January 8, 2024

Including dazzling newcomers and familiar favorites.

Choosing a favorite restaurant in New York City is a joyful task with myriad possibilities depending on the occasion, mood and even the time of year. Your favorite dive, fine dining destination and ‘any night’ type of place might all occupy top spots on your personal best list in spite of their disparate qualities. 

Our list of NYC’s 50 best restaurants is the same, spanning each of those categories and more to comprise a catalogue of all the places we wish we were at right now. They don’t have to be the newest or the most recently reviewed, just places that we want to return to again and again, and that we think that you will, too.

42. Kokomo

What is it? One of a few spots here that also appeared on our best restaurants of 2020 roundup, Kokomo is a Caribbean restaurant from husband and wife team Ria and Kevol Graham.

Why we love it? As we wrote at the time, Kokomo’s wood-fired flatbreads, slow braised oxtail and chicken and waffles are all bonafide comfort foods. The restaurant interior’s warm tones and florid design further set the mood, and we recently named Kokomo NYC’s best outdoor dining spot in our Best of the City awards.