Best Brasserie: Cafe D'Alsace
Sample stinky cheese, mussels Provencale, steak frites, and other classic Alsatian dishes at Cafe D'Alsace, a quaint brasserie. Sit at the long, open bar or in one of the cozy banquettes while enjoying your meal.
Best Date Spot: Felice 83
With its ambient lighting, cozy banquettes, and vintage vibe, Felice 83 is a great spot for a date. There's an extensive wine and cocktail list, and a nice array of Italian bar snacks, like veal meatballs, fried artichokes, and gooey burrata. There are also heartier mains.
Best Mediterranean: Beyoglu
Named after one of the hippest neighborhoods in Istanbul, Beyoglu serves delicious Turkish food that's meant to be shared. Order a bunch of different meze and some Turkish wine.
The restaurant has been around for a while, but still feels buzzy and cool.
Best Indian: The Drunken Munkey
Opened in November 2013, the Drunken Munkey is a "craft cocktail" bar that channels colonial India and the supper clubs of Old Bombay. Mini bicycles adorn the walls, door handles are made from cricket balls, and servers wear traditional Indian kurtas.
In addition to Indian-inspired cocktails, they serve classic Indian dishes as well as some Anglo-Indian specialties.
Best Brunch: East End Kitchen
This local spot calls itself "an American Bistro," serving organic, locally- and sustainably-sourced produce, an grass-fed meats in its seasonal menu. Enjoy those high-quality ingredients at brunch, when you can get a great meal at a reasonable price.
The brunch menu is extensive — think eggs Benedict, green eggs and ham, and shrimp and grits — and each dish comes with a choice of house-made beverage, like a Maplejack Apple Pie (house specialty cocktail), Sobieski Bloody Mary, mimosa, or organic coffee or tea.
Best Mussels: Flex Mussels
Feast on steaming bowls of fresh mussels cooked in savory broths, like Thai coconut curry broth or Mexican chipotle adobo. There are other items on the menu too, but the thing to order here is mussels, of course.
Flex has a location downtown too.
Best Happy Hour: Heidi's House - By The Side Of The Road
Heidi's House is a cozy, intimate wine bar on a quiet street. They have an awesome happy hour with special deals on wine, beer, and snacks. The food menu is small, but all the items are organic. People rave about their mac & cheese, which can be topped with lobster, bacon, or chorizo.
They also have board games, like Scrabble and Checkers to keep you entertained while you imbibe.
Best Cured Meats: Il Salumaio
Il Salumaio started out as an informal Italian deli, but was such a hit that locals insisted that it expand and become a sit-down restaurant. Now they call themselves a "wine bar," but the focus here is still on the delicious Italian cheeses and cured meats, which still hang from the ceiling.
Best Cajun: Infirmiry
Infirmiry opened in late 2013, and it's already regularly packed. This New Orleans-inspired joint serves Creole and Cajun food in a sleek setting. Try the po boys and gumbo, while enjoying a Sazerac, a classic NOLA cocktail.
Best Cocktails: Jbird
The bartenders at Jbird use high-end ingredients to stir up creative concoctions like the Mucho Gusto (tequila, avocado, agave nectar and lime juice) or the Moscow Mutt (vodka, lime juice, blueberry syrup, ginger).
They also make drinks for two that are meant to be shared.
And if you crave more than a liquid dinner, order one of their tasty food items, like grilled octopus, roasted shisito peppers, or braised pork sliders.
Best Burger: JG Melon
This no-frills bar may have gruff service, but it also has awesome, juicy burgers made with fresh ground beef. They're best enjoyed with a cold pint of beer. It may not be new, but it is a UES institution.
Best Fish & Chips: Jones Wood Foundry
Jones Wood Foundry is not any old stodgy British pub. It's a modern gastropub that serves elevated classic pub fare in a modern setting. Even British people rave about the fish & chips, calling it the best in the city.
Best South African: Kaia
Kaia is a South African term that refers to home, and this cozy wine bar does feel homey. It serves South African-inspired small plates that are meant to be shared. Try the honey rooibos ribs or the bison sliders.
There's also an impressive list of wines and craft beers from South Africa.
Best Tarte Flambee: La Tarte Flambee
A tarte flambee is basically a very thin, crispy flat pizza from Alsace. It's so thin it's more like a cracker, or even a crepe. Order the traditional tarte flambee, topped with crème fraîche, caramelized onions and bacon, and wash it down with a glass of crisp white Alsatian wine.
Best Lobster Roll: Luke's Lobster
Luke's serves lobster rolls "Maine-style:" chilled lobster on a buttered, toasted bun. It's a delicious taste of Maine in NYC.
Best Meatballs: The Meatball Shop
The famed Meatball Shop opened its newest location on the Upper East Side in August. Diners can sample all sorts of meatballs, including classic beef, spicy pork, and veggie.
This UES location is larger than other Meatball Shop locales and has a nice room in back which you can rent for private parties. It's also the first Meatball Shop to serve brunch.
Best Ramen: Naruto Ramen
Be prepared to wait to slurp up the steaming bowls of salty, flavorful ramen at this hole-in-the-wall joint. It's not fancy, but it does have a religious following. Cash only.
Best Steakhouse: Parlor
Parlor is a lot more casual and trendy than other NYC steakhouses, but the food is no less satisfying. It has a fresh raw bar, high-quality meats, and tasty drinks. It also has a great brunch, which features a lot more than just steak — though of course that makes an appearance, too.
Best Gastropub: The Penrose
The team behind downtown hotspots The Wren and Wilfie & Nell are responsible for The Penrose, a trendy uptown gastropub with a downtown vibe.
Come here for small plates, fancy cocktails, and a bumping scene — especially during happy hour.
Best Beer Selection: Pony Bar
Pony Bar features a rotating selection of unique craft beers—and they're all made in America. There are always 20 craft beers on tap and 2 hand-pumped cask ales at all times. There are also refined bar food bites, like sloppy duck sliders, chipotle ale shrimp tortas, and green bean tempura.
Best Pizza: San Matteo Panuozzo
San Matteo serves chewy, bubbly, Neapolitan-style pizza pies topped with high-quality ingredients, like prosciutto, burrata, and truffle pate.
It's a small, crowded space, but on nice days, diners can enjoy their pizza al fresco.
Best Small Plates: Sojourn
As its name suggests, Sojourn takes customers around the world with its globally-inspired small plates. The eclectic menu features a mix of cultures and flavors, with items like duck confit spring rolls, manchego and chorizo croquettes, and burrata. This place is always packed, and the bar scene is especially lively.
Best Mexican: Toloache
Toloache has several locations around the city, and the Upper East Side locale serves the same delicious high-end Mexican food as its other spots. There's a wide selection of tacos, quesadillas, and guacamole, all made with top-quality ingredients.
Best Pasta: UVA
UVA calls itself a wine bar, but it has such a large selection of excellent Italian dishes that we think it qualifies more as a restaurant. They have great snacks to nibble on, including a variety of cheese, cured meats, and bruschetta, as well as heartier dishes, like homemade papardelle pasta with veal ragout, seared duck breast, and braised short ribs. But our favorites are the pasta dishes, many of which are handmade in-house.
There's also a late-night menu of sliders, pizza, and more, served after 11pm.
Best Decor: The Writing Room
The Writing Room opened in January in what was Elaine's, which was a favorite haunt of local writers and the like. With its cozy leather banquettes, curated photography inspired by famous authors, and bookshelf-lined walls, the literary theme lives on at The Writing Room.
It serves classic American bistro fare, like veal meatloaf, rotisserie chicken, and smoked brisket.