My niece just started college, her roommate is the daughter of one of the chefs mentioned here. Was just doing a little research as a foodie on her restaurant.
I thought Pete Wells had recently stumbled and lost his way, especially after some sense of normalcy returned ater Covid.
Now I see that he's been showing us who he is for some time.
The NYT really needs to find someone new, more in tune with the times, writing more for the masses who want wonderful food without dropping a couple hundred bucks a person (can you believe that's still a thing in NYC, for far lower prices than 200 bucks), less meat-centric.
Have a separate column titled restaurants for the 1%, you (might) wish you could afford to eat here too.
"weeks-old Iberico pigs slowly melted over fire . . . " ??? really???
Went to Mercado little Spain last night based on the review
Obviously we should have read the comments which were spot on
Have eaten many fantastic meals in mercados in Spain was hoping for a little of that magic alas it was an overpriced mediocre mall food court with a Spanish theme
Number 1 for the year? in NYC? Hardly
1
What? No French restaurant on the list? Really?
It seems to me in the rush to find something new and trendy your jaded critic has overlooked the obvious.
2
@Des Houghton Ugh French is SO done and there are an almost unlimited supply of new exciting not-French restaurants to choose from here in NYC.
My first impression upon walking into Mercado Little Spain was "Oh, this is a poor copy of EATALY but with awful graphics and deign".
Had the tasting menu-some good things but others I would definitely not write home about.
The women's bathroom was so cold I thought they had a window open and no toilet paper in a double barreled holder. Hmmmm!
Not the hospitality I was led to believe it was going to be.
I give it a "C".
5
My wife and I made a trip to Hudson Yards to try the Spanish Market food hall in the basement based on the glowing review in the Times.
We were disappointed
There are better food halls with better food.
There are far better restaurants in Hudson Yards with views and great food.
The tapas we ordered disappointed, lacking in flavor and imagination
The best item was the goat cheesecake which we enjoyed
We have been to Chef Andres restaurants and have enjoyed his food and indeed the ambiance and his vibrant friendly personality
But the Spanish market was bad
Can’t understand how it rates a top new restaurant review
4
I had a look at Shun's website—elegant surroundings…encasing tiny pieces of food at astronomical prices.
2
Why bother to Review Rezdora? I have tried several times, but normal people cannot possibly get a reservation, it is impossible to eat there.
4
@Rick Bronstein False. Three days in January have late nite reservations available right now. Not getting your preferred time is irrelevant.
4
Putting out these "best of" lists certainly seems to have come to mean having a thick skin. The "ratio" in the comments -- while entertaining -- is something else!
Ah, Mercado Little Spain. Overpriced, overhyped. A basement foodcourt, nothing but. The focus is on the display sure to attract the Instagram crowd for a few snaps. The service and the food and the counter space leave much room for improvement.
Casa Mono is where Spanish food is at.
Or D’España, a wine shop and cervecería. Friendly staff, excellent Iberico, and a great wine selection.
8
Service great. Food gross.
1
I have eaten at Mercado Little Spain and was very disappointed. First of all it is like eating in a basement mall food court. The decor leaves much to be desired. The food prices do not reflect the surroundings. If you are going to charge 3 star prices you can’t have 1/2 star decor. Personally, I prefer Tia Pol in Chelsea, El Pote Español in Midtown or Casa Mono in Gramercy.
5
Hmmm. Hudson Yards plug? Seems hard to believe so many top ten restaurants just happen to be there.
9
@Sara Klamer i will never consider Hudson River because of their republican"t support. they received billions in tax breaks AND DO NOTHING for the economy except make Ross richer. and now they are sharing those tax breaks with Amazon. What a country
4
What about Eleven Madison Park? They constantly put new items along with beloved standards & their customer service cannot be matched anywhere. I find your list highly suspect.
2
It was opened more than a decade ago. This is a list of new restaurants. Not an absolute best list.
9
New York Times Ten Best Restaurants without a Star:
1. Peter Luger’s Steakhouse, Brooklyn NY
3
...... "like weeks-old Ibérico pigs slowly melted over fire".
