Julien Levy

NYC's Japanese restaurant landscape is rich with ever-growing, ramen, izakaya and Michelin-starred sushi destinations, among many other offerings. The best include casual affairs, grand experiences and some that split the difference. Whatever your preference, these are the finest options for all of that and more right now.  RECOMMENDED: Full guide to the best restaurants in NYC

Of all the amazing restaurants in New York City, the ones specializing in Korean barbecue are particularly fun, and the interactive, DIY experience is even more ideal in a group setting. The restaurants with the best Korean BBQ in NYC serve up fresh, delicate meats with tingly seasonings and sauces that you can cook exactly to your liking. From Koreatown to Flushing and beyond, you’ll find many examples of top notch Korean BBQ. Whether you’re looking for a swanky experience or something more low-key, these spots come through with all the standards, hot pots and family-style dishes that Korean BBQ is known for. If you’re in the mood for a different type of Asian cuisine, be sure to check out our guides to the best Thai, Chinese and Japanese fare. But don’t miss the unique dining experience that is Korean BBQ in NYC. RECOMMENDED: Find more of the best restaurants in NYC 

Leaves change, evenings draw out longer and the air carries a chill: it’s cozy season. And what could be cozier than a cup of warming rum? Your highly hygge home may be heeding you to hibernate, but seeing as you’re in one of the greatest cocktail cities in the world, it really does behoove you to get out there and see what the pros are shaking up.  Don’t let the ubiquity of butter on this list fool you; below you’ll find a diverse assemblage of excellent warm rum cocktails at a variety of establishments across all five of NYC’s boroughs. You may just have to wait until an official seasonal menu switch-over before you can partake, but that just gives you plenty of time to dig out your favorite cable-knit sweater. So bundle up to get down and check out these excellent warm rum cocktails to sip this winter. RECOMMENDED: NYC's 20 best rooftop bars for cooler weather

There are a lot of cool places to hang out on the streets of New York City’s perennial cool-kids-table, Williamsburg, Brooklyn. But once the sun goes down, what figuratively and quite literally elevates the cool factor is taking things above street level. Three words: Williamsburg rooftop bars. Yes, friends, if you know where to go and play your cards right, you and your squad can win summer by dancing, drinking, and/or vibing out amid rooftop breezes and vistas. And while New York City has seemingly no shortage of truly world-class rooftop establishments across its five boroughs, what you’ll find below are the coolest sky-facing bars within Williamsburg’s densely-packed 2 square miles. If you’re looking for breezy fun with ready-made photo ops of NYC’s iconic skyline, we’ve got you covered. So double-check the weather forecast and the L train’s status, without further ado, here are our top picks for Williamsburg’s rooftop bars RECOMMENDED: Full guide to the best bars in NYC

Dear New York City Bar Patrons, It’s me, your trusty bartender. We need to talk about our relationship since COVID. For a few of us, bartending is a career; maybe even a calling. For the rest, it’s a job. Regardless of the motivation, there’s no denying that the way we turn a buck occupies a unique space in American culture. “We work in a very interesting industry where, yeah, it’s all about fun. But, y’know, in that fun, there’s a lot of risk,” says Dan, 37, who is a 20-year service industry veteran and manager/owner/cocktail wizard at West Village spot, Bandits. “You have to look out for people as a bartender.” But COVID flipped the world upside down. That includes us. “One of the first rules [bartenders] always hear is, ’no politics, no, religion in a bar,’” Dan says. “That went out the window because we were forced to kind of be the liaisons of the rules.”   Photograph: Julien Levy | George bartending at Double Windsor Almost overnight, we were effectively deputized COVID compliance officers, shoved onto the front lines. “That created definitely a weird balance where we were forced–or asked to–police our customers a little extra in order to keep the liquor license,” Dan says. Caught between a deadly virus, the government’s inchoate mandates (some of them arbitrary and punitive), our bosses, and you, norms of affability and commiseration had to take a back seat. “We’re here to serve, but we’re nobody’s servant. Don’t agree? There’s the door.” “We used to call it lifegua