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New Yorkers argue about everything—from bodegas to bagels to whether or not the F train is cursed—but, when it comes to restaurants, we all can agree that the city still has major bragging rights.
Case in point: Robb Report just dropped its massive ranking of the 100 greatest American restaurants of the 21st century, as voted by 250 chefs, restaurateurs, sommeliers and food-world insiders. And out of the 100, a whopping 35—more than 25 percent—are in New York City. (If you’ve ever tried to get a reservation here, this feels about right.)
The list considers how each restaurant has shaped American dining since 2000, all places that have influenced how we eat, how we talk about food and how chefs around the country learned to cook. Judges took peak eras into acount and even voted for restaurants that have since closed (which is why you’ll see names like wd~50 and Mission Chinese in the rankings). Styles vary wildly, but New York’s presence is unmistakable: glossy temples of luxury, genre-bending tasting counters, palaces to pasta and “casual” boîtes that still require a six-week wait all make appearances.
Some wins on the list feel inevitable: you’ll spot Le Bernardin, Per Se, Eleven Madison Park and Daniel, all pillars of the city’s fine-dining identity. Other inclusions show off some of the city’s exciting shifts, like Atomix moving Korean cuisine to the center of the global conversation, Semma showcasing regional Indian cuisine, Cote redefining what constitutes a steakhouse and Wildair championing natty wine before it became a lifestyle. (Even Shake Shack made the cut, ultimate proof that what was once a hot dog cart can change American dining as much as a four-figure omakase.)
The list is a reminder of just how many eras New York has lived through in the past quarter-century, moving from molecular gastronomy to the ramen explosion, the Williamsburg-to-the-world pipeline, the tasting menu boom, the omakase arms race and the great red-sauce revival. Yet, somehow, the city keeps making room for every next thing.
Below, all 35 NYC restaurants honored—past, present... and still impossible to book:
97. Sushi Noz
94. Crown Shy
90. Sushi Sho
86. Masa
84. The Grill
82. Nobu
79. Wildair
77. Craft
75. Peter Luger Steak House
70. Torrisi
68. Momofuku Ko
67. Lilia
65. Cote
63. Chef’s Table at Brooklyn Fare
62. Balthazar
59. Cosme
58. Semma
50. Roberta's
46. Via Carota
44. Jungsik
42. Shake Shack (Madison Square Park)
38. Carbone
36. Mission Chinese
35. Jean-Georges
33. The Four Horsemen
30. Estela
24. Daniel
23. Momofuku Noodle Bar
14. wd~50
13. Gramercy Tavern
11. Momofuku Ssäm Bar
10. Per Se
8. Atomix
5. Le Bernardin
3. Eleven Madison Park