By Gus Saltonstall
The New York Times this week came out with its annual list of the 100 best restaurants in New York City.
The ranking is overseen by Times food critic Pete Wells, and an Upper West Side eatery topped 2024’s list for the second year in a row.
“New York is a big city, and I tried to find 100 restaurants that represent its neighborhoods, its people and the rewards it has in store for hungry, curious eaters,” Wells wrote in an introduction to the ranking.
Starting with some neighborhood pride, Tatiana by Kwame Onwuachi at 10 Lincoln Center Plaza was named as the best restaurant in the five boroughs this year.
While Wells mentions how challenging it is to get a reservation at the eatery, he adds that the American, Caribbean, and Creole restaurant is “quickly becoming an institution,” and that its owner “clearly wants you to have fun at Tatiana, but I suspect he also wants you to ask why there aren’t more places like it.”
Tatiana by Kwame Onwuachi has been open for two years and , incredibly, it has been named by The New York Times as the best restaurant in the city for both of those years.
The Lincoln Center restaurant was not the only Upper West Side eatery to make the coveted list, though.
The fine-dining French restaurant Jean-Georges at 1 Central Park West was named as the 19th best restaurant in New York City, and neighborhood staple Barney Greengrass took home 66th position on the ranking.
Noticeably, just five restaurants on the list had a bigger jump in the rankings than Barney Greengrass in this year’s rankings from last. The iconic Jewish deli, restaurant, and appetizing store went from 91st on the list in 2023 to 66th this year.
“Staring at the faded antebellum scenes of the French Quarter on the wallpaper can lead to the sensation that time has stopped moving forward,” Wells wrote about the eatery on Amsterdam between West 86th and 87th streets. “By your third cup of coffee and second order of latkes, it should be clear that you are sitting at the spiritual center of the Upper West Side.”
You can check out the full New York Times 2024 ranking of the best restaurants in the city — HERE.
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Le Bernardin in third behind Tatiana is a joke. It’s one of the two best restaurants in NYC and one of the best in the world. Not even restaurant reviews are safe from the scourge of DEI.
No Cafe Luxembourg?
Best hamburger & fries in the city.
Friendly, comfortable. good looking and reasonable prices.
Your veiled attempt of using DEI (Dog Whistle politics) as the only reason Tatiana is on the list is sickening. What’s even more sad is that 17 people agreed with you.
I’ve been to that restaurant and their placement on that list is appropriate!
I went to both Tatiana and Le Bernardin in the past year and would happily return to Tatiana. Can’t say the same about LeBern
“DEI” lolol. What’s the matter Bill, dog whistle not loud enough? Using a foghorn now?
The fact that you attribute Tatiana’s amazing accomplishments to DEI is such an insult not only to Kwame Onwuachi but to the amazing staff that works there as well. I bet you’ve never even been and are just talking out your……Anyway, I went there for my birthday and the food, the ambiance, the service, EVERYTHING WAS TOP NOTCH. You’re what’s wrong with this country! Always attributing BIPOC folks’ amazing contributions to DEI. As if we need DEI to be great. Go take a long nap, dude!
I ate at Tatiana once and I did not care for it neither did the three folks that were with me and I have not been back!
The attribution to DEI might be because the Times specifically mentions the Creole and Caribbean influence on the restaurant
It might be that those influences are what makes the food so good. It might be that the Times specifically values the Caribbean influence and if the food were just as good but had a Russian influence, they wouldn’t value it so much.
It doesn’t even matter as the Times gave it a great review and the restaurant is doing really well.
Fun Fact: Le Bernardin’s Executive Chef is a Black man! DEI at it’s best, huh?!
God knows we never ever read restaurant reviews that discuss the type/origin of food being served. I myself prefer to go to a restaurant not knowing whether it’s Japanese or Nigerian or French-Canadian. It’s a fun little surprise!
Additionally, in the original review Pete Wells made a comment implying part of the rating was due to exposing Lincoln Center diners to a different kind of cuisine.
Good or excellent food should be the only rule stating where a restaurant stands.
Not location.
