Michelin-starred restaurants in New York are, for many, the meals of bucket list dreams. Luckily for locals, they’re right in our backyard — and many are even available for delivery. (Ten or even five years ago, would we have even believed it possible?) You can gather around the dinner table for decadent Wagyu paella from Cote, or swoon over the sticky toffee pudding from Crown Shy’s celebrated pastry chef Renata Ameni. When you’re ordering in from one of these Michelin-starred or Michelin Bib restaurants, make the most of it. Get out the nice plates and cloth napkins, and dim the lights. Get into your nicest pajamas and turn on your favorite playlist. It’s going to be a meal to remember.
Casa Enrique
Chef Cosme Aguilar has a serious passion for Mexican food, so much so that his restaurant has been awarded a Michelin star every year since 2015. He leans mostly on family recipes from Chiapas, and every dish on the menu is a winner — but his 24-ingredient Mole de Piaxtla is really something special.
Claro
If you have a hankering for Mexican, Oaxacan-inspired Claro is your answer. Chef T.J. Steele leans into local ingredients like heirloom broccoli, swiss chard, and really good aged cheddar. How very Brooklyn. You can never go wrong with the cheesy empanadas de papas or the mole-covered Snowdance Farm Chicken.
Cote
People are obsessed with Cote, and by “people” we mean us (along with every critic and diner in the city). This is gussied-up Korean barbeque at its finest. The chefs use expert techniques to create comforting, nostalgic dishes like sweet and tangy chicken nuggets in a gochujang glaze, galbi bowls with umami-bombed short ribs, and the Ultimate Steak Feast for Two, a selection of four cuts grilled to perfection and all the fixings too.
Crown Shy
Everything at Crown Shy is confidence on a plate. The food is New American but globally influenced with ingredients like chorizo, XO sauce, and silky white bean hummus making star appearances. Pastry chef Renata Ameni is a wizard when it comes to sweets, so don’t skimp on dessert.
Tuome
Tuome is different. Chef Thomas Chen fuses his Chinese heritage with some seriously fine Eleven Madison Park dining chops to produce a menu that sounds simple but is infinitely, deliciously complex. Like the egg, which is somehow both deviled and deep-fried. Rice is more than rice: it’s also kale, Chinese sausage, and duck fat. Intrigued? Good. Our work here is done.
Kanoyama
There are few better places to satisfy that Japanese craving than Kanoyama, one of the city’s best-kept sushi secrets. Classics like spicy tuna and yellowtail rolls are better than any we’ve tasted. Beyond the signature sushi, there’s teriyaki, tempura, and vegan options as well. Oh, and did we mention it’s shockingly affordable for a Michelin-starred spot?
Oxomoco
This Greenpoint restaurant is bringing flavors from all over Mexico to Brooklyn. It’s doing classics like guacamole and pork carnitas burritos, but with an upscale bent. Think housemade blue corn tortillas, and the freshest queso fresco and avocado tomatillo salsa. The beet “chorizo” burrito might be one of the best vegan dishes in town.
Antoya
Antoya’s galbi is tender and perfectly charred, a feast of short ribs that you should absolutely accompany with an array of sides like the crispy mung bean pancakes with bacon, or fried chicken wings that’ll ruin all other wings for you. Blast your favorite K-pop while eating for best results.
Sami & Susu
There aren’t a lot of places to turn to when you’re in the mood for beef tongue baguette, but thankfully there’s Sami & Susu, which delivers Middle Eastern– and Mediterranean-inspired dishes with sauces you’ll lick from the takeout container. Order anything with fragrant and spiced lamb and you won’t regret it.
Zaab Zaab
Zaab Zaab in Queens has some of the city’s best Thai food. The restaurant’s Isan-style cooking doesn’t hold back on the heat, which is why a side of sticky rice is your friend. The larb with duck breast is a must, but it’s got hard competition on a menu full of musts. (That marinated lemongrass chicken…)
Sobre Masa
Even the crackling tortilla chips are homemade at Sobre Masa, a Bushwick tortilleria with a tight menu of soulful dishes by Oaxacan-born husband-and-wife team Diana and Zack Wangeman. The cauliflower tacos and carnitas are stars; just don’t forget to stock up on freshly made tortillas and nutty salsa macha from their retail section.
Szechuan Gourmet
This long-standing Sichuan spot near Bryant Park has survived a devastating fire but held on strong as a neighborhood destination for shatteringly crisp scallion pancakes and tongue-tingling mapo tofu. Pork dumplings in spicy chili oil or sweet sesame sauce pull us in both directions — just order one of each.
Le Fanfare
You’ll have to curate your own jazzy soundtrack to accompany the bouncy bucatini from Le Fanfare, a rustic Italian spot partly owned by jazz musician Luca Fadda. The housemade pastas are the draw here, but a side of meatballs never hurts. The ricotta-filled cannoli will keep you coming back.
