By West Side Rag
Robert Sietsema has reviewed restaurants for more than 35 years, including around a decade as Eater’s senior food critic.
Recently, he published his list in Gothamist of the nine best places to currently eat at on the Upper West Side.
Sietsema began his piece with some praise of the Upper West Side restaurant scene.
“New York Times restaurant critic Pete Wells wrote in 2017 that there were few restaurants on the Upper West Side – which extends from Columbus Circle to 110th Street – where you could go to impress friends,” Sietsema wrote. “Well, it wasn’t true then, and it certainly isn’t true now, as the neighborhood has one of the most impressive and diverse collections of dining establishments in the city.”
Here are the neighborhood spots he highlighted. The eateries range from places where you’re going to “spend $10 or $100.”
Let us know in the comments which restaurants you think he might be missing.
- Bar Masa: 10 Columbus Circle, fourth floor
- Old John’s Diner: 148 West 67th Street, near Amsterdam Avenue
- Charles Pan-Fried Chicken: 146 West 72nd Street, between Amsterdam and Columbus
- Gray’s Papaya: 2090 Broadway, corner of West 72nd Street
- Saravanaa Bhavan: 413 Amsterdam Avenue, near the corner of West 80th Street
- Barney Greengrass: 541 Amsterdam Avenue, near the corner of West 87th Street
- Moon Kee: 2642 Broadway, between West 100th and 101st streets
- Hinds Hall: 949 Amsterdam Avenue, near the corner of West 106th Street
- Bahn Shop House: 945 Amsterdam Avenue, between West 106th and 107th streets
You can read more about Sietsema’s list — HERE.
Subscribe to West Side Rag’s FREE email newsletter here. And you can Support the Rag here.
There’s no fine dining on this list (Bar Masa is the casual auxiliary of Masa), so let me add the fine dining components that this list ignores:
Essential
Masa
Per Se
Jean-Georges
Rampoldi
Lincoln Ristorante
all of those are indeed fine dining place but are probably priced out of the reach of most of the residents in the area.
…which is why Wells was correct, and why the UWS has a diverse collection of “okay” places, but few truly notable places.
I mean…Gray’s Papaya? Really?? Did Kramer ghost-write this?
Yeah Grays Papaya has no business being on this list
The Upper West Side is one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in the city.
One of the wealthiest neighborhoods in the country!
But the list is places where you will spend under $100
Not really. It’s just what the list ended up mostly being, but this was never expressly stated as a series of restaurants where you won’t exceed $100. It was never couched that way in the headline or the copy.
It says “across the Upper West Side you can find dozens of cuisines at every price level, whether you are prepared to spend $10 or $100.”
We all know you can spend much more than that at hugh end restaurants.
Seriously?
Mermaid Inn
Dagon
Sempre Oggi
Covatcha
Elea
We had eaten at Mermaid Inn and Elea a number of times. Sadly, they are no longer what they were.
Good list. I’d add Sala Thai, Swagat, and Legend 72
Pretty sure he meant the buzziest 9 restaurants, not the best.
Definitely missing Cafe du Soleil, Arco Cafe, and Nice Matin!
Cafe du Soleil survives on its atmosphere. The food is mediocre French.
I used to love it but it went downhill.🙁
Less than mediocre
The best restaurant on the UWS is Jean Georges. No other restaurant comes close. Someone said it’s out of the price range for most people in the neighborhood. Seriously? We’re talking about one of the highest average income neighborhoods in the country. It’s the UWS, not Appalachia!
Last trip to Essential exceeded Jean-Georges in every department, save for the wine list. And I’m not talking about Nougatine. You should go.
It’s not confusing. “Here are the neighborhood spots he highlighted. The eateries range from places where you’re going to “spend $10 or $100.”
That was the end result, but it was never the express goal. Look at the headline. Never presented as a value list. And good luck NOT spending $100 at Bar Masa. You’ll barely eat.
Gray’s!!! For Real!!!
Nice Matin, Dagon, Red Farm, Thai 72, Mermaid Inn, Motorino, Consulate
Definitely Nice Matin and Consulate! The other ones seem like high-carb fast food places!
These are all fine. Thank goodness he left out all my faves–I don ‘t want them overrun by influemcers & their ilk.
A list without commentary is meaningless.
What makes Gray’s Papaya better than Sempre Oggi?
Is Hinds Hall on the list because it’s controversial? What makes it great?
Hinds Hall is on the list because its delicious!!!!!!
There’s explanations at the Gothamist link
People don’t like to click. They prefer to skim and react.
