Your 10 favorite Manhattan restaurants?

[steakrules85]

Kinda bored and was just thinking about this one.... Everyone post their 5 favorite restaurants in Manhattan only. My favorite restaurant of all time is and only will be Peter Luger but I am not listing them because they are in Brooklyn. Even though if you told me I was dying tomorrow that is where my last meal would be if I had to pick. There are no rules they can be all high end, cheaps eats, or a combination! Just list your faves.... Here are mine so far.... in no partifular order..

1. Keens, 2. Strip House, 3. Craft, 4. Old Homestead, 5. Eleven Madison Park, 6. BLT Prime, 7. Gotham Bar and Grill, 8. Del Frisco's, 9. Smith and Wollensky, 10. Babbo.

[firni]

No order..
1. Momofuku
2. L'Atelier
3. Laboratorio del Gelato (if they had the flavors I wanted)
4. Itzocan Cafe
5. Jean-Georges
6. Bouley
7. Upi Jaya
8. Sripaphai
9. Eleven Madison Park
10. Sushi Yasuda

[halo]

bored at home on fri nite so what the hell... in no particular order:

per se
15 east
strip house
yakitori totto
shake shack
szechuan gourmet
babbo
txikito
fatty crab (uws)

[UES Mayor]

In no particular order
Spigolo
Momofuko-all of them including dessert bar
Sparks
Saka Gura
Carnines-both of them
Menkentai
Won Jo
Babbo
Sushi Yasuda
Gyu Kaku

[thew]

very tricky question - and if i answered at some other time it might be a different list. (how do you weigh the places you love that you go to often against those you've been to once or twice?)

in as i think of it order:

degustation
craft
momofuku ssam
grammercy
rhong tiam/land northeast thai (i'm cheating my count,here - depends on the 'hood i'm in)
ippudo/naruto ramen (the former is great, the latter i go to all the time)
tailor
yasuda
matsuri
cong ly

[bermudagourmetgoddess]

OK, so even though it's in Brooklyn...Peter Luger!
Babbo
15 East
Green Market
Molyvos
Carmines
Ethos
Les Halles
Umbertos
Blue Fin

[redbecca]

Eleven Madison Park
Picholine
Compass
Grammercy Tavern
Chennai Garden
Shabu Tatsu
Mermaid Inn
Aroma/Pepolino/Lavagna in a tie for the best small Italian.
Aureole
wherever Scott Conant is

[bermudagourmetgoddess]

My bad, it is not Green Market...it's Green Table at Chelsea Market!

[skrillcakes]

corton / kanoyama / del posto / balthazar / ippudo / bacaro / tulcingo del valle / grand sichuan / tia pol / malatesta

[drumwine]

per se, L'Atelier, Babbo, Daniel, Sushi of Gari, Momofuko Ko, Peter Luger, Katz's Deli, 11 Mad. Park, Degustation

[YummyInTheCity]

No order:

1.Po
2.Mercadito
3.Momofuku Ko
4.Per Se
5.Upstairs Bouley
6.Blue Hill
7.Soto
8.Dessert Club Chikalicious (for dessert)
9.Gotham Bar & Grill
10. Hell's Kitchen

[misnatalie]

No order:
sushi yasuda
suyiyama
mermaid inn
bouley
blue hill
veritas
tocqueville
momofuku ko
aquagrill
babbo

[demigodh]

in no order:

momofuku ko
fatty crab
sigiri
shake shack
blue ribbon brasserie
abburiya kinnosuke
katzs
excellent pork chop house
cuba
il bagatto

[steakrules85]

Glad everyone is responding! Seems like a lot of us have the same restaurants on our lists. Keep em coming baby.

[Notorious P.I.G.]

Per Se
EMP
Babbo
Sakagura
Yasuda
Ippudo
Shake Shack
Momofuku Restos
Bouchon
Maze by Gordon Ramsey for the burger.

[LeahBaila]

In no order:
Tulcingo del Valle
Dhaba
Nougatine
Ali Baba Turkish Cuisine
Peter Luger
Marseille (for the burger)
Balthazar
Chinatown Brasserie
L'Artusi
Stanton Social

www.thelunchbelle.com

[ellenost]

My favorites (in no particular order):

1) Aureole;
2) Momofuku Ko;
3) Per Se;
4) Eleven Madison Park;
5) Bouley;
6) Sarge's Deli;
7) Jean Georges;
8) Artisanal (not on a holiday);
9) Gordon Ramsay; and
10) Cafe d'Alsace.

[princeofpork]

In a very particular order, I am just not saying what it is;
apizz
kuma inn
wollensky grill
convivio
Mollys
Gotham B&G
Dinosaur BBQ
Luger
White Castle
Sofrito

[uwser]

No order

Crispo
Le Bernadin
Nougatine
Porterhouse
Tamarind
Kefi
Telepan
Keen's
Gramercy Tavern
Pearl Oyster Bar

[di82]

No order

Per Se
Eleven Madison
Perilla
Jean Georges
Lupa
Pisticci
Veritas
Compass
Bar Boulud
Cru

[skgchow]

no particular order:

kefi
daniel
rhong tiam
gari
chinatown brasserie
boca chica
second avenue deli
perilla
sasabune
tamarind

[meigga]

Salt
Matsugen
The Modern
Asiate
Ippudo
Sakagura
Dell'Anima
Jewel Bako
Five Points
Kasadela
Aurora

[steakrules85]

You like asian/japanese food I take it lol?

