Few know I’m half new yorker thanks to my mom. Although I’ve visited NY and its five boroughs many times, usually I am there to spend time with family. However in the past few years, I’ve finally had the chance to visit some amazing restaurants and bar. This guide could not be possible without the sage advice from my trusted foodie friends Annie, BQ, Matt M, Gavin, Kevin, Elena, Matt R, Paolino, and Mr Cione.

Financial District

Crown Shy (70 Pine St) - Thanks to Matt Magliocco, I discovered one of the hottest new properties in NYC. Crown Shy is located on the lobby floor of a beautiful Art Deco condo building that is a hop, skip and a jump from Wall Street. The restaurant lounge benefits from soft and welcoming lighting with a slick bar area and an equally fashionable dining area.

Bar manager Harrison Ginsberg (ex Dead Rabbit and Black Tail) has designed a beautiful cocktail list of signatures and twists on classics. We started the dinner with two stunning Michter's cocktails, Gone Bamboo with rye, sherry, coconut, almond, peach, rosemary and barley and RIP Aerlume with rye, Greek vermouth, spiced orange, saffron and Campari.

Next up, we enjoyed some of the finest casual dining NY has to offer. I say casual, because business partners Jeff Katz and James Kent see the ground floor Crown Shy space as being just that. On the 64th and 65th floors, you can find Saga and Overstory, higher end dining and drinking experiences, respectively. Both offer stunning 360 degree views of the city from the balcony.

Of the food plates, all designed for sharing, the highlights were the Gruyere fritters, white bean hummus and 'nduja, Caramelle pasta with corn and Chantarelles.

Overstory (70 Pine St) - Since my first visit in 2019, Crown Shy has become one of the most trendy restaurant bars in New York, also being awarded a Michelin star in 2022. Not ones to rest on their laurels, founders chef James Kent (ex-Nomad) and Jeff Katz (ex-Del Posto), two giants in the New York restaurant scene have launched two new Food and Beverage outlets in the 70 Pine Street tower, but 60 floors up.

Opened in late 2021 and located on the 63rd and 64th floors, respectively, the fine-dining restaurant SAGA and cocktail bar Overstory, offer a wraparound wrought-iron terrace with 360-degree views of the New York City skyline. The remarkably rapid elevator ride up to the new spaces stops at the 63rd floor. Those lucky enough to have secured a reservation at the recent two Michelin-starred SAGA are greeted with a welcome cocktail as they exit the elevator at the restaurant’s bar, the centerpiece of the room.

Take the stairs another floor up to reach Overstory, a 26-seat bar with an open-air terrace that can accommodate 40 people. Overstory's wrap around and uninterrupted view from its Financial district location is breathtaking, whether it's at sunset or after dinner, when NY is at its best. Overstory could be best described as an oval-shaped jewel box in the sky. Designed by MN, the bar’s interior is characterized by blush plaster walls, burgundy banquettes, and modeled on a vintage theater marquee. The staff at Overstory are beautifully dressed in pink pastel uniforms and will wow you with their friendliness and execution. It should be no surprise they won Michter’s Art of Hospitality Award in the inaugural 2022 edition North America’s 50 Best Bars.

Bar Director Harrison Ginsberg (ex-BlackTail and Dead Rabbit), Bar manager Chris Figueroa and Head bartender Chris Lemperle have crafted a cocktail list worthy of the view. The drinks are prepared with rare ingredients and complex methods but presented in an accessible way to the guest. The cocktail list was inspired by the space, and looking around an admiring the view from the terrace, Ginsberg thoughts to himself: “How can we not have a Martini in this beautiful space?” And this is how the Gyokuro Martini was born, a martini that is nearly classic but suits the extravagant room at Overstory. Its vermouth blend consists of classic dry vermouth, verjus, Cocchi Americano, and a Brooklyn Kura sake, made in Brooklyn using traditional methods and heirloom rice grains. The base spirit is a vodka infused with Gyokuro tea, a highly prized variety of Japanese green tea, which adds tropical-fruit notes to the cocktail.

The Terroir Old Fashioned is a tequila cocktail that is meant to express not only the specific terroir of the Jalisco-based tequila but also the other ingredients in the cocktail: VEP Yellow Chartreuse from the Chartreuse Mountains in France, Vin Jaune from the Jura region of France, Palo Santo from the Yucatan Peninsula, and sea salt harvested at Fort Tilden near Coney Island, which can be seen from the 70 Pine’s terraces. The drink’s sweetener is a caramelized agave nectar, cooked in a large saucepan to reduce and darken it, resulting in a deep, caramelized flavor and intensified agave characteristic. The drink is garnished with a piece of homemade honeycomb created by the restaurant’s pastry kitchen and a sprinkle of salt. Though tequila is the base spirit, the drink has a deep whiskey-like quality from the caramelized agave syrup. The result is a Mounds candy bar flavor with herbaceous and vanilla notes from the prestigious barrel-aged yellow chartreuse.