From those explanations, all we know is that Hinds Hall serves larger and more “ambitious” dishes than their other location.
Bar Masa is cheaper than the other Masa and has a serene atmosphere.
Old John’s has “usual” food with a rollicking French dip sandwich.
If those are helpful to you in determining the best restaurants in the neighborhood, go for it.
Rudraks – Indian on 95th and Amsterdam.
Jacob’s Pickles – Columbus and 94th
Something is missing in this article? Was it AI?
What bull. Hind Hall has been open for a week. He only chose it for political reasons. Worthless hack.
Probably true. I’m guessing he wants to be liked by the uber progressives . After reading his description of it I wonder if he actually ate there.
exactly.. a week !!
Plus, when I think of recommending a restaurant to someone, I usually consider UWS spots at least above or around Lincoln Center,
If I was sending them to Per Se, I (personally) would call it Columbus Circle, not the UWS.
Me too, but the official map disagrees with us.
The Upper West Side includes everything west of Central Park from 59th to 110th.
How can Cafe Luxenbourg not be in this list? https://www.cafeluxembourg.com/
Not only are good places missing, I don’t really like his taste. Hinds Hall just opened- no track record at all???
This is a peculiar West Side Rag article. The list is mostly missing context or explanation which makes it pretty useless regardless; but the the really odd thing is that the ONE bit of context is: “- where you could go to impress friends,” And this list, as delicious as some of the food served in these places may be, is quite specifically NOT where you go to impress anybody. It is explicitly a list of places with unexpectedly tasty food and that’s it.
This article is a synopsis of an article in the Gothamist which they have privided links to if you woukd like more details.
I am amazed at all the restaurants on the UWS he chose those 9. Of all of them Gray’s Papaya and Masa are the only two worthwhile. There are hundreds of restaurants on the UWS he can do much better
Tessa, for a nice meal but especially for their fabulous cocktail menu & the way the drinks are executed. Some of the best that I’ve seen even throughout my travels. They have a daily Happy Hour where the cocktails, once 8 dollars, then 10, are now a reasonable 12 dollars and there are wines & beers for a very reasonable price.
Abigael Sidi is a far more discerning food critic than Sietsema IMO. His list is more like what I’d find in a Guide to the UWS for tourists from Wisconsin. He did not list Cafe Luxenbourg which is one of the best of its kind in NY much less the UWS. Crave Fish Bar has excellent shell fish. Fred’s is a staple for mainstream dishes like meatloaf and burgers. Cafe Viand has the best roast turkey in the city. Bodrum has a superb Turkish menu with great food choices. Nina’s Great Burrito Bar has some of the best Mexican home cooking around. Salumeria Rosi is a great northern Italian restaurant in a delightful setting. That none were listed show how lame is this list.
Nina’s is excellent!
Lame list. Sorry, Mr. Sietsema, but you missed the mark on this one.
If we read the title of the article, “9 favorite spots to eat on the UWS” — it is simply that. I didn’t extrapolate they were the best, just this author’s personal choices. And we are all entitled to like what we like, and could all list ours too. Some of the choices are most probably well-frequented spots we all eat at. To the author, I say, thanks for sharing!
Not true. The Gothamist article uses the word “best” and the headline offers “where to eat on the upper west side.” This is clearly more than “my favorites” list. It omits many way better places, IMO and promotes less worthy places. Gray’s Papaya ,for example reduced the size of their hot dogs many years ago in order to keep prices low. The result is an excessively salty sausage which I stopped eating years ago. The hot dogs at Pastrami Queen up the block are far superior.
Ok, that’s fair. And I’m going to try the dogs at Pastrami Queen on your recco.
FINALLY!! A comment that actually understands Robert’s message!!
Moon kee is the worst Chinese food I’ve ever tasted. It’s worse than Ozen
Ate at Hinds Hall and had a beautiful time. Four different neighbors walking down the street stopped to smile and ask my friend and I how we liked the food and said they couldn’t wait to come enjoy. I grew up in NYC and love eating outside and have never had so many lovely interactions like that! Glad it made the list. The mezze platter is divine.
I always liked Sietsema (from his Village Voice days) and am glad to see him back writing for general consumption.
I would add Celeste to the list. Reliably great food, a bit crowded and cash-only, but the owner, Carmine, is always on the floor (where else do you see that anymore?) and serious about hospitality. It’s a local gem.
Also, if Old John’s is on the list because it’s a diner, I’d add Cafe 82, which is a more authentic NYC diner with a broader menu and less effort at “vibe”.
1. I love that he mentioned Moon Kee! The dim sum is above and beyond, and you get the carts on the weekends (though it’s comical to watch them basically go in a tiny circle).
