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A piece of sushi on a plate. — A dish from Sushi Ichimura.

17 Splurge-Worthy Restaurants in NYC

Where to go for a long overdue blowout meal

by Ryan Sutton and Eater Staff Updated Sep 20, 2023, 4:15pm EDT

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A dish from Sushi Ichimura.

| Cole Wilson/Eater NY

by Ryan Sutton and Eater Staff Updated Sep 20, 2023, 4:15pm EDT

Maybe you got that new job. Maybe you got that paycheck a day early. Maybe you quit that awful gig. Or perhaps you’re just excited to be eating out again. Sometimes these occasions call for fiscal prudence — the prevailing ethos for so many people, especially in an era of rampant inflation — but sometimes, these occasions call for a splurge. This list concerns itself with the latter situation.

New York is home to some of the country’s most expensive restaurants, but not all of them are very good restaurants. The venues here are a curated selection of the best blowouts at various price levels.

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Eater maps are curated by editors and aim to reflect a diversity of neighborhoods, cuisines, and prices. Learn more about our editorial process. If you buy something or book a reservation from an Eater link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics policy.

Tatiana by Kwame Onwuachi

After a night out a Lincoln Center, if you want a burger, the move is to swing by P.J. Clarke’s. But if you’re looking for a fancier dining option, the performance center’s own restaurant, Tatiana is the pick. Owned by Top Chef alum, Kwame Onwuachi, the chef takes staples of Bronx youth and remixes them in a fine dining context.

10 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York, NY 10023

Visit Website

Three buns are served in a line on a plate with shaved truffle on top. — A dish at Tatiana.

Also featured in:

Nougatine by Jean-Georges

Considered to be the slightly more casual arm of the eponymous Jean-Georges restaurant, Nougatine is still rooted in fine dining chops, with an unfussy menu appealing to picky eaters. Find veal chop Milanese, ribeye for two ($188), and a cheeseburger with yuzu pickles on the a la carte menu. There’s a separate $178 per person tasting menu with dishes such as tuna tartare, black sea bass, and classic chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream.

Open in Google Maps

1 Central Park West, New York, NY 10023

Visit Website

Yakitori Torishin

This acclaimed spot specializes in yakitori: There’s a $220 per person set menu, but there are more affordable versions like a chef’s counter omakase priced at $133 and a “pre-theater” special for $77 for 10 skewers. A la carte offerings are also available. Dinner might involve skewers of chicken thigh, heart, liver, crunchy knee bone, or prized chicken oysters. Meats are grilled directly over binchotan charcoals.

Open in Google Maps

362 W 53rd St, New York, NY 10019

Visit Website

A chef’s counter with stools under a warm lighting. — The chef’s counter at Torishin.

Also featured in:

Le Bernardin

Eric Ripert’s three-Michelin-starred temple to French seafood remains one of the top places to dine in New York, which makes Le Bernardin a tough reservation. But the bar and lounge, where the full menu is served, is open to walk-ins. The chef’s tasting menu is a whopping $310 per person – $480 per person with the wine pairing. There’s a vegetarian menu also available.

155 W 51st St, New York, NY 10019

Visit Website

A server pours orange Thai shellfish broth onto a white plate, which holds a slide of poached skate covered by a multi-colored dice of papaya and squash — Poached skate at Le Bernardin.

Also featured in:

Keens Steakhouse

Keens Chophouse was founded in 1885 by Albert Keen, a theater producer, and to this day, it remains a performance in New York dining all its own. It’s easy to rack up a large bill here — a prime porterhouse for two is $168 — but the portions are large and the taste of old-school New York always feels worth it. Beyond the food, Keens is known for its charming interiors, including a ceiling covered with thousands of old pipes. There are separate private dining rooms for larger groups, and a bar area, especially good for walk-in service if you don’t mind bumping elbows with the after-work crowd of Midtown.

72 W 36th St., New York, NY 10018

Visit Website

Also featured in:

Joomak Banjum

Pastry chefs Jiho Kim and Kelly Nam serve a series of set menus that dabble in the sugary and more whimsical side of things a touch more markedly than other contemporary tasting menu spots. Tasting menus start at $95 — much less expensive than other modern Korean spots — and then jump to $235.