[Simon]

no order:

-- Keens
-- Grand Sichuan Chelsea
-- Malatesta
-- Scarpetta
-- Tia Pol
-- Cantoon Garden
-- Ushi Wakamaru
-- Amazing 66
-- Red Egg (happy hour only)
-- Grand Central Oyster Bar (oysters only, counter only)

[nancyl126]

Eleven Madison Park
Scarpetta
Shake Shack
Gramercy Tavern
Itzocan Bistro
Five Points
Perry Street
Blue Hill
Babbo
Spigolo

[brooklynlady]

dell'anima
grand sichaun
sripraprai
minetta tavern
per se
prune
la esquina
blue hill
lupa

[steakrules85]

I may be going to Minetta Tavern this weekend. I am dying to try their ribeye and of course the black label burger. Any other recommendations? Possibly the souffle?

[demigodh]

souffle is great, i highly recommend it. *i had the grand marnier one

[steakrules85]

Awesome thats what I wanted to try! Was it tough getting in? Do you think I would have a hard time dining solo at around 5pm on Friday night?

[koko85]

dont think 5pm would be a problem at all...i was there at 6:30 on a friday and it was just starting to fill...i would take the 5 o 5:30 if you can get it or just go as a walk in at that hour - black angus is AWESOME and get a glass of the french cider!

[Stuartmc910]

I ordered the marrow bones, very disappointing. Everything else, however was excellent, especially the service.
We had a 6:30 Monday night res. which I made the Thursday before with no problem.

[NYJewboy]

Glad to see proper respect paid to Lupa!

[potluck]

No order

EMP
Yasuda
'inoteca
Momofuku Ko
Sripraphai
WD-50
Babbo
Saka Gura
Hearth
PerSe

[Hurner]

My favorites, not necessarily the best, in no particular order:

Convivio
Babbo
Degustation
Casa Mono
Eleven Madison Park
Craft
Jean-Georges
Blue Hill
Tocqueville
Annissa

[MMRuth]

I just read in the Times this morning that Annisa is currently closed due to a kitchen fire - just an FYI for others.

[steakrules85]

Just curious by what you mean when you say your favorites not necessarily the best?

[Hurner]

I meant that these restaurants are my personal favorites, although it could also be argued that several of them are among Manhattan's best.

[kim e]

I'm only listing 9 because #10 is Peter Luger :). My fave restaurant ever is Blue Hill at Stone Barns but I guess that doesn't count, either...
1. Gramercy Tavern
2. Shake Shack
3. Caracas
4. Momofuku Ko
5. Momofuku Ssam
6. Ippudo
7. Gradisca
8. 'inoteca
9. Bouley

[fm1963]

No order:

Jean Georges
Le Bernardin
La Grenouille
Palm
Ouest
Odeon
Compass
Buddha Bodai
Nice Matin
Cafe d'Alsace

[geendatz]

No Order;Pearl Oyster Bar /Lupa/Locanda Verde/Minetta Tavern/Inoteca/Grand Sichuan 9th Ave/Gottino/Casa Mono/Txcito/Marea$$[ouch]/and Katz';s

[foodwhisperer]

Jean Georges
Bouley
Wolfgang
Keen's
Ennio and Michael
Kyo Ya
15 East
Kanoyama
Jack's luxury oyster
Wallse

[michaeldcohen]

Just for fun I totaled up the recommendations in the post and 38 responses. I might have missed one or mistaken an alternate spelling for a distinct place. That said, the places with more than two mentions were: Babbo (10) , Per Se (8), Eleven Madison Park (8), Momofuku Ko (7) [+ 3 for "both"], Sushi Yasuda (6), Gramercy Tavern (5), Jean-Georges (5), Ippudo (5), Shake Shack (5), Blue Hill (5), Bouley (5), Peter Luger (4), Saka Gura (4), Grand Sichuan (4), and at (3) -- Sripraphai, Scarpetta, Lupa, Keen's, Katz's, 'inoteca , & Craft. Momofuku Ssam had 2 [+ 3 for "both"]. There were many others at (2) and (1).

Others will have more observations, but here are three: (A) no place made more than one third of the lists; (B) The list is not too surprising at the very top; But (C) among those in the range of 3-6 mentions there might be some discussion.

[Jorel]

I'm surprised at the absence of some popular NY fine dining establishments, especially those serving fine French cuisine: Les Bernardin, Daniel, L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon, La Grenouille, Picholine, Adour, Aureole, etc.

