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Cote’s beef tartare sits over pink salt
The tartare at Cote
Gary He

13 Excellent Steak Tartares in NYC

Where to try the fresh and thrilling raw meat dish

by Alexandra Ilyashov
6 comments / new
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The tartare at Cote
| Gary He
by Alexandra Ilyashov
6 comments / new

The steak tartare doesn’t often get its due when compared to its cooked cousin, the burger, but it’s cooler in temperature, often daintier in presentation, and usually filled with bright, punchy flavors. The dish’s name is a French word that traces back to the 13th century, referring to the Tartars, a Central Asian tribe; but it also refers to a sauce made of pureed egg yolks, vinegar, chives, and oil, which was used in some steak tartare preparations in the early 1920s.

Ahead, check out 13 standout tartares in NYC, from French brasserie takes on the dish, to the Lebanese version, kibbeh nayah, to ultra-creative interpretations that resemble abstract art.

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Vaucluse

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Chef Michael White’s posh French restaurant on Park Avenue serves its tartare fancily plated as a meticulous disk of hand-cut beef mixed with egg yolk, chopped onions, and capers and topped with a fanned-out cornichon. The accessorizing doesn’t end there; dabs of a creamy horseradish sauce anchor watercress leaves, and there’s a white cup of toasted baguette slices for slathering. Also worth noting: It’s available at lunch as well as dinner, whereas many of the city’s standout tartares (save for classic French bistro types) are only a nighttime option.

100 E 63rd St, New York, NY 10065
(646) 869-2300
(646) 869-2300

A post shared by Vaucluse | NYC (@vauclusenyc) on

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M. Wells Dinette

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This quirky Long Island City go-to serves its herb-filled steak tartare stacked on a bed of rice and topped with diced carrots, onions, and peas with mayo. There’s also chopped hard boiled egg whites scattered on the plate, but no bread of any sort. It recalls a cold Russian salad, creamy and flecked with dill. This preparation was introduced in summer 2018, and it’ll likely change again. Previously, the museum cafe served a steak tartare sandwich, with a plump, completely raw patty on a burger bun.

MoMA PS1, 22-25 Jackson Ave, Long Island City, NY 11101
(718) 786-1800
(718) 786-1800
M. Wells Dinette Alexandra Ilyashov

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Ilili

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Lebanese restaurant Ilili serves a stand-out kibbe naye beirutieh, a raw beef dish where the meat is thoroughly minced and mixed with bulgur plus finely chopped onion and mint. Add the crudités of onions, jalapeños, and mint for a dollar extra, which gives some extra crunch to the ultra-smooth consistency. It’s available for midday enjoyment, on the lunch menu.

236 5th Ave, New York, NY 10001
(212) 683-2929
(212) 683-2929
ilili Photo via ILILI/Yelp

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Upland

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Chef Justin Smillie utilizes black trumpet mushrooms, anchovy, and egg yolk in his beef tartare at Upland, the crowd-pleasing, California-inflected Gramercy spot that’s part of Stephen Starr’s empire. There’s also some puffed farro in the mix, for a bit of crunch.

345 Park Ave S, New York, NY 10010
(212) 686-1006
(212) 686-1006

A post shared by Upland (@upland_nyc) on

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Cote Korean Steakhouse

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The disc-shaped tartare at this modern Korean steakhouse consists of diced top-round beef, pickled mustard seed, pear, and crispy tendon puffs. This is the rare spot that doesn’t necessitate having a full-fledged meal in order to get some tartare, since the dish is on the bar menu as well, for something substantially lighter than the excellent group-format Butcher’s Feast.

16 W 22nd St, New York, NY 10010
(212) 401-7986
(212) 401-7986
Cote’s beef tartare sits over pink salt Gary He

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Boucherie West Village

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The coarsely cut tartare at this French brasserie is mustardy, with a generous helping of capers and a quail egg yolk to be mixed into th emeat. It’s served alongside thin baguette slices and a tiny salad filled with that familiar bistro lettuce of choice, frisee. Enjoy it outside on the seating along Seventh Avenue South for prime people watching.

99 7th Ave S, New York, NY 10014
(212) 837-1616
(212) 837-1616
Photo via Boucherie/Yelp

Takashi

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Grilled meats and offal cuts are basically a requisite when ordering at this West Village spot focused on yakiniku, a tabletop Japanese grilling style. But be sure to check out the wide range of raw meat dishes on the menu, too. The chunky yooke is a particular standout of thin-sliced chuck eye crowned with a quail egg and served atop a shiso leaf. An ideal meal here ends with the vanilla soft serve.

456 Hudson St, New York, NY 10014
(212) 414-2929
(212) 414-2929
Takashi Photo via Takashi/Yelp

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Little Tong Noodle Shop

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Noodles are the obvious draw at this East Village noodle shop, but don’t miss the distinctive take on beef tartare on the menu here. The coarsely cut meat is paired with carrot for some crunch, alongside Sichuan butter for a bit of richness and heat. Instead of toasts, Little Tong provides a Chinese scallion pancake, though it may seem more akin to an Indonesian roti. Note that the tartare is only on the dinner menu.