Open in Google Maps

312 5th Ave, New York, NY 10001

Visit Website

Light green sweet pea mousse sits over basil meringue with assorted herbs in a large bowl — Sweet pea mousse dessert at Joomak Banjum.

Also featured in:

Noz 17

In the competitive stratosphere of high-end omakase in New York, Noz 17 stands out from the pricey pack with its unique menu format. Rather than begin with small plates before moving on to nigiri, chef Junichi Matsuzaki switches between drinking snacks sushi, sashimi, soups, and composed dishes seemingly at random, like an experimental musician. Highlights in addition to the sushi, include a powerfully concentrated seafood soup and a fermented sea urchin that tasted like good aged cheese and that pairs perfectly with beer.

458 W 17th St, New York, NY 10011

Visit Website

A filet of perch sits skin-side up over a mound of fresh uni rice.

Also featured in:

Cote Korean Steakhouse

Simon Kim and David Shim’s Michelin-starred Korean steakhouse offers indoor and outdoor dining, where diners can enjoy the $68 or $225 set menus, with extensive a la carte beef, shellfish, and caviar selections as well.

Open in Google Maps

16 W 22nd St, New York, NY 10010

Visit Website

A circular beef-filled tabletop grill sits at the center; around that gold-rimmed grill are small banchan, including kimchi and egg omelet — An assortment of grilled meats and sides at Cote.

Also featured in:

Rezdôra

Chef Stefano Secchi, an alum of famed Italy restaurant Osteria Francescana, has gifted New York with one of its most breathtaking pasta spots in years, serving up hearty (but rarely heavy) a la carte specialties from the butter-and-cheese-loving region of Emilia-Romagna. Try the strozzapreti with lobster and basil, or a tagliatelle Bolognese packing a profound meatiness. The menu is a la carte but a $98 pasta tasting is also available — a solid deal that doesn’t go too heavy on portion sizing (a vegetarian version can be substituted).

27 E 20th St, New York, NY 10003

Visit Website

The tagliolini al ragu, held up by a fork, at Rezdora — Tagliolini al ragu at Rezdora.

Also featured in:

Gramercy Tavern

Gramercy Tavern — opened in 1994 — is Danny Meyer’s oldest restaurant. It may not serve the most innovative food in Manhattan, but it is worth returning to for its expert-level hospitality and a showcase of New York fine dining excellence. Currently, it’s $168 per person for a set menu that includes corn agnolotti, roasted duck breast with shishitos, and a chocolate cream pie with blackberry caramel. There’s also an a la carte menu available.

42 E 20th St, New York, NY 10003

Visit Website

Also featured in:

Estela

Estela easily ranks as the most beloved in Ignacio Mattos’s empire, serving up some of the city’s best small and medium-sized plates. Take a seat at the bar and build your meal out of a collection of European-leaning dishes. Mattos hides rich ricotta dumplings under a layer of mandolin-thin mushrooms. He grills foie gras like no one else, wrapping the fatty liver in a grape leaf. And he still offers his famous arroz negro, with almost every grain of rice magically crisped up like a paella-style socarrat.

47 E Houston St 1st floor, New York, NY 10012

Visit Website

The endive salad at Estela is presented on a white plate next to silverware on a cloth napkin. — The endive salad at Estela.

Also featured in:

Sushi Ichimura

Legacy chef Eiji Ichimura is most known for educating New Yorkers on an edomae omakase experience at his now-closed, namesake Midtown restaurant, followed by several others. The latest is Sushi Ichimura in Tribeca, which opened as a 10-seat counter this summer. It serves some of the most expensive sushi in town: The high-dollar, luxe 20-course omakase is $420 per person.

Open in Google Maps

412 Greenwich St, New York, NY 10013

Visit Website

A sushi master behind his sushi counter.

Laser Wolf Brooklyn

Michael Solomonov’s Williamsburg spinoff of the Philadelphia set-menu skewer spot easily ranks as one of the city’s most enjoyable (yet non-exorbitant) rooftop restaurants. Dinner begins with salatim, a seemingly never-ending array of pickled and marinated vegetables with warm pita and hummus, then moves onto a succulent protein — perhaps grilled short rib, spiced cauliflower, or lamb and beef koobideh kebabs. The best part, of course, is the panoramic view of the Manhattan skyline; watch the Empire State Building glow as you finish off dinner with a brown sugar soft-serve sundae.

