Midtown’s Hutong is distinct from many of the dim sum parlors. For one, this Hong Kong-based chain is serving an impressive variety of dishes from Sichuan, Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangdong, each with a modern twist. The yu xiang crispy pork mochi dumplings, for example, are dyed jet black, and Eater senior critic Robert Sietsema heartily recommends the roast Peking duck, served in half or whole portions. And as of last fall, a flaming duck option was added via special reservation. The Art Deco space is grand and quiet, with a glamorous walk-through wine cellar that the restaurant has nicknamed its “champagne runway.”

The focus at this two-Michelin-starred spot is on local and sustainable ingredients, with an emphasis on seafood, but chef Emma Bengtsson’s Arctic Bird’s Nest — a stunningly realistic-looking creation incorporating a honey nest, chocolate twigs, freeze-dried raspberries, brownie dirt, and shredded halvah — is worth the trip on its own. Though it’s possible to splurge with the $275 chef’s tasting, several price points are available, including a $175 tasting menu, an a la carte bar menu, and two-course ($75) or three-course ($85) lunch menus. 

Chola has been serving the Midtown East neighborhood for over 20 years, sending out affordable to-go lunches for office workers and nightly feasts of coastal Indian fare. Expect a sprawling, pan-regional menu of meat dishes, vegetarian fare, and vegan items, but notable seafood dishes include Mumbai fish fry and prawns koliwada.

The original outpost of the reliable bar with a signature, standout burger is housed in Midtown East. It’s one of the city’s finest patties; in fact, the cheeseburger at P.J. Clarke’s was once dubbed the “Cadillac of burgers” by Nat King Cole circa the 1950s. The best seats are at the bar, a prime spot to order a half-dozen raw oysters or clams to pair with an ice cold martini.

Major Food Group’s takeover of the landmark Four Seasons space remains a citywide destination for expensive a la carte fine dining — all in the form of a throwback chophouse. In the stunning midcentury room, designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Philip Johnson, patrons gather for Dover sole, red meat, and martinis, with the same level of glitz and theatrics as the team’s Carbone.

This space heralded by one of those giant waving cats is one of the city’s foremost and most playful izakayas, and strains of bebop fill the air. You can get just about any Japanese or American dish you can think of to go with beer and sake, including chicken wings, meat skewers, ramen, sushi tacos with nori, mackerel, dumplings, burgers, and more. Sometimes the places gets crowded, but that only makes it more fun.

This Midtown West ramen joint expanded east in 2014, serving its signature tori paitan chicken broth bowls. The building is a veritable slice of ramen-slurping paradise; above the east side outpost of Totto lies Hide-Chan Ramen. But it’s not a competition between two noodle-slinging spots. They’re actually both owned by the same man, Bobby Munekata. Both Totto Ramen and Hide-Chan serve up nicely firm noodles; Hide-Chan, however, specializes in tonkotsu (pork bone) broth.

Brian Owens and chef Todd Mitgang took over next-door spot to its Upper East Side location of Crave Fishbar, to open a sustainable sushi restaurant stocked with domestic fish. The menu includes appetizers, nigiri, sashimi, maki, and hot entrees, with sake by the glass, cocktail pairings, Japanese whiskey, and tequila.

The iconic seafood destination is nestled under soaring, beautifully arched and tiled ceilings in a subterranean space inside Grand Central Terminal. The environs, complete with massive U-shaped counter seating perfect for dining solo, are so special that the restaurant nabbed the Design Icon Award at the James Beard Awards in 2017. In addition to ordering up a platter of raw bivalves, don’t miss the epic oyster pan roast. All of the seafood goes down smoothly with a stiff martini. Note that it’s closed on Saturdays and Sundays.

Los Tacos No. 1 offers flour and corn tortillas for pork adobada tacos, similar to pineapple-tenderized al pastor tacos. Grilled steak (carne asada), pollo asado, and nopal fillings are also available, and any one can be ordered as a double-tortilla mula or a quesadilla. There are other locations in Times Square, Penn Station, Noho, and Tribeca.

This celebrated sushi spot is one of the city’s finest. Chef Naomichi Yasuda opened the place in 1999 and was known for creating a detail-oriented, quite traditional, and personalized sushi experience; he left in 2011, but his namesake restaurant has maintained the same level of quality since and boasts a Michelin star.

Korean meets New Orleans at this Midtown East hot spot that started as a pop-up with dishes like fried chicken, tomato kimchi, and jambalaya, or shrimp and grits in shrimp dashi. The menu is a robust collection of snacks, sides, and hearty meat dishes served in a warm, utilitarian dining area.

At Gopchang, offal is the headliner, writes Eater critic Robert Sietsema. Located near many other Koreatown restaurants worth attention, Gopchang doesn’t play it safe. Located up a flight of stairs from street level, it’s a “symphony of organ meats.” The move here is barbecue (large and small intestines, heart, tongue, tripe), but there are also casseroles, soups, rice, and noodles.

This New York classic was founded in 1954 by Abe Lebewohl in the East Village, along a strip of Second Avenue known as the Yiddish Broadway for all its Jewish theaters. In 2006, a landlord dispute forced the neighborhood fixture to move to Murray Hill. This uptown branch also features a second floor bar. While the pastrami is good, the corned beef is better. And don’t miss the knishes.

This two-Michelin-starred restaurant is leading the charge for a new wave of Korean fine dining restaurants. From the same team behind Atoboy and Naro, Atomix has been heaped with awards since its debut for its ambitious menu. Reservations can be extremely hard to nab.