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Everything ranked.
52 rankings across New York City, built from 410 scored dishes. Every ranking compares one dish and nothing else — start with the thing you actually want.
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BBQ
- Best Pork Ribs 9 dishes ranked · A rack of smoked or grilled pork ribs - baby back, spare or St. Louis cut, dry-rubbed or sauced - served as the house rib plate.
- Best Briskets 8 dishes ranked · Slow-smoked beef brisket, sliced or chopped, served as a plated entrée or on a BBQ plate with sides.
- Best Pulled Pork 8 dishes ranked · Pork shoulder smoked or slow-roasted for hours until it shreds, piled on a bun or served as a plate with sides. Sauced Carolina-vinegar, Texas-sweet or house style, or left dry for the bark. Distinct from carnitas and from Hawaiian kalua pork.
Burgers
Burritos
Chicken
- Best Korean Fried Chicken 11 dishes ranked · Double-fried Korean chicken - thin, shatter-crisp crust, glazed to order in soy-garlic, sweet-and-spicy yangnyeom, or served half-and-half. Bone-in pieces, wings or boneless, distinct from American fried chicken and from naked buffalo wings.
- Best Chicken Wings 9 dishes ranked · A plate of cooked chicken wings — buffalo, dry-rub, or Vietnamese fish-sauce styles — as a named menu item at a specific restaurant.
- Best Kung Pao Chicken 7 dishes ranked · Diced chicken stir-fried with dried red chilies, peanuts or cashews and Sichuan peppercorn in a savoury-sweet-spicy glaze. Ranked across both builds - the sweeter American-Chinese takeout plate and the numbing Sichuan gong bao ji ding.
- Best Chicken Over Rice 6 dishes ranked · New York street cart and halal truck plate of chopped or grilled chicken over yellow rice, served with salad and white and hot sauce.
Curries
- Best Chicken Tikka Masalas 9 dishes ranked · Boneless tandoori-grilled chicken tikka simmered in a spiced tomato-cream masala gravy, usually served with basmati rice or naan.
- Best Butter Chicken 8 dishes ranked · Murgh makhani: boneless chicken, usually roasted in the tandoor first, then simmered in a mild, silky gravy of tomato, butter and cream. Gentler and richer than tikka masala, and made for scooping up with naan.
Desserts
- Best Ice Cream 9 dishes ranked · Scoop-shop dairy ice cream — named flavor or the shop’s standout scoop at a South Bay parlor.
- Best Cheesecakes 6 dishes ranked · Classic New York-style cheesecake: a dense or airy baked cream-cheese filling (often with sour cream) on a graham-cracker or sponge-cake base, or crustless, sold by the slice, as an individual tart, or whole. Ranked at a specific bakery, deli or restaurant. Italian ricotta, Basque burnt and Japanese cheesecakes are different styles.
- Best Tiramisus 6 dishes ranked · Espresso-soaked ladyfingers layered with whipped mascarpone and dusted with cocoa, served as a plate, a slice or a cup. In the South Bay it is the default last course at an Italian restaurant, and the house specialty at a small group of dessert bars that build a whole menu around it.
Dumplings
Enchiladas
Noodle Soups
- Best French Onion Soups 10 dishes ranked · Caramelized-onion beef broth crowned with toasted bread and melted Gruyère or Swiss, ranked by the named bowl at a restaurant — not onion dip, not onion rings, not French onion anything that is not soup.
- Best Pho 10 dishes ranked · Vietnamese beef noodle soup, ranked by the named bowl at a restaurant: the combination / đặc biệt bowl (rare steak, brisket, flank, tendon, tripe, meatball) or a house special such as oxtail or short-rib pho. Rank the bowl, not the shop. Chicken pho is a different dish.
Noodles
Pastas
- Best Bologneses 9 dishes ranked · A slow-simmered meat ragù — beef, often with pork or veal, softened onion, carrot and celery, tomato and a long cook — served over tagliatelle, pappardelle, spaghetti or another pasta. The plate the kitchen calls Bolognese or ragù, not a generic meat sauce.
- Best Carbonaras 9 dishes ranked · Spaghetti or another long pasta bound in an emulsion of egg, hard sheep's or cow's-milk cheese and rendered cured pork — guanciale in the Roman original, pancetta or bacon locally — finished with coarse black pepper. Many South Bay kitchens add cream; the ranking says which do.
- Best Lasagnas 9