Ask for wine director Jorge Riera. He will pour you what you never knew you needed. And Always. Order. Dessert. Especially if that peanut butter creation is on the menu. Read more.
There is a woman on staff called the “Dreamweaver,” whose entire job is to satisfy your wish for the evening, such as procuring a customized sled on a snowy night and then painting your name on it. Read more.
Expect perfect oysters, lovingly prepared off-cuts of meat, tangy homemade ferments, and seasonal vegetables. Natural wines, smart-but-not-smart-ass cocktails, and local suds keep everyone loose. Read more.
It’s more fun to over-order the small plates and descend on them as a group. Whatever comes with burrata, get. Dessert? You can skip it. Also try their new Italian restaurant, Café Altro Paradiso. Read more.
Semilla has a relentlessly inventive menu that explores every possible thing you can do with every possible part of the season’s veg, all in the pursuit of maximum flavor and zero waste. Read more.
The laminated baguettes—that’s a baguette wrapped in croissant dough!—come out at 1 p.m. Monday to Thursday and at 11:30 a.m. Friday and sell out quickly. Be there. Read more.
Don’t ignore the potatoes—or the desserts (remember cheesecake?). Request a seat near the window upstairs. Read more.
Our ideal order always involves a pizza (try the off-menu but always-available Bee Sting: spicy soppressata and honey), some salumi, a salad, some pasta, and a dry-aged meat (beef or duck). Read more.
Bill Durney's Jamaican jerk baby back ribs and lamb belly might be the start of a New York City style. And his ginormous beef ribs are worth a plane ticket. Read more.
The estrella pasta (made with chicken livers) is as good as everyone says it is. Read more.
At breakfast, be treated to a more serene version of the restaurant—linger over coffee and scrambled eggs with prosciutto. For dinner, vegetables and anything served in a cocotte will do you right. Read more.
Most of all, do not skip dessert: Two brain-twisting flavors of gelato and sorbet daily that will probably win Brooks Headley another James Beard award. Read more.
The white tuna-Kobe beef dish is the world’s best surf-and-turf. You are ordering it. Read more.
Ask if they have any collaboration dinners coming up: They’ve done great ones with Jessica Koslow of Sqirl, David Tanis, and others. It’s where the kitchen really gets to stretch and shine. Read more.
With only 12 seats, this spot fills up fast. Grab a coffee at the barber shop-slash-café next door while you wait, or, weekends, check to see if local tea importer Kettl is doing a pop-up upstairs. Read more.
You can text your food or drink order to the bar, which feels more like cheeky early-aughts kitsch than scary iFuture. Read more.
Everyone—us included—talks about the fried chicken, but do not sleep on the nachos! And don’t let anyone tell you it’s not the best f*#%ing bar in New York City. Read more.
If you’ve never had a Champagne cocktail before, start your habit here. Speaking of habits: Those potato chips! Read more.
The food is substantial (and tasty) enough to make a meal of, but getting a couple of early evening cocktails and snacks before a later downtown dinner rez is really the move here. Read more.
When you get the urge to camp out here (and you will), make sure to equip yourself with Rocket Fuel, a chicory-laced cold brew topped off with whole milk and maple syrup. Read more.
The nitro cold brew will propel you through summer. Grab a stubby of cold brew to keep in your office fridge for those days when you can’t bear the line. Read more.
In the back room of hip Williamsburg barbershop Persons of Interest exists Parlor Coffee, a no-frills espresso bar that has become a symbol of how truly fantastic New York coffee can be. Read more.
Get a river-facing corner room. Also: Keep in mind that unless you pull your blinds after dark, you’re part of the show for tourists on the High Line. Read more.
Order 24-hour room service from the Breslin and Stumptown. Before you book your trip, check out their events calendar to see which DJ, musician, writer, or artist-in-residence you can catch. Read more.
There’s no room service, but it’s easier for guests to get into the restaurant or rooftop bar without waiting. Read more.
Every room has a table and chairs for in-room dining, which means you can bring in brunch from Mile End or Russ & Daughters. Read more.
The weekend and holiday lines are themselves legendary. Join the throngs, or opt for a calm weekday morning. Lunch is almost always busy; at dinnertime, you practically have the place to yourself. Read more.
The owners have an eye for the unusual and a passion for facilitating artists’ curiosities, often commissioning one-of-a-kind items, like marbleized concrete incense burners and bumpy ceramic vases. Read more.
Sign up for the mailing list: The annual summer sale is worth getting elbowed at, and art openings for the likes of painter Hugo Guinness are a lovely scene. Read more.
If you’re not asking questions about the products in the shop, you’re wasting your time. Owner Atef Boulaabi rewards curiosity with enthusiastic explanation and, often, samples. Read more.
