Last Updated on March 28, 2026 by Emma Fajcz | Published: January 4, 2024
Do you know Daniel Bouluds from Thomas Kellers? Are you confusing French-born Éric Ripert with Jean-Georges Vongerichten? New York City has a large handful of super chefs, top toques who are known all over the culinary world. But they happen to (mostly) be based here in NYC: arguably the best dining metropolis in North America. Here’s your culinary cheat sheet to the 20 best chefs in New York City so you don’t miss out on their incredible cuisine while you’re visiting.
Searching for more haute cuisine? Don’t miss these best Michelin restaurants in NYC!
NYC Chefs Are More Influential Than You Think
Do you know this famous NYC chef’s creation? Pop quiz: this French-born chef with bakeries in SoHo and the Flatiron District is credited with creating:
- A) frozen s’mores
- B) the chocolate chip cookie shot
- C) the cronut
- D) the DKA, a caramelized croissant
The answer? Dominique Ansel created all of them! But the cronut, of course, is his most famous culinary invention. It caused a craze in May 2013 when Ansel put it in his pastry counter. Time magazine named the cronut one of the best inventions of the year.
Greg Baxtrom
Chicago-born chef Greg Baxtrom has wowed guests at Per Se, Alinea, and Blue Hill at Stone Barns in Westchester County, NY—three of the world’s most acclaimed eateries.
Daniel Boulud
Chef Daniel Boulud is such a stalwart of the New York fine dining scene that you only need to refer to him by his first name, and everyone will know who you’re talking about.
Chef Boulud is not only a charmer, he’s a very talented chef. The owner of 10 restaurants in New York (most of which bear his name), Boulud’s flagship restaurant is—wait for it—Daniel. The restaurant has two Michelin stars and is the epitome of Gallic-accented fine dining in New York City.
David Chang
Chef David Chang now lives in Los Angeles, but he’ll be forever associated with New York. After all, he got his start here, working at Cafe Boulud and then opening up his first restaurant, Momofuku Noodle Bar, in the East Village in 2004.
And while Chang has restaurants in Los Angeles, Toronto, and Washington, DC, the majority of his eateries are in New York City: two Momofuku Noodles Bars, Momofuku Ssäm Bar, and the fine dining spot, Momofuku Ko.
Amanda Cohen
Canadian-born chef Amanda Cohen is the owner and executive chef at Dirt Candy, a plant-based restaurant located on the Lower East Side. In October 2022, the restaurant was awarded a Michelin star. Before opening Dirt Candy in 2008, chef Cohen worked at now-closed restaurants Angelica Kitchen in the East Village and Bobby’s Flay’s Mesa Grill.
Hugue Dufour
This talented Quebecois chef learned his tricks of the trade at acclaimed Montreal restaurant Au Pied de Cochon before opening up M. Wells (now closed) in Long Island City, Queens, in 2010. In 2013, Dufour and his wife Sarah Obraitis (who charmingly works the front of the house at M.Wells) moved into a former auto-body shop.
Dufour’s menu was loaded with meaty goodness: blood pudding, foie gras, goat carpaccio, steak, goat liver, truffle-sprinkled venison, a foie-gras-laced burger, and other delights. Now that their restaurant chain of M. Wells has closed in 2024, they focus on hosting events and residencies throughout NYC.
Gabrielle Hamilton
Best-selling author and chef Gabrielle Hamilton is an iconic New York City toque. Her restaurant Prune was one of the most beloved eateries in the city, but permanently closed during the pandemic. Many Big Apple dining lovers hope that Hamilton will re-open Prune or launch a new culinary endeavor.
Daniel Humm
Chef Daniel Humm caused a lot of eyebrows to raise when he announced in April 2021 that his much-lauded restaurant, Eleven Madison Park would go completely vegan. The restaurant, which had the number one spot on the 50 Best Restaurant List in 2017 and still retains three Michelin Stars, is still nearly impossible to get into, making it the most exclusive vegan eatery on the planet.
Before the Swiss-born Humm was the top toque at Eleven Madison Park, he was in the kitchen at Taj Campton Place in San Francisco. Chef Humm has won six James Beard Awards.
Thomas Keller
Chef Thomas Keller might be the most decorated living American-born chef. The owner and chef at The French Laundry in Napa Valley and Per Se in New York City, Keller is the only American chef to have two simultaneous three-Michelin-starred restaurants at the same time.
Chef Keller has won numerous James Beard Awards, named Best Chef in America by numerous food publications, and still retains three Michelin stars for Per Se and French Laundry.
Ignacio Mattos
Born in Uruguay, it’s safe to say Ignacio Mattos might be the most heralded Uruguayan chef on the planet. Mattos is the owner and executive chef at acclaimed Estela, located on the border of Nolita and SoHo in lower Manhattan. The restaurant has received rave reviews, and is a favorite of the Obamas when they’re in town.
Chef Mattos also owns and operates Altro Paradiso, an excellent Italian spot in west SoHo, Lodi, a new-ish Art Deco-bedecked Italian eatery at Rockefeller Center, and, since June 2022, the comfort food-leaning Corner Bar on the Lower East Side.