97 Wythe Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11249

Visit Website

A round, shiny metal plate filled with grilled meats with three cups of salatim arranged to the left of the plate. — Grilled meats at Laser Wolf.

Also featured in:

Dirt Candy

Amanda Cohen’s Dirt Candy remains a special occasion spot with something for everyone to eat, thanks to its vegetarian focus (vegan options are available). Dirt Candy’s tasting menu is $105 per person — and that’s with service included. The restaurant is known for its whimsy: currently, the menu lists a tomato cupcake, zucchini spring rolls, and a tamale with roasted corn. Despite being a favorite for special occasions, the dress code skews more casual here.

86 Allen St, New York, NY 10002

Visit Website

A grill with skewers of green vegetables are displayed along a steamed basket. — Skewered vegetables at Dirt Candy.

Also featured in:

Lilia

This Williamsburg Italian restaurant from chef Missy Robbins and partner Sean Feeney remains one of the city’s best and toughest-to-get-into pasta spots; reservations often book up a month out. In exchange for these efforts, however, diners are treated to spectacular grilled clams with Calabrian chiles, ruffled mafaldini pasta with pink peppercorns, and heady lamb.

567 Union Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11222

Visit Website

A corner of Lilia’s dining room with lights that hang over the tables — The light-filled dining room at Lilia.

Also featured in:

Aldama

With Aldama, Christopher Reyes and Gerardo Alcaraz have given New York one of its best and most ambitious Mexican restaurants since Cosme opened in 2014. Highlights include stellar al pastor tacos made with modernist pineapple-serrano gel, carrot-daikon tostadas laced with electric levels of acidity, and more. The team also has two more casual taquerias in the works.

91 S 6th St, Brooklyn, NY 11249

Visit Website

Rolled ribbons of daikon and radish sit over slices of avocado on a tostada — A daikon and radish tostada at Aldama.

Also featured in:

La Vara

Tucked into a tree-lined residential street in Cobble Hill, La Vara is one of the city’s best Iberian spots. Chefs Alex Raij and Eder Montero pay homage to the Moorish and Sephardic traditions of Spain, serving up beef jowl terrine with pistachio and mustard oil, toasted fideos with squid, shrimp, and aioli; and roast suckling pig with tximitxurri.

268 Clinton St, Brooklyn, NY 11201

Visit Website

Chef Alex Raij stands in front of La Vara in a white-and-black-striped search with her hand on her hip — Chef Alex Raij stands in front of La Vara.

Also featured in:

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Tatiana by Kwame Onwuachi

10 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York, NY 10023

After a night out a Lincoln Center, if you want a burger, the move is to swing by P.J. Clarke’s. But if you’re looking for a fancier dining option, the performance center’s own restaurant, Tatiana is the pick. Owned by Top Chef alum, Kwame Onwuachi, the chef takes staples of Bronx youth and remixes them in a fine dining context.

10 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York, NY 10023

Visit Website

Three buns are served in a line on a plate with shaved truffle on top. — A dish at Tatiana.

Nougatine by Jean-Georges

1 Central Park West, New York, NY 10023

Considered to be the slightly more casual arm of the eponymous Jean-Georges restaurant, Nougatine is still rooted in fine dining chops, with an unfussy menu appealing to picky eaters. Find veal chop Milanese, ribeye for two ($188), and a cheeseburger with yuzu pickles on the a la carte menu. There’s a separate $178 per person tasting menu with dishes such as tuna tartare, black sea bass, and classic chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream.

Open in Google Maps

1 Central Park West, New York, NY 10023

Visit Website

Yakitori Torishin

362 W 53rd St, New York, NY 10019

This acclaimed spot specializes in yakitori: There’s a $220 per person set menu, but there are more affordable versions like a chef’s counter omakase priced at $133 and a “pre-theater” special for $77 for 10 skewers. A la carte offerings are also available. Dinner might involve skewers of chicken thigh, heart, liver, crunchy knee bone, or prized chicken oysters. Meats are grilled directly over binchotan charcoals.

Open in Google Maps

362 W 53rd St, New York, NY 10019

Visit Website

A chef’s counter with stools under a warm lighting. — The chef’s counter at Torishin.