This can't be what he meant to write. But given food writing, maybe it is. This is revolting.
16
@KB in NYC Agreed, it is revolting. But no more revolting than killing and eating any other sentient animal. Meat-eaters should at least insist their prey live pleasant, comfortable lives and be killed painlessly.
1
@KB in NYC
Maybe “suckling pig” might have sounded more appetizing. There’s probably one roasting in the window of every restaurant in Chinatown, and I never once had to cross the street to avoid a picket line on the sidewalk outside.
1
It really is.
You lost me at "Hudson Yards."
21
Not one American restaurant? How 'bout the all vegetable hamburger at BK? The fries at McDonald's can't be beaten by any restaurant in the world. And, ask our glorious leader. He loves Kentucky Fried Chicken.
3
"Mercado Little Spain might as well be the only Spanish restaurant in New York." Pretty off the mark there by a seasoned NYC food critic, and a bit disrespectful as well. From Casa Mono, to La Vara and Tomino, this city is packed with a thriving and beautiful Spanish food scene. To not only award a 100 million dollar food hall with best new restaurant, and then completely disregard those that have paved the way for the Spanish food scene in this city, is both baffling and disappointing.
26
Pete, are there no new American regional cuisine restaurants in NY or has this cuisine morphed solely into Popeye's, Church's and Wendy's.
NYer's are constantly looking for a "WOW" factor but for me, I still dream about the perfectly fried soft shell crab I ate at the seafood buffet at the gas station (on the Chesapeake Bay). What ever happened to the simple stuff?
16
@Susie B You didn't mention the Burger King all vegetable hamburger. That's American, right?
1
@Ron I was a vegetarian in the 80's as well as a closeted bacon eater then. That's American too, right?
@ Susie B Harlingen, TX
The "simple stuff" as well as "good stuff" disappear under the influence of militant vegans and politically correct restaurateurs bowing to them. We live in the world of Sic transit gloria boni saporis = So passes the glory of good taste.
A diverse group of extraordinary top restaurants that I want to try!
2
"Mercado Little Spain gives us ingredients we’ve never tasted in New York before, like weeks-old Ibérico pigs slowly melted over fire".... the saddest thing I've ever read.
55
@Nancy You've led a sheltered life.
6
Sure to make me not go there. Best weight loss tip ever-read this article!
2
@Nancy 100%! How can this be a menu item? I'll never look at Jose Andres the same way.
6
Hiroki Odo, one of the most skillful Japanese chefs in town, is giving the ancient tradition of kaiseki a modern, New York slant.
‘Slant’??
7
Perhaps spin would be a better choice of word in retrospect
2
@Sharon C.
Is slant no longer a word? in this context it means basically to write or tell to appeal to a particular interest.
too much PC i am afraid.
11
Is three stars the maximum, à la Michelin?
I’m disappointed that not a single vegan or vegetable focused restaurant is list. Restaurant critics need to get with the times.
37
Don’t shovel vegan food done people’s throat because it’s “trendy”. But it is exciting that chefs and restaurants are finally realizing vegetable forward is the way to eat and live. But don’t think there is any good ones opened this year. Any particular restaurant made you comment ? (Genuinely asking)
12
@Chisa Hidaka: Or maybe not.
@Grey Encouraging vegan/vegetarian eating is not "trendy." It is a way of reducing cruelty towards animals, and of helping our environment.
2
Mr Wells has questioned his role in mentioning bad/abusive establishments during his reviews.
Mercado Little Spain has a class action lawsuit that was mentioned in your paper as they are stealing employees money.
One can only imagine what else is going on behind the scenes when an employer steals from their employees.
I guess Mr Wells does not care about such things as long as the food is enjoyable.
26
Agree 100% about Little Spain. It's got the mojo & the magic.
3
@Larry D 500% - 600% markups on wines... that is the only magic for this casual food hall... so not much mojo left...
5
It was great fun reading the review of the ten best. The ten best of just about anything is a tease. It's an arbitrary line drawn in imaginary sand.
