Your favorite restaurant
The New York City restaurants FOUND subscribers love the most
RESTAURANTS • First Person
Enduring love
On a blustery afternoon earlier this month, Lock and I had lunch at Frankies. We were there to catch up on FOUND business over shared sandwiches, but also because I was on a special mission.
It was my wife’s birthday (a big round one), and Frankies is her favorite restaurant. She and I have been going there since the restaurant opened in 2004 and we lived around the corner on the third floor of a Carroll St. brownstone.
We only lived in that bright floor-through for two years, but they were formative, and Frankies was a revelation. We sat at the bar and in the backyard and in the corner of the twinkling dining room, incredulously peering over at the tiny kitchen (really, a nook) producing those meatballs, cavatelli, roasted sunchokes, and prunes in red wine.
After we moved away (to Ann Arbor and then the UWS and finally to the suburbs), Frankies became a place for our celebrations, first just the two of us and later with the kids, who adopted the restaurant as their own. (Our youngest once wrote about Frankies in response to a fourth grade prompt, Review your favorite restaurant. “The meatballs aren’t like any meatball...”)
We were all going to make the trip for the big birthday celebration this month, but life got in the way and we had to be on the sidelines rooting on one of the kids at the appointed time. So I made this special lunchtime mission, and placed a to-go order between our sandwiches and coffee.
Back home that evening, we sat around our dining room table and ate the pastas and meatballs and salads and prunes. We put a candle in a slice of chocolate tart. Two decades on, it was like we were tasting this food for the first time. To favorite restaurants, and many happy returns. –Josh Albertson
→ Frankies Spuntino (Carroll Gardens) • 457 Court St • Sun-Thu 11a-10p, Fri-Sat 11a-11p • Reserve.
SUBSCRIBER FAVORITES • The Nines
FOUND 9: NYC Restaurants
We’ve been asking new subscribers to tell us their favorite restaurant right now since we launched in April 2023. Almost three years in, these conclusions hold true: 1) FOUND subscribers have good taste and 2) NYC has a lot of favorite-worthy restaurants (79% of named spots have been named only once). But the repeats have piled up, too. Here, the most-named favorite spots:
Gramercy Tavern (Flatiron), tavern up front, dining in back, great hospitality all around
Raoul’s (Soho), for a vesper martini and elusive bar burger
Via Carota (West Village), NYC’s ne plus ultra trattoria
Raf’s (Noho), modern classic w/ fab vibe and perfect roast chicken, intel here
Balthazar (Soho), Keith McNally’s enduring classic brasserie, now and forever
The Odeon (Tribeca), bright lights, big city, since 1980
Le Bernardin (Midtown West, above), Eric Ripert’s elegant, enduring seafood temple
Claud (East Village), fast-favorite wine bar from Momofuku alums, see also terrific seafood bar Penny upstairs
The Four Horsemen (Williamsburg), natural wines pioneer w/ ambitious plates
SUBSCRIBER FAVORITES • The Nines
Next 9
Subscriber favorites 10-18
I Sodi (Greenwich Village), Rita Sodi’s Italian cooking shines since move to larger space
L’Artusi (West Village), perennially popular Italian since 2008, consider nightcap at B’artusi around the corner
Pastis (Meatpacking), iconic Keith McNally bistro, relaunched like it never missed a day
Superiority Burger (East Village), perhaps the most truly interesting restaurant in America, intel here
Estela (Nolita), where NYC first got to know Ignacio Mattos and his uniquely inventive cooking
Cervo’s (Lower East Side), perpetually good vibes survive Dimes Square’s demise
Shukette (Chelsea), for chef Ayesha Nurdjaja’s great Middle Eastern cooking in hopping space
Ci Siamo (Hell’s Pantry), another instant classic from Danny Meyer, intel here
Sailor (Fort Greene, above), chef April Bloomfield and owner Gabe Stulman’s neighborhood knockout, intel here
SUBSCRIBER FAVORITES • The Nines
Let’s make it 27
Subscriber favorites 19-27
Tatiana (Lincoln Center, above), chef Kwame Onwuachi’s Afro-Caribbean-influenced hit, intel here
Rezdora (Flatiron), house-made pastas via Emilia Romagna, still one of the toughest tables around
Minetta Tavern (Greenwich Village), Keith McNally’s most upscaled joint, Black Label Burger remains among top in town
Marea (Midtown West), longtime seafood palace on Central Park South, perfect for a landmark celebration
Locanda Verde (Tribeca & Hudson Yards), Andrew Carmellini’s enduring Italian smash, now w/ larger Hudson Yards outpost
Le Coucou (Soho), Parisian-pedigreed Daniel Rose’s shrine to Gallic gastronomy, for a special night out
Keens (Midtown South), for mutton and a stiff drink, bustling post-work bar scene at this enduring steakhouse
Frankies Spuntino (Carroll Gardens), cavatelli, meatballs, garden, Grateful Dead, intel above
Crown Shy (Wall Street), refined cooking from James Kent Hospitality team, filling major downtown hole
SUBSCRIBER FAVORITES • The Nines
BONUS: New Classics
King (Soho), favorite spot for modern French-Italian cooking just turned 10 and released excellent cookbook, intel here
Libertine (West Village), charismatic French bistro that fits the neighborhood perfectly, intel here
Anton’s (West Village), idyllic corner Italian restaurant (spaghetti anchoiade, pls), intel here
Frenchette (Tribeca), modern French and natural wines in a space w/ constant buzz
Thai Diner (Nolita), bustling, bright spot for top-notch Thai food, great for any meal of the day
Ernesto’s (Lower East Side), indulgent Basque tapas at a great bar deep on the LES
Place des Fêtes (Clinton Hill), pedigreed neighborhood wine bar w/ inventive cooking and chalkboard specials
Lilia (Williamsburg), Missy Robbins’ cheery regional Italian marches on to immortality
Rolo’s (Ridgewood), wood-fired insanity in a very fun space
SUBSCRIBER FAVORITES • The Nines
BONUS: Classics
Red Rooster (Harlem), chef Marcus Samuelsson’s ongoing Harlem party
Patsy’s (Midtown West), traditional Italian spot, perfect pre-theater
Restaurant Daniel (Upper East Side), chef Daniel Boulud’s refined flagship
Nougatine (Columbus Circle), Jean-Georges’ more casual sister, w/ Central Park views, perfect for lunch
Cafe Luxembourg (Upper West Side), perennial French-American pleaser, one of the best bets on the UWS
Union Square Cafe (Flatiron), Danny Meyer’s longtime classic relocated to Park Ave South without missing a beat
Il Buco (Noho), Italian pioneer in eclectic, antique-filled digs since 1994
Katz’s (Lower East Side), classic LES Jewish deli, thankfully a constant in a world of change
Peter Luger (Williamsburg), enduring steakhouse where gruffness is part of the charm, intel here
Excellent list! One of my favorites not listed is Grand Central Oyster Bar- it’s such a beautiful and classic NYC feeling room to sit in and have a martini, and a plate of oysters, either in the main room or the saloon!