up tight. like many people, sam hayward's love affair with maine began over one seductive summer, in his case back in the 1970s. by 1981, the musician turned chef had his own restaurant in brunswick. since 1996, hayward has been leading the way in portland, where fore street   known then, and now, for its allegiance to fresh, regional produce of all kinds and a love of roasting things over wood   has achieved all star status on a now much busier restaurant scene. the 1990s weren't half bad to maine. shortly before the end of the decade, chez panisse alum melissa kelly brought her brand of garden centric cooking to rockport with primo, and two decades later, her farm to table approach to modern italian continues to win over new fans. back in the early '80s, the henry brothers were among a handful of forward looking new englanders, tinkering with the notion of fresher, more exciting coffee shop fare, years before the notion of the elevated diner menu would become almost cliche. to this day, their maine diner in wells remains a road trip must for comforting lobster pie, seafood chowder, and codfish cakes. no tinkering required, please, now or ever, at dysart's in hermon, just outside of bangor. this is, if you did not know yet, one of america's finest truck stops, doubling as one of the country's very best breakfast joints, serving world class corned beef hash, and baked beans (maine grown!) to go with your toast, like you're across the pond or something, and magnificent blueberry pancakes. what's that   lobster rolls, you say? we'll gladly argue the merits of the classic shacks dotting the state, but first, for debate prep, make sure you've been to red's eats in wiscasset   far from the ocean, but number one in the hearts of many a lobster roll lover for generations. to be a real marylander means to love crab, maybe even more than your own mother. it means that you do not necessarily trouble yourself with such specifics as seasonality, even if you know that fall is best for blue crab, the holy regional grail. with such insatiable demand comes corner cutting, and by now it's an open secret that plenty of crab houses are trucking in the goods from elsewhere. down along mill creek in annapolis, cantler's riverside inn was opened in 1975 by longtime waterman jimmy cantler. here, happily, you'll find most of the crabs are pulled from local waters. baltimore's favorite meal that isn't crab, which, correct, would be the pit beef sandwich, is never not in season. it's maryland's own contribution to american barbecue (well, sort of). imagine the best roast beef sandwich of your life, and you're coming darn close. pit beef is not slow cooked like real barbecue, but you won't care a bit. start at the pleasingly rustic pioneer pit beef, not necessarily the last word on the subject, but definitely the beginning of a beautiful conversation; the dining room is a handful of picnic tables out front. since 1997, cindy wolf's charleston has been a beacon of class right along the inner harbor, a place of gracious service, cheese carts, and french influenced lowcountry cooking (textbook shrimp and grits, exemplary cornmeal fried oysters). far from being a throwback, the restaurant, beautifully redesigned in 2005, allows diners to build their own tasting menus, based on how much they'd like to eat, and what they're in the mood for. an evening at charleston offers a reminder that perhaps we ought to hang on to at least a few of the white tablecloths   who knows, we might want them again. since 1997, baltimore's ambassador dining room has been confounding local expectations of what a reasonably priced indian restaurant might look like   occupying the ground level of a particularly grand old apartment building, the restaurant opens up to an expansive, hidden garden patio that feels, at least in the right seasons, more southern california than mid atlantic. berkeley's chez panisse gets the global name recognition, but bostonians remember that harvest, which opened to celebrate the very best of the region in 1975 on harvard square in cambridge, was right there alongside, at the forefront of new england's own food revolution. said to be julia child's longtime favorite, the restaurant's impact on the landscape cannot be overstated, beginning with the long list of chefs who worked their way through its kitchens and went on to their own careers. count among them barbara lynch, whose '90s game changer, no. 9 park, still packs them into a charming beacon hill townhouse for gnocchi stuffed with prunes and foie gras. you won't find them doing that sort of thing in the time honored italian restaurants of boston's north end. poke your head into galleria umberto for a sicilian slice on your way to regina pizzeria, where there will almost certainly be a wait for one of the city's most famous pies. from here, you're awfully close to what's said to be the oldest restaurant in continuous service in the country, the kind of thing you sort of expect to find in boston. jfk used to linger over the sunday paper at the union oyster house, a french king lived in exile, upstairs, it's that kind of place; pile in for duxburys, wellfleets, and other raw, regional musts. oysters aren't the only bivalves. while the fried clams served at woodman's of essex on boston's north shore may not always be ipswich, you're still in good hands. not only was this the first place clams ever went into the fryer, or so the story goes, but they've also been at it for over a century. there is nothing about little frankenmuth, up there in the flat part of the state between flint and saginaw, that quite makes sense. sure, it has roots going back to the 1800s as a small german settlement, but this is the american midwest, after all   doesn't everywhere? how this modest, one main drag town with no mountains for miles became one of the region's most popular destinations   sorry, michigan's little bavaria   has a lot to do with one thing: fried chicken, the star of generous family style dinners, which around the middle of the 20th century began drawing travelers from the nearby cities and detroit, all still at or near their economic peak. everything that happened to michigan after that appears to have mattered little. today, both zehnder's and the frankenmuth bavarian inn, across the street from each other and owned by different (and friendly) strains of the zehnder family, rank comfortably among the most profitable restaurants in the country. lording it over detroit's woodward avenue since 1894, the romanesque revival mega mansion (tiffany designed stained glass windows, obviously) built by detroit's richest man at the time has since 1986 been the whitney, one of the city's most extravagant special occasion spots, after a lengthy renovation bankrolled by a local businessman who found out the building was under threat of being torn down, and   rightly so   felt like detroit, even in the early 1980s, could do better. afternoon teas, a fantastic beef wellington, flaming desserts, the thursday garden parties (with live music), and one of the city's deepest wine lists are just some of the highlights. metro detroit is home to america's largest arab population, and dearborn, with its broad selection of restaurants, many of them lebanese, remains the cultural hub   since the late 1980s, the 100% halal al ameer has been a standout. early on in the same decade, long before the notion of reinvigorating the jewish deli became a near cliche, ari weinzweig and paul saginaw opened the ingredient and process obsessed zingerman's in ann arbor, slowly building an empire that helped turn the college town into one of the midwest's best small cities for food lovers. here we are in michigan, of course, where the entire state, come summer, is either up north, or dreaming of the same. way up near the mackinac bridge, the century old, summer only legs inn on lake michigan has been serving up polish home cooking for generations, alongside an abundance of whitefish, served all the different ways. start with the smoked. we could stand out on sixth street in minneapolis and stare all day at the vintage facade of murray's, but at this time of year, we'd probably freeze to death. a local favorite since 1946, and not necessarily the most extravagant steakhouse around, it's all about the meat here, said to have been hand cut by the same guy for around 40 years now. the 28 ounce strip sirloin is the real house mvp, so tender you should be able to cut the thing with your silver butter knife   just like the sign says out front. ready for more meat? head next to kramarczuk's, where it's all garlic and warmth and good feeling, even on the darkest, coldest day. it's a butcher shop, a deli, and a cafeteria, and there's more sausage, from classic kielbasa to modern inventive, than anyone should probably eat in a lifetime, but we'll sure keep testing the limits. if there were a list of best classic cities, good old st. paul would be up there, and while there have been some big changes of late, one of the city's favorite places to convene remains 1990s holdover cafe latte, the lively (and lovely) bakery and cafeteria known for chicken chili and delicious layer cakes. up on lake superior, duluth's the pickwick has now clocked a century at the fitger brewery as a supper club ish gem (there's a more casual pub, too), while russ kendall's smokehouse up in knife river   calling all serious smoked fish lovers   is headed in the same direction, with over 80 years on the job. back in the heyday of the boarding house, the round table restaurant made sense: communal tables, a turntable at the center, help yourself, no need to ask strangers to pass the biscuits. trust mississippi to keep the dream alive. the dinner bell in mccomb isn't the only one of its kind left   see: tennessee   but it's definitely one of the most popular, thanks to its location a short drive from most of jackson, where the locals would do a lot more than spin the wheel for the expert level soul food at bully's, a neighborhood classic on a nearly rural northside patch for turkey necks, greens, and cobbler for dessert. talk about the culinary heritage of the delta and invariably you end up talking about the original doe's eat place in greenville, a glorious relic for steaks and mississippi's signature hot tamales, eaten in covert booths as was the style at the time. going back to 1941, doe's, which now has locations all over the deep south, remains a newbie compared to weidmann's in meridian, where every meal (let's call the food swiss american ish) has started with complimentary housemade peanut butter and crackers since forever, or at least the late 1800s. down along the gulf of mexico, historically much closer to new orleans than the rest of the state, mary mahoney's old french house has survived every hurricane thrown its way, and there have been a few. put the words "classic" and "missouri" together and forgive us for thinking of two things, immediately. first, there would be the legendary italian food found up on the hill in st. louis; here, you can go fine at charlie gitto's, or terribly casual for one of america's greatest sandwiches, made with the thick cut, almost rustic pate like house salami at gioia's deli. the second thing   yes, we were getting there   is easily the barbecue in kansas city. go where you like, knock yourself out, but you'll find us at blue collar staple lc's bar b q, one of those places where brisket burnt ends have been a thing for decades, long before their current stint as a barbecue buzzword. while you're in this part of the state, stick around for the pan fried chicken dinners at stroud's, one of the few restaurants that seems to be able to get kansas city old timers to stop talking about barbecue for a minute, not that there's anything wrong with them. got a sweet tooth? andre's confiserie suisse has been a beautiful, stylish, kc favorite for more than half a century. settle in for vol au vents or a healthy portion of quiche, before succumbing to the riches on display   kept behind glass, mind you, for everybody's protection. (the cookies taste almost like pure butter.) back in st. louis, make tracks for the crown candy kitchen, in the same family since 1913, ever a ray of sunshine in a part of town where struggle has been the norm for much of the time the cheerful luncheonette/ice cream fountain/candy store has been around. it only seems right to tell you that the b.l.t. here has the most bacon we've ever seen on one sandwich. what you do with this information is your concern. one of the country's oldest chinese restaurants is a reminder of how the west was really won. the pekin noodle parlor, once an opium den and brothel, is now a chinese american classic in vintage butte, on the edge of the city's historic chinatown. climb the stairs, slide into one of the private booths, and order the chow mein or chop suey   perhaps too classic for some tastes, but essential all the same. while you're here, butte is a goldmine of old school dining. make a date with that montana classic, the pork chop sandwich (don't be alarmed, but it's a ground, breaded, and fried pork patty) at pork chop john's, which dates back to 1924. looking for great aprés ski without the pretense? the family run moose's saloon in kalispell, specifically their pizza, has been a whitefish fan favorite for roughly half a century now; in missoula, sample beers from bayern brewing, the