In 2006, the venerable Michelin guide doled out its stars to NYC restaurants for the first time. And New Yorkers, more or less, gave a collective shrug. New York already had Zagat and the New York Times dining section. Did it need another ratings system?
In Europe, where Michelin is a foodies’ bible, the tire/restaurant advocacy company has a certain type of restaurant that it likes to award its stars to: a very classical high-end European restaurant, the kind where if you accidentally scratch your knife across your plate, you might end up on a serving platter, an apple in your mouth.
But then something interesting happened.
In New York, the company awarded stars to places that uncharacteristically did not conform to that classic Michelin portrait. In addition to the city’s stuffy Gallic-accented restaurants, casual Thai eateries, Korean noodle spots, non-fussy Mexican restaurants, old-school New York steakhouses, and gastropubs all got stars too. There was hope for Michelin in America, after all!
And so today, the list of Michelin restaurants in NYC is as diverse as the city itself. And not just in terms of what’s on the menu. In affordability, too.
So with that, here are the 15 best Michelin in NYC, organized by the number of stars each restaurant has.
Michelin Restaurants in NYC with One Star
Casa Mono
Despite having a Michelin star, this Gramercy Park Spanish restaurant somewhat lives in the Iberian shadow of New York restaurants by Spanish chefs Jose Andres and Dani Garcia. That shouldn’t be the case, as Casa Mono is arguably the best Spanish restaurant in New York City.
Chef Andy Nusser, who grew up in a fishing village on the Costa Brava, cooks up dishes inspired by his childhood but blends a legion of creativity and worldly flair into the mix.
Cote Korean Steakhouse
In a city dotted with American steakhouses, Cote puts some serious kick into that classic formula.
Korean-born Simon Kim is the talented toque behind this one-star Flatiron spot. First timers should opt for the “Butcher’s Feast,” an array of beef (cooked at the table), plus a legion of banchan and enough kimchi to complete a very satisfying feast.
Crown Shy
If you don’t work downtown in the Financial District, or you’re not a tourist headed to the Statue of Liberty or the 9/11 Memorial, there is little incentive to go there. Unless you’ve pointed yourself at this dynamic one-star eatery in an Art Deco dining room. The menu, loaded with eccentricity and creativity, was inspired by the diversity of New York City.
Estela
Uruguayan superchef Ignacio Mattos’ flagship eatery, this Nolita spot is as casual as it is elegant. Mattos is a master at layering flavors, tastes hidden underneath other tastes as a surprise in waiting.
You might get an odd but delicious pairing of grilled foie gras and grape leaves, or beef tartare with elderberries. Whatever is on the menu at one-star Estela, it’s going to be a hit.
Gramercy Tavern
Iconic, beloved, and consistently great, Gramercy Tavern (located in, you guessed it, Gramercy Park), is the jewel in legendary New York restaurateur Danny Meyer’s crown of eateries.
The one-star eatery with longtime chef Michael Anthony at the helm serves up New American fare in the form of a five-course tasting menu in the dining room or a la carte dishes in the more casual “tavern” (aka the bar).
Jeju Noodle Bar
One-star Jeju, anchored on a West Village corner, serves up some Korean staples like fried chicken, ja jang-style ribs, and ssam bap (with fatty tuna belly). But the real draw to Jeju is ramyun, big bowls of brothy noodles filled with a variety of goodness such as Wagyu beef or tender lamb or unctuous pork belly.
Oxomoco
Located in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, one of the best budding restaurant neighborhoods in New York, this one-star Mexican restaurant serves up creative, vegetable-forward, south-of-the-border fare.
Think: tacos with mezcal-marinated delicata squash, a fresh spring pea tlayuda, and a beef tartare tostada with grasshopper-spiked mayo. The kitchen has a lot of confidence in the quality of their ingredients and you can taste it in every bite.
Rezdôra
New York City is overflowing with Italian restaurants. Some might say too many. But if you have to go to only one, this one-star Flatiron spot might be the place.
Chef Stefano Secchi, who logged time in the kitchen at lauded and legendary La Francescana in Modena, Italy, serves up inventive and extremely flavorful pasta dishes that will make the majority of the city’s Italian eateries seem subpar and mediocre afterwards.
Wallsé
Chef Kurt Gutenbrunner’s longtime West Village eatery has been a bastion of elevated Austrian fare since anyone can remember. The one-star Michelin restaurant feels like an elegant neighborhood place, the kind you might pop into for a meal, but oh it happens to be a Michelin-starred restaurant. The Central European fare, like perfectly done schnitzel and hearty rabbit spätzle, is excellent.
Michelin Restaurants in NYC with Two Stars
Aquavit
Long before Scandinavia was the cool kid on the global culinary block, this Midtown restaurant was artistically crafting flavor popping fare with the minimalist ethos of an Ikea instruction manual.
Chef Emma Bengtsson is at the helm of this two-star spot that serves a $275 tasting menu. If you’re not up for that, park yourself at the bar and graze dishes from the a la carte menu.
Atomix
With such an explosive name, it’s hard to get a sense just what kind of a restaurant Atomix is. Here’s what it is: a cutting edge 14-seat, tasting-menu-only, chef’s counter, two-star Korean restaurant in NoMad that will blow up your palate with deliciousness.
Jungsik
This two-star Tribeca spot uses serious French technique on Korean ingredients to create edible magic in the kitchen, coaxing intense flavor out of pretty much anything the chefs touch.
If the eight-course, prix-fixe menu (for $265 before wine) is too much of a time and/or financial commitment, the bar menu offers lots of a la carte options, such as sea urchin bibimbap and perfectly rendered crispy octopus.
Momofuku Ko
Ko wasn’t chef David Chang’s first restaurant, but it certainly is his most refined. This East Village spot feels more like a three-Michelin-star place, even though it only has two.
Grab a seat at the wrap-around countertop and watch the chefs work as you graze on a procession of Asian-inflected edible delights from the $280 tasting menu. The bar area is a more casual part of the restaurant serving small plates and quadruple-fried chicken.
Michelin Restaurants in NYC with Three Stars
Chef’s Table at Brooklyn Fare
Is this the world’s only three-star Michelin restaurant in a supermarket?
Japanese-inspired fare using French technique is the name of the game here. The U-shaped seating counter around the kitchen creates an arena for chef César Ramirez, who puts on a show crafting a precious 13-course prix-fixe dinner, much to the standing ovation of diners’ palates.
And after, you can whip out that shopping list and spend some time in the adjoining supermarket.
Le Bernardin
Chef Eric Ripert’s elegant seafood-leaning restaurant in Midtown is the only restaurant in New York City that has managed to retain its three stars since the year Michelin first put out its New York guide in 2006.
Not that this is a big surprise. Le Bernardin is one of the great restaurants of the United States. Lunch and dinner are prix-fixe only, but the more casual lounge has an a la carte menu that blends foie gras with tuna and lobster with black truffles.
Counting down the days to your trip to NYC so you can start devouring all the delicious food? We feel you—that’s how we travel, too.
Let’s hang out while you’re in town, preferably on our Greenwich Village food tour! Let us feed your curiosity and show you our New York.
David Farley is a West Village-based food and travel writer whose work appears regularly in the New York Times, National Geographic, BBC, and Food & Wine, among other publications. He’s the author of three books, including “An Irreverent Curiosity: In Search of the Church’s Strangest Relic in Italy’s Oddest Town,” which was made into a documentary by the National Geographic Channel. You can find Farley’s online homes here and here.