But even greater fun is reading the critical responses by, I imagine, mostly New Yorkers, who have to get in their jibes and criticisms. It's great reading late on a Tuesday night. Thanks to all of you for reminding me what I love about the only city in America worth mentioning, viz., NYC. (Now watch the Chicago and SF and LA lovers hang ten at me.)
1
@Philip Cohen Don't worry, it's only lovers of New York who bother with statements like that ("the greatest city in the world!" "Better than everywhere else!" "center of the universe!" etc.), for some reason.
1
Mercado Little Spain is fantastic. The Pan con Tomate is to die for. I’ve been there multiple times and have enjoyed it every single time. Really love the place. Love the Sangria at “Bar Celona.” But, name to long? Really? That’s just a ridiculous criticism.
5
Went to Mar at Mercado- the food is strange and not flavorful, the gin and tonics bland and the service indifferent when I mentioned the above. All of $$$- rather cook Spanish at home and make my own drinks!
4
Seriously ? Thousands of restaurants in town and the Top 10 meals includes 2 venues in a mall food court ? I know Hudson Yards mall/food court is struggling and probably needs some good press - but, this is too much. For me, the Hudson Yards ownership is a problem alone - owned by Related Companies with CEO Stephen Ross, who threw the notorious Trump fundraiser in the Hamptons last summer. No thank you to Hudson Yards - under any circumstances. I’m sure the tourists will love it.
57
The list is for the top ten NEW restaurants in town. That narrows things down greatly.
Additionally, is Pete responsible for the food review AND conducting an audit of all the restaurants he reviews? Hopefully he continues to leave that duty to another section of the paper.
3
@ Rob D Rob D NJ
I agree with you that the economy of running a good eatery and food prices should not be commingled with the review of the food served. The advice is, think not of money, if you want to savor a great meal.
But curiosity drives me to wish that the questions of pricing were included in the reviews.
@Paul Smith
Spot on!!
I find food in NYC to be too-often disappointing, too-often rushed and "food-truckie" or "fast-foodie" and *always* dramatically over-priced for the quality offered. Add on dismal by-the-glass wine lists at breathtaking prices (again for the dismal quality of wines on offer), and I wonder why anybody bothers. I can travel anywhere in Europe, Africa, South America, or Asia and get far better quality food at price points that are far more reasonable for the quality. The American food scene is awful generally, dominated by large restaurants and large food suppliers.
41
@Thomas Our thoughts exactly! We love New York and its people, but have discovered that the "lower end" establishments typically satisfy us more than the overpriced ones. Especially disappointing is the beef that New Yorkers accept. If you want a great steak, go to the midwest: Omaha, Chicago, or Kansas City. Cheers!
17
@Thomas
Interesting comment. I agree -- so often these days, social-media, and the current PR-and Instagram-fueled food media -- a lot of places get overhyped. "Foodtruckie" is amazing when purchased in a lot in Portland, OR. But the same product is "not worth the wait," (to quote a recent New Yorker cartoon) in a hip Brooklyn scene-place.
However, to handily dismiss NYC in general, is a mistake, a lack of curiosity, time, or something. Complain as we may about the lack of this (Mexican) or that (Cajun/Creole/Southern), no city in the world has the mixture of quality, variety, diversity, etc., any way you look at it, as New York. I travel eagerly, and deliciously, yet always look forward to coming home.
701 West in the Edition Hotel Times Square? I can only guess that you haven't eaten there, Mr. Wells. It was the best restaurant experience I have had in a while. And a quiet oasis before theater that I hope to repeat soon.
1
@Gerry Pete Wells did rave about 701 West in his July review. And I had an excellent meal there not long before. I confess to not understand how a restaurant awarded three stars gets passed over for others that he did not rate as highly.
8
Hudson Yards restaurants? Out of all NYC? That monument to the privileged? Glad to see Mr. Wells has his pulse on America.
50
I enjoyed Little Spain very much.
6
So wait a sec -- the headline for this article on the front page was accompanied by a pic of a mouthwatering cheeseburger. Which restaurant served that?
19
@Bobby
it looked more like a slider , but where do we go ?
2
@Bobby Red Hook Tavern -- it's another article, also by Pete Wells.
