NYC’s Top Restaurant Standbys of 2017

Welcome to Year in Eater 2017, Eater’s annual ritual of eulogizing the past 12 months through input from the city’s top food writers. For 2017’s final week, Eater NY will be posting questions daily about New York City’s restaurant scene in the past year, with answers from those who know it best: Eater editors and friends of Eater. Today’s topic: What were your top restaurant standbys of 2017? These are the places people returned to time and again.

Serena Dai, Eater NY editor: The main places I really went to over and over again were Trapizzino and Parklife. The latter was the perfect bar of the summer: Great tacos, frozen cocktails, Montauk watermelon beers, lots of seating, perfect place. Trapizzino is so good; why are more people not eating there? Also Xi'an Famous Foods (and it's lamb pao mo), Flaming Kitchen (and its delivery service), and Mala Project (and its everything).

Robert Sietsema, Eater NY senior critic: This was a tumultuous and disturbing year, and I went big for comfort food, going multiple times to the Upper East Side’s Pastrami Queen, pizzeria John’s of Bleecker Street, and Bushwick’s Taqueria Izucar, where my regular mind soothing order was three suadero tacos.

Ryan Sutton, Eater NY chief critic: Cosme (for lamb barbacoa brunch), Corner Slice (for pizza breakfast), Ivan Ramen (for chicken paitan ramen), Ace Hotel Lobby Bar (for working while eating), Guantanamera (for eating after writing at 11:30 p.m.), Bolivian Llama Party (for a quick bite before work), Flora Bar (for when I’ve had a long week and need expensive seafood), and La Vara (for a perfect meal after a 90 minute wait).

Stefanie Tuder, Eater NY senior editor: Legend, Via Carota, Westville, Wildair

Daniel Krieger/Eater

Amanda Kludt, Eater editor-in-chief: Barano, Contra, Wildair, St. Anselm, Via Carota, Le Coucou (for breakfast)

Daniela Galarza, Eater senior editor: Wildair, Contra, Flora Bar, Le Coq Rico

Sonia Chopra, Eater director of editorial strategy: Superiority Burger and Sobaya in the East Village-ish, Miriam in Park Slope, Parklife, both Speedy Romeos, Chuko

Patty Diez, Eater editorial coordinator: ​I tend to stay in my lane​ and i'm not proud of it BUT: Flaming Kitchen, Uncle Boons, Scarr's Pizza, Taim, Compagnie, Prune, The Ten Bells.

Nick Solares/Eater

Devra Ferst, Eater contributor: For me, 2017 was the year of the standby, restaurants that have been faithfully turning out great food for at least a couple of years. On that list for me is Via Carota, Frankies 457, Hibino, Varenichnaya, and Her Name Is Han.

Mayukh Sen, Munchies staff writer: Chinese Club, the only place that manages to fully satisfy my hankering for Indo-Chinese food. I'm blessed that FourFiveSix, a truly terrific bar, is next door to Ringolevio. Pearl's.

Kevin Nguyen, GQ senior editor: I love Japanese food and I love things that are close, which explains why I went to Wasan in Park Slope probably a dozen times this year. It's often empty, except on nights when it's full of Nets fans (who are great) or Islanders fans (who are awful). The menu is diverse but simple. Sometimes all you need is some barbecue eel over rice and a generous pour of Nikka.

I've also been to Hanoi House a handful of times. It's the best Vietnamese food I’ve had in New York — it’s unfamiliar to me from what I was raised with, since its influences hail from the northern part of the country. (My folks are from the south.) The pho has a clearer broth; it’s delicate, almost fragile. My dad calls it “traitor food.” Still, I think he’s been there even more often than I have.