New York is the city that never sleeps, and neither does its culinary scene.

From Michelin-starred Korean barbecue to art-filled dining rooms in SoHo, the city’s summer restaurant line-up is as dynamic as the streets themselves. Whether you're after elegant seafood, Nordic minimalism, or a bowl of seriously delicious noodles, NYC offers something for every craving and curiosity.

Here’s your ultimate guide to the best restaurants to try while visiting the Big Apple this summer.

Jeju Noodle Bar

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by JeJu Noodle Bar (@jejunoodlebar)

Don’t be fooled by the name – Korean-inspired noodle soups may be the signature dish of this restaurant, but they are not the only thing worth trying. The rest of the small but exquisite menu is well worth your time. After all, the restaurant in lively Greenwich Village is the first noodle bar in the United States to be awarded a Michelin star.

Owner and head chef Douglas Kim previously worked in top restaurants such as Per Se and Chef’s Table at Brooklyn Fare. His ramyun come with homemade noodles in a variety of flavours – as a veal broth with tender A5 Wagyu brisket, enoki mushrooms, and aromatic shallot oil. Before the soup, you should leave room for a few of the sensational sharing starters, such as the Toro Ssam Bap – the posh version of the traditional Korean salad wrap, as well as a mix of Japanese bluefin tuna, scrambled eggs, shallots, Osietra caviare, sea urchin, and crispy seaweed.
679 Greenwich St, New York, NY 10014, Tel. +1 646 666 09 47, jejunoodlebar.com

Penny

Casual restaurants with sophisticated cuisine are one of the biggest gastronomic trends worldwide. In New York, this trend is manifested, among other things, in this new raw seafood bar in the East Village – Penny is the place the city seems to have been waiting for. Every evening, all of New York gathers here around a long white marble bar – there are no tables. Instead, the restaurant offers the freshest seafood in town. The cool sister of the seafood platter here is called Ice Box (for Dhs143) – it comes with oysters, venus clams, mussels, wild-caught Argentinean red shrimp and a seasonal fish crudo. The Ice Box Plus for two people (for Dhs359) includes additional swordfish and live scallops. Each comes with homemade cocktail sauce, mignonette with celery, and garlic aioli. 

If you want more, you can get a lobster from Maine in an addictive sauce made from brown butter, vinegar, herbs and lemon, a tuna carpaccio with green olives, sweet vegetable onions and aromatic olive oil, and a perfect shrimp cocktail. Be sure to order the fluffy sesame brioche with salted butter and anchovies.
90 E 10th St, New York, NY 10003, penny-nyc.com

Aska

You have to expect surprises all the time in New York, even in the slipstream of the Williamsburg Bridge. And on closer inspection, the former bohemian district, now one of the trendiest corners of Brooklyn, turns out to be yet another foodie mecca in insatiable New York. Swedish-born Fredrik Berselius opened Aska here in 2012, when New Nordic Cuisine was also spilling over the pond. Fortunately, however, Scandinavian austerity is only apparent in the all-black restaurant décor (Aska means ‘ash’ in German, hence the aesthetic concept). On the plate, the situation eases noticeably after the first few bites of the long but quickly served tasting menu – it is all about the love of first-class seafood, prepared with French culinary artistry, elegantly seasoned with a little Nordic spice. 

Many of the products come from local waters and from Berselius’ garden in upstate New York, such as the lobster tail from Maine with wild carrot flowers and asparagus, or the tender trout with crispy fried reindeer lichen and a refreshingly tart white currant sauce “and the flavours of upstate New York”. The live scallop from Cape Cod with rutabaga and blackcurrant bush oil alone is worth the visit. It’s quite an experience.
47 S 5th St, Brooklyn, NY 11249, Tel. +1 929 337 67 92, askanyc.com

Atomix

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by atomix (@atomixnyc)

