As businesses like Reyes Deli in Park Slope and Zaragoza in the East Village go to show, some of the city’s best Mexican food is found behind the counters of bodega-taquerias. El Tepeyac, on the border of East Harlem and the Upper East Side, is no exception. The burritos, which come with carne asada, al pastor, cecina, and a few other meats, are first rate. Order one to share, plus one of the restaurant’s lesser-seen Mexican dishes, like guaxmole verde (pork ribs in a sauce made from gauje seeds and jalapeno) or entomatado, a beef stew with tomatillo and chipotle chiles.

Kaia is a rare place in the city to find South African fare. Find dishes like duck with mango chutney, chilled asparagus soup, barramundi with roasted red peppers, and a lamb burger with sour-cherry compote. It also boasts an extensive South African wine list — making it a solid pick for a glass of wine and snack or a full-fledged meal.

Known more as a konditorei in the Neue Galerie rather than a sit-down restaurant, Cafe Sabarsky does nevertheless offer breakfast, lunch, and dinner with dishes like goulash, schnitzel and spatzle, salads, herring or liverwurst sandwiches, and sausages. Grab a bite and allow yourself to linger in a room with wood, marble, and neighborhood views adjacent to Central Park.

Sushi Noz landed on the Upper East Side to near-immediate acclaim, including a Michelin star. The tranquil room is full of delicate cedar woodwork with an intimate sushi counter carved from a single 200-year-old hinoki tree. Centuries-old ceramics and an ice chest to keep the edomae-style sushi cold are very traditional. It’s an expensive omakase at $495 per person, service-included.

Utilize this meat-centric restaurant for affordable cuts of steak and inventive sides, like cacio e pepe orzo, corn creme brulee, and curly fries served in a brown paper bag. Dessert is also a standout, like the highly photogenic birthday cake sundae. There’s an additional location in the West Village.

Three nurses opened this restaurant during the pandemic to cater to the frontline workers at nearby hospitals. From breakfast to dinner, classic dishes from the Philippines shine here, as Eater critic Robert Sietsema noted: a breakfast version of sisig (a pork dish with an egg on top), curry-like kare kare, and desserts with vanilla-scented pandan leaves.

This Kosher institution is one of the top places to find reliable Jewish deli fare on the Upper East Side. The classics are all there — pastrami and corned beef sandwiches and matzo ball soup — as well as more traditional dishes that are harder to find, like ptcha (jellied calves feet) and kasha varnishkes (bow tie pasta with barley). The original Murray Hill restaurant expanded to this location in 2011, and in 2017 added an upstairs cocktail bar to entice a younger crowd.

Nasser Jaber debuted an Upper East Side outpost of his philanthropically-minded Middle Eastern and Latin American takeout spot during the pandemic. Drop by for assorted empanadas (stuffed with chicken tinga, lamb, or bacon, egg, and cheese), sumac-spiced lamb tortas, cauliflower shawarma wraps, halloumi and chorizo bowls, and whole roast chickens.

This two-Michelin-starred, James Beard Award-decorated fine French institution from chef Daniel Boulud is a proper special-occasion restaurant. It’s extremely refined, fancy, and expensive. Dinner is $188 for four courses (before supplements), or $275 for eight courses.

Dining at this family-owned steakhouse is like revisiting old New York. Regulars, from locals to literary types, hold court at the black leather booths or sit at the long bar sipping cocktails. The menu includes the usual cuts of steaks but other old-time items include chopped steak and chicken pot pie.

Open since 1991, JoJo from Jean-Georges Vongerichten offers casual French dining in a bright, serene townhouse, with a menu of over-the-years classics from its classics menu (example is the salmon sushi with chipotle mayonnaise, or the roasted chicken with olives and saffron and a side of chickpea fries) and its updated menu of meat, fish, and vegetables. Yes, there is a $28 cheeseburger with Russian dressing, onions, and yuzu pickles.

Head to Ravagh when a craving strikes for satisfying skewers of meat: The barg kababs, featuring chunks of beef tenderloin, and jujeh kebabs, comprised of cornish hen marinated in lemon and saffron, come highly recommended. Charred tomato and onion accompany meat entrees; choose from an array of soups, dips, stews, and desserts, too. The Iranian-run Persian chain has three other locations in the New York metropolitan area, including one in Midtown.