After sunset, the disco ball is fired up, further adding to the charm of Overstory. More than a bar, Overstory is a destination, or experience, that every cocktail bar lover should experience at least once in their lives. The emotion of drinking at Overstory is comparable to that of enjoying a Martini at Atlas. But instead of James Bond, you'll feel like a mix of Andy Warhol and Don Draper, with a view of New York that will make the Manhattan you are drinking all that more memorable.

The Dead Rabbit (30 Water Street) - Irish Coffee, well-poured Guinness and friendly people that are happy to party with you until every other bar in town in closed. This is The Dead Rabbit and I fucking love it. Opened in 2013 by Jack McGarry and Sean Muldoon, The Dead Rabbit is a classic Irish Pub at the street level Taproom but a killer craft cocktail bar at the upstairs The Parlor. I wager to bet that after five minutes at The Dead Rabbit, you will have already fallen in love. This bar is charming, authentic, but most importantly fun. Named The World’s Best Bar in 2016, The Dead Rabbit is up there with Bar Termini, Dukes and few others in approaching perfection.

Chinatown

Tasty Hand Pulled Noodles (1 Doyers St, Chinatown) - to satisfy you fried noodles and dumplings craving, “Tasty Hand Pulled Noodles” has got you. Thanks Gavin for this great reco.

Xi'an Famous Foods (8 Liberty Place) - one of the best Asian noodle experiences of my life. Everything here is spicy, and really damn tasty.

Lower East Side

Chinato (108 Stanton St) - Opened in October 2023 by founder Guoxin “Ray” Zhou, together with business partners Xiong Ying and Teng Huang, Chinato is one of the hottest new openings in New York. Prior to opening Chinato, Zhou was lauded for his great work as R&D lead at Double Chicken Please, which won the Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Award for World’s Best Cocktail Menu in 2023. With a strong desire to build a bar he could call his own, Zhou opened Chinato, with a name inspired by Barolo Chinato, the aromatized wine from Piedmont renowned for its bittersweet aromatic qualities derived from a blend of herbs and spices. However, the name comes from than just Zhou’s love for Barolo Chinato - Chinato cleverly combines "China" and "to”, reflecting Zhou’s Chinese upbringing and journey to NY, which he aims to celebrate with his new bar.

What sets Chinato apart from other bars in bustling New York is that is much more than a place to have a well-made cocktail. Its interior design, featuring a central island design with no front or back, encourages interaction between bartenders and guests, creating an immersive and inviting space ideal for sparking conversations. The team at Chinato carefully selects the music, visuals, and food offerings to provide a multisensory and memorable guest experience. Zhou collaborated with China-based agency Wild Rabbit to design Chinato, which features mixed woods, exposed brick, and stainless-steel accents within the intimate 110-square-meter space. The ceiling’s fishbone wood detailing and hanging circular light fixture adds to the charm of Chinato’s atmosphere. In addition to the island-style bar, which seats four, there is also a more traditional five-seat bar area with black-leather bar stools, as well as additional table seating for twenty guests with comfortable plush grey-green chairs.

Not surprising given Zhou’s previous experience at Double Chicken Please, the drinks are outstanding at Chinato. The opening cocktail menu takes inspiration from music which as Zhou explains, help ties us all together “Music is a language that can connect people from different backgrounds, different cultures and different experiences.” For example, "Gin & Juice" pays homage to Snoop Dogg, while the crowd favorite “Tequila” was taken from the 1958 song of the same name performed The Champs. The recipe for this uniquely Mexican drink was inspired by a recent trip of Chinato’s chef, and features tequila reposado, tomato, yellow pepper, pineapple, habanero, corn, and lime. The ingredients are shaken and strained in a coupette and served with a crispy pork jerky.

Chinato faces stiff competition in the Lower East Side but will win you over thanks to its unique atmosphere, where culture, community, and cocktails combine to provide a one-of-a-kind experience.

Tigre (105 Rivington St) - I had the chance to visit Tigre for the friends and family prelaunch back in December 2023. If I could describe this place in three words, sexy as fuck. From the overall design, to the eye-catching bar counter and back bar, to the staff, everything here is very pretty. The cocktails were nothing mind blowing but the vibe here is something special, even for New York. My favorite part of the menu was the dedicated martini list, offering the possibility of six different quality gins and vodkas at a spirit to vermouth ratio of 4:1 up to infinity:1 (ie. 1 to nothing).

Double Chicken Please (115 Allen St) - First I am going to tell you what I dislike about Double Chicken Please (DCP) and then I will tell you what I love about it. We pulled up to Double Chicken Please a couple hours before last call and were surprised to see a group of cocktail lovers lined up outside braving the harsh NY winter. When we peered inside the bar, we noticed that the “Front Room", the high volume experience within Double Chicken Please, was mostly empty. Artificial lineup? Perhaps. But I give the team the benefit of the doubt given the horrific staffing issues plaguing the world right now. We eventually got into the Front Room, although I could no longer feel my extremities. Disappointingly, we were told we had no chance of getting into the real bar “The Coop” because it “was getting late”. The city that always sleeps? We persisted.

