Wine Ideas Top 10 Restaurants in New York City
Inspired by the annual New York Times Top 100 Restaurants list
Though this is and forever will be Wine Ideas, I have many Restaurant Ideas floating around in my brain.
As a student of restaurants, I was a devout Pete Wells enthusiast for years. It was as if I was an American Lit major and Wells was Steinbeck. I looked forward to his weekly restaurant reviews, analyzed every word, memorized plenty of iconic phrases, and eagerly awaited the day when I could be the lucky (or doomed) service professional who got to take care of him at my restaurant (I still do).
I am so grateful I don’t have this job. I like my own cooking too much and my sensitive Ashkenazi stomach could simply never handle this much restaurant food.
Inspired by the NYTimes Top 100 Restaurants list and Emily Sundberg’s personal list, I’ve compiled my own with a few celeb shots, for good measure.
In no particular order:
X’ian Famous Foods
I have always said that X’ian is my favorite restaurant in New York. You walk in to what feels like a Chinatown food court, bright lighting and plastic trays. You order from a computer and then watch as the masters behind the window pull noodles by hand by banging them against the counters. They plate those noodles on a plastic or styrofoam plate, drenched in mouth-numbing sauce. The N1 is their signature dish, Spicy Cumin Lamb Hand-Ripped Noodles, but I prefer a combo platter sharing the L2 Spicy Cucumber Salad, the F1 Chang’An Spicy Tofu Custard, and then any of the noodle dishes. This kind of food would hit so hard with any kind of Kolsch or Pilsner, but I stick to water or Diet Coke at X’ian and always leave happy.
Via Carota
When you need a nice lunch on a weekday, or if you find yourself free on a weekday looking to see which of the restaurants you can never get into for dinner might be open for weekday lunch, the answer is Via Carota. With a menu of mostly vegetables prepared in every beautiful way you can think of, Via Carota remains one of the most allergy friendly Italian restaurants that has ever existed. The room is rustic and charming, the scene is always energetic and young, the negronis are perfect, and the wine list is filled with humble Italian goodies with an emphasis on coastal gems from places like Liguria and Sicily.
Thai Diner
This feels like a restaurant that could truly only exist in New York City. On the corner of Mott and Kenmare in Nolita, Thai Diner walks the line of authentic Thai meets SoHo kitsch meets trendy hot spot delicious restaurant. There are the recognizable American Thai classics, Phat See Ew and Tom Yum soup, and there are some things that even the most seasoned New York eaters, myself included, wouldn’t recognize. The cocktail list and wines by the bottle are surprisingly (or not surprisingly?) fantastic and approachable. Desserts, especially the coconut sundae, are not to be missed.
La Vara
Ok fine, I’ve only been to La Vara one time. But it was spectacular, and we saw Alison Roman there, and that’s all there is to it. La Vara has a Spanish small plates menu but it doesn’t evoke tapas. We loved snacking on the crispy chickpeas while we browsed the menu. The food is complex and inviting and the atmosphere is unpretentious and warm. The only rub? It’s in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn, a part of Brooklyn I am sadly, never in. La Vara is worth the special trip.
Ernesto’s - a celeb shot Ashkenazi Sommelier Society President and Cofounder, Jonathan Eichholz
“There are very few restaurants I visit more than once, and more than once in a single month. Ernesto's is your well-curated Basque friend's Lower East Side living room with outstanding food. I actively crave the Bikini Hemingway daily and look forward to uncovering a bottle of a Spanish gem each time I get on the downtown 6.
What to Order: Bikini Hemingway, Arroz de Conejo, Cochinillo Asado”
Le Crocodile
Le Crocodile has some quintessential Brooklyn restaurant in 2025 qualities - $9 lattes, an extensive Faccia Brutto selection, exposed brick, servers in Japanese work coats. And then there’s the food - timeless and perfect French bistro fare with modern perspective. Get the Waldorf salad or any of the fruits de mer, then the roast chicken, served under a glossy and rich jus, with perfect fries covered in herbs. End with profiteroles or sticky banana date pudding (especially if you’re my husband you’ll get the pudding). Their wines by the glass, compiled by the legendary Gabriella Borg Costanzi, are exceptional.
Estela
A timeless gem on Houston street, I’ve always said that the endive salad from Estela is the greatest plate of cold food in New York City. It’s been years since I had it the first time. I’ve had it maybe a dozen times since and my opinion has not changed in the slightest. Beyond the famous endive salad, the sexy-cozy-wine-bar-with-a-menu-that-has-no-business-being-this-good vibe of Estela keeps me wanting to return over and over again. The wine list is a compilation of about a thousand bottles. I’d venture as to say, I, a tenured New York City sommelier, have never heard of 700/1000 wines on the wine list. It leans natural and esoteric and I love the feeling of knowing I’m going to learn something new and taste something I’ve never heard of when I park in one of their bar seats.
Wu’s Wonton King
Sure, the food at Wu’s is pretty typical New York City Chinese-American food. But the vibes? They are chaotic, they are loud, they are brightly lit and they are very tipsy. You will certainly run in to at least a few people you know at Wu’s especially on a Sunday night. There are lazy Susans, huge live crabs, perfect bowls of wonton soup, and always lots of leftovers. It’s a classic BYO institution in NYC, making it an epic and economic place for a downtown night out to begin.
The Four Horsemen
A splurge date night or celebration spot, The Four Horsemen is my favorite restaurant to drink wine in New York City. The list is filled with exciting new-wave old world wines, and sneaky excellent beer and tea programs. The food is constantly changing, but the creativity, innovation, beauty, and deliciousness remain consistent. What else remains consistent is the inability to reserve a table in advance. Put your name in early, go get a cocktail at Maison Premiere, and eagerly await the best dinner in Brooklyn.
Pastis - a celeb shot by friend and resident West Village girl, Katie Cooper
“Pastis remains my perennial favorite in New York—a quintessential French bistro that effortlessly captures the city’s energy with a dash of Parisian nonchalance. While it’s become my go-to spot to sit at the bar and savor what I firmly believe is the best cheeseburger in the city, the real joy is going with a larger group—if only so my usual order doesn’t feel quite so ambitious for a solo night out. French Onion Soup to start, followed by Escargot, the Cheeseburger à l’Américaine, and finished with a vanilla bean crème brûlée.”
Please argue in the comments - What are your favorites? How did you feel about the Times list this year? Any obvious misses? Any clear winners?
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