state's oldest brewery, started in the 1980s by an ambitious german couple. and while stella's may have changed ownership in 2020, stella and ziggy ziegler's long running breakfast institution remains a billings favorite. rosser "ole" herstedt opened ole's big game steakhouse in far western paxton the day after prohibition ended, back in the 1930s, and never looked back. all these years later, the now expanded bar and restaurant, known by generations of i 80 travelers as the place with the giant animal heads on the walls, is on its second owner, serving chicken fried steak, prime rib, and bison burgers underneath the watchful eyes of a giant stuffed polar bear. if you have to choose just one thing to eat that says nebraska loud and clear, it'd easily have to be the bierock, the filled (typically with ground beef and cabbage) yeast rolls brought to the great plains by volga german settlers. today, they're typically referred to as a runza, greatly popularized by a restaurant chain of the same name, but to go truly old school, head to sehnert's bakery in mccook, one of the best bierock bakers for generations. omaha is a treasure chest of vintage goods for meat lovers. start at gorat's steakhouse, dripping in mid century neon energy; make like long time regular warren buffett and order the t bone with a double order of hash browns. one of the last vestiges of the city's original little italy, orsi's (1919), remains one of its most popular italian delis; their pizza remains an omaha favorite. julian serrano opened picasso   the walls famously lined with actual picassos   along with the game changing bellagio back in 1998. to this day, the spanish (with french influences) restaurant, with its two michelin stars, still feels terribly important. the middle of the 20th century was exceptionally good to the city, and not all of it met the wrecking ball, either, at least not yet. make like elvis and sinatra and go for steaks at the golden steer, at it since 1958, or disappear into hugo's cellar, a downtown staple for continental cuisine (have your salads made tableside) since the 1970s. another world awaits in northern nevada, which shows off its rich basque heritage with family style dinners in historic venues like the martin hotel in winnemucca, a late 1800s boarding house, and louis' basque corner, at the heart of downtown reno   where a casual bar menu is available and you can   easy does it   quickly drink yourself under the table on those $7 picon punches. polly and wilfred dexter dreamed up a way to promote their maple business back in the 1930s   they'd open a little place and start serving pancakes. today, polly's pancake parlor, still in the same family, has evolved to become one of new england's most iconic places for breakfast and beyond, even if it is all the way north in lincoln, not far from the omni mount washington resort, home one of the last surviving grand hotel dining rooms in the region. certain other states might assume themselves the epicenter of diner culture, but new hampshire bows to nobody when it comes to passion for this particular tradition. manchester's still 24/7 red arrow diner remains a prime example of one of the region's most enduring restaurant genres. in portsmouth, the tiny gilley's pm lunch has some of the state's finest hand cut french fries   the perfect foundation for some awfully good poutine. one of the best places around to order a classic new england staple: beans and franks, served with bread and butter wrapped in wax paper. tucked to one side of the parking lot entrance on the ground level of a best western near the westfield train, tiny chez catherine probably did not strike skeptics as a place where classic french cooking might thrive for as long as it has, but hey, joke's on them. since the 1970s, this has rather quietly been one of the nicest restaurants in the garden state, a designation likely to hang around for some time, with a relatively recent arrival from france (with a résumé that includes stints not only at alain ducasse, both in paris and new york, but also at disneyland paris) now in charge. go for the escargots, for dover sole prepped tableside, and (of course) your choice of soufflés. what's that you say   italian food? right. jump through every possible hoop to experience atlantic city's chef vola's, a basement hideaway just off the boardwalk, where getting a reservation can be a challenge, but it's so very worth it. the restaurant dates back to prohibition, when pina vola began serving southern italian staples underneath what was then a boarding house. sometimes, it feels as if very little has changed. same deal at donkey's place, that blue collar clubhouse deep into camden where the clock always seems to be stuck on quitting time at the proverbial mill, and the air hangs heavy with the scent of the best philly cheesesteaks you'll ever be served on a roll, which you should not knock until you have tried it. diners are, perhaps you've heard, something of a thing around here, but just this once, resist the lure of the chrome and head for the timeworn (but undiminished) holsten's brookdale confectionary in bloomfield, a not modern candy kitchen and luncheonette where the food is somewhat more satisfying than that famous last scene from the sopranos finale, filmed here. going down the shore? long beach island loyalists already know all about the seafood at harvey cedars shellfish, so you'll very likely be standing behind at least half of them in line, but don't be put off. the quality here makes the wait worthwhile. back in 1978, when the barelas coffee house opened up shop in one of albuquerque's oldest neighborhoods, there wasn't much left of barelas, which had become one of the city's most deprived places after decades of precipitous decline. still, the restaurant wasn't far from the seat of local power downtown, and over time, the restaurant   renowned for its red and green chile, best consumed with puffy, freshly pressed flour tortillas   became known as the place to mix with a who's who of albuquerque. today, things remain much the same, even as the neighborhood (once again) changes. being known for both your red and your green is sort of a big deal; many a classic restaurant around the state will be recommended on the strength of one or the other. at mary & tito's, another burque institution (since the early 1960s), it's traditionally all about red, and the house tortillas, while at the shed, just off the square in santa fe since 1953, the color of the day is always green. for more than half a century, santa fe's rancho de chimayo has been doing the most to promote new mexican cooking, not to mention the idealized version of the regional lifestyle; the restaurant's alluring, indoor/outdoor setting makes a perfect backdrop for blue corn enchiladas, carne adovada, and stuffed sopaipillas for dessert. before breakfast burritos were a trend, santa fe's cafe pasqual's was rolling some of the best  roasted green chile, gouda, organic eggs, and potatoes. thriving in cutthroat midtown manhattan long after a time when diners wanted everything souffléd, flambéed, and perhaps also quenelled, la grenouille, lit up like a fairy tale night after night since 1962, artfully pays tribute to an age when fine dining in america so often meant continental, or to be more specific, french. equally memorable are the seafood feasts at michelin three star le bernardin, celebrating more than thirty years as one of new york's finest restaurants, period, and one of the city's most civilized places to celebrate a special occasion. no pretext needed for a trip to peter luger in brooklyn or glen cove for plates of thick cut bacon followed up by one of the country's most talked about steaks, or for a shimmy down below grand central terminal for a slurp or twelve at the oyster bar, the northbound commuter's port in a storm since 1913. if it's italian new york you're after, you'll find it staring into those coal fired pies at john's of bleecker street, now over a century old, or in a plate of linguini with clams at bamonte's in williamsburg, where you can still pretend that the last 30 years didn't happen to the surrounding neighborhood. same goes, pretty much, for barney greengrass on manhattan's upper west side, where the vintage, movie ready (and clinically bright) dining room remains one of the city's most special places to start your day, preferably with slices of smoked sturgeon and a toasted bagel. upstate, the fun starts all over again, from the mini hot dog culture (with meat sauce, mustard, and onion) of the capital district, where famous lunch, a troy staple since 1932, is your first stop, to buffalo's iconic roast beef sandwiches, served on distinctive, salted top kümmelweck rolls. we're partial to charlie the butcher in williamsville, but it's fine to love schwabl's, too. vegetarians, and the vegetable curious should head directly to ithaca, where the collectively owned moosewood has been preaching the beyond meat gospel since 1973. charming though it may be, with the quirky landscaping, that flying pig sculpture, and the collection of hub caps doubling as wall art, you would not walk past, let alone into, crooks corner in chapel hill thinking you were in the presence of southern restaurant royalty. but this cheerful 1980s café started something big, when it got notions in its head about taking something humble like lowcountry shrimp and grits, something area fishermen typically ate for breakfast, and giving it the casual gourmet treatment. the dish, featuring mushrooms, scallions, and plenty of bacon, is as good as ever. you can ask anyone in north carolina which state has the best barbecue and they'll all tell you that the answer is north carolina; now, if only they could agree on which part of the state does it best. we'd venture, rather recklessly, to say that the answer lies to the east, where your finely chopped whole hog comes in a vinegar based sauce, long before americans talked casually amongst themselves about the joys of balancing fat and acid. to this day, the jones family   pete jones opened ayden's pilgrimage worthy skylight inn bbq back in 1947   remains the unofficial royal family of the regional scene. chances are, if you were looking to hang with hippies in raleigh back in the 1970s, you would have found them mingling (and fueling up) at the irregardless cafe, an enduring locavore/vegetarian spot that remains a regional favorite. there's nothing vegetable forward about brooks' sandwich house, a charlotte staple for chili, burgers, and livermush sandwiches for just about as many years. what's a town of 7,000 people in the middle of nowhere doing with not only a steakhouse, but one with a back story dating all the way to world war ii? housed in a barn on the southern fringe of devils lake, the ranch has its roots in the supper club tradition, and to this day feels like so much more than just a place for slabs of meat. start with a basket of popovers served with honey butter and peruse the menu, which includes everything you want from a menu in this part of the world, from pan fried walleye to hot dish, classed up here with ground steak and housemade tater tots. a crop of new restaurants in fargo has brought the city no small amount of attention in recent years, but you'll find one of the city's favorite restaurants has been around for more than half a century   stop by the corner of 3rd and broadway and watch the guys slinging those giant pies (and then cutting them in squares, as is the style in so many midwest pizza parlors) at sammy's. any discussion of north dakota food had better include knoepfla soup, crammed with potatoes and german style dumplings, in case you were wondering how the locals survive the long winters; you can get your fill all night long at the original, 24 hour location of kroll's diner, another fargo institution since the 1970s. lately, the bustling state capital of columbus has mostly been famous for what's new, but the 19th century german village neighborhood, a maze of narrow streets lined with impossibly charming brick homes, feels something like the midwest version of the french quarter. it's here that you'll find lindey's, a smart, upscale tavern and grill that has been a local mainstay since the 1980s; a table out front on a summer's evening is still one of the best bookings in town. to go even further back in the 19th century (1803, to be precise), head to lebanon, where the golden lamb has hosted at least a dozen presidents during its long lifetime. you could get fancy, or you could give into the half fried chicken dinner, like so many others do (it's good). for quite some time, cincinnati was the last word in fine dining in this part of the world, but for longevity, you can't beat the regional chili parlor culture, which remains vast, varied, and rather overwhelming to the uninitiated. go extremely local for your first stop, somewhere they'll treat you nice, like price hill chili, a neighborhood gathering place that's far off the beaten path. sit at the counter to watch the kitchen crew tossing piles of shredded cheddar around like so much orange confetti. figures you'll find possibly the only casual joint in america with an entire steak menu available at breakfast in oklahoma city's historic stockyards   cattlemen's steakhouse is the state's longest running restaurant (1910) for a reason. who doesn't love, after all, a vast selection of