New York’s Best Restaurants: Italian Cuisine Sits This One Out

Not a single Italian restaurant made it into the New York Times’ newly released list of the best dining spots in New York City. Curated by Priya Krishna and Melissa Clark, alongside editor Brian Gallagher, the ranking reflects a culinary landscape in flux—one where Indian, Korean, French, Caribbean, and fusion cuisines now take center stage. Italian food, once a staple, is notably absent from the top tier.

At the top of the list is Semma, a South Indian restaurant in Greenwich Village, followed by Atomix, an experimental Korean spot in NoMad, and the French fine-dining institution Le Bernardin in Midtown. Also in the top ten: the Caribbean Kabawa (East Village), the Vietnamese Ha’s Snack Bar (Lower East Side), the Mediterranean-inspired King (South Village, with French, Spanish, and some Italian influences), the French-style seafood spot Penny (East Village), the Japanese omakase Sushi Sho (Midtown), the Chinese Szechuan Mountain House (East Village), and the Creole-Caribbean Tatiana (Upper West Side).

Meanwhile, Italian cuisine is relegated to the sidelines.

To find Italian representation, one has to scroll down to the unranked section—ninety additional restaurants listed alphabetically. Among them: Via Carota, a West Village bistro offering rustic Italian fare with a New York twist; Una Pizza Napoletana (Lower East Side); Borgo (a recent Midtown opening); Lilia (Williamsburg); Torrisi (NoLIta); and two longstanding Italian-American institutions—Randazzo’s Clam Bar (Sheepshead Bay) and Don Peppe (South Ozone Park).

The selection criteria, the curators explain, were straightforward: “Where would you send a friend? Where is it worth spending your money? What restaurant is worth a one-hour subway ride?” The answers, in the eyes of the Times, favor innovation, cross-cultural fusion, and surprise—often at the expense of culinary tradition.

The list is the result of months of hands-on research. Krishna and Clark visited hundreds of restaurants, starting from a longlist that included recommendations from fellow critic Pete Wells in 2024.

“We came home with new pairs of pants,” they joke. The final outcome is a culinary map that captures the spirit of the moment: constant movement, cultural blending, and adventurous tastes. And a city where, despite its deep roots, Italian cuisine now struggles to stand out.