West Coast taco snobs love this bustling stand, manned by two guys from California and one from Tijuana, especially for its gently spicy adobada, or grilled pork. To go off menu at Los Tacos, order the queso taco: the chefs replace the tortilla with a disk of fried cheese that's pliable enough to fold up like a taco.

This cute, farm-chic spot in trendy East Williamsburg boasts a menu that is vegetable-heavy American with foreign tweaks, such as the satisfying roasted Sasso chicken with saffron labne, cucumber, hazelnuts, and bulgur. Also known for a solid collection of toast boards that include such delights as house-made paté, there's a special one that's not on the menu: a wild mushroom toast with arugula pesto and shaved Pecorino. The dish — which features high-quality oyster mushrooms from Foraged & Found — is a staff favorite.

This cozy Basque-inspired spot in the East Village has small plates like grilled octopus and $2 to $8 pinxtos, served dim-sum style at the front bar. But there's more here than meets the eye. "We want to create situations where people feel like they’re regulars," says Huertas chef Jonah Miller. So he dreamed up a special, off-menu treat. It’s confit and fried duck wings "bravioli," coated in a combination of bravas sauce and aioli.

In two downtown locations, under golden-warm lighting, master sommelier Laura Maniec oversees an array of affordable wine classes, from blind tastings to a Burgundies Master Class. There’s also a menu of small plates, crostini, and charcuterie. We're tipping diners off to a sweet deal, for those looking for a foolproof bite and drink combo. Order the off-menu crispy flatbread with whipped goat cheese, pistachios and truffled honey with a half-glass of Trimbach Clos St. Hune Reisling ’07, from Alsace. It's available at both the Union Square and Chelsea locations.

This industrial-cool “contemporary Australian” spot in the East Village fuses Aussie traditions like a sausage roll (perfect at the bar with a Coopers pale ale) with more Southeast Asian-influenced fare like steamed snapper and bok choy in a sesame-ginger sauce. A standout sour orange fish curry with long beans, shaved radish, and morning-glory leaf is not on the menu, but you can order it at any time.