attractively priced slabs of beef, accompanied by an order of lamb fries, which is a nice way of saying testicles? (now that's what we call nose to tail eating.) the mythology surrounding route 66 is a large part of oklahoma's appeal, and the very real clanton's cafe in vinita, around since the 1920s, is high on the list of essential stops   great for breakfast, chicken fried steaks, and calf fries. tulsa lays claim to el rancho grande, one of the oldest (and best loved mexican restaurants) in the state and one of the first to appear along the mother road   to this day locals can't get enough of their cheese enchiladas. finally, there's no discussion of classic oklahoma without the onion burger, where the actual hamburger typically appears to function as little more than a foundation on which to pile at least four grilled onions (ok, maybe three). make the pilgrimage to el reno, where the humble robert's grill has been turning them out since the 1920s. when papa haydn hit portland's then sleepy sellwood neighborhood in 1978, it was imagined as a homey tribute to the coffeehouses of vienna, and bragged one of the first ever espresso machines in the city. over time, it has evolved to become a full service restaurant, even spawning a second location; the pre portlandia original remains one of the city's most likable cafés. everything around here is pretty much brand new compared to huber's, downtown's dining room of choice for generations, with a legacy stretching back to the 1870s. the restaurant is famous for turkey dinners and the invention of the spanish coffee. not quite so old (but still an utter legend), the ringside steakhouse, a dignified presence on west burnside since the mid 1940s and known far and wide for its onion rings; slightly more casual but equally important to local carnivores is the 1920s otto's sausage kitchen, tucked into the city's woodstock neighborhood. portland's not exactly short on artisanal sausage ry these days, but otto's wieners, smoked over the locally favored alder, still stand out. pop by and see what's on the grill. switch gears   and then some   with a visit to the charming, landmarked town of jacksonville, way down in oregon's rogue valley. here, the 1860s jacksonville inn is home to one of the state's most romantic classic dining rooms. fuel up for the long drive with a stop in eugene, where you'll dip into the 1980s at poppi's anatolia   this college town classic is known for greek and indian staples. we should all be so energetic after the 20 year endurance test marc vetri (1999 f&w best new chef) appears to have put himself through, opening the standard bearing vetri, a hit since day one in 1998, then building a restaurant empire out of nothing, then having the smarts to sell the whole thing off, and then getting back to work where it all started. the little townhouse on spruce street that was the original home to the dear departed le bec fin. to this day, the 32 seat, tasting menu only restaurant with the custom murano chandeliers remains one of the most sought after bookings in a city absolutely crawling with good restaurants. one of them is fork, ellen yin's pioneering old city bistro, which opened roughly a year earlier and continues to thrive today as well, firmly committed to showcasing the considerable bounty of the mid atlantic region. south philly is a gold mine of classic italian, but one of the hardest restaurants to get into isn't really a restaurant at all. most days, you'll have more personal space to yourself in new year's eve times square than you'll find inside john's roast pork, a tiny takeout hut in an industrial zone near the delaware river. open since 1930, for many locals, john's is the go to for philly's other favorite hot sandwich, slow cooked pork topped with spinach sautéed in olive oil and provolone cheese. jockey your way into a seat at one of the outdoor tables, eat the thing over the trunk of your car, somebody else's car, it doesn't really matter. the point is not where you are, it's what you're eating. on your way west, stop in lancaster county and get well fed at miller's smorgasbord. the classiest of the pennsylvania dutch country buffets has been at it, in one form or another, since 1929. the first thing to know about the biggest little state is that one in five inhabitants claims italian heritage, making rhode island the most italian place, culturally, in the united states. if you don't believe it, you're overdue for a night out on federal hill in providence sometime, where the people watching and the selection of very old, very good restaurants can be a little overwhelming. begin, let's say, at joe marzilli's old canteen, opened in 1956, which around here means its still settling in (ok, slight exaggeration). seven course dinners   osso buco, veal chops, lobster fra diavolo, you name it   represent excellent value, and the dining room, a vision in dusty pink, was a favorite of the late, longtime mayor buddy cianci. not in little italy but a providence must since the 1980s, al forno isn't much more than a pizza place, but the restaurant over time has become known as the grandfather of the grilled pie, sometimes duplicated but rarely properly imitated. speaking of unusual contributions to america's culinary heritage, the specialty of the house at olneyville new york system in providence is the hot wiener, where delicate dogs, made locally with beef, pork, and veal (in a natural casing) receive the royal treatment   celery salt, chopped onions, mustard, and meat sauce, all spilling from a steamed bun. the ultimate pairing? that other very rhode island thing, coffee flavored milk. roughly 100,000 rhode islanders claim portuguese heritage, again, the highest percentage in the country; celebrate with the linguiça hash at the modern diner in pawtucket, said to be one of the only vintage diner cars on the national register of historic places. the menu here is standard diner, with notable tributes to the state's portuguese and cape verdean influences; get an order of the custard french toast while you're here   everybody else does. did somebody say clams? we're not here to start any east bay vs. west bay debates, but do make sure your itinerary includes aunt carrie's in point judith, birthplace of the deep fried clam cake, yet another rhode island original and the stuff of summer memories for generations and counting. while you're down here, might as well climb into the way, way back machine at newport's white horse tavern, said to be america's oldest. its history goes back to the 1600s, with only a few short breaks and a rebuild or two in between. remember the 1990s in charleston? things were relatively quiet then, the current restaurant boom was but a glimmer in the eye of trendsetters like frank lee, who opened the doors to slightly north of broad, known fondly around town as snob, early in the decade. to this day, lee's shrimp and grits (he's moved on now, but they remain, because people would boycott the place if they went) are still important, marrying fresh tomatoes, country ham, and the house sausage with creamy grits and fresh lowcountry shrimp. imagining charleston without the peninsula grill is almost impossible for many visitors, some who might think the dining room at the planters inn (a relais & chateaux member) opened a lot earlier than 1997, which is precisely the point; the menu is timeless and comfortable, with oysters to start and a slice of the restaurant's signature 12 layer coconut cake to finish. beating both restaurants to the punch was north charleston's bertha's kitchen, going back to the 1970s, and remaining one of the best known keepers of the gullah culture flame. get the okra soup, fried chicken, and a side of the lima beans. looking for a good lowcountry seafood boil? at bowens island restaurant, they call it a frogmore stew, and have since 1946; start out, of course, with oysters. nose to tail is all the rage, but for generations, barbecue joints in the midlands (where the one of a kind mustard sauce reigns supreme) have been serving hash over rice, one of america's most underrated classic dishes; today it's often mostly finely chopped pork shoulder, but it's still funky and delicious   try the stuff at hite's bar b que or true bbq, both in west columbia. bison steaks, duck wings, and wild game salad sandwiches make a splash on the menu at the pheasant restaurant in brookings, open and in the same family since 1949, but it's the simplest things that make this place memorable   the locally sourced lamb sloppy joe plate special; the affogatos with housemade ice cream and locally roasted espresso; the friday and saturday night prime rib dinners, where, if 10 ounces isn't enough (and it probably is, just saying), you can add extra for a dollar each until you're sure you're going to leave satisfied. south dakota might be small in population, but the reputation of the state's most iconic food, chislic, essentially the great plains version of a kebab, has spread throughout the food community. you'll find it served all over, but it's worth a trip to the bare bones meridian corner in freeman for the lamb or mutton, after which you'll want to try pretty much the whole unique menu, which contains everything from dumplings (in the northern european sense) to fried pickles. sioux falls, otherwise known as the big city in this part of the world, has been enjoying something of a culinary renaissance, but 1970s holdover minerva's remains one of the best liked restaurants in town, popular enough to spawn seven more locations across the midwest. come to the downtown original for cranberry spinach pecan salad and a giant portion of chicken oscar. is it summer yet? local, grass fed beef burgers, broasted chicken, and ice creams are a seasonal staple for the small group of people lucky enough to live near murdo drive in, along with everyone who knows to get off i 90 on their way to and from the black hills. to get to bea's, one of chattanooga's most memorable restaurants, you take the long drive down rossville boulevard, toward the georgia line, far away from the scrubbed up downtown and into the chattanooga they do not tell you about, past the shuttered escandalo nightclub and the cinema one adult bookstore that is very much not shut down, and then, a few turns off the main drag, you have this 70 year old gem in the rough. it's one of those rare surviving round table restaurants where you sit down with strangers, the turntable by now already likely filled with spaghetti, fried chicken, cold salads, pickled beets, and soft rolls, and you eat as much as you can, all with liberal helpings of granny's homemade chow chow. it's like a buffet, but better   you never have to get up, and as fast as the dishes empty, you'll find someone offering to refill them. not bad for about $15 a head. one genre of restaurant that's doing just fine, thank you, is the classic meat and three; in nashville, arnold's country kitchen, a family owned joint known for their attention to detail and food quality, is about the most famous one there is, hard at it pretty much every weekday lunchtime for more than 30 years now. the prince family has been serving up nashville's most iconic meal   hot chicken   for much longer than that, starting out in 1945; despite a recent fire at the main location, prince's hot chicken is still serving in south nashville. in memphis, it's all about barbecue, and while the who does it best debate could go on forever, atmosphere wise it's hard to beat downtown's moody, subterranean charlie vergos' rendezvous, at it since 1948, for your first ever tango with the local dry rub ribs. on your way, stop in tiny lexington and pay tribute to west tennessee's other, somewhat less famous regional style, the whole hog barbecue, these days best appreciated at b.e. scott's bbq. way out east in pigeon forge, look past the neon to find the old mill, a historic actual mill in the heart of tourist land that's been serving up excellent breakfasts for more than 25 years. the long drive to nowhere to eat a plate full of meat is a time honored tradition in the lone star state, one typically reserved for world class barbecue. since 1983, however, those in the know have been making an exception for the rib eye steaks, grilled over mesquite coals, up at tom perini's ranch, on a rural road about a half hour from abilene. the energy at perini ranch steakhouse is backyard barbecue. for crying out loud, you can eat that honking cowboy rib eye at a picnic table, though they did get air conditioning this past decade, finally. the meat (and the atmosphere) puts plenty of big ticket city steakhouses to shame, and perini's got all of the awards to prove it. eating light? the burgers are legendary. you won't have to drive forever, provided you're already in austin, to get to some of the state's most exemplary barbecue. recent years have been exceptionally kind to the craft, with bright young things getting into the pits and pushing the genre forward in all sorts of exciting ways, but few can match the extraordinary, pepper crusted brisket at louie mueller bbq, occupying a decommissioned gymnasium in downtown taylor since 1959 (they've been in business since the '40s). steak, barbecue, what else is there? tex mex, of course. austin's matt's el rancho has been a standard bearer since 1952, famously home to the bob armstrong dip, which is queso with a dollop of guacamole and a generous