The New York Times released its top 50 best restaurants in the United States in 2026, and it includes four locations in New York City.
According to The Times, 16 reporters traveled across the country to eat at all types of restaurants, from small-town Wisconsin to downtown Manhattan. The picks aren’t ranked. If a restaurant made the list in a previous year, it won’t be on this top 50 list for 2026.
Here are the four restaurants in New York that made the list this year.
Bistrot Ha
This restaurant in Manhattan, by chefs Sadie Mae Burns and Anthony Ha, features French, Southeast Asian and Vietnamese cuisine and only opened in February this year. The Times noted that the plates are “effusive and electric” while the jostling dining room feels “essential and alive.”
Meju
Chef Jooni Kim looks to the past with this Korean restaurant in Long Island City, Queens. It considers itself a traditional Korean fermentation restaurant that has earned three Michelin stars.
Yamada
Chef Isao Yamada offers a 10-course kaiseki tasting menu that is described as a multi-sensory dining experience guided by the principles of seasonality, harmony and mindfulness. The menu blends tradition with innovation rooted in Japanese fundamentals in Yamada’s distinctive style.
The Times noted that there is no theater and no spectacle — just close attention paid to place and time. It is located in Manhattan.
Zoli
Zoli is a new restaurant that opened in April this year and offers American-style seafood on its menu. Chef Ned Baldwin is a fisherman’s son and brings the love of the sea to food. The Times wrote that the food at this “soaring seafood spot is anchored in the familiar but appealingly off-kilter.” It is located in Brooklyn.
Dining and Cooking