6
@Bobby The cheeseburger is from Red Hook Tavern - click on "Top 10 dishes ..."
"weeks-old Ibérico pigs slowly melted over fire," gets a mention?
Someone needs to get a heart.
82
@Ames
A vile description for a repulsive food. Nothing saus “appetizing” like melted flesh of a sentient, emotional, & social creature. NYC has so many more inventive, delicious fare than those on this list.
10
@Left Coast
Yeah, Wells is going to have to do an apology tour. The Foodie Police scour these reviews for transgressive menu item descriptions.
1
Oh animal hearts are delicious !! The texture is super different. But if you know how to cook it. It is absolutely delicious.
1
It occurs to me that “these and other dishes are so much better than what we’re used to that Mercado Little Spain might as well be the only Spanish restaurant in New York” immediately shoots to the top of the most ridiculous comment captured in a restaurant review in 2019.
10
It's a disappointment that Pete Wells didn't make it to some of the most interesting restaurants that opened in NYC in 2019. They won't appear on this list, nor on the list of memorable dishes. I have in mind particularly Shun and Le Jardinier, the pair of restaurants opened by Alain Verzeroli in midtown East in June and July. They deserve critical attention.
3
@Aaron
Don't assume that Pete Wells didn't make it to "some of the most interesting"restaurants - may be he did. Just remember that anyone's "Top Ten" list is purely subjective. If you don't agree with his choices, you can always make your own list.
4
@Expat Of course a “Top Ten” list is subjective. But Pete Wells’ list is drawn only from restaurants that he has formally reviewed, and he has not reviewed Shun or Le Jardinier, the two restaurants I mentioned. He of course is the arbiter of which restaurants are worthy of a review, whether glowing or not; but I find it hard to believe that these restaurants don’t deserve a review. Le Jardinier received a Michelin star just a few months after its opening, and its upstairs neighbor, Shun, is even better.
@Aaron Maybe he has dined at Shun and/or Le Jardinier but has decided they weren't worth a review. He doesn't review every restaurant where he eats.
Mercado #1? Dull pricey uneventful Spanish food, definitely not Jose Andres' better outpost. Seems the list is much starred chef/owner leaning and the ones I've visited (quite a few) haven't impressed one bit to be on my list of Top 10 ever.
16
The dinner I had at Lena within Mercado was one of the worst meals I've eaten all year. The prices are high, the food is boring/underseasoned, and the service was ambivalent. There are so many better places to eat in Manhattan. Mercado is utterly skippable and I'm truly disappointed it made it on here.
35
Maybe a little too new for this list is 'Pips' in Brooklyn (opened last week) Well worth a look though!
2
Seems like most of these are heavy on meat/fish. Was there a best new vegetarian/vegan list I missed?
67
@TJ -
No new veggie/vegan places of note.
Grass and kale are still grass and kale. Ever will be.
Get over food as any joy in life.
21
@TJ Hi TJ, perhaps instead of complaining that that list didn't exist, you could have provided your own list of the ten best vegetarian restaurants to open this year. Given how highly visible your comment was, that's a real missed opportunity on your behalf.
17
@TJ You overestmate the number of people who want that.
Mercato is #1? Seriously? In a walk about on a recent weekend, i found only the abundance of overpriced items and places.
19
The single redeeming factor of Hutong is its beautiful bar. Otherwise, this restaurant just so doesn't belong on a 10 Best for a city that's seen so many brilliant openings this year. The cooking there is, for someone who spends a lot of time in Asia, wildly hit and miss, and the dining room experience is upmarket airport lounge.
6
Mercado Little Spain #1 new? Ate there last summer, was underwhelmed by the mediocre quality of the food in the various little “food stands”. Yes it is in a beautiful location, but.... no comparison to the Mercados in Spain(Madrid, etc..). On the other hand the taqueria food trucks in general are authentic and delicious!!
22
@Colok Agreed. Mediocre AND overpriced.
12
How we talk about melting a weeks old pig is somehow a delicacy is a sad sad commentary on what’s important to us. I’m headed to NYC this weekend and will be sure not to go to Mercado’s little Spain. Disgusting, really.