scoop of taco meat, named for the late texas land commissioner who walked in one day and asked the owner for something other than his usual order. you'll get a little bit of everything texas, and it will all be very good, at garcia's mexican food in san antonio. this family owned institution has been at it for more than half a century; it's an eggs and bacon at the counter diner, it's a tex mex restaurant, it's a barbecue joint. their brisket tacos are sought after by pretty much anyone who's ever tried one, and it manages to do pretty much all of it exceptionally well, so expect to wait. chances are, you'll show up to patillo's bbq in austere beaumont and not find any lines at all, which means more of those incredible wood smoked beef links, squeezed from their skin boudin style and dipped in their considerable juices, for you; this is the region's delicious (and under appreciated) contribution to texas barbecue, and patillo's remains at the front of the pack after more than a century in business   it also happens to be the oldest black owned barbecue joint in the state. calling boulder, utah, a small town is pushing it. it's more like a lightly inhabited wide spot in the road, way south of capitol reef national park, and on the doorstep of the vast grand staircase escalante national monument. it was here, however, that jen castle and blake spalding were pretty certain they had found, more than twenty years ago, the perfect spot for their restaurant, hell's backbone grill, and they were right. this studiously ethical, locavore's dream (with its own farm) has over time become one of the most essential restaurants in the state. begin, seriously, with the house salad, a mix of seasonal organic greens and toasted pumpkin seeds, served in a dazzling honey chile vinaigrette. make reservations for dinner (they're open from march until november), but don't be afraid to drop by for breakfast or lunch, either. when robert redford opened the tree room at what we now know as the sundance resort, back in 1970, nothing seemed to go well. the actual tree the restaurant designed around died, the bank wouldn't give him a loan, and the whole thing could have been a disaster, but it wasn't. today, the wood paneled dining room is a special occasion destination, where half the tables appear to be ordering the steak, less than an hour from the middle of salt lake city. equally charming and much closer to town, log haven lures romantics into millcreek canyon for comfortable new american cooking in a scenic setting, while right in the city, you'll find red iguana, a cheerful 1980s mexican icon that remains just as important to local life today. when irish glassmaker simon pearce settled in quechee back in the early 1980s, moving his workshop into the historic, riverfront woolen mill that all but dominated the small village architecturally, his plans for a restaurant on premises were simple   local, seasonal, honest cooking, just like back home. from the start, pearce and wife pia worked with local farmers, sourcing whatever possible from right outside their door, or as close to it as possible. more than three decades later, the restaurant, where you come to eat things like vermont cheddar soup and cider brined chicken, remains one of the state's most romantic restaurants, supported by an on premises garden and an actual farming operation. the state's down to earth, earth loving reputation is well deserved, but zero in on the local dining culture and you'll discover a pronounced affinity for classic french cooking. in crunchy brattleboro, dive into pheasant roulade and duck fat fries at longtime favorite peter havens, while in competitive burlington, it's foie gras for all at leunig's bistro, a fixture since 1980. go way, way back at the dorset inn, which began serving the town of the same name in the 1790s   their first chef raised his own animals and produce. michelin's elevator pitch for those rare restaurants it awards three stars is short and to the point. exceptional cuisine, we're promised, worth a special journey. journey you will, to reach one of the country's finest restaurants, the inn at little washington. it's 90 minutes in good traffic (if such a thing exists anymore) from our nation's capital, but the editors weren't fibbing. sink into a comfortable chair in the magnificently over decorated dining room and let magic commence, as it has for more than four decades now, with self taught chef and innkeeper patrick o'connell still at the helm. guests may choose nightly from three different tasting menus   one playfully experimental, the other comforting and seasonal, and a third that's fully vegetarian; mixing and matching is possible, so make sure to ask. the surroundings at the hotel roanoke, that particular city's historic grand dame, may not be quite so sumptuous   the real world can't help but be a letdown, after all that luxury   but the regency room has its own charms, having played an important role in popularizing one of virginia's more distinctive culinary experts, the early fusion peanut soup, dating back to america's very beginnings. it's still on the menu here, right next to the she crab. icon wise, however, it's hard to compete with virginia ham, one of america's finest foodstuffs. some of the best will come out of humble back road grocery stores and smokehouses, but there are restaurants, too, like the homey old chickahominy house in williamsburg, where the breakfast and lunch menus all but revolve around the salty delicious stuff. ham on a biscuit   the preferred delivery method   is also a star of the box lunches at sally bell's kitchen in richmond, around since the 1930s, and still going strong after moving in 2016; you get a deviled egg, potato salad, and a cupcake, too, all for just 12 bucks. snap back to the present with a ride through the booming northern virginia suburbs of the nation's capital, where the eden center, very much a thing around here since the 1980s, introduced generations of washingtonians to vietnamese cooking at long running spots like huong viet, famed for their crispy spring rolls, but also very adept at the likes of braised catfish and roast quail. if a more magical setting for a special occasion dinner exists in all of the pacific northwest, we'd love to know about it. since 1950, canlis, practically teetering on the edge of seattle's queen anne hill, where sweeping vistas of mountains, sea, and city come with your meal, has been the one to beat for looks. more recently, the regional institution has found a place in the national spotlight for its cooking; after six years with 2018 food & wine best new chef brady williams at the helm, aisha ibrahim has taken the reins, putting a warm, personal spin on the best the pacific northwest has to offer. by stark contrast, downtown's metropolitan grill is a masculine 1980s throwback, known for chonky, dry aged porterhouse steaks, chateaubriand carved tableside, and martinis at the black marble bar. well before the latest tech boom blew into town, this was where the old time movers and shakers came to throw their money around (and still do). no tour of classic seattle leaves out the iconic pike place market, it's just the rules. duck in for a half dozen at the no frills, no bull emmett watson's oyster bar, opened by a colorful local newspaperman back in 1979, and at the time, the only oyster bar in town. things go way further back in seattle's international district, where maneki, opened in 1904, is one of the country's oldest japanese restaurants. bagging a table can be tough work at times, but it's worth the effort for sashimi and the but wait, there's more set menus. dip back into the 1990s   seattle's cultural heyday   with a visit to madison park's pretty cafe flora, still one of the country's standout vegetarian restaurants (get one of their vegan cinnamon rolls). known mostly for a nearly limitless supply of extremely great outdoors, the not sorry maximalism of west virginia's history filled, 11,000 acre greenbrier resort provides quite the contrast, to put things mildly. pioneering a bold new wave of american interior design in an era when most people with the big decorating bucks still looked back over the atlantic for inspiration, dorothy draper's explosively colorful, late 1940s renovation gave the resort, famously home to a cold war era bunker designed to hide the united states congress, its signature look, a look carefully maintained to this day by successor carleton varney. there isn't much you can't do on property, and in high season, it feels like there are more dining options than some modern cruise ships, but the main dining room, in operation for more than 100 years, is your go to for an elegant breakfast buffet (yes, there's a dress code), while the more relaxed draper's, open since 1990, pays tribute, as boldly as it ought, to the late, great designer. her favorite dish served at the greenbrier   the chicken salad   is the thing to order. (ditto the fried chicken.) another surprise up the mountain state's sleeve, at least for the uninitiated, is the embarrassment of vintage italian restaurants, a legacy left behind after more than a century of immigration. the family owned muriale's is a fairmont favorite, serving up plates of spaghetti and meatballs and aunt mary's lasagna to the local glitterati since 1969. in clarksburg, friends of ours are said to have made themselves right at home over the years at julio's cafe, a moody, mid century, probably at one time smoke filled room, now celebrating more than half a century in business. in huntington, jim's steak and spaghetti (just look for the giant sign) sells plenty of both, but the busiest time of year is that short, blissful window when strawberry pies are in season. expect lines around the block. when odessa piper opened l'etoile in madison back in 1976, serving what we casually refer to today as classically inspired new american cooking, the notion of a year round, seriously farm to table restaurant in the the upper midwest was beyond pioneering: it was flat out sensational. not only did it work, it remains an absolute essential and has inspired countless others. the victorian gothic, peak beer era structure at the corner of state and harwood in wauwatosa dates back a lot further   1899   than its current occupant, the cozy, welcoming, eye talian (but make it classy) bartolotta restaurant, an absolute thing in greater milwaukee since the early 1990s. today, it's impossible to talk about the regional dining scene without the bartolotta family's many contributions. besides bratwurst, which you can get pretty much anywhere, it doesn't get much more wisconsin than a summer night at your favorite supper club. the ishnala is a mid century haunt tucked into scenic mirror lake state park, where every seat gets a view, and everyone is probably ordering the prime rib, but you should consider the local duck, served in a (voilà!) cognac orange sauce. start with an old fashioned, the state's favorite cocktail. very nearly a century ago, an enterprising businessman opened a dude ranch within the scenic confines of what would soon be designated the grand teton national park; all this time later, the expanded jenny lake lodge remains one of the system's best run accommodations, its well regarded dining room occupying a 1930s log structure offering multi course meals of quail, elk, and a year round selection of hydroponically grown local vegetables. much older is miners and stockmen's, just about the only thing still going in tiny hartville, dating back to 1862 and today a popular destination for carnivores, competing with the likes of beulah's buffalo jump saloon, the current incarnation (since the 1980s) of what began life as a general store back in the 1890s along the road to south dakota. william cody fans   better known to western history as buffalo bill   ought to make a direct line for the irma, the 1902 hotel and restaurant in the city of cody. both the hotel and city were founded by, well, guess who: the former was named after his daughter. the prime rib dinners remain a draw. hungry for history in the state capital? the luxury diner, and their chicken fried steak, have been a local staple since 1929, when a decommissioned trolley car found a new lease on life, growing to become one of wyoming's best breakfast places.

write a review start a project view full menu omakase uni santa barbara sea urchin shiro toro white tuna belly hara sake seared salmon belly sake new zealand king salmon rainbow spicy tuna spider agedashi hamachi kama tekka sashimi tasting   12pc see all 188 inside 188 photos see all 26 outside 26 photos see all 5059 all photos 5059 photos dinner ayce sushi wagyu tonkatsu udon teppanyaki suggest an edit 430 folsom st san francisco, ca 94105 grote pl & 1st st financial district, soma mon closed tue 11:30 am   1:30 pm 5:30 pm   8:30 pm wed 11:30 am   1:30 pm 5:30 pm   8:30 pm thu 11:30 am   1:30 pm 5:30 pm   8:30 pm fri 11:30 am   1:30 pm 5:30 pm   8:30 pm sat 5:30 pm   8:30 pm sun closed ask a question q: cost of evening omakase? any a la carte? a: q: restaurant open on christmas eve? a: this location is closed. they moved to 430 folsom st. business website akikosrestaurant.com phone number (415) 397 3218 get directions 430 folsom st san francisco, ca 94105 suggest an edit copyright © 2004 2025 yelp inc. yelp, elite squad, , and related marks are registered trademarks of yelp.