177 1st Avenue, New York, NY 10003
(929) 367-8664
(929) 367-8664
Little Tong Noodle Shop Little Tong Noodle Shop

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Lafayette

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Head to chef Andrew Carmellini’s polished Noho brasserie and bakery for a classic tartare with a few subtle tweaks. Well-seasoned chuck flap meat is served with a quail egg yolk and plated with toast points, a handful of fries, and a snappy celery salad. Dollops of Tabasco-spiked aioli are perfect for dipping fries into or smearing with some tartare on a piece of toast. Like Boucherie, this is another viable option for eating tartare at lunchtime, outdoors.

380 Lafayette St, New York, NY 10003
(212) 533-3000
(212) 533-3000
Lafayette Yelp

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Chez Ma Tante

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Looking for a particularly crunchy tartare? At this Greenpoint restaurant from Cafe Altro Paradiso and M. Wells alums, the coarsely cut beef is studded with dozens of coin-sized potato chips, propped up in lines and resembling glimmering fish scales.

90 Calyer St, Brooklyn, NY 11222
(718) 389-3606
(718) 389-3606

A post shared by Chez Ma Tante (@chez_ma_tante) on

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Raoul's

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While the famed burger at Soho bistro Raoul’s has lots of hype, the steak tartare is a sleeper hit. It’s served as a tidy brick of beef, topped with a quail egg and paired with toasts and a cornichon and frisee salad. If the burger runs out, this is a solid second best.

180 Prince St #2924, New York, NY 10012
(212) 966-3518
(212) 966-3518
Raoul’s Photo via Raoul’s/Facebook

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French Louie

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Owned by the same team as Carroll Gardens’ Buttermilk Channel, this Boerum Hill restaurant makes its steak tartare with egg yolk, chile oil, cornichons, and briny, crunchy pickled mustard seeds. It’s served at dinner as well as weekend brunch. Elsewhere on the menu, look for creative tweaks on French dishes and ingredients, like a savory foie gras parfait appetizer. When the weather is nice, hit up the tranquil backyard garden.

320 Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11201
(718) 935-1200
(718) 935-1200
French Louie Alexandra Ilyashov

Also featured in:

Le Sajj

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This Lebanese spot in Bay Ridge offers three variations of raw beef appetizers, all with particularly fine texture. Try the habrah nayeh, which is simply well-pulverized meat served along with mint and garlic sauce, and try it slathered on a pita.

8221 5th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11209
(718) 833-7255
(718) 833-7255
Le Sajj Photo via Le Sajj/Yelp

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Vaucluse

100 E 63rd St, New York, NY 10065

Chef Michael White’s posh French restaurant on Park Avenue serves its tartare fancily plated as a meticulous disk of hand-cut beef mixed with egg yolk, chopped onions, and capers and topped with a fanned-out cornichon. The accessorizing doesn’t end there; dabs of a creamy horseradish sauce anchor watercress leaves, and there’s a white cup of toasted baguette slices for slathering. Also worth noting: It’s available at lunch as well as dinner, whereas many of the city’s standout tartares (save for classic French bistro types) are only a nighttime option.

100 E 63rd St, New York, NY 10065
(646) 869-2300
(646) 869-2300

A post shared by Vaucluse | NYC (@vauclusenyc) on

M. Wells Dinette

MoMA PS1, 22-25 Jackson Ave, Long Island City, NY 11101

This quirky Long Island City go-to serves its herb-filled steak tartare stacked on a bed of rice and topped with diced carrots, onions, and peas with mayo. There’s also chopped hard boiled egg whites scattered on the plate, but no bread of any sort. It recalls a cold Russian salad, creamy and flecked with dill. This preparation was introduced in summer 2018, and it’ll likely change again. Previously, the museum cafe served a steak tartare sandwich, with a plump, completely raw patty on a burger bun.

MoMA PS1, 22-25 Jackson Ave, Long Island City, NY 11101
(718) 786-1800
(718) 786-1800
M. Wells Dinette Alexandra Ilyashov

Ilili

236 5th Ave, New York, NY 10001

Lebanese restaurant Ilili serves a stand-out kibbe naye beirutieh, a raw beef dish where the meat is thoroughly minced and mixed with bulgur plus finely chopped onion and mint. Add the crudités of onions, jalapeños, and mint for a dollar extra, which gives some extra crunch to the ultra-smooth consistency. It’s available for midday enjoyment, on the lunch menu.

236 5th Ave, New York, NY 10001
(212) 683-2929
(212) 683-2929
ilili Photo via ILILI/Yelp

Upland

345 Park Ave S, New York, NY 10010

Chef Justin Smillie utilizes black trumpet mushrooms, anchovy, and egg yolk in his beef tartare at Upland, the crowd-pleasing, California-inflected Gramercy spot that’s part of Stephen Starr’s empire. There’s also some puffed farro in the mix, for a bit of crunch.

