Here we go. NYT Top 100 kicks off the year, curated by Ligaya Mishan, taking over from Pete Wells.
It’s funny-not-funny that Kabab King drops in at #100 courtesy the Mayor.
2025 thread is here.
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Many great places there, and many great ones missing (Larina, Wekstatt come to mind).
I just never understood how one can rank apples and oranges. Why is Tone Cafe ranked so high. Its not even the second best Georgian in the area these days. I guess Falafel Tanami is out.
PS its 2026, I think.
Paywall free link: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/dining/best-nyc-restaurants.html?unlocked_article_code=1.hlA.b7Qi.E0Nnk_Hpw-F5&smid=nytcore-ios-share
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Maybe she doesnt like felafel? I have missed out on this one totally, what do you think, Ziggy?
Oh I’ve been a fan for many years, way before NYT discovered it. The lines increased substantially after NYT listed it, but lately it went back to normal. They moved to the corner of M and 19
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what I love about the list is the focus on affordable, ethnic (apologies, are we still using the term “international”?) restaurants. What i hate about the list is that these places will undoubtably become crowded with tourists and influencers.
actually, it’s funny to see daniel at 56 and dukagjini burek at 55 
best,
Like past years, they make sure 20-ish% are inexpensive, about the same high end, and the rest middle of the road.
Similar tallying for cuisine types and boroughs.
Their choices for international / ethnic tend to be low-hanging fruit (Kabab King because Mamdani eats there, Temple Canteen because it’s cool to tell people to go to the basement of a temple, even if the food is worse than other options, and so on).
Some other choices I found odd:
– Ci Siamo
– Szechuan Mountain House – really?
– Birria Landia post equity infusion / expansion (why “make a pilgrimage” to Jackson Heights when it’s food from a central kitchen)
– Dhamaka over the relocated Adda (unless the other 2 Unapologetic places are going to show up on the top 10)
The top 10 will likely be the trendiest across all price points.
I like the mix. I just dont get how they can rank them. Why not just list the top 100 unranked.
And with the expensive places, its always the usual suspects… Ci Ciamo, Lilia, Estela, Casa Mono, etc. We have many great unassuming Italian and Spanish places opened since these places became famous… Larina, Fiaschetteria Pistoia, Tomiño Taberna Gallega, Anton’s just to name a few
have you gone to either of the Albanian places? they both look interesting. My daughter Sue just got back from a visit to Albania and she said the food at the places where the albanians eat was just terrific. Love the country too - inexpensive, good turistic infrastructure developing and English is the lingua franca.