I've only been to Les Bernardin (and loved it) and haven't gone to the others simply because of price. Maybe, especially in these economic times, other 'hounds are as thrifty as I, but with Per Se on the list, I would have thought a few of these would have made the top 10, too.

[foodoof]

Favorite based on what ? I have two sets of favorite places, the first one is the top 10 favorite for special occasion and the last one is top 10 favorite that I frequent the most because I don't have to make rsvp 1 month in advance or don't have to watch my wallet

Top 10 favorite for special occasion or more festive meals (not in order)
1. Per Se
2. Jean Georges
3. Del Posto
4. Masa
5. Daniel
6. Sushi Yasuda
7. L'Atelier
8. Babbo
9. Bouley
10. Blue Hill at Stone Barns

Top 10 favorite because I like the food and I just can walk in, so I frequent these

1. Peter Luger
2. Setagaya
3. Grand Sichuan
4. Pam's Real Thai (Sripaphai in Queens)
5. Lupa
6. Wolfgang's
7. Yakitori Torrys/Totto (equal)
8. Les Halles
9. Bo Ky Noodle House
10. Casa Mono

[princeofpork]

Les Halles on the same list as Peter Luger and Wolfgangs? That seems strange.

[steakrules85]

Peter Luger is my favorite restaurant as I stated in my post, however they are not on my list because I specified MANHATTAN. Anyway, have you really had success "just walking in" at Peter Luger?

[Jorel]

In Manhattan (no cheating by putting Sripraphai on Flushing joints on here)

- Babbo
- Gramercy Tavern
- Le Bernadin
- Eleven Madison Park
- Momofuku Ssam Bar
- Blue Hill
- Sushi Yasuda
- Shake Shack
- Commerce
- Veritas

Una Pizza Napoletana would have been on this list last week. Bouley just misses the cut for me as does Alta, followed by Saravanaas and Bianca. Popular places that weren't close for me: Craft, Perilla, Grand Sichuan (really?) and Scarpetta.

I've never been to Daniel, Per Se, Jean Georges, Momofuku Ko, Convivio or Corton.

[planetjess]

In order from the most special occasion to the most reliable standbys.

Daniel
Babbo
Scarpetta
Craft
Perilla
Cafe at Country
Hill Country
Adrienne's Pizza
Max (dinner when I'm broke)
Jane (brunch)

[bododavid]

I decided to do a top five, because I'm only 17, and so I don't have as much experience with the Manhattan food scene. That said, I have included the top five restaurants I want to try as well.

Top five (Per Se is really at the top, but the rest shouldn't really be in order, as they are all good in there own ways):

1. Per Se
2. The Modern (Dining Room)
3. Spotted Pig
4. Perry Street
5. Shake Shack

Top five I want to eat at:

1. 11 Madison Park
2. Momofuko Ssam
3. Minetta Tavern
4. WD-50
5. Daniel

[Jorel]

You eat way better than I did when I was 17. Kudos.

[Stuartmc910]

Just eyeballed the list. No Mexican Restaurants?

[Jorel]

I certainly can't think of a Mexican or Tex-Mex restaurant in Manhattan that I would rank anywhere near most of the places listed on this thread. I mean, there are a few decent places on the UWS and I like the tacos at Pinche, but it's still not even close for me.

[windycity]

Yeah, I agree with that. I like PInche a lot and it will do as a substitute, but it's definitely not my top 10. Been to Craft and EMP and yet they wouldn't make my favorite list.

I think my top 10 is going to be a mix of standbys and special occasion. Plus we generally like hole in the walls as well as single niche places and would be happy eating there all the time:

Jean George
Menkuitei (St. Mark's)
Pho Bang (Mott)
New Yeah Shanghai Deluxe
Payard desserts (come back soon, please!)
The Modern
Sripraphai
Artichoke Basile
2nd Ave Deli
La Sirene

[Gastronomos]

Can we rename this "Your 10 favorite Manhattan STEAKHOUSES?

[steve h.]

my favorites include:
sushi yasuda
esca
le bernardin
keens
per se
babbo
gramercy tavern
shaffer city (oysters and gimlets at the bar)
spotted pig
tia pol

special mention: scarpetta, casa mono, bar jamon

in memoriam: una pizza napoletana

[Spends Rent on Food]

Looks like I missed this thread the first time around:
Casa Mono
Prune
EMP
Per Se
La Grenouille
Blue Ribbon
Artisanal
The Modern
Wolfgangs
Sarges

Although I did have a rediculous meal (in a good way) at Fatty Crab UWS last week. It was one of my meals of the year. Just phenomenal, but I've only eaten there once... and feel I need to do more "research" before it can crack my top 10.

[steakrules85]

Having been able to dine at more restaurants over the past year and a half my list has changed:

No particular order- Keens, Strip House, Eleven Madison Park, Gotham Bar and Grill, Craft, Scarpetta, Babbo, Convivio, Il Mulino, Old Homestead

Figured I would make it a bit more well rounded and take out some of the steakhouses =). The other steakhouses can be on a separate list.