wine. travel. food. earlier this summer, joanne and i had the opportunity to revisit one of our favorite paris restaurants: le récamier. situated in the 7th arrondisement on the left bank of the seine, it’s a short stroll from the bon marché department store (site of paris’ best food hall), and just across the street from the hotel lutetia (home in 1940 to the commanding officers of the german occupation forces). le récamier was named after the early nineteenth century socialite, juliette récamier. said to be a stunning flirt who operated a conversational “salon” in her home, she entertained the crème de la crème of parisian society, including single ladies and not so single gentlemen. politics and literature were discussed, and it has been reported that mistresses could be found and exchanged under her watchful eye. i am reminded (and i paraphrase) the quote by claude raines (captain renault) in the film casablanca: “i’m shocked, shocked to find that ****** is going on here!” charming and chic (but not fancy, pretentious or crazy nuts expensive), le récamier attracts more than its share of celebrities. they range from diplomats and heads of state (jacques chirac, michelle obama and her daughters) to film stars like gerard depardieu, catherine deneuve, gwyneth paltrow and ron howard. the interior ambiance is tasteful and the seating comfortable, but on a nice day or a balmy summer evening reserve one of the 45 outdoor tables. we recommend #16 and #280, but actually there are no bad options. alert: the restaurant is closed on sundays. what distinguishes le récamier, however, isn’t its design, but its menu, which is all about soufflés   wonderful soufflés, extra gooey, melt in your mouth soufflés. they’re intensely flavorful, creamy, perfect puffs, light as air. wrote vogue magazine: “le récamier…salty or sweet? this hidden gem has the best soufflés in paris.” the term “soufflé” translates as “to breathe, to inflate, to puff.” earliest iterations appeared in the 18th century, and to this day the recipes appear not to have changed much. they’re either savory or sweet, and all involve eggs and room temperature beaten egg whites. i’ve been told that they are pesky little devils to make, that there is no room for error, and that when ready, they wait for no one. five minutes out of the oven and they’ll fall. oh, and do not open the oven ‘til they’re done!!! hmmm, i just wonder   because when i peeked into the kitchen, the chef had the oven door wide open with five or six soufflés baking away. is this, perhaps, a sacred cow that needs to be slain? we’ll soon find out. i’m gonna test the notion at salut. now, there are a few   but only a few   non soufflé items on le récamier’s menu. one could begin, as i did on one occasion, with foie gras. but…i could have a foie gras soufflé as well. for a main course, i observed a guest eating steak frites au poivre. but he could just as easily have ordered the boeuf bourguignon soufflé. other soufflé choices that we’ve enjoyed include mushroom, four cheese, spring pea, broccoli, asparagus and escargot (our adventuresome grandson had that). the day we visited, fresh seabass was the featured special, along with a gorgeous version of a lobster roll. both looked good, but heck, you’re at a soufflé restaurant. get a seafood soufflé for god’s sake. they’re offered in varieties including smoked salmon with dill sauce, crawfish, or lobster ($28.50 euros; the priciest item on a menu where entrees average $22 24 euros). on to dessert…. even though we shared a cheese plate, each of us indulged in our own personal dessert soufflé. they’re slightly smaller than entrees and will run you between $14 15 euros. le récamier is respectful of the seasons, and changes out its menus quarterly. once in october, i had a wonderful spiced pumpkin soufflé. berry versions abound in summer   strawberry, apricot, blueberry and raspberry, among other options. whatever the season, you must order le récamier’s three signature dessert soufflés, which are available year round. don’t get just one of them. get all three: the chocolate soufflé. no skimping here. the chocolate is 70% valrhona premium chocolate. the grand marnier soufflé. this deeply rich vanilla rendition with orange zest whipped into the egg whites is topped tableside with a healthy dose of grand marnier. the salted caramel and salted butter soufflé. punctuated with deep, dark valrhona chocolate sauce. you can, and we did, craft a three course meal of soufflés. no regrets. which isn’t to say there aren’t hazards on the menu (a cheeseburger soufflé is offered). you may also regret the fact that parisians appear to be treated better than tourists at le récamier. but wtf, they’re french and you’re in paris. what do you expect? wtf phil among the many joys of dining in france is that every decent bistro or brasserie can be counted on to offer simple, but profound pleasures: local red wines by the carafe; perhaps a small slab of foie gras and onion jam; a garlicky order of escargot with proper french bread to sop up the garlic butter; and of course the popular, ubiquitous steak frites. each restaurant will put its own spin on this classic dish, but generally they’re distinctions without a difference. most all the meat cuts are what the french call “butcher’s steaks”   steaks that do not come from the pricey upper middle part of the steer (the short loin, home of filets, porterhouses, and sirloins), but instead are cut from the more affordable front and hind quarters that give us the muscle meats. the steaks typically weigh in at 250kg, or around 8 ounces. they go by various names   bavette, coulotte, flank, teres major and, the most prevalent, the “onglet.” we know it as the hanger steak in america, and that’s what we use at salut. moreover, we do the fries the same way the french do   double frying, first at a lower temperature, and then at a higher temperature. now, not to be unkind, but the grass fed french cuts tend not to be overly tender. they’re a little less marbled. don’t get me wrong: they’re still delicious, and are a lot cheaper than the cuts from the short loin. so last week, while researching the culinary charms of paris, joanne and i discovered robert et louise, a tiny place in the marais that is dedicated to the proposition that “steak is king”   and not in the steak frites way. here, thick, juicy slabs cut from the short loin are on offer. they likely come from the french “charlois” steer, a mountain of a beast bred solely for its superior quality meat. r&l grills its steaks in a fireplace over a wood fire, right in the dining room   and, in our case, right next to our table. you’ll find it at 64 rue vielle du temple. the theater and the aromas were primal. they were compelling and convincing. they said something you don’t need to speak french to understand: “this is the place for steak in paris.” joanne and i have indulged in this sort of experience only once before and that was when our daughter, jennifer, was working near geneva, switzerland and took us to dinner at auberge de dully in the hamlet of rolle. it’s still there and if you ever find yourself on the north shore of lake geneva….well, as the michelin guide would say: ”it’s worth a detour.” r&l is small, cozy and comforting; the kind of place about which holly golightly of breakfast at tiffany’s might say, “it’s as if nothing very bad could ever happen here.” and nothing bad did happen. quite the opposite. we had a wonderful time watching the grill man flipping manhole sized pieces of cow (as well as lamb chops) onto the white hot cast iron plancha placed directly over the fire. make no mistake: this is not a manny’s or peter luger steak. for one thing, it’s not aged beef (i’m at a loss to understand why the french don’t age their steaks; they age their wine, their game, their cheese…). but it was good   really good. we started our journey by sharing a charcuterie platter of salamis and cured ham, accompanied by a sinus clearing dijon mustard and big jar of homemade sweet little gherkins. our grandson, an adventurous eater, went for the escargot: 6 plump beauties in a bath of eye watering, double rich, high fat garlic butter. it cost 8.5 euros. not bad! i, being an inveterate dining slut, went straight for the artery clogging slab of faintly boozy foie gras, served up with toast points and red onion jam. to complete the round of starters, the rest of our group opted for the heart healthy mixed green salad….boring! on to the mains….. our daughter, who avoids red meat, was delighted to find a safe harbor on the menu: head on grilled shrimp. her son glommed onto the duck confit. oddly, r&l also offers an omelette. no takers at our table, thank god. who’d come to this restaurant for an omelette? we ate all the iterations of the cuts of steak that they offer, including a 2 inch thick cote de boeuf for two, nicely charred and caramelized on the outside, medium rare on the inside, for 48 euros. we also sampled a wonderfully fatty and boldly flavored ribeye and a t bone. this is not the place for the timid diner, as mondo hunks of charred beef are the clean up hitters on this menu, which is further punctuated by take no prisoner sides like r&l’s generously salted potato wedges, deep fried in duck fat. for dessert, we shared a couple tarte tatins and crème brulées, along with platters of roquefort, chevre, cantal and reblochon cheese. the image below, after the cheese board, is not our group, but it is our table. note that it’s just in front of the fire. i neglected to glean the table number, but if you go to robert & louise, just ask to be seated at the community table in front of the fireplace. steak frites is fine and dandy in paris. but if you’re in the mood for steak frites’ big brother, then call…01 42 78 55 99. w.t.f. phil part of the pleasure of following french cuisine is that french chefs debate almost everything …whether ingredients, methods, technique, tricks, texture, flavor or mouth feel. béchamel. this rich, creamy and smooth white sauce is made from butter, flour and milk. it’s often used in lasagna, gratin dauphinois and right here in minneapolis in the creamed spinach at manny’s. espagnole on steroids creates a lusty, full flavored, potent and heady daughter called demi glace. she’s made by combining equal parts brown stock to espagnole sauce and patiently simmering for hours, ‘til it becomes like jelly. check out the image of the braised short ribs and mushrooms over mashed potatoes. it almost makes you wish for november. phil let’s get this out of the way right now. there are macaroons and there are macarons….what is the difference? the spelling is similar. and they’re similarly delicious. but they’re entirely different from each other. macaroons are a softish slightly lumpy cookie made with coconut, egg whites, sugar and almonds. they’re neither crunchy nor crispy. recently both the houston chronicle and megan garber of atlantic magazine predicted that the macaron is about to replace the cupcake as america’s favorite treat. others say that it already has. joanne’s and my macaron journey began some years ago in paris. needing a sweet treat in the late afternoon, we eyed a stunning display of pastel colored mini sandwiches, lined up by color in soldier like rows in the window of a shop called ladurée, at 75 avenue des champs elysées. it was a jewel box   grandly elegant, yet “lady like” in scale. “but they’re so beautiful, your macaroons!” “not macaroons! macarons!” here’s what i discovered: they french may view macarons as a national treasure, but culinary historians credit the italians with inventing them. it’s thought that they were introduced to the french by catherine di medici’s florentine pastry chefs, who accompanied her to france when she married king henry ii in 1533. for the next major development in the history of macarons, we have to jump ahead to 1862, when french luxury baker louis ernest ladurée opened his shop and began selling the cookies to the public. flash forward another 130 years, to 1993, when a man named francis holder purchased the ladurée recipes and brand. from that first little shop, ladurée has grown to over 60 stores worldwide (10 alone in the united states), with outposts as far flung as casablanca, qatar, and st. tropez, as well as london, miami and bangkok. first: don’t buy and put macarons in a bag. they are fragile and will crush. you need to splurge on little boxes for safe transport. the good news is that high quality macarons are readily available here in america. williams sonoma has ‘em, for example. patisserie 46 in minneapolis does a nice job as well. and the ones at lunds/byerly’s are damn good, too. wtf phil the area in paris known as les halles traces its beginnings as a marketplace as far back as the 12th century, when king louis 8th took control of the neighborhood. initially dry goods were sold here, but food stalls were added over the years, and by the end of the 16th century les halles was the pulsating heart of the city. that also coincided with the opening nearby of the grand eglise saint eustache, one of the most visited churches in paris. several things happened at the same time. first the paris metro system and the suburban commuter serving rer train network rerouted lines from all directions to converge underground at les halles. once, completed, this left a gaping hole which then president george pompidou decided to fill with a legacy defining project: the renzo piano designed pompidou center, a mammoth post modern structure whose mechanical “guts” were all on the exterior. the aesthetic abuse continued with construction of a cliché ridden, universally reviled underground shopping center called le forum des halles. and i may not be alone. as a french architectural critic recently stated, “it isn’t ugly. the curves are agreeable. it isn’t too aggressive.” that sure sounds like faint praise to me, like saying, “hey, you don’t sweat much for a fat guy.” my