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.

Food

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.

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.

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

Noda (37 West 20th Street)

Noda is a one Michelin star edomae omakase in Manhattan's Flatiron District. Diners sit at a single counter carved from an 800-pound piece of unfinished wood, sanded daily and shaped like a half-moon so the chef faces every guest. The room is quiet and minimal, with warm wood and soft light that keep the focus on the counter.

The kitchen is led by Shigeyuki Tsunoda, a Tokyo native trained in edomae sushi who worked at the Michelin-starred Sushi Iwa before moving to New York. His approach is precise and unhurried, built on respect for each ingredient.

The meal runs to around 20 courses that change daily, moving from small snacks to nigiri such as toro, uni and sea eel. Fish is sourced from Japan and local markets, the rice served warm, paired with sake, wine and a deep Japanese whiskey list.

Wondee Siam (782 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. Note that Wondee Siam has recently expanded but my cousin Randi assures me this place is still dope.

Green curry (lunch serving) and Khua khai

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.

Drink

Clemente Bar (11 Madison Avenue )

Clemente Bar opened above Eleven Madison Park in late 2024, a collaboration between chef Daniel Humm and the artist Francesco Clemente. The room takes the feel of an artist's studio, with walnut panels, burgundy tones and Clemente's murals. It quickly became one of New York's hardest reservations and won the Three Cents Best New Opening Award in 2025. The program is led by beverage director Sebastian Tollius, who oversees both the lounge and the Studio and drives the bar's work on fermentation and savory, seasoning-led cocktails.

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.

Overstory (70 Pine St) - Since my first visit in 2019, Crown Shy has become one of New York's most popular restaurant bars, earning a Michelin star in 2022. Its founders have since opened two more venues in the 70 Pine Street tower, 60 floors up.

Opened in late 2021 on the 63rd and 64th floors, the restaurant SAGA and bar Overstory share a wraparound iron terrace with 360-degree views. The elevator stops at the 63rd, where guests at the now two-Michelin-starred SAGA get a welcome cocktail.

One floor up is Overstory, a 26-seat bar with an open-air terrace for 40. The Financial District views are the draw, at sunset or after dinner. Designed by MN on a vintage theater marquee, the oval room has blush plaster walls and burgundy banquettes, staff in pastel pink. It won the Michter's Art of Hospitality Award at the inaugural 2022 North America's 50 Best Bars.

Bar Director Harrison Ginsberg (ex-BlackTail and Dead Rabbit) uses rare ingredients and complex methods, presented simply, with a list inspired by the space. The Terroir Old Fashioned expresses its Jalisco tequila and other ingredients: VEP Yellow Chartreuse, Vin Jaune from the Jura, Palo Santo from the Yucatan, and sea salt from Fort Tilden, visible from the terrace. The agave nectar is reduced until dark and caramelized, the drink garnished with house honeycomb and salt. It has whiskey-like depth and a Mounds-bar flavor, with herbaceous, vanilla notes from the barrel-aged chartreuse.

After sunset, the disco ball comes on. Drinking here recalls a Martini at Atlas, except instead of James Bond you feel like a mix of Andy Warhol and Don Draper, the view making the Manhattan in your hand all the more memorable.

Employees Only (510 Hudson St)

Employees Only (EO) opened in New York's West Village in 2004, founded by five industry friends and entered past a fortune teller's window into an Art Deco room. It helped shape the modern cocktail bar and is now a global brand with a long run on the World's 50 Best Bars list. It marked its 20th anniversary in 2024. The bar is currently run by Frank “Franky” Maldonado. Originally from Guatemala, he serves as bar manager and lead bartender, and travels as an ambassador leading pop-ups abroad.

Bartenders at EO work in white jackets, free-pouring at speed and high volume without dropping quality. The menu leans on Golden Age classics and house originals like the Amelia, the Ginger Smash and the Besos Calientes.

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.

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).

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.

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