By Gus Saltonstall
Earlier this week, the New York Times came out with its list of the 100 best restaurants in New York City for 2025.
The number of Upper West Side eateries to make the coveted ranking? Three.
The Times sorted through the more than 20,000 restaurants in the five boroughs by starting with food critic Pete Wells’ list from 2024, and then adding 100 new places that the publication felt up to the standard. In the past few months, the paper’s reporters hit the streets to try all the restaurants for themselves again, and came back with a whittled down list of 100 eateries.
The Upper West Side restaurant to earn the highest ranking from the New York Times?
Tatiana by Kwame Onwuachi: 10th Best
For the last two years, Tatiana at 10 Lincoln Plaza, led by chef Kwame Onwuachi, has been named by the New York Times as the single best restaurant in New York City. This time around, the American and Caribbean spot dropped in ranking to the still incredibly impressive 10th position, as the Indian restaurant Semma in Greenwich Village earned the distinction of the city’s best eatery.
Here’s how the New York Times described Tatiana by Kwame Onwuachi.
“Mr. Onwuachi paints a vibrant portrait of the Afro-Caribbean culinary diaspora, adding surprising touches inspired by his Bronx upbringing — spicy, nutty suya is dusted onto pastrami, while lobster gets the bright and bracing escovitch treatment,” Times reporter Priya Krishna wrote. “Set inside one of New York’s great cultural institutions, Tatiana is a reminder of how dynamic, fearless cooking can be its own art form.”
The New York Times dished out numerical rankings to the top 10 restaurants, but for the 90 other eateries the publication listed them in alphabetical order.
Among those eateries was the Upper West Side staple Barney Greengrass at 541 Amsterdam Avenue, between West 86th and 87th streets. It is the third year in a row that the Jewish deli earned a spot on the New York Times best restaurants ranking.
Here’s what the publication had to say about the Sturgeon King.
“Latkes or blintzes? Nova or belly lox? Bagel or bialy? The extensive menu at this Upper West Side elder can seem daunting for a first-timer, but regulars know there are no wrong choices,” Times reporter Melissa Clark wrote. “There’s no better spot for a taste of O.G. New York Jewish charm, especially when it’s expressed in a plate of lox, eggs and onions.”
Barney Greengrass has served customers on the Upper West Side since 1908.
The final Upper West Side restaurant to earn a spot on the ranking was the French tasting eatery Jean-Georges at 1 Central Park West. The restaurant is no stranger to accolades as it has two Michelin stars and is routinely named among the best restaurants in New York City.
“From the first caviar- and uni-rich amuse to the whimsical grand finale of homemade caramels, fruit jellies, chocolates and marshmallows, Jean-Georges proves that the chef is still not out of unexpected delights,” read the description of the UWS eatery in the Times.
You can check out all 100 restaurants that made the list — HERE.
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oh great! Barney Greengrass!! I’ll go mortgage my apartment so I can have lox on a bagel and a $12 latke
I could get it if the list were to try to capture the top iconic restaurants in NYC, but… what exactly does Barney Greengrass do that stands out exactly (other than its usually grouchy service)? The lox and other smoked fish are nowhere near as good as Russ & Daughters or even Murray’s. Bagels and bialys are third or fourth rate by NYC standards at best in my experience. (One must absolutely toast them to make the edible.) I do have an appreciation for the style of latkes — maybe I have an appreciation for every style of latkes I love them so — but BG’s are greasebombs, sometimes refried, recycled concrete pucks. I guess I just don’t understand the appeal short of something purely sentimental. .
I was told by waitstaff that an omelet would be too hard for the kitchen and not turn out well – that the “scramble” was a better option.
Went their once. Never again. Extremely overrated, and by Melissa Clark, whose recipes I swear by. What was she drinking or smoking when she went there? BTW, I didn’t even mind the traditional hurried waitstaff — until they made us move to another table in the middle of the meal.
I’ve never been back to BG since the disastrous closure by the city for hygiene violations a number of years ago. Nope, nope, nope.
Often the safest places to eat are thise that have had to come up to code to reopen snd are under lifelong DOH surveillance. If Barney Greengrass has an A rating in its window I am delighted to eat there and be greeted by owner Gary Greengrass as I was for decades before by his desr fsthrr, Moe.
I’ve never seen Jean-Georges and then I realize 1 CPW is the Trump Tower… nevermind.
Interesting that Tatiana does not list prices on the menu on its website. Scary
As they say: “If you have to ask, you can’t afford it.”
$45 for oxtail! Hahaha.
Tried Sempre Oggi based on writeup here – it’s Michelin starred and right off Amsterdam at 75th. Excellent – pesto a la Trapanese is excellent if you can get it.
Barney Greengrass is fun and all — I like Jewish breakfast food as much as the next guy, and the shabbiness of the decor is cute — but it’s simply NOT one of the “best restaurants in New York City.” Not by a long shot.
The average New York diner offers a lot the same food, at about the same level of quality.
I think the Times lets a sentimental attachment to the place override its judgment about how good (or unique) it really is.
The idea barney greengrass is still on this list is so silly it damages the credibility of the entire list. Semma which is number one on the list is actually pretty good if you love high Indian food with some serious spice to it and amazing unique cocktails. Its s shame there are so many great restaurants here on the upper west side that are being overlooked because the times has a sentimental attachment to a 120-year-old Deli. Dagon and Bustan both come to mind as terrific.
Barney Greengrass is the worst.
Overpriced.
Crowded.
Rude staff.
Cash only. “Just go down the block to Dunkin Donuts, they have an ATM.”
Scam much?
Don’t sit outside, pigeon crap all over the place.
Thank you and have a blessed day!
I have PTSD after my attempt to have a special 50th birthday dinner at Tatiana. A restaurant needs more than good food. And while Tatiana may have that, it definitely needs a lesson in hospitality.