We sent our best man on a recon mission and magically, ten minutes later, we secured a space in the area that serves Cold Pizza, which is a cocktail by the way. As my friends are cocktail celebrities in New York, they got held up taking selfies. However, the waitress was kind of enough to escort me to the Coop. As we approached the table, the waitress nonchalantly told me there was a one drink minimum. To this day, I still have trouble processing this. OK, she couldn’t have possibly known about my drinking prowess, but why in God’s name would someone well past his high school days attempt to divvy up one drink with his buddies, especially after freezing his ass off outside waiting in line? But then I thought about what happened to Nottingham Forest in Milano thanks to that viral video of their bathtub cocktail. Well, it would appear TikTok has also fucked Double Chicken Please, attracting hordes of Bridge and Tunnel youngins dreaming of becoming influencers one day, all for the privilege of lining up forty minutes to get into this place.

So how you ask did I not bail on DCP in the first few minutes? Well, the food is awesome, like really fucking awesome. At the Front Room, the fried chicken sandwiches are some of the best I’ve had in my life. The highballs weren’t memorable, but I will never forget those sandwiches, maybe the best bar food I’ve had in my life. But perhaps you should take this declaration, and in fact this entire narrative, with a grain of salt: I was near the end of a bar tour and more than mildly intoxicated. But other than the food in the Front Room, there is an outstanding cocktail you must try in the Coop: Red Eye Gravy. Although I felt that Cold Pizza was overhyped, Red Eye Gravy rocked. Inspired by the southern USA dish, Red Eye Gravy is a twist on the Old Fashioned with Irish whiskey, coffee butter, corn, walnut, mushroom and wait for the garnish…microwaved prosciutto! Yes, I live in Italy and still loved it.

So there you have it. My love hate relationship with the Double Chicken Please. Would I go back? Most definitely, but in the spring or summer when I won’t risk hypothermia waiting outside. But in all honesty, hypothermia would be totally worth it for one more bite of that blessed chicken.

East Village

Dumpling Man (100 St. Mark's Place) - Outstanding freshly made dumplings and delicious dipping sauces. When I asked the cashier if perhaps the cooks knew the mysterious wifi password he told me "the cooks don't speak English and don't have telephones." Authentic.

Momofuku Noodle Bar (171 first avenue) - After one visit to his Ssam bar several years, David Chang instantly became my favorite chef in the world. His noodle bar has a more compact menu specializing in Ramen and steamed chinese buns but is definitely worth a visit, especially if on a budget. Check out the Momofuku ramen with pork belly, pork shoulder and poached egg or the Spicy miso ramen – smoked chicken, poached egg, and sesame.

Delicious Ramen noodles with pork shoulder, pork belly and poached egg

Greenwich Village

Shuko (47 E 12th St) - My omakase experience at Shuko included sunomono, caviar, sashimi, sushi and dessert courses paired with outstanding sake, wine and cocktails. Although the experience lasts well over 2 hours, the time will fly by, and you will be treated to the best sushi New York has to offer. Do not miss the star of the show “Drop the Mic”with bluefin tuna, uni, caviar and gold leaf. Thank you to Chef Andrew and Sommelier Marin for this epic experience.

Dante (79-81 Macdougal St) - Before actually visiting Dante, I had featured them in an article on the low ABV revolution for Drinks International. Dante is a shining example of an industry shift towards lighter aperitivo-style drinking establishments. Inspired by their travels in Italy, the team wanted to promote the European style drinking experience to New Yorkers, accustomed to sipping Old Fashioneds, even before dinner. Original founder Naren Young says that customers often hang out for hours, sipping four of five of Dante’s sessionable drinks like the Garibaldi (pictured below), Americano, Spritz or lighter versions of the Negroni.

Dante is an Italian aperitivo hangout done well. Think Bar Termini but on a larger scale. A staff with positive energy, comforting natural lighting throughout the bar, and skilled and happy bartenders making a better rendition of the Garibaldi than in Italy. I had such a great experience at Dante that I was tempted to visit a second time the following morning before my flight back to Milano.

NoMad

The Portrait Bar (1 W 28th St) - The Portrait Bar is the gorgeous new bar run by Darryl Chan within The Fifth Avenue Hotel. The intimate space features wood paneling, elegant furniture, and an eclectic collection of portraits. I only had a chance to sample the Manhattan cocktail, but it was the best I’ve ever had, and that says a lot given that I’ve had many hundreds in my life. I asked the kind waitress to query the bartender on the secret ingredient, which was revealed to be none other than saline solution. Perhaps Dave Arnold is onto something! The only regret with my stay is having only one drink, as the staff were the friendliest I’ve experienced in the Big Apple.

The Portrait (courtesy The Fifth Avenue Hotel)

Hell’s Kitchen

Wondee Siam (792 9th Ave) - My favorite Thai restaurant in NY is Wondee Siam, famous for its BYOB policy and secret Thai menu. Everything is done well here, from curries, to pad thai. From the secret menu, try the Khua kai, a Chinese-influenced Thai dish made with stir-fried rice noodles and chicken.

Green curry (lunch serving) and Khua khai

New York /April 4, 2024 by shane eaton