Le Bernardin

155 W 51st St, New York, NY 10019

Eric Ripert’s three-Michelin-starred temple to French seafood remains one of the top places to dine in New York, which makes Le Bernardin a tough reservation. But the bar and lounge, where the full menu is served, is open to walk-ins. The chef’s tasting menu is a whopping $310 per person – $480 per person with the wine pairing. There’s a vegetarian menu also available.

155 W 51st St, New York, NY 10019

Visit Website

A server pours orange Thai shellfish broth onto a white plate, which holds a slide of poached skate covered by a multi-colored dice of papaya and squash — Poached skate at Le Bernardin.

Keens Steakhouse

72 W 36th St., New York, NY 10018

Keens Chophouse was founded in 1885 by Albert Keen, a theater producer, and to this day, it remains a performance in New York dining all its own. It’s easy to rack up a large bill here — a prime porterhouse for two is $168 — but the portions are large and the taste of old-school New York always feels worth it. Beyond the food, Keens is known for its charming interiors, including a ceiling covered with thousands of old pipes. There are separate private dining rooms for larger groups, and a bar area, especially good for walk-in service if you don’t mind bumping elbows with the after-work crowd of Midtown.

72 W 36th St., New York, NY 10018

Visit Website

Joomak Banjum

312 5th Ave, New York, NY 10001

Pastry chefs Jiho Kim and Kelly Nam serve a series of set menus that dabble in the sugary and more whimsical side of things a touch more markedly than other contemporary tasting menu spots. Tasting menus start at $95 — much less expensive than other modern Korean spots — and then jump to $235.

Open in Google Maps

312 5th Ave, New York, NY 10001

Visit Website

Light green sweet pea mousse sits over basil meringue with assorted herbs in a large bowl — Sweet pea mousse dessert at Joomak Banjum.

Noz 17

458 W 17th St, New York, NY 10011

In the competitive stratosphere of high-end omakase in New York, Noz 17 stands out from the pricey pack with its unique menu format. Rather than begin with small plates before moving on to nigiri, chef Junichi Matsuzaki switches between drinking snacks sushi, sashimi, soups, and composed dishes seemingly at random, like an experimental musician. Highlights in addition to the sushi, include a powerfully concentrated seafood soup and a fermented sea urchin that tasted like good aged cheese and that pairs perfectly with beer.

458 W 17th St, New York, NY 10011

Visit Website

A filet of perch sits skin-side up over a mound of fresh uni rice.

Cote Korean Steakhouse

16 W 22nd St, New York, NY 10010

Simon Kim and David Shim’s Michelin-starred Korean steakhouse offers indoor and outdoor dining, where diners can enjoy the $68 or $225 set menus, with extensive a la carte beef, shellfish, and caviar selections as well.

Open in Google Maps

16 W 22nd St, New York, NY 10010

Visit Website

A circular beef-filled tabletop grill sits at the center; around that gold-rimmed grill are small banchan, including kimchi and egg omelet — An assortment of grilled meats and sides at Cote.

Rezdôra

27 E 20th St, New York, NY 10003

Chef Stefano Secchi, an alum of famed Italy restaurant Osteria Francescana, has gifted New York with one of its most breathtaking pasta spots in years, serving up hearty (but rarely heavy) a la carte specialties from the butter-and-cheese-loving region of Emilia-Romagna. Try the strozzapreti with lobster and basil, or a tagliatelle Bolognese packing a profound meatiness. The menu is a la carte but a $98 pasta tasting is also available — a solid deal that doesn’t go too heavy on portion sizing (a vegetarian version can be substituted).

27 E 20th St, New York, NY 10003

Visit Website

The tagliolini al ragu, held up by a fork, at Rezdora — Tagliolini al ragu at Rezdora.

Gramercy Tavern

42 E 20th St, New York, NY 10003

Gramercy Tavern — opened in 1994 — is Danny Meyer’s oldest restaurant. It may not serve the most innovative food in Manhattan, but it is worth returning to for its expert-level hospitality and a showcase of New York fine dining excellence. Currently, it’s $168 per person for a set menu that includes corn agnolotti, roasted duck breast with shishitos, and a chocolate cream pie with blackberry caramel. There’s also an a la carte menu available.