advice: take a walk by the centre pompidou, but give at least half a day to the rungis market. this isn’t high on the list of paris tourist attractions, but if you’re willing to get up before dawn, can brave the refrigerated food pavilions, and don’t mind being in proximity to blood and animal parts, joanne and i will guarantee you an eye opening learning experience. you can go by metro line #7 or by train. be advised however, that the rungis station is a couple blocks from the market and you may not feel entirely safe walking that distance in the dark. maybe take an uber. wear some good walking shoes, because the size of the market is a jaw dropping 578 acres (bigger than monaco). it is organized by halls, or “pavilions”   about 20 of them   each larger than a costco store. rungis is a city unto itself, with its own police force, banks, post office and at least 19 full fledged restaurants, not counting perhaps a hundred food stalls. wtf phil some years back, i was in paris and had picked up dan brown’s the da vinci code for some travel reading. part of the book is set there, and in the course of following some of the story’s clues around the left bank, joanne and were led to the saint sulpice cathedral, home of the rose line, a central element in the story. in 2008 she opened her second restaurant at the prestigious connaught hotel in london’s mayfair neighborhood. her menus in paris and in london, while not identical, are very similar in tone and attitude, with several signature dishes featured at both restaurants. but the décor is quite different at each location. both dining rooms are warm and comfortable, but the paris location has a decidedly more contemporary flavor, whereas the london outpost exudes a sporting and “old money” british vibe. cheesy gougeres appear on your table, followed by a dark, dense and chewy bread with two butters, one a flaky, salted, incredibly rich golden slab; the second a 4 inch high cone of swirled chili butter. both are nice counterpoints to the slight sweetness of the molasses in the bread. seemingly out of nowhere a trolley shows up tableside, bearing a classic berkel slicer (not the williams sonoma iteration, but the “real deal” $25,000 version), invented in 1898 by wilhelm van berkel in rotterdam (the london location sports a red berkel; in paris it’s cream colored). without a word, your server spins the handle and pink, paper thin slices of cured gascon ham settle into an airy pile served alongside a miniature loaf of buttery pull aparts. darroze cites that she fondly remembers her sunday dinners while growing up in gascony. it was always roast chicken and always chicken from landes. consequently, we are blessed that she has added saturday and sunday roast chicken for two to her menus in both paris and london. this is no casual sunday supper, though. each menu consists of five courses and will set you back about $140 for two. not cheap, but a bargain compared to a meal assembled à la carte. darroze stuffs foie gras under the skin in the winter, and in the summer the chicken gets morel mushrooms and truffles. the parade begins with a gilded eggshell filled with egg yolk confit, chicken liver mousse, bacon, crispy skin and parmesan foam   decadence on a spoon. that’s followed by a second course of “gin clear” chicken consommé with tiny ravioli and a splash of armagnac. a generous glossy and juicy nut brown breast comes next with a side of perfectly prepared, butter loaded seasonal vegetables. my advice? book a table for two on saturday or sunday night. have the roast chicken for two…..do it! phil fresh seafood and oysters have been part of the paris restaurant scene since frederic bofinger opened his eponymous brasserie in 1864 near the bastille. it was a time when railroads were new and were just beginning to bring fresh seafood to the hordes of awaiting parisians. bofinger still stands. i’m always tickled and frequently raise an eyebrow at restaurants’ “amuse bouche” offerings. at helen, by the time the third amuse bouche arrived, i didn’t just raise an eyebrow….i dropped a jaw! of course, desserts were wonderful. an all out assault on the dessert menu rewarded us with three chock full of chocolate treasures: the millefeuille, a chocolate tart, and all chocolate profiteroles. but as i was exploring the delights of this restaurant, i came across this….. check it out. it’s the last image. paris is expensive….hellishly expensive! first, the location: you’re just a few minutes’ walk from some of the most interesting and fun venues paris has to offer. on nice days, we love to while away a few hours strolling, sitting, reading and eating in the luxembourg gardens, the peaceful and spacious (61 acres of spacious) park famous for its manicured combination of french gardens and english gardens (which is sort of odd in that both were designed by marie di medici and supposedly inspired by the boboli gardens in florence). w.t.f. phil sometimes when joanne and i are in paris, we just don’t want to be culinarily challenged. by the 5th or 6th day of seeking out very special restaurants that somehow could have a culinary relationship with our parasole restaurants, we simply want a day off…a time to just chill. but paris being paris, even the places you expect to be predictable have the capacity to surprise. consider pavillon élysées lenôtre…..or simply lenôtre, a little gem of a restaurant southeast of the arc de triomphe toward place de concorde, right on the champs. you’ll see it nestled perfectly in a park across the street from the palais royale amongst the trees. more often than not, i come away with a kitchen gadget or two as well, because the space is made up of three components   the restaurant, a cooking school, and a very well curated culinary boutique with appliances, books, dishware and the like, as well as an assortment of small electronics and appliances for the kitchen. our appetizers have included smoked salmon with blini and horseradish cream and a crunchy salad, foie gras encased in cranberry “fruit leather”, and a quail breast with pumpkin in jerusalem artichoke foam. but this is also the place for a simple, deliciously creamy quiche lorraine. and our granddaughter was in hog heaven with her spaghetti tossed in butter and sprinkled with a little parmigiano reggiano cheese. wtf phil i love chicken…love it!!! and i’ve been fortunate enough to eat it all over the world   from street food stalls in bangkok…to kansas city for stroud’s cast iron skillet chicken deep fried in lard ……or the central american sensation, pollo campero’s grilled chicken, so coveted by los angelenos that prior to its u.s. opening they smuggled it in their suitcases on planes arriving from guatemala city. read more →

thanks for subscribing! look out for your first newsletter in your inbox soon! get us in your inbox sign up to our newsletter for the latest and greatest from your city and beyond by entering your email address you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy and consent to receive emails from time out about news, events, offers and partner promotions. thanks for subscribing! look out for your first newsletter in your inbox soon! the best of london for free. sign up for our email to enjoy london without spending a thing (as well as some options when you’re feeling flush). déjà vu! we already have this email. try another? by entering your email address you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy and consent to receive emails from time out about news, events, offers and partner promotions. thanks for subscribing! look out for your first newsletter in your inbox soon! love the mag? our newsletter hand delivers the best bits to your inbox. sign up to unlock our digital magazines and also receive the latest news, events, offers and partner promotions. déjà vu! we already have this email. try another? by entering your email address you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy and consent to receive emails from time out about news, events, offers and partner promotions. all of the london restaurants awarded a shining michelin star, from long standing institutions to newer spots gaining a star the yearly unveiling of the michelin guide’s ‘great britain and ireland’ edition is always big news in the uk food nerd world. for very good reason, too   london is one of the top ranked cities in the world for fine dining. and it’s got plenty of those coveted stars. newcomers on this year’s list include the excellent chishuru and akoko in fitzrovia, as well as humble chicken and mountain in soho, pavyllon and sushi kanesaka in mayfair, and claude bosi's brooklands at the peninsula, which received two stars despite only opening at the end of 2023. they join plenty more places that also appear in our meticulously compiled list of the best restaurants in london. newly minted two star restaurants include gymkhana in mayfair and trivet in southwark, while notting hill's ledbury has been awarded three stars. while michelin’s expertise on expensive, upmarket restaurants is well known, the michelin guide has been criticised for its lack of relevance to ordinary diners. conspicuous by their absence yet again are london’s more affordable places to eat. still, if you’re feeling flush, read on to find all london restaurants with a michelin star (or two, or three). recommended: the best restaurants in london. leonie cooper is time out london’s food and drink editor. for more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines. been there, done that? think again, my friend. by entering your email address you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy and consent to receive emails from time out about news, events, offers and partner promotions. thanks for subscribing! look out for your first newsletter in your inbox soon! pulling largely from the cuisines of nigeria, ghana and senegal, akoko offers a ten course tasting menu. from the opening cocktail   a sweet and zippy cacao and date negroni, to a pudding of ghanaian bofrot doughnuts decorated with elegant flowers   it’s no giddy exaggeration to say that everything at akoko is spectacular and packed full of huge flavours. yam croquettes, miyantaushe pumpkin stew, scotch bonnet pepper soup and jollof rice will have you in raptures. bliss on many, many plates. specialising in stylish pan indian tapas, sleek, clubby amaya struts its stuff for well heeled belgravia types with inquisitive palates and deep pockets. ask for a table by the theatrical open kitchen, where you can watch the chefs manning their battery of tandoors, tawa skillets and sigri grills. service is as smooth as silk, and the sexy cocktail bar hots up as the evening wears on. michelin starred seafood cookery is the lure at this swanky city restaurant on the seventh floor of the south place hotel. the food’s ultra modern, technically excellent and impeccably crafted   a perfect fit for the dining room’s sophisticated vibe and gleaming monochrome interiors. it’s not the most daring restaurant in town, but the combination of consistent cooking and ultra polished service is bang on for the city’s expense account crowd. a 12 seater 'experimental' kitchen from chef simon rogan mbe, which opened in 2017 and prides itself on its farm to fork ethos; the farm being rogan's own bucolic wonderland in the lake district, where you'll also find his acclaimed l’enclume restaurant. this 18 seater chef’s table experience scored its star within 20 days of opening back in 2020. if you think that's impressive, wait until you try the tasting menu from andy beynon   a former development chef for jason atherton   which highlights sustainable seafood. the menu changes seasonally but expect iced gem alike pea, mint and pike tarts, devastatingly clean pieces of raw mackerel, and a warm cups of wine infused with prawn. a longstanding favourite for indian fine dining, benares sacked chef patron atul kochhar in 2018 (over anti islamic tweets directed at the actress priyanka chopra). as a result of the disgraced chef’s departure, the restaurant saw its star rating removed. now it’s back to one star glory with chef sameer taneja on the pans. the kitchen produces modern cooking in the haute cuisine league across its à la carte and six course tasting menu. the first london spot from welsh whizz kid tomos parry (he followed it up with mountain in soho in 2023) is brilliant; service is switched on, you feel like you’re right there in the kitchen, and the food is full frontal, no frills stuff from the wood fired grill   including a show stopping dish of turbot (aka ‘brat’) cooked basque style in an iron cage. small plates and wines by the glass add to the all round fun. a tasting menu for £68? yes please. and not a starched tablecloth in sight. instead, it’s a place serving a cutting edge line up of seven small courses, plus freebies (bread, petits fours). all in a single hackney dining room. dishes are the surprisingly, relentlessly ambitious kind, with the kitchen led by ex pidgin head chef adolfo de cecco. quite simply, one of the best value tasting menus in town. promising low key glamour in high rise surroundings (the twenty fourth floor of tower 42, to be precise), city social is one of super chef jason atherton’s more conservative ventures   a go to for city suits wanting to impress or let off steam. the gorgeous, sexy space comes with all enveloping wraparound views and the cooking is all about precision tuned contemporary flavours   from pretty pretty salads to slabs of beefy protein. chez bruce may not be especially original, but it’s reliable and one of wandsworth’s prime neighbourhood assets. the look is a study in classic (if slightly dated) restaurant decor but the cooking is timeless, led decisively by the franco/european school without much deference to culinary fads. expect big boned muscular flavours supported by one of the finest wine lists in the capital. joké bakare's independent west african restaurant