I’ve eaten at Le Bernardin perhaps seven or eight times. It went from sublime to not so great. Eric Rippert’s staff has lost a step. My last dinner there a kiddie wine steward came out with a warm bottle of white wine. When I questioned him, he put it in an ice cooler. You can imagine how this set the stage for a disappointing dinner. And we were taking first timers who heard me say that this is top ten worldwide (having had Michelin three stars in France several times).
Have you even eaten at Tatiana? It’s delightful (and a warm, lively space on a relatively cold and formal campus). A true foodie would know that.
Have you ever been to Tatiana? It’s damn incredible!
So Barney Greengrass makes the list but Masa, Per Se and Eleven Madison don’t? Seriously? Does this list consider the cost, because it doesn’t say that it does? If it doesn’t how do you leave those 3 off the list. Eleven Madison is the ONLY Plant Based Michelin 3 star restaurant in World!
Pete Wells eviscerated EMP’s vegan menu.
Vegan or not, I personally was not impressed by Eleven Madison’s bland offerings and was surprised it had any Michelin stars since transitioning to being plant based. Why should the NYT care about another list anyway. It’s their perspective.
Great food doesn’t have to cost $1000!
Eleven Madison fell off with their vegan menu. They will not retain those stars for long.
Its a good point, I haven’t eaten at any of those but find it hard to imagine the BG food is truly better. I did heard an interview with Pete Wells where he spoke about moving away from the purely spectacular ‘expense account’ type restaurants so maybe that’s part of the consideration.
Not a restaurant but a delicious hidden gem
🙂
Epices Bakery
104 West 70 (in former Soutine location)
Terrific bread, quiche, pastries
Yum
Second this. It is incredible.
I always say, I don’t practice my religion but I worship at Barney Greengrass.
When I first read about Tatiana and was at a concert at Geffen Hall, I walked around the lobby looking for it. Tatiana is in a corner and completely closed off. Perhaps there are windows facing the plaza.
I don’t see any price listed on the Tatiana website. Are the prices hidden somewhere that I couldn’t find? Is it prix fixe, and what about wine and cocktail prices?
See photos on their Google Reviews listing. It’s not prix fixe.
Lack of pricing on a restaurant’s website is an extremely frustrating omission many restaurants make. However, one can usually find a photograph of a menu with prices on Yelp or Instagram, etc. Just make sure the photo is somewhat recent as restaurants often raise prices after the initial review period.
let’s be honest: 3 out of 100 for a neighborhood of nearly 100,000 people is pretty pathetic. we know there’s not much of good dining choices on the upper west side and the 2 restaurants from here on that list are seriously pricey and exclusive. barney greengrass is legendary and rightfully deserves the honor. but this should be a wake-up call to amp up the food. we need less nayas and chipotles and more great spots.
Barney Greengrass is so overrated it’s scary. $45 breakfast for a bagel and lox, extra if you want it “open faced” pullleeeease.
Let’s be clear: This is not a New York Times list; it’s a Pete Wells list, with Pete-specific criteria. And the idea of moving up and down from year to year is virtually meaningless. I doubt that Wells ate at all 100 restaurants at least once in the past year. (He typically visits three times for restaurants he’s reviewing.)
Barney Greengrass really? Don’t trust this list
I am housebound (apartment bound) with a broken ankle right now, and I shouldn’t reveal my secret source for food, because they might get too busy, but Barney Greengrass delivers very quickly. I love them! They are pleasant to deal with and their food is wonderful. Really old school, personal service. They have been a blessing in my tough situation.
I’m surprised Tatiana got all this glory. I was very intrigued at first, the fusion sounded really unusual. Had dinner there twice with friends, no one was impressed. The fusion didnt work.
I really like the Mexican food cart at 70th & Broadway.
What about Essential. That’s certainly better than BG.
Good one, Maude!
I only went to Barny once to eat, and all I could afford was a chopped liver appetizer, but boy was it good, and it was so much food it was a full meal! I’ll never forget that. But they way they overpriced smoked sable just because it sounds like a fur coat was so pretentious.