42 E 20th St, New York, NY 10003

Visit Website

Estela

47 E Houston St 1st floor, New York, NY 10012

Estela easily ranks as the most beloved in Ignacio Mattos’s empire, serving up some of the city’s best small and medium-sized plates. Take a seat at the bar and build your meal out of a collection of European-leaning dishes. Mattos hides rich ricotta dumplings under a layer of mandolin-thin mushrooms. He grills foie gras like no one else, wrapping the fatty liver in a grape leaf. And he still offers his famous arroz negro, with almost every grain of rice magically crisped up like a paella-style socarrat.

47 E Houston St 1st floor, New York, NY 10012

Visit Website

The endive salad at Estela is presented on a white plate next to silverware on a cloth napkin. — The endive salad at Estela.

Sushi Ichimura

412 Greenwich St, New York, NY 10013

Legacy chef Eiji Ichimura is most known for educating New Yorkers on an edomae omakase experience at his now-closed, namesake Midtown restaurant, followed by several others. The latest is Sushi Ichimura in Tribeca, which opened as a 10-seat counter this summer. It serves some of the most expensive sushi in town: The high-dollar, luxe 20-course omakase is $420 per person.

Open in Google Maps

412 Greenwich St, New York, NY 10013

Visit Website

A sushi master behind his sushi counter.

Laser Wolf Brooklyn

97 Wythe Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11249

Michael Solomonov’s Williamsburg spinoff of the Philadelphia set-menu skewer spot easily ranks as one of the city’s most enjoyable (yet non-exorbitant) rooftop restaurants. Dinner begins with salatim, a seemingly never-ending array of pickled and marinated vegetables with warm pita and hummus, then moves onto a succulent protein — perhaps grilled short rib, spiced cauliflower, or lamb and beef koobideh kebabs. The best part, of course, is the panoramic view of the Manhattan skyline; watch the Empire State Building glow as you finish off dinner with a brown sugar soft-serve sundae.

97 Wythe Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11249

Visit Website

A round, shiny metal plate filled with grilled meats with three cups of salatim arranged to the left of the plate. — Grilled meats at Laser Wolf.

Dirt Candy

86 Allen St, New York, NY 10002

Amanda Cohen’s Dirt Candy remains a special occasion spot with something for everyone to eat, thanks to its vegetarian focus (vegan options are available). Dirt Candy’s tasting menu is $105 per person — and that’s with service included. The restaurant is known for its whimsy: currently, the menu lists a tomato cupcake, zucchini spring rolls, and a tamale with roasted corn. Despite being a favorite for special occasions, the dress code skews more casual here.

86 Allen St, New York, NY 10002

Visit Website

A grill with skewers of green vegetables are displayed along a steamed basket. — Skewered vegetables at Dirt Candy.

Lilia

567 Union Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11222

This Williamsburg Italian restaurant from chef Missy Robbins and partner Sean Feeney remains one of the city’s best and toughest-to-get-into pasta spots; reservations often book up a month out. In exchange for these efforts, however, diners are treated to spectacular grilled clams with Calabrian chiles, ruffled mafaldini pasta with pink peppercorns, and heady lamb.

567 Union Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11222

Visit Website

A corner of Lilia’s dining room with lights that hang over the tables — The light-filled dining room at Lilia.

Related Maps

Aldama

91 S 6th St, Brooklyn, NY 11249

With Aldama, Christopher Reyes and Gerardo Alcaraz have given New York one of its best and most ambitious Mexican restaurants since Cosme opened in 2014. Highlights include stellar al pastor tacos made with modernist pineapple-serrano gel, carrot-daikon tostadas laced with electric levels of acidity, and more. The team also has two more casual taquerias in the works.

91 S 6th St, Brooklyn, NY 11249

Visit Website

Rolled ribbons of daikon and radish sit over slices of avocado on a tostada — A daikon and radish tostada at Aldama.

La Vara

268 Clinton St, Brooklyn, NY 11201

Tucked into a tree-lined residential street in Cobble Hill, La Vara is one of the city’s best Iberian spots. Chefs Alex Raij and Eder Montero pay homage to the Moorish and Sephardic traditions of Spain, serving up beef jowl terrine with pistachio and mustard oil, toasted fideos with squid, shrimp, and aioli; and roast suckling pig with tximitxurri.

268 Clinton St, Brooklyn, NY 11201

Visit Website

Chef Alex Raij stands in front of La Vara in a white-and-black-striped search with her hand on her hip — Chef Alex Raij stands in front of La Vara.

Related Maps