127
@Dan, I agree that the description is disgusting (I don’t eat meat). But keep in mind that those baby pigs suffer far less than adult meat pigs and breeding sows do. Breeding sows are tortured and bred to death.
24
@Passion for Peaches Yum!
1
While you are at it. Don’t forget to avoid all the Italian/French restaurant that serves veal and foie. 
1
Sigh. Here I am on the other coast (not in LA or SF), struggling to come up with a place worth eating in this weekend, and I see this article. It’s just not fair.
The only thing that made me raise an eyebrow is “beef” birria. Huh? I no linger eat meat, but back in the day I did enjoy a good birria. Made from goat. Gotta’ be goat.
8
@Passion for Peaches
I took a three week winter escape from NYC in SoCal last January. Can’t remember a trip where, with a few exceptions, I had so many bad meals. I swore off Mexican food forever before realizing that I what was actually eating was CalMex. But one of those exceptions was an Italian restaurant in La Jolla which was ironically named “Manhattan”. Great piano player too.
"An offshoot of a Hong Kong restaurant, it claims to specialize in northern Chinese cuisine, and while there are a few examples here and there, the chef is from Chengdu, and his Sichuan dishes are some of the most compelling things on the menu."
I'm sorry, what does the chef being from Sichuan have anything to do with the authenticity of his Northern Chinese (or Sichuan) offerings? Would a blurb about, say, Bobby Flay's newest Southwestern restaurant go out of its way to point out he's from New York?
9
Given that there is no objective measure of food authenticity, I’d feel much better if the chef grown up with the food he makes, unless I just want something palate pleasing and don’t care about the origin/authenticity.
A HK trained chef originally from Sichuan just puts a huge question mark in my mind if he claims to make northern cuisine. The distance between HK and Beijing is similar to that of Moscow and Sicily. I’d question a Russian chef’s Sicilian plates if he has not spent extensive amount of time in Sicily. Where did he learn the trade? Who told him that he’s authentic since he has no basis to judge himself. I’d be totally ok if he cooks pan China cuisine or fusion.
6
“Anyone can cook”
- Ratatouille
6
@Yue L I agree in principle that some rough heuristics can be useful if you've never tasted the chef's food.
But the chef's hometown (or even training, for that matter) should carry exactly zero weight once you've eaten at their restaurant - which Mr. Wells presumably has, many times.
Again, could you imagine a New York Times Food review recommending, say, the bagels and pizza, because the chef is from New York and she trained at the CIA?
2
No Peter Luger, huh? :)
95
@Doug Tarnopol Not a new restaurant, Doug.
8
I guess you missed his review of Peter Luger a couple of months back.
5
My mouth is watering already. Glad that so many Korean restaurants are getting the nod. Love Korean food.
6
Excellent and diverse list!
My wish for 2020 is for New York to cool it a bit with the food halls? Don't get me wrong, I love food halls as much as the next person, but they're starting to become as ubiquitous as TD Bank branches.
37
@Vin Yes! Enough with the food halls for a while. Yuppie food court.
10
I love that this year a food truck received two stars...
and Peter Luger received zero stars.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/29/dining/peter-luger-review-pete-wells.html
26
@MJWStyle
Peter Luger is not a new restaurant.
What does it say when not one of the 10 best restaurants of 2018 appear on the 2019 list ?
4
@ctorg It says that they are no longer new. This is the top 10 new restaurants.
49
@ctorg Well, it is a Top 10 New Restaurants list. Can't see how a 2018 restaurant will make the cut
12
@ctorg A 2-year old restaurant in NYC is already in middle age.
9
I'm sorry, but I don't trust Pete Wells anymore!
My wife already had reservations for Peter Luger to celebrate my birthday when Mr. Wells scathing review was published, so we figured, what the hay, we may as well go to see what's transpired and say goodbye. Hadn't been to Luger in four years but we've seen other restaurants go downhill fast, so not a total surprise that it could happen to an iconic landmark.
