![[AMA] We're the reporters who just ranked the best 50 restaurants in the U.S. for The New York Times. Ask us anything!](https://www.diningandcooking.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/wve9fezpk1tzX9Q1jXBQ2SELlDWzxE16kHcsLpjFNdI-scaled.jpg "[AMA] We’re the reporters who just ranked the best 50 restaurants in the U.S. for The New York Times. Ask us anything!")
Hi everybody, we just published our list of the best 50 restaurants in the U.S. You can see the full list for free here, even without an NYT subscription.
From Brian Gallagher (proof): Hi there! I’m Brian Gallagher, a senior editor on The New York Times Food desk. I edit features and restaurant coverage, both nationally and in New York City. I have been a part of multiple lists chronicling the top 50 U.S. restaurants.
From Tejal Rao (proof): I’m a chief restaurant critic for the Times, based in Los Angeles and traveling the country to review restaurants with a diversity of cuisines, price points and formats. I’m always looking for excellent food, but this year I felt especially drawn to places that had confidence in their own idiosyncratic vision.
From Priya Krishna (proof): I’m a food reporter for the Times and I spent the first half of the year serving as co interim restaurant critic, putting together our annual NYC 100 list. I’m interested in what restaurants tell us about who we are as a culture at a moment in time. I am from Texas originally (HEB forever) and I anchor our restaurant scouting there. I also helped make our New York selections for the list as part of the interim critic job.
Ask us anything about our process behind the scenes, and what we’re looking for when we scout.
by thenewyorktimes
31 Comments
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I went to Lao’d Bar once (with food writer who swore by it) and we both left a bit disappointed. She swears it was an off night.
What inspired you to select them?
Looking forward to trying sander’s bbq in beverly, chicago! Beverly tends to fly under the radar so how did you hear about the restaurant? Additionally, what else is worth ordering aside from the oxtail gumbo?
How did you find these particular restaurants? Were there places that just missed the cutoff?
i’m assuming being on the road often could make you homesick; what’s your go-to comfort meal?
Best advice for someone looking to get into the saturated market of food reviews/content?
Why did you go to only 33 states including DC? While I understand budget and time concerns, saying they’re the top 50 best restaurants in the US while not having gone to over a third of the states doesn’t make much sense to me.
How much input are you getting from outside people who have a vested interest in you trying a particular restaurant as far as deciding what places to try?
Does the NY Times ever think about doing a list like this for Restaurants around the world? or maybe list for certain countries? like NY Times visits Tokyo or Rome or Milan
I was excited to see Bar Sen on your list this year! How do you hear about the restaurants that are in locations not known (yet) for their food? The food scene here in OKC is definitely under the radar.
I don’t see the point in ranking restaurants in a country this big with a food scene this diverse. There’s just no direct comparisons to draw that would be useful to the normal reader. If rankings have to happen, I’d much rather a specific category being rated or within a specific market. But even category lists have been suss (e.g. the top pizza rankings from that Italian society that put Una Pizza Napoletana #1 and Tony’s Pizza Napoletana #2 or 3)
For Priya since you are from Texas, where is the best place to get authentic southern BBQ in the city.
Additionally for everyone, as critics, have you ever eaten anything that has given you your own ratatouille Anton Ego moment?
Given an unlimited budget, what restaurant, globally, would you most like to visit for a fine dinner
okay, what was your criteria for ranking these restaurants? I live in st louis, and Robin, though very good, is neither one of the 50 best in the country nor in the city of st louis. at a minimum, vicia and sado rank higher, by most informed diners. Also Robin is exceptionally new, and not quite consistent enough to be so lauded. What gives?
Do employees at the restaurants you’re reviewing ever recognize you? I’m curious whether you’ve received preferential treatment once you’ve been recognized and if so, how you’ve handled it in the moment and in the review.
honestly loving this reddit crossover, thank you!
What’s your opinion of crowdsourcing restaurant rankings, like Zagat used to do, vs. relying on expert opinions? Which is more likely to match your readers’ expectations and experience?
Seems that much of the feedback that you get around these lists is that you can’t possibly have tried enough restaurants (or states) as a team to declare these 50 the “best.” Outside of acknowledging the number of states or places you tried, do you have a message for those who still think these lists are misleading?
Almost all your choices are in cities. How do you choose the restaurants you try and is there any initiative to review places that are off the beaten path or in less populated areas?
Didn’t you just rank Semma as the best restaurant in all of NYC? Just curious why it wasn’t included in this list
Given that the NYTimes is rapidly drifting in to the medium that Eater previously dominated, with top restaurant lists both nationally and locally, how do you see your coverage differentiating from their approach?
Stupid question, is there just a ranked list for restaurants that have never ranked in prior years?
As an Angeleno, genuinely, how are you able to narrow down the CA choices to just a few restaurants? There are so many good options in LA alone!
Of all the restaurants you ranked, were there any that were a personal revelation? Perhaps above and beyond the short write-up, or in an extra-journalistic way?
Were there any restaurants that didn’t make the cut that are potentially in consideration for the next list? Any that you might visit again?
What are some restaurants that just missed the list? Particularly interested in NYC, Philly, and DC but also more generally if you have a “just missed” list
Why these restaurants and why nothing from Washington?
There is an estimated one million restaurants in the US. How can you claim that these are the top 50?
Could you hire me to join your team please?
My question is for Tejal! (Big fan)
I’m a NY to LA transplant – Having spent so much time across NYC and LA yourself what do you think is missing from the LA dining scene? I was so happy to see Baby Bistro on the list as to me it’s the kind of thing I’d love to see more of in LA that feels creative AND uses our produce to the fullest.
Why use the term “best” as a qualifier when there are likely so many great restaurants the team didn’t try, a third of states weren’t represented, varying price points and varying cuisines? It just feels like clickbait because people want to know the methodology if you’re labeling the “best” restaurants. It’s not explained on the list.
Current tagline: Here are the 50 best places in America right now.
Suggested tagline: Here are 50 amazing places in America right now.