At the start of this century, it was commonplace to say there were no good restaurants on the Upper West Side. It was wrong then and is even more wrong now, as dynamic new places open. A cluster of Chinese restaurants has popped up on the northernmost edge of the neighborhood, new kosher and halal places are surging, and pizzerias offer a variety of styles. Meanwhile, Indian restaurants dot the landscape, along with Vietnamese, Turkish, and Chilean places—there’s even an updated and glorified diner.
Culinarily speaking, the Upper West Side, which extends from Columbus Circle to 110th Street west of Central Park, is always renewing itself.
Essential by Christophe

Chef for two-Michelin-starred L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon and Le Cirque, Christophe Bellanca has ventured out on his own with Essential by Christophe, which has earned its own Michelin star. The menu includes dishes such as blue prawns poached in shrimp butter, Dover sole served with coco beans, or spiced duck with butternut squash, nectarine honey reduction, and black garlic aioli.
103 W 77th St, New York, NY 10024
(646) 478-7928
Jing Fong

NYC dim sum staple Jing Fong, owned by Ming Lam and his son Truman Lam, opened its first location nearly 40 years ago in Chinatown and expanded to the Upper West Side in 2017. Now the behemoth Elizabeth Street branch is closed, replaced by a smaller Centre Street location. The UWS branch still hoists the torch high, with a menu that highlights noodles and dim sum, along with a limited collection of classic stir-fries.
380 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY 10024
(646) 678-5511
Malecon

Malecon is a venerable restaurant featuring Cuban, Dominican, and Puerto Rican food, showing the shifting Latin population of the neighborhood. Classic pressed sandwiches, pork and pot roasts, rotisserie and fricasseed chickens, mofongos, and meal-size soups have kept patrons coming for decades to this lively spot.
764 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY 10025
(212) 864-5648
Bánh Vietnamese Shop House

Bánh Vietnamese Shop House has made the Upper West Side one of the city’s primary destinations for Vietnamese food. Many dishes appear with nuances such as a turmeric-laced banh xeo with a coconut batter, and a wealth of inclusions like marinated shrimp, smoked pork belly, and mung-bean puree. Creative banh mi are fit for a picnic at nearby Central Park, and every meal here is an adventure.
942 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY 10024
(917) 639-3151
Chick Chick

The Upper West Side finally got the Korean fried chicken joint it was hoping for. The usual wings, tenders, and sandwiches are available with a choice of flavoring schemes, but a surprise offer is a Nashville-style hot chicken sandwich. Other dishes include kimchi fried rice, chicken ramen, and green tea cheesecake.
618 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY 10024
(212) 799-1026
Atlas Kitchen

The bi-level space that is Atlas Kitchen is handsome, modern, and muraled, and the menu has sourced recipes from all over China. Chef and Hunan native Kaiyuan Li directs the kitchen, and his creations run from Chongqing chicken, steamed fish head with red chiles, to beef flank in the dry wok style.
258 W 109th St, New York, NY 10025
(646) 928-0522
Zurna Restaurant

Jerusalem Restaurant closed last year after 44 years on the Upper West Side and was almost immediately replaced by Zurna, named after a wind instrument. The menu is similar, and similarly good, with perfect falafel fried to order and a range of hummus dishes. It’s one of those places where you can conveniently point to things on the steam table and assemble your own meal, vegetarian or not.
2715 Broadway, New York, NY 10025
(646) 590-2259
Barney Greengrass

Styling itself as the “Sturgeon King,” this 1908 repository of preserved fish on the Upper West Side is also a fully functional meat deli, with notably normal-sized, rather than overstuffed, sandwiches (pastrami, tongue, turkey, salami, and chopped liver) on rye. There are some crossover favorites too, such as pastrami-cured salmon on a bagel and a tongue omelet.
541 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY 10024
(212) 724-4707
Roti Roll Bombay Frankie

This narrow but delicious stall concentrates on the street food of Mumbai, sometimes known as Bombay frankies. Plenty of vegetarian and vegan options are available here in rolled-up rotis with a variety of fillings, including spinach, mushroom, omelet, and potatoes. This is fast food at its flavorful best, and don’t miss the spicy masala fries.
994 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY 10025
(212) 666-1500
Dagon

The dining room is loud and airy at Dagon, whether or not the windows facing the sidewalk are open. Grab a seat at the bar and order the mezze collection with items like Japanese eggplant confit, marinated beets, Moroccan carrots, chicken liver mousse, labneh, and muhamarra. Don’t miss the bread.
2454 Broadway, New York, NY 10024
(212) 873-2466