345 Park Ave S, New York, NY 10010
(212) 686-1006
(212) 686-1006

A post shared by Upland (@upland_nyc) on

Cote Korean Steakhouse

16 W 22nd St, New York, NY 10010

The disc-shaped tartare at this modern Korean steakhouse consists of diced top-round beef, pickled mustard seed, pear, and crispy tendon puffs. This is the rare spot that doesn’t necessitate having a full-fledged meal in order to get some tartare, since the dish is on the bar menu as well, for something substantially lighter than the excellent group-format Butcher’s Feast.

16 W 22nd St, New York, NY 10010
(212) 401-7986
(212) 401-7986
Cote’s beef tartare sits over pink salt Gary He

Boucherie West Village

99 7th Ave S, New York, NY 10014

The coarsely cut tartare at this French brasserie is mustardy, with a generous helping of capers and a quail egg yolk to be mixed into th emeat. It’s served alongside thin baguette slices and a tiny salad filled with that familiar bistro lettuce of choice, frisee. Enjoy it outside on the seating along Seventh Avenue South for prime people watching.

99 7th Ave S, New York, NY 10014
(212) 837-1616
(212) 837-1616
Photo via Boucherie/Yelp

Takashi

456 Hudson St, New York, NY 10014

Grilled meats and offal cuts are basically a requisite when ordering at this West Village spot focused on yakiniku, a tabletop Japanese grilling style. But be sure to check out the wide range of raw meat dishes on the menu, too. The chunky yooke is a particular standout of thin-sliced chuck eye crowned with a quail egg and served atop a shiso leaf. An ideal meal here ends with the vanilla soft serve.

456 Hudson St, New York, NY 10014
(212) 414-2929
(212) 414-2929
Takashi Photo via Takashi/Yelp

Little Tong Noodle Shop

177 1st Avenue, New York, NY 10003

Noodles are the obvious draw at this East Village noodle shop, but don’t miss the distinctive take on beef tartare on the menu here. The coarsely cut meat is paired with carrot for some crunch, alongside Sichuan butter for a bit of richness and heat. Instead of toasts, Little Tong provides a Chinese scallion pancake, though it may seem more akin to an Indonesian roti. Note that the tartare is only on the dinner menu.

177 1st Avenue, New York, NY 10003
(929) 367-8664
(929) 367-8664
Little Tong Noodle Shop Little Tong Noodle Shop

Lafayette

380 Lafayette St, New York, NY 10003

Head to chef Andrew Carmellini’s polished Noho brasserie and bakery for a classic tartare with a few subtle tweaks. Well-seasoned chuck flap meat is served with a quail egg yolk and plated with toast points, a handful of fries, and a snappy celery salad. Dollops of Tabasco-spiked aioli are perfect for dipping fries into or smearing with some tartare on a piece of toast. Like Boucherie, this is another viable option for eating tartare at lunchtime, outdoors.

380 Lafayette St, New York, NY 10003
(212) 533-3000
(212) 533-3000
Lafayette Yelp

Chez Ma Tante

90 Calyer St, Brooklyn, NY 11222

Looking for a particularly crunchy tartare? At this Greenpoint restaurant from Cafe Altro Paradiso and M. Wells alums, the coarsely cut beef is studded with dozens of coin-sized potato chips, propped up in lines and resembling glimmering fish scales.

90 Calyer St, Brooklyn, NY 11222
(718) 389-3606
(718) 389-3606

A post shared by Chez Ma Tante (@chez_ma_tante) on

Raoul's

180 Prince St #2924, New York, NY 10012

While the famed burger at Soho bistro Raoul’s has lots of hype, the steak tartare is a sleeper hit. It’s served as a tidy brick of beef, topped with a quail egg and paired with toasts and a cornichon and frisee salad. If the burger runs out, this is a solid second best.

180 Prince St #2924, New York, NY 10012
(212) 966-3518
(212) 966-3518
Raoul’s Photo via Raoul’s/Facebook

French Louie

320 Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11201

Owned by the same team as Carroll Gardens’ Buttermilk Channel, this Boerum Hill restaurant makes its steak tartare with egg yolk, chile oil, cornichons, and briny, crunchy pickled mustard seeds. It’s served at dinner as well as weekend brunch. Elsewhere on the menu, look for creative tweaks on French dishes and ingredients, like a savory foie gras parfait appetizer. When the weather is nice, hit up the tranquil backyard garden.

320 Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11201
(718) 935-1200
(718) 935-1200
French Louie Alexandra Ilyashov

Le Sajj

8221 5th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11209

This Lebanese spot in Bay Ridge offers three variations of raw beef appetizers, all with particularly fine texture. Try the habrah nayeh, which is simply well-pulverized meat served along with mint and garlic sauce, and try it slathered on a pita.

8221 5th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11209
(718) 833-7255
(718) 833-7255
Le Sajj Photo via Le Sajj/Yelp

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