started life after the chef won a contest to stage a brixton village pop up   and at the end of 2023 she set up shop in fitzrovia, serving a sensational tasting menu of sinasir rice cake with white crab meat, moi moi bean cake with creamy duck egg sauce, fragrant pepper soup and guinea fowl with taro root, ehuru and uziza sauce. she's now the first black female michelin star chef in the uk and the second in the world. an icon. duck, foie gras and the flavours of main man pascal aussignac’s native gascony point up this serene michelin starred homage to french regional cuisine   although there’s also a lighter side to the cooking these days with veggie (‘garden’) plates now sitting alongside their heftier meat based bedfellows. cosy up amid the heavy wooden screens and marble clad panels with a bottle from the stonking provence inspired wine list. housed in east london’s blue mountain school, you have to ring a bell to enter this hidden drawing room style restaurant with a kitchen led by theo clench, a chef who’s worked at a slew of michelin starred spots including trinity, clove club and portland. welcome drinks and a first course are served in the bar before you tuck into the rest of the surprise meal in the intimate dining room. you can even eat one of the dishes in the kitchen. be warned: you’ll have to book well in advance here, with new reservations released a couple of months in advance. a 'bistro for locals', is how notting hill's dorian has billed itself since opening in 2022, and this talbot road joint is all about excellent steak, stunning red wine and solid sharing plates. when it comes to cookery, its one of the simpler places flagged by the michelin lot, but the quality is up there. located between petersham nurseries and the petersham hotel in the verdant expanses of richmond park, this ornate looking former pub is now the culinary domain of former roux scholar kenneth culharne   a chef who cares about provenance. seasonal ingredients, rare breed meats, heritage vegetables and sustainable fish are the building blocks for a roster of high end contemporary dishes with the odd japanese nuance. you know the score: meticulously presented high end food served in warm low lit surrounds with a suitably hefty price tag. however, the fact that elystan street is fronted by phil howard (ex the square) may persuade you to give this sleek chelsea rendezvous a go. in return, you’ll be rewarded with a roster of immaculately crafted, euro accented dishes backed by big ticket wines. sushi fans: gather round. endo is not like any other omakase restaurant (omakase being the ‘chef’s selection’: like a tasting menu, but more personal). at least, not like one you’ll find in this city. endo kazutoshi is a third generation ‘sushi master’, who introduces most of the dishes   all of which are dazzling. the intimate 12 seater counter   with current head chef seamus sam   serves a monthly changing seasonal set menu that’s sure to blow your socks off. hidden away in the basement of the blue posts pub in chinatown, this small but mighty place is not to be missed. a bijou chelsea spot and a showcase for chef proprietor taylor bonnyman’s gloriously fresh flavoured food   much of it from british growers, fishermen and his own gardens in east sussex (his gardener used to work for raymond blanc). intriguing flavour combos such as ‘sea and earth’ just beg to be tried, and desserts include some wonderfully playful sweet/savoury riffs. you’ll want to try the cocktails and global wines too. brother jeff’s patch of the galvin siblings’ empire, la chapelle, is an awe inspiring architectural behemoth with ecclesiastical overtones and a menu of impressively rendered modern french cuisine. service is as smooth as béarnaise, with staff on hand to suggest champagne aperitifs, point out the menu’s signature dishes (lasagne of dorset crab sounds too good to refuse) and advise which bottle of hermitage la chapelle to choose. gaze around the goring hotel’s plush dining room as bow tied waiters glide serenely by and imagine you’re back in the edwardian era. in spring 2024 the room had a major revamp, with the decor updated while preserving the refinement and understated luxury of the vintage interior   although the food is anything but stuffy, with highly sophisticated interpretations of british classics outshining more outré ideas. think; roast orkney scallop with pea, lemon verbena and brown butter; cornish monkfish with mussels, seaweed, gooseberry and herbs; or their signature lobster omelette. is it a pub? is it a restaurant? in truth, this upmarket fulham boozer is a bit of both   although with a serious wine list and a michelin star to its name, we know where its priorities lie. seasonal bags of furred and feathered game receive special attention, whether you’re noshing in the chunkily furnished dining room or boozing and snacking at the bar. part of a hugely ambitious three storey project off piccadilly, ollie dabbous’s latest gaff is on a different scale to his bijou self named fitzrovia debut. ‘below’ is the bar, ‘above’ is the restaurant where the chef serves up a signature tasting menu   eight dazzling courses bursting with excitement for the tastebuds and visual mischief. to drink? consult the leather bound ipad for access to some 6,000 bottles courtesy of dabbous’s backers, hedonism wines. young and dedicated head chef angelo sato's omakase of 13 immaculate east asian rooted dishes pivots from seafood mastery that’s nigh on hallucinogenic to a quirky bao and a miso sesame butter and smooth chicken liver parfait. sato's done time under the great clare smyth when she was at restaurant gordon ramsay, and was then head chef at tom sellers’ restaurant story in southwark. it shows. mayfair's humo does things differently. exec chef miller prada mixes up japanese cooking techniques with his colombian heritage and cooking is done on a four metre long grill. there's no electricity or gas here, just pure fire and a smattering of smoke. try the 11 day aged brixham turbot with geotropa mushroom, barley koji, sea buckthorn, and humo mole. for more than 20 years, malaysian born bernard yeoh and his team have been teasing londoners with their ‘liberated’ take on chinese cuisine in an exotic mayfair dining room that exudes confidence. the kitchen shows its inventive streak from the off and the momentum never dips, while accommodating staff also get our vote. this being mayfair, kai’s culinary liberation obviously comes at a high price. for understated michelin starred charm, look no further than kitchen w8. this dining room exudes refinement with its orderly white table linen and smooth, unstuffy service. diners in the know come for the pedigree: founding partner philip howard is co owner of the ledbury in notting hill. the menu is modern english with a french complexity, its delicate mains featuring the finest seasonal ingredients. luca, a clerkenwell italian from the bods behind the clove club, is a classy joint. from the airy marble clad bar section, to the lofty dining room and the faded palazzo loos, it’s a handsome spot. this warmth extends to the menu: trad rustic and occasionally finicky, this is upscale country comfort food. for slick cooking in design mag surroundings, luca ticks all the boxes. dinner at lyle’s is a leisurely affair, so kick back, take in the understated interiors and chat to the sweet staff before getting stuck into some palate dazzling food from one of the most talented cooks in town. chef james lowe regularly hits his mark when it comes to fine tuned new breed british cuisine. there’s no table turning (hooray!), so stay as long as you like. tomos parry's brat in shoreditch has already got a star, so it makes sense that mountain would follow. his kitchens are synonymous with flame cooked, basque ish cooking that’s both cutting edge and assuredly simplistic, and this soho spot boasts an expansive, industrial chic dining room, a downstairs bar and two open kitchens. the food is big on narrative with sobrasada made for parry on an organic farm in mallorca. meat, sourced somewhere equally lovely, is butchered on site downstairs. we happen to think that angela hartnett’s flagship is mayfair’s least stuffy fine dining restaurant. yes, there are beautifully dressed tables and carpets so thick you’d slip out of your shoes if only they were manolo blahniks, but the focus is resolutely on the good times: cue generous portions of big flavoured italian dishes, ferried by smiling, down to earth staff. (psst: the set lunch is a steal.) tom aikens opened muse at the start of 2020 at a time when anything still felt possible. the 25 cover restaurant takes over a georgian townhouse and serves dishes based on stories from aikens’s own life experiences (yes, really). big name chef jun tanaka has been around for years, and this chic, contemporary venue in fitzrovia is the ninth restaurant he has been involved in (geddit?). although small plates with a french slant are the focus, the cooking doesn’t really lend itself to sharing is caring   still, tanaka is a genius when it comes to pointing up flavours, creating harmonious marriages and making ingredients sing. tucked downstairs in the upscale flemings mayfair hotel, this restaurant was reimagined in 2021 with hot young chef du jour sofian msetfi at the helm. ormer offers a true to form tasting menu of expertly portioned dishes that are only a few mouthfuls each. detailed dishes are swapped out every few weeks, with menu staples such as ibérico ham jelly and cured cornish mackerel. a sophisticated hotel haunt for serious foodies. another michelin star for yannick alléno? why not. after his new ish london restaurant was honoured in february 2024, he now has 16 michelin stars across 17 worldwide restaurants. it's all down to his adroit gastronomy, fondness for fermentation and coy way with cryoconcentration. pavyllon is his first ever london restaurant and you'll find it inside park lane's four seasons, with french classics made with the best british ingredients. a womb like room enveloped in shades of pearlescent pink and dusky greys, this belgravia outpost of gordon ramsay’s empire is famed for its centrepiece circular wine store holding vintages of titular château pétrus and much more besides. the food is all about indulgence and luxury ingredients. a bijou fitzrovia aristocrat, pied à terre trades on intimacy and purrs like a pedigree persian cat. from sensational amuse bouches onwards, the attention to detail is mightily impressive as the kitchen sends out wave after wave of stellar dishes that look a million dollars on the plate. prices are top end, but superb value set lunches make this the perfect setting for tête à têtes, business related or otherwise. this cool, pared back and thoroughly grown up fitzrovia gem serves up bold, powerful and surprising food from its visible open kitchen. diners congregate at bare scandi style tables for reasonably priced small plates and larger sharing dishes in the modern idiom   check the blackboard for the latest specials. turn over the menu and you’ll find a list of ‘textbook’ and ‘leftfield’ wines, plus privately sourced single bottles. it may look more like a bland business lounge than a top end indian culinary destination, but if you blot out the corporate hotel surrounds there’s much to enjoy here. michelin starred quilon specialises in serving exquisite regional seafood from the subcontinent’s coastal southern provinces such as kerala   although there’s also plenty for meat eaters and veggies too. a comfortable refuelling point for residents and tourists. tucked away inside the savoy, the 10 table restaurant 1890 is so called as it harks back to the days of escoffier who created so many of his famous dishes while busying himself in the kitchens at the hotel during the late victorian era. but it's not all old school delights here, with modern techniques and fancy flourishes courtesy of head honcho gordon ramsay. this minimalist scandi style spot specialises in top class seasonal produce sourced from around the british isles, which it serves up on beautiful handmade crockery. you’ll find everything from chinese water deer from woburn to cornish cuttlefish and wiltshire truffles on its dinner menu, which is packed with punchy flavours. set back from the thames path, the river café is a riverside icon in its own right. warm, buzzy and expensive (in a semi casual way), it’s dedicated to serving unfussy yet stunning italian food based on artisan seasonal ingredients. okay, the prices are painful, but portions are generous   so go for a summer lunch, sit on the terrace, and live it large like an a lister. chef john williams mbe has presided over the unimaginably opulent ritz restaurant since 2004, serving precision tuned dishes (old and new) to punters ensconced in the louis xvi inspired dining room. aside from the michelin starred food and all the gilt, what you are buying here is a conservative formula, complete with coat tailed politesse, cloches, a tinkling piano and the reassurance that all remains unruffled in this privileged world. tapas fans prepare to cheer loudly. after years as executive chef at barrafina, spanish queen bee nieves barragán mohacho is now presiding over her first solo gaff   a highly distinctive set up spread over two floors (small plate counter fun downstairs, regional wood fired feasting upstairs). the food’s all round flawless with a rustic edge: don’t swerve the plumped up, just runny salt cod tortilla   it’s sheer eggy bliss. this californian restaurant sits on the former site of rambla and comes from the very same chef, victor garvey. the name? it comes from ‘soho via la’, apparently. that translates to dishes like flambé native lobster and burnt figs with toasted buckwheat ice cream. chef owners woongchul park and bomee ki have been praised for combining their korean heritage with french techniques. buckle up for seasonal tasting menus like no other featuring