But guess what, folks? Luger was as good as its always been! The porterhouse for four was DELISH! Tender and succulent and so well flavored that it didn't even require salt! And cooked medium rare to perfection from top to bottom, exactly as ordered.
Each of the sides we've come to know and love over the decades were superlative (as usual). The german potatoes, creamed spinach, massive and firm but delectable tomatoes, the jumbo shrimp, the canadian bacon, the iceberg wedge with heavenly crumbled blue cheese and, of course, the hot fudge sundae for dessert.
Every morsel was as impeccable as it's ever been, and not a half step behind! Oh, and the service was outstanding, not to mention the excellent cocktails assembled by professional mixologists at the bar! It was a delightful experience from top to bottom and we were utterly enthralled!
I read scores of comments for that review, and it seemed as if many were from those who either hadn't been or didn't care to go. No offense to them or Mr. Wells, but I'm glad we didn't take their word for it!
LONG LIVE THE LUGER!
38
@Passion for Peaches
Hi, Passion. I totally respect your view. It sounds like you're more into fruit than steak anyway -- and to each his own.
However, I hope you too will respect that some of us are unrepentant carnivores and still enjoy an occasional walk on the bloody wild side, and to that end we are thrilled to still have Peter Luger to fall back on.
I will add that we know what we're in for when we go to PL, and it's not a delicate creamy chanterelle mushroom or peppercorn sauce to complement a fragile slice of quavering beef.
To the contrary, what we're going for is an unadulterated, unabashed, provincial cut of succulent aged-to-perfection short loin that's so tender it almost melts in one's mouth. And I hope you can appreciate that it's reassuring to know that we can still get that in Neuvo York under the Williamsburg Bridge!
42
@Bill
You didn't have the apple strudel with vanilla ice cream for dessert?
In any event, glad you enjoyed. I personally have never been disappointed after leaving Peter Luger.
Happy New Year!
7
It's an iconic steakhouse! Of course it's "meaty"!
Sheesh!
6
Am not Korean but LOVE Korean food. Isn't it awesome to see so many great Korean restaurants become successful (and a few to make it on this list).
For me that's one of the biggest delicious recent trends in the city in the last few years, and I'm loving it. Jungsik, Atoboy, Atomix, Jeju, Noreetuh, Oiji, Take 31 and neighboring Her Name Is Han, Gaonnuri, Cote... I'm sure there are many others (!) but those are the first to come to mind.
From rustic and casual to super fancy and memorable, I think Korean is the next great food story to be written.
20
@Foodie I've been thinking that for a while, too. Korean food is currently the city's nost exciting cuisine.
8
You have a very good list! I’d add Hwaban in Chelsea and Danji in midtown. Originally Korean, I’ve noticed a good number of Korean restaurants getting popular and worth trying in NYC. Fort Lee in NJ (just across the GW bridge) has a number of good K restaurants as well.
3
@Sonia Yes! Love random excuses to go across to Fort Lee! And you reminded me about Hanjan in the city, which has been around for a few years, too...
1
Dear Pete Wells,
If I may add 1A or 11:
Red Hook Tavern - was a sensation
PS: I am really surprised it was not on your list....
4
@ Sherlock Lab NYC
I am not surprised when reputable reviewers omit some places loved by other readers. The capacity of the reviewers' stomachs is after all finite.
2
@Tuvw Xyz
Please refer to Pete's review regarding Red Hook Tavern. This is the actually the reason why I am surprised it was not on the list. Maybe he forgot...
2
@ MDNYC New York 12m ago
I agree with you that diversity, as represented by national foods, is important. But not to forget is the fact, that the taste and preference of certain foods is a strictly acquired characteristic, not genetically inherited. Although the popularity of the barbeque may be attributed to the revival of the atavistic cooking habits of the caveman, just like eating cooked foods with bare hands.
1
On these comment boards, Pete Wells has many critics of his critiques throughout the year. But this Top 10 list along with the Top 10 Dishes of 2019 is absolutely worthy and gloriously diverse. Bravo and happy holidays to Mr. Wells!
39
On my tablet (WiFi) I see only five restaurants, before the text of the article disappears. Given this limitation, my favorite would be Odo.
3