Éric Ripert
While most chefs take their success and open up as many restaurants as possible in a money-grab, French-born Éric Ripert instead has remained the co-owner and executive chef at just one restaurant, and what a great restaurant it is!
Le Bernardin has held three Michelin stars since the first year the esteemed tire company published a restaurant book to New York in 2006. Only Le Bernardin and Per Se have such a distinction.
Alex Raij and Eder Montero
These two chefs—Raij is originally from Minneapolis and Montero from the Basque Country—have greatly contributed to making New York City a much better destination for tapas and Spanish cuisine. (If you love Spanish cuisine, don’t miss our top 10 favorite Spanish restaurants in NYC!)
This dynamic duo are the chefs and owners of three wonderful restaurants: La Vara, a restaurant that focuses on the legacies of Jewish and Moorish cuisines in Spain; Txichito, a Basque restaurant in Chelsea, and Saint Julivert Fisherie, a seafood-leaning spot in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn.
Missy Robbins
The former chef at acclaimed, but now closed restaurants, Spiaggia in Chicago and at A Voce in New York, Chef Missy Robbins is now the co-owner and executive chef at Misi and Lilia, both of which are in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Chef Robbins is decorated with accolades, James Beard Awards, and has been named Chef of the Year by various magazines.
Christina Tosi
Pastry wizard Christina Tosi is the talented mind behind Milk Bar, part of David Chang’s Momofuku empire. What began as one location connected to Momofuku Ssäm bar in the East Village has now sprouted from New York to California and everywhere in between. If you’re a viewer of the TV shows Master Chef and Chef’s Table, you might recognize Tosi.
Insider’s Tip: The Cereal Milk Soft Serve at Milk Bar makes our list of must-try foods in NYC!
Marcus Samuelsson
Celebrated chef Marcus Samuelsson made a name for himself at elevated Scandinavian restaurant Aquavit. And in 2010, he left the Midtown restaurant to open Red Rooster in Harlem, a soul food eatery that has a few nods to his Ethiopian and Swedish roots. Samuelsson has won eight James Beard Awards and has appeared on countless food TV shows.
Alex Stupak
Chef Alex Stupak began his cooking career at some culinary heavy hitters back in the day that are now unfortunately closed: Clio in Boston, Alinea in Chicago, and wd~50 on New York’s Lower East Side. After getting a thorough training in molecular gastronomy, chef Stupak left that world and opened up a taqueria. That’s right: a taqueria!
Empellón Taqueria is his first restaurant, and is located in the West Village. Here, there’s no culinary trickery: just excellent, high-quality Mexican fare. He’s gone on to open up an Empellón outpost in Midtown, Empellón al Pastor, in the East Village and Murray Hill.
Jean-Georges Vongerichten
Super chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten popularized marrying Asian ingredients and aesthetics with French cooking techniques. His flagship restaurant, Jean-Georges, located on Columbus Circle, has two Michelin stars and is highly celebrated. This New York-based chef has countless restaurants all over the planet!
Jodi Williams and Rita Sodi
NYC chefs Jody Williams and Rita Soda, American and Italian, respectively, are a West Village powerhouse couple. Every restaurant they open becomes an instant hit, often with long lines of hungry people waiting for a coveted table.
Via Carota and I Sodi, their Italian restaurants, are favorites. So is Buvette, a Gallic eatery that now has an outpost in Paris. On the same block as Via Carota and Buvette, is Bar Pisellino, an Italian bar that serves coffee in the morning and daytime and wine and spritzes in the evening. The duo’s most recent West Village venture is The Commerce Inn, a rustic restaurant serving Shaker cuisine.
Here for the Food? Stay for the History
You can’t come to NYC without getting the full experience on our Official Grand Central Terminal Tour! On this revealing tour, you’ll see a side of the world’s most famous train terminal that even the most frequent commuters never encounter. Get to know the colorful historic figures who brought Grand Central to life, and gain a new appreciation for its near-magical scale. It’s the perfect way to finish off your trip to NYC.
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Best Chefs in NYC FAQs
Who are the top chefs in New York City?
New York City is home to many world-renowned chefs who have shaped the city’s culinary reputation. Some of the most influential include Daniel Boulud, Jean‑Georges Vongerichten, Éric Ripert, Dominique Ansel, and Thomas Keller. These chefs lead some of the city’s most celebrated restaurants and have earned Michelin stars, James Beard Awards, and global recognition for their innovative cooking and influence on modern dining.
What restaurants won Top Chef in NYC?
Several restaurants in New York City are run by chefs who have appeared on or won the TV show Top Chef. For example, Buddha Lo, who won Top Chef seasons 19 and 20, became executive chef at Huso. Other notable alumni include season 13 competitor Kwame Onwuachi, whose acclaimed restaurant Tatiana by Kwame Onwuachi has earned major national attention. Many celebrated chefs in NYC have competed on or been featured in Top Chef over the years.
Who has three Michelin stars in New York City?
New York City currently has a small group of restaurants holding the Michelin Guide’s highest distinction: three stars. These include Eleven Madison Park, Le Bernardin, Per Se, Masa, and Jungsik. Three Michelin stars represent the guide’s top honor, awarded only to restaurants considered “worth a special journey” for their exceptional cuisine, technique, and consistency.