sophisticated and innovative fusion of cuisines in a tranquil and calm space. the original ‘nose to tail’ pioneer and a michelin starred restaurant for those who flee from the very idea, st john is a defiantly casual, bare bones kind of place with come as you please decor and famously full on cooking. born again british dishes are given a sophisticated spin that often belies their humble origins   we all know about that bone marrow and parsley salad. powerful stuff, with french(!) wines providing unpatriotic support. located within the 5 star 45 park lane hotel, this is mayfair sushi at mayfair prices, with the omakase offering at sushi kanesaka priced at £420. per person. that said, a meal at sushi kanesaka is special; an intimate, 13 seat restaurant with tradition and craftsmanship running through every element, with seventeen courses in total, each a work of art. taku is an extremely serious place. the front door is unbolted to let diners in, and then swiftly bolted again behind them. with a maximum of 16 covers perched along a light pine bar, this highly fancy omakase joint is headed up by chef takuya watanabe. watanabe knows good fish (he used to be behind the counter at jin, paris’s first omakase to score a michelin star). balancing smart decor and smiling service with exemplary wines and cutting edge michelin starred cooking, trinity is king of the hill in clapham   a restaurant that gets the swish/casual balance just right when it comes to creating a neighbourhood vibe. chef patron adam byatt knows how to put on a show without showboating his talents or puffing up his food. a dead cert for special occasions and celebratory splurges. they now have a string of hits to their name (think gymkhana, hoppers and bao for starters), but this is where it all began for the all conquering sethi siblings. the setting is smart and quietly conservative, while the kitchen thrills punters with its interpretations of indian regional cuisine   especially seafood from the south. and the thrills continue with sunaina sethi’s globetrotting wine list. chiswick’s favourite ‘posh’ neighbourhood restaurant just keeps trundling on: the tables are still decked with starched white tablecloths and gleaming glassware, service is impeccably polished and the diners tend to be plummy voiced locals with cash to splash. the revamped interior may have lost some of its original intimacy, but the cooking is as classy as ever   so too, the magnificent wine list. it’s all about attention to detail at yoshinori ishii’s japanese enclave, from the futuristic entrance to the chef’s handcrafted tableware and the procession of surgically precise, extraordinarily delicate dishes emanating from the kitchen. if you’re celebrating, go for the full strength multi course tasting menu highlighting the intricacies of kyoto kaiseki cuisine. be warned: prices will slice through your wallet as mercilessly as a samurai sword. proof that good things come to those who wait, the venerable veeraswamy finally bagged a michelin gong a mere 90 years after opening in 1926. if you’re expecting staid, however, think again: old veera styles it out like iris apfel, with exotic colours, tinted lamps and turbans, not to mention some top end, perfectly spiced food: we head straight for the signature dishes. the only thing that jars here is the cost. the recently revamped wild honey at the sofitel london st james is where all londoners should immediately swarm to. chef anthony demetre offers the finest seasonal british produce using contemporary french techniques. the best thing? it’s all about flavours, not frippery in glamorous and intimate setting. forget gilded dragons, book length menus and stir fries by numbers, andrew wong’s big hitting but pared back pimlico chinese is a singular affair offering elevated cuisine at everyday prices. preserved duck egg with marinated tofu, chilli and soy is typical, as is poached razor clam with sea cucumber, vinegar tapioca and wind dried sausage. take a trip round china with the spectacular tasting menu or simply park up at the bar counter and nibble away at your leisure. regent street’s historic café royal reopened as a hotel in 2012 with a look that stays true to its glamorous french roots from when it first opened in 1865. alex dilling’s intimate restaurant is a modern take on traditional french grub. a very posh gastronomic one. straight in with two stars despite only opening at the end of 2023, claude bosi's brooklands sits pretty at the top of the bazillion pound peninsula hotel and has a pricey menu to match its fancy belgravia and hyde park surroundings. with french techniques and the finest british ingredients, you'll feast on exmoor caviar with roscoff onion and duck jelly or great fen farm celeriac nosotto with crab. all in a restaurant which is, somewhat strangely, inspired by concorde air travel. the clove club wears its numerous accolades lightly, with none of the bluff and bluster of other highfalutin establishments. with two michelin stars to its name (the first awarded in 2014, the second in 2022), the multi course tasting menu spans the tastiest, prettiest and most seasonal stuff from across the british isles. bashing out more hits than abba, the food is furiously fish heavy, with the likes of sardine sashimi, scallops in dashi, and grilled tuna belly. and don't forget to visit the memorable victorian loo. a bona fide london institution with a fine dining powerhouse at the helm, bibendum remains london’s nattiest and most heart warmingly pleasurable dining room   although über chef claude bosi is putting his own dizzyingly technical and dazzlingly creative stamp on proceedings. prices are unnervingly high, but the food is overwhelmingly excellent   so go on, blow the budget and prepare to be blown away. da terra is fronted the talented rafael cagali. the setting is a compelling mix of informal elegance, courtesy and good taste, while the kitchen delivers precise, unimpeachable but playful latin inspired food with italian undertones. the fact that the first uk restaurant from french mega chef anne sophie pic is located in the city outpost of the four seasons hotel chain should tell you everything you need to know about this overtly ostentatious and eye wateringly expensive venue. that said, the food is dazzlingly skilful, meticulously detailed and chock full of powerful, unexpected flavours from france and the whole wide world. while heston b’s flagship fat duck in bray celebrates futuristic flamboyance and childhood nostalgia, dinner plunders the annals of british food history for a catalogue of date stamped reboots cooked with flair and precision by protégé ashley palmer watts and his team. anyone for salmagundi, powdered duck, meat fruit or tipsy cake? no wonder this dining room within the luxe mandarin oriental hotel is a favourite with heritage hungry tourists. gallop to mayfair for this hot ticket offer from karam sethi and co (of trishna and hoppers fame). done out like some wood panelled indian colonial club (without the strict dress code), gymkhana lays on a splendid spread of tiffin treats, superlative game dishes and retreads of old regional favourites, while bar staff wheel out indian punches in sealed medicine bottles for pouring into silver goblets. now based in the imposing and deeply cool 180 strand building, ‘bold heat and umami’ are the twin lures at ikoyi, which specialises in nigerian ‘jollof’ cuisine. although the kitchen uses this as a jumping off point for cooking that transforms west african food into boundary pushing hyper gastronomy. ikoyi dishes up something truly new for london’s ever curious diners   but it's not cheap, with the tasting menu dinner coming in at £320 a head. the u shaped kitchen table allows up to 20 punters to perch at stools while getting their kicks from james knappett’s 12 course tasting menus. the day’s blackboard gives few clues apart from single word pointers such as ‘oysters’, ‘chicken’ and ‘potato’, but the chefs explain everything and the results are off the scale for invention and flavour. don’t expect to be given a menu at this seat of modernist cuisine. instead, tattooed chef tom sellers wheels out a cavalcade of playfully artistic plates   an ad hoc selection of thoughtfully matched tasting dishes served in an open plan scandi style dining room with sculpted birdlike figures and big windows looking out on the street. of course, the fun ends when the seriously weighty bill arrives. the bermondsey based trivet comes from ex fat duck duo sommelier isa bal and head chef jonny lake, who have been making waves since 2019 for fuss free, assured cooking in a simple and warm setting. wait for summer and dine on its lowkey, backstreet terrace. the crowning glory of sketch’s theatrical pleasure palace, the lecture room & library delivers unadulterated opulence and ott indulgence in spades. flooded with light from a glass ceiling dome, and governed by immaculately tailored staff, it promises fantastical food sans frontières   all deftly presented as a procession of pretty, witty and gay mini banquets. just make sure your bank balance is primed for such unrelenting complexity. it sounds like the ultimate posh dosh dream ticket: a jet setting superstar chef with three michelin stars overseeing a restaurant in a legendary park lane hotel. alain ducasse’s dorchester enclave may have many loyal fans, but it’s too rich and too restrained for our palates. prices take no prisoners in this reverential french gastro temple, although the three course ‘lunch hour’ menu is a steal in such privileged, rarefied surrounds. clare smyth is no stranger here. she was the first female chef to bag three michelin stars in the uk when at restaurant gordon ramsay. but how sweet it is to see her back at these lofty heights since going it alone. core in notting hill is elegant, vibrant, not pompous, and great fun too. the food is special with immense technical brio but also a playful streak that makes it all very accessible. of course, mr ‘hell’s kitchen’ doesn’t cook here these days and his former chef patron clare smyth is now wowing ’em at core, but gordon ramsay’s beloved chelsea flagship remains the absolute pinnacle of sophisticated fine dining in the capital. the vibe is never too starchy, legendary maître d’ jean claude breton is a master orchestrator, and the intelligently inventive food is guaranteed to blow your socks off. given an elegant and artful facelift in 2019, the connaught’s flagship dining room now has a bold contemporary edge   all curved lines, blush shades and bare wooden tabletops. this being three michelin star dining, your primarni handbag will be rested reverently on an upholstered footstool by solicitous staff (which is slightly awkward), and the size of the delicacy laden dishes will be inversely proportional to the enormity of the bill. it’s all very french, very refined and very memorable. the ledbury is something of a west london institution. first opened in 2005, it has gone on to win hearts, minds, and more awards than taylor swift has grammys. the room is smart (tones of mocha and cream), there’s no music and many of the staff serve in polite silence. but the charismatic maître d’ treats guests like old friends and the dishes   from aussie chef brett graham   are as close to perfection on a plate as you’ll get in this town. been there, done that? 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supported by almost everything on the menu at this sibling of claud contains seafood. you sit at a counter to eat it. the only surprise is how well it all works together. by pete wells when you make a reservation at an independently reviewed restaurant through our site, we earn an affiliate commission. chefs tend to load their first restaurants with every hope, dream, vision and idea they’ve ever had. it may not all come together, but if it comes close and if the ideas are any good, we can respond to the originality and overlook the weak spots. that was my reaction to claud, which the chef joshua pinsky opened with chase sinzer two years ago in the east village. i was so happy with the food coming out of the kitchen that i didn’t mind the disjointed layout, which sometimes left me wondering if i was sitting in the wrong place. i didn’t care, either, that it was hard to see a thread that tied together the homespun devil’s food layer cake and the tomato mille feuille built from sheafs of puff pastry that any patisserie in lyon would be proud to claim. still, my review attempting to answer the question “what is claud?” took up more than 1,000 words, and i’m not sure it ever got where it was going. mr. pinsky and mr. sinzer opened a second restaurant in march, directly above the first, up a short flight of iron stairs from the east 10th street sidewalk. they named it penny, and i can describe it in two words. it’s a seafood counter. with a few more words, i’ll tell you that the counter is comfortable and roomy, that seafood of one kind or another turns up in almost every item on the menu except the two desserts, and that it is handled with unusual sensitivity and clarity. penny is a very good restaurant for many reasons, not the least of which is that it skates around so many of the little traps claud fell into. i’m not trying to run down claud, which is the more complex of the two and may be the more interesting. but penny improves upon it in several ways, and that’s notable because restaurants that avoid the sophomore slump and manage not to come off as branding exercises are rare and getting rarer. ian chapin, the interior designer who broke claud up into small, distinct dining areas, takes the opposite tack with penny. one nearly continuous counter, made of fog white marble with fat, smoke colored veins, runs down the entire space, which is long and narrow, like a bocce court. facing the counter are 31 stools, all the same and all very comfortable, with cushy leather seats and backs and metal footrests.

