Jean-Georges Vongerichten's ritzy restaurant inside the Mark Hotel is a splurge. Exhibit A: the black truffle pizza, which makes a great snack at the bar or a starter in the elegant dining room. The menu also includes steaks, light vegetable dishes, and simply prepared proteins. On a weeknight, the bar is filled with locals and sometimes a celebrity or two.

The famed Bemelmans Bar may garner all the attention at the Carlyle, but it’s not the spot for a proper sit-down dinner. The hotel’s restaurant, once simply called the Carlyle, was closed for nearly two years before it reopened in fall 2021 as Dowling’s. The kitchen, under the direction of former 21 Club chef Sylvain Delpique, nods to fine dining in the 1930s and 1940s with dishes like steak Diane and salt-crusted branzino filleted tableside.

The Loews Regency Hotel isn’t situated in a neighborhood dotted with trendy natural wine bars or restaurants led by big name chefs, but the Regency Bar & Grill located on the first floor is still going strong as the power breakfast stop in town. It’s not uncommon to find black town cars lined up outside in the early mornings as people gather for meetings. For those joining the morning ritual, expect the typical diner fare but with egg dishes around the $30 mark or more.

Even for diehard New Yorkers, Roosevelt Island was a never a destination for eating or drinking. But the opening of the Graduate Hotel last summer included a notable restaurant by restaurateurs Marc Rose and Med Abrous of LA-based hospitality group Call Mom (they opened LA spots like Winsome and Genghis Cohen) and helmed by chef Megan Brown. The menu puts little twists on dishes you’d expect to find at a hotel restaurant: a burger gets the addition of thick-cut pepper bacon and pickled green tomatoes while duck is used instead of chicken for wings.

This Italian restaurant at the luxurious Langham hotel has long floated under the radar, even when it was one of chef Michael White’s restaurants. The one-Michelin-starred spot is easier to get into than other, similar kitchens serving fluke crudo or bowls of spaghetti tossed with fresh crab meat. A lounge area to the right of the bar is also a fine place for a casual business meeting or happy hour.

Shaun Hergatt’s reputation as a fine dining chef is well documented from his run at NYC restaurants like SHO and Juni (both earned Michelin recognition). At Vestry, which opened during the first year of the pandemic, the accolades have been quieter as pricier dining options took a backseat to takeout and more affordable menus. Still, the seafood- and vegetable-forward cooking with some Japanese influences is leagues better than most hotel restaurant fare.

Inside hotelier Ian Schrager’s Public hotel is Popular, led by chefs Diego Diego Muñoz and John Fraser, where food competes with the property’s buzzy nightlife and fashion scene. Munoz, an alum of the famed Astrid y Gastón, is in charge of the kitchen where he showcases his expertise in Peruvian cuisine. A range of influences, from Incan to Japanese, appear in dishes like duck leg fried rice and a classic lomo saltado, where filet mignon comes with a chile-soy sauce. There’s also a chef’s table available for booking.

The classic French bistro fare — leeks vinaigrette, frisee salads, creme brulee — doesn’t feel outdated here. Neither does the interior design: Instead of smoky antique mirrors and discolored brass railings, the space is filled with natural light, framed by high wooden ceilings, and dotted with tropical plants. It’d be difficult to pin Le Crocodile as a hotel restaurant if it weren’t in the Wythe hotel.

Locanda Verde is still a go-to restaurant for Italian, which isn’t a surprise given chef Andrew Carmellini’s track record as the hitmaker behind the popular Bar Primi on the Bowery and the glitzier Carne Mare in the South Street Seaport. The menu includes classic pasta dishes but the lamb meatball sliders and parmigiano-crusted halibut shows the more creative side of the menu.

Downtown Brooklyn isn’t exactly a destination for splashy hotels (and even fewer destination-worthy restaurants), but the Ace’s opening last fall is slowly changing that sleepy reputation. At As You Are, chef Michael King is in charge of the savory side of the menu, and 2018 Eater Young Gun Danny Alvarez oversees desserts. The duo are serving up dishes ranging from celery root latkes to s’mores pavlova for two.