2. Robert’s been doing this for a long, long time, and his Substack is really good for all his reccs (https://robertsietsema.substack.com/).
3. Robert has a bit of a passion with hot dogs, which is not surprising to me that Gray’s is on this list. (https://robertsietsema.substack.com/p/my-10-favorite-hot-dogs-in-new-york)
He should have included Ashford & Simpson’s Sugar Bar–254 W. 72
Sadly, Nick Ashford died in 2011.
Sushi Yasaka is an outstanding Japanese restaurant on West 72nd street between Bway and West End. It’s been mentioned in Michelin .
Howling! What a joke. Do better
Howling? It’s list of popular restaurants. Why don’t you “do better” than a condescending and insulting tone?
I hate these lists because they bring in floods of outside influences, people who want to say they’ve been there, done that, and lots of them are just local small places that we locals want to enjoy.
This list is so ridiculous.
They didn’t include most of the really terrific restaurants, some restaurants on this critic’s list are so ordinary that it’s potluck whether you get fresh, good food.
A list of popular restaurants. What’s so hard to comprehend?
Who wants a list of popular restaurants? If they’re popular we don’t need a list.
No list of best UWS restaurants is complete without Osteria 106, 53 106 St. Excellent food with wonderful staff.
I would also include El Fish , 155 Amsterdam Ave.
I looked at the full article in the Gothamist. He has an error. He says that Moon Kee doesn’t have rolling Dim Sum carts. That is wrong. They most definitely have rolling Dim Sum carts on weekends. Seems like he didn’t eat there very often.
Yes, for anyone looking for a good bite to eat go to any of these places. This is what you are looking for.
Many outstanding, not excessively priced restaurants are not on Mr. Sietsema’s list, especially around the 72nd Street businesss area, including
-Shanghai Dumpling Fusion (72nd St. btwn Amsterday & Columbus)
-Cafe Luxembourg (70th St. & Amsterdam)
-Miriam UWS (74th & & Amsterdam)
Salumeria Rosa has a great brunch as does Cafe Luxembourg. Flor de Mayo is reliable. We sure could use more good ones!
The three best “comfort food” restaurants are Jacob’s Pickle, The Smith and Westville.
And how are Fiorello and Il Violino not given a shout out. Both have been around forever for a reason. Solid Italian food and old time ambience. Great staff too!
Basically sounds like a list you’d give a tourist to visit.
I was just reading the comments…
I guess one has to note that the headline is Sietsema’s favorite spots to eat on UWS, not the best restaurants on UWS (though the article’s author notes them as the nine best places to eat under $100). I get that Gray’s Papaya and Barney Greengrass and even Old Johns are on the list. Who doesn’t sometimes crave a Gray’s hotdog (especially if they are old enough to remember grabbing one at 2:00 am), have breakfast at Barney Greengrass or NYC diner food at Old Johns. The confusion is these are not restaurants. (And, honestly, you can drop some money at Barney Greengrass for a “diner” experience.) This is just a useless list if you are looking to read an interesting article and find some gems. Especially, since Sietsema was Eater’s senior food critic—it pikes your interest. You would expect more from this list presented in the way it is. UWS’ers listed far more compelling, and even great options than in this article.
Trattoria il Gusto is a great Italian restaurant, both the food and ambiance. Both Elea and The Consulate also belong on the list.
Where can you get the best Nova in the UWS?
Murray’s, the absolute best, then Zabar’s
zabars
Thanks but I will stick to Carmines & V &T.
Grays Papaya?
u must be kidding
That’s Cancer food. Google hot dogs
Yuck!
Perhaps not a daily habit or even a weekly one …. but every so often, nothing beats a good dog.
Love the list! Sometimes you just want to have a delicious hot dog! And they ARE delicious! Yay Gray’s!! It’s amazing how bitter and annoying so many UWS’ers are. Some will complain at any statement made….just to exercize their rights to complain. Good for you. I rely on my taste buds and am interested in information about other restaurants. If I can afford to go to them, I’ll make MY own decision! But thanks for the info on these restaurants.
Gray’s Papaya and Bahn are the only 2 I’ll go to. Siestsama has no idea what he’s talking about. UWS simply sucks when it comes to good restaurants. And worst of all most UWSers won’t venture out of their hood to taste really good food!
This is such an odd list that for no logical reason leaves out so many restaurants others have listed and Buceo 95, Can’t see a how any of the ones listed would impress anyone.
I like Kouzan, Manattan Valley, Osteria Accademia, and Bodrum.