The restaurant that kick-started the Korean trend in New York has just 14 seats and now boasts two Michelin stars. Behind the door of a typical brownstone townhouse, Nomad welcomes diners into the minimalist yet cosy world of chef Junghyun Park and his wife Ellia, the most beautiful couple in contemporary New York gastronomy. A staircase leads down to the Chef’s Counter in the basement, where the eleven-course menu begins with an ethereal broth flavoured with differently aged soy sauces. This refined start marks the beginning of an expedition through the multi-layered Korean cuisine, shaped by the chef’s (childhood) memories, travels and everyday inspirations. The sashimi of Japanese striped mackerel tastes sunny with a pine nut puree and a spicy sauce made from yellow bell pepper and California cara cara orange, while the fermented black banana with deep caramel notes to the monkfish liver, crispy-fried Japanese mackerel with fresh tofu, and California squab with Cheongju Korean rice wine sauce are all a feast for the eyes – as are the tableware and kitchenware, which are all made by Korean artisans. 
104 E 30th St, New York, NY 10016, atomixnyc.com

Manuela

Art is no longer bought (and sold) only in galleries or at fairs, but also in hotels and restaurants. The Swiss art dealer couple Iwan and Manuela Wirth have also pioneered in this regard with the culinary expansion of their gallery Hauser & Wirth in Somerset, United Kingdom, the eclectic luxury hotel Fife Arms in the Scottish Highlands, and the restaurant Manuela in LA. There is now a Manuela branch in a prime Soho location, perfect for a stop-off after a shopping trip.

The food is modern American farm-to-table cuisine, with dishes such as crisp chicory salad with blood orange, pistachios and blue cheese, and crispy chicken from the Catskills, grilled over a wood fire and seasoned with Mexican Arbol chilli, served with winter squash with Mimolette cheese and a cashew crumble. But the real marvel is to be found beyond the open kitchen – at the colourful tables, designed by New York painter Mary Heilmann, surrounded by contemporary art that you would otherwise only experience in a museum. You look at a portrait of a woman by George Condo, a photograph by Cindy Sherman, a larger-than-life silkscreen print by Lorna Simpson – made especially for the restaurant – and next to it lurks a bronze spider by Louise Bourgeois.
130 Prince St, New York, NY 10012, Tel. +1 917 245 27 70, manuela-nyc.com

COTE Korean Steakhouse

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by COTE Korean Steakhouse (@cotekoreansteakhouse)

Korean-born Simon Kim opened this restaurant in the Flatiron District as a tribute to his fellow countrymen’s love of grilled beef – and out of admiration for American steakhouse culture. The result is a dinner extravaganza with a high fun factor and the world’s only Korean barbecue restaurant with a Michelin star. Those who order the Butcher’s Feast (for Dhs286) get the whole package delivered to the black marble table with an inlaid grill – four different cuts of American prime and Wagyu beef, along with beef consommé, pickled seasonal vegetables, shallot salad, an egg soufflé, and crisp salad leaves for wrapping grilled meat and side dishes. The cherry on top is the soft ice cream with soy caramel sauce. 
6 W 22nd St, New York, NY 10010, Tel. +1 212 401 78 86, cotekoreansteakhouse.com

Bridges

Another prime example of relaxed fine dining is this new, minimalist restaurant in Chinatown. It is no coincidence that the deliberately simple wooden furniture and chrome and glass details are reminiscent of a Parisian neo-bistro. The menu is suitably modern, seasonal and European. Despite their cool exterior, the dishes are full of deep, complex flavours. 

The stars of the plate are a velvety, incredibly aromatic Comté tart, reminiscent of a cheesecake and served with Périgord truffles. Two crispy toast rectangles, topped with anchovies, pickled persimmon, and marinated, delicately shiny sardine fillets, are an umami bomb in a restrained outfit. The sea urchin chawanmushi, with a buttery soft shrimp tartare and generous sea urchin topping, is as beautiful as a still-life painting. The king crab, perfectly grilled over charcoal and seasoned with a hint of chilli, is served with a béarnaise sauce and pickled daikon radish. It is eaten, no, devoured with the hands. 
9 Chatham Square, New York, NY 10038, bridges-nyc.com