an NYC classic in a candlelit townhouse
Must-try: Cheeseburger, Chicken pot pie, Complimentary biscuits
📍 16 Bank St, New York, NY 10014
a retro room of vinyl booths and suburban nostalgia
Must-try: Cold martinis, Chicken parmesan, Brownie sundae
📍 332 Driggs Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11222
teeny oxblood booths permanently packed with ladies who lunch
Must-try: Whole chicken with foie gras, Coconut cake, Martinis
📍 964 Lexington Ave, New York, NY 10021
American in TriBeCa — 4.7 on Resy across 26,643 diner reviews
📍 33 Cortlandt Alley, New York, NY 10013
American in Gramercy — 4.7 on Resy across 17,274 diner reviews
📍 345 Park Ave S, New York, NY 10010
American in TriBeCa — 4.7 on Resy across 7,190 diner reviews
📍 1 White St, New York, NY 10013
a decades-old counter whose motto is cheez on anything you pleez
Must-try: Roast beef sandwich, Corn nuggets, Cheese fries
📍 2901 Emmons Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11235
American in Washington Heights — 4.7 across 2,385 diner reviews
Must-try: Burgers, Buttermilk pancakes
📍 3821 Broadway, New York, NY 10032
New American cooking whose pasta quietly steals the meal
Must-try: Raw oysters, Seasonal pasta, Unexpected accents
📍 289 Bleecker St, New York, NY 10014
American in the West Village — 4.6 on Resy across 12,851 diner reviews
Must-try: Tuna tartare, Fries, Burger
📍 33 Greenwich Ave, New York, NY 10014
Williamsburg's beloved all-day restaurant — the Sunday pancake stack altered Brooklyn's brunch landscape forever
Must-try: Sunday pancakes (hazelnut maple praline + brown butter), Breakfast sandwich, Soft serve
📍 348 Wythe Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11249
a twelve-seat room doing New Orleans cooking the neighborhood is lucky to have
Must-try: Seafood etouffee, Po'boy, Oysters
📍 794 Washington Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11238
Billy Durney's Red Hook tavern — a dry-aged burger, a martini, and a room that feels fifty years older than it is
Must-try: Tavern burger, Wedge salad, Martini
📍 329 Van Brunt St, Brooklyn, NY 11231
A restored 1950s art deco room where the burger and the cocktails are equally the point
Must-try: Burger, White negroni, Cheese curds
📍 110 Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11201
Sam Yoo's Two Bridges diner — American diner format, Korean and Filipino technique, one of the best breakfast sandwiches in the city
Must-try: Katsu sando, Honey butter pancakes, Breakfast sandwich
📍 123 Madison St, New York, NY 10002
Downtown Brooklyn's landmarked 1879 dining room, reopened — gaslight chandeliers, mahogany paneling, and Michelin-recognized cooking worth the trip across the bridge
Must-try: Lobster thermidor, Aged burger (weekend lunch only), Golden Bread Brûlée (Caroline Schiff dessert)
📍 372 Fulton St, Brooklyn, NY 11201
A Court Street tavern from a team with fine-dining pedigree — bar food cooked considerably better than it needs to be
Must-try: Burger, Fried fish, Seasonal vegetable plate
📍 524 Court St, Brooklyn, NY 11231
The blueberry pancakes that set the citywide standard — plus a proper dinner menu most people never notice
Must-try: Blueberry pancakes with maple butter, Buttermilk biscuit sandwich, Fried chicken and waffles
📍 4 Clinton St, New York, NY 10002
American in TriBeCa — 4.4 on Resy across 5,969 diner reviews
Must-try: Cocktails, Live jazz
📍 2 6th Ave The Roxy Hotel, New York, NY 10013
Hidden colonial tavern at the end of a graffiti-lined LES alley — taxidermy, candlelight, artichoke dip, and two decades of neighborhood loyalty
Must-try: Artichoke dip, Trout with almonds, Porterhouse steak for two
📍 Freeman Alley (off Rivington St), New York, NY 10002
American in Harlem — 4.4 across 3,424 diner reviews
Must-try: Jerk chicken, Fish and chips
📍 101 Edgecombe Ave, New York, NY 10030
Marcus Samuelsson's Lenox Avenue flagship — Southern, Ethiopian, and Scandinavian threads in one loud, beautiful room
Must-try: Fried yardbird, Cornbread with honey butter, Shrimp and grits
📍 310 Malcolm X Blvd, New York, NY 10027
American in Harlem — 4.3 across 3,385 diner reviews
Must-try: Confit duck
📍 553 Manhattan Ave, New York, NY 10027
American in Washington Heights — 4.3 across 2,987 diner reviews
Must-try: Pizzas, Bar snacks
📍 821 W 181st St, New York, NY 10033