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A piece of sushi on a plate.
A dish from Sushi Ichimura.
Cole Wilson/Eater NY

17 Splurge-Worthy Restaurants in NYC

Where to go for a long overdue blowout meal

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A dish from Sushi Ichimura.
| Cole Wilson/Eater NY

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

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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.

Three buns are served in a line on a plate with shaved truffle on top.
A dish at Tatiana.
Lanna Apisukh/Eater NY

Nougatine by Jean-Georges

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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.

Yakitori Torishin

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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.

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

Le Bernardin

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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.

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.
Alex Staniloff/Eater NY

Keens Steakhouse

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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.

Joomak Banjum

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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.

Light green sweet pea mousse sits over basil meringue with assorted herbs in a large bowl
Sweet pea mousse dessert at Joomak Banjum.
Ryan Sutton/Eater NY

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.

A filet of perch sits skin-side up over a mound of fresh uni rice.
A filet of perch sits skin-side up over a mound of fresh uni rice.
Ryan Sutton/Eater NY

Cote Korean Steakhouse

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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.

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.
Daniel Krieger/Eater

Rezdôra

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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).

The tagliolini al ragu, held up by a fork, at Rezdora
Tagliolini al ragu at Rezdora.
Alex Staniloff/Eater NY

Gramercy Tavern

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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.

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.

The endive salad at Estela is presented on a white plate next to silverware on a cloth napkin.
The endive salad at Estela.
Daniel Krieger/Eater

Sushi Ichimura

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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.

A sushi master behind his sushi counter.
A sushi master behind his sushi counter.
Cole Wilson/Eater NY

Laser Wolf Brooklyn

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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.

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.
Alex Staniloff/Eater NY

Dirt Candy

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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.

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

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.

A corner of Lilia’s dining room with lights that hang over the tables
The light-filled dining room at Lilia.
Paul Crispin Quitoriano/Eater NY

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.

Rolled ribbons of daikon and radish sit over slices of avocado on a tostada
A daikon and radish tostada at Aldama.
Gary He/Eater NY

La Vara

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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.

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.
Daniel Krieger/Eater NY

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.

Three buns are served in a line on a plate with shaved truffle on top.
A dish at Tatiana.
Lanna Apisukh/Eater NY

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.

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.

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

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.

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.
Alex Staniloff/Eater NY

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.

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.

Light green sweet pea mousse sits over basil meringue with assorted herbs in a large bowl
Sweet pea mousse dessert at Joomak Banjum.
Ryan Sutton/Eater NY

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.

A filet of perch sits skin-side up over a mound of fresh uni rice.
A filet of perch sits skin-side up over a mound of fresh uni rice.
Ryan Sutton/Eater NY

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.

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.
Daniel Krieger/Eater

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).

The tagliolini al ragu, held up by a fork, at Rezdora
Tagliolini al ragu at Rezdora.
Alex Staniloff/Eater NY

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.

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.

The endive salad at Estela is presented on a white plate next to silverware on a cloth napkin.
The endive salad at Estela.
Daniel Krieger/Eater

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.

A sushi master behind his sushi counter.
A sushi master behind his sushi counter.
Cole Wilson/Eater NY

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.

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.
Alex Staniloff/Eater NY

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.

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

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.

A corner of Lilia’s dining room with lights that hang over the tables
The light-filled dining room at Lilia.
Paul Crispin Quitoriano/Eater NY

Related Maps

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.

Rolled ribbons of daikon and radish sit over slices of avocado on a tostada
A daikon and radish tostada at Aldama.
Gary He/Eater NY

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.

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.
Daniel Krieger/Eater NY

Related Maps