Eater Awards 2019: Here Are NYC’s Finalists

Today, the process of choosing this year’s Eater Award winners in New York City’s restaurant world continues with the selection of our finalists. After fielding many solid ideas from readers during the course of our month-long nomination period, it’s time to narrow the playing field.

There are five finalists in three categories: Restaurant of the Year, Design of the Year, and Best Bakery of the Year.

Ahead, here’s who made the cut.

Restaurant of the Year

Haenyeo, a homey Park Slope restaurant where chef Jenny Kwak excels at thrilling Korean and fusion fare, including a standout rice cake fundido

Llama San, the Greenwich Village Nikkei restaurant, where Japanese and Peruvian flavors take a life of their own under chef Erik Ramirez

Kawi, the Momofuku restaurant in Hudson Yards where chef Eunjo Park deftly executes upscale Korean fare

Rezdôra, a pasta newcomer that specializes in dishes from the Emilia-Romagna region, where chef Stefano Secchi used to cook

Wayan, chef Cedric Vongerichten’s first solo restaurant, a casual space that dishes out sometimes breathtaking French-inflected Indonesian dishes

Design of the Year

Gertie, a light and airy all-day restaurant that feels warm and inviting

Alex Staniloff/Eater

Le Jardinier, the elegant restaurant from a Joël Robuchon alum, designed by Parisian architect Joseph Dirand

Alex Staniloff/Eater

GupShup, the lively, bilevel Indian restaurant with a tiger mural by the artist Sonny

Louise Palmberg/Eater

Hutong, the upscale Chinese restaurant in an expansive Art Deco-inspired space

Tanya Blum/Hutong [Official Photo]

Llama San, the restaurant is filled with light wood and plants

Alex Staniloff/Eater

Best Bakery of the Year

Ole & Steen, the Union Square Danish import with stellar breads, sandwiches, and pasties

Win Son Bakery, the second restaurant from the Win Son team where pastry chef Danielle Spencer makes Taiwanese-American pastries, including a stand-out mochi doughnut

Fabrique Bakery, a Swedish import in Chelsea with stand-out sourdough bread and pastries, especially its famed cardamom bun

Farine Baking Company, a popular Jackson Heights newcomer with a slew of pies, cookies, cakes, danishes, and other pastries, such as a dulce de leche cream puff

Ciao, Gloria, an Italian-American Prospect Heights restaurant and bakery where there’s a morning bake with cinnamon rolls and morning buns and an afternoon bake with brownies and cookies

All of these finalists have either opened or come into their own in a new way since we declared the winners last year, and all of them were key contributors to making 2019 a great year of eating in New York. So please, take a moment to give these brave finalists a round of applause. Winners will be crowned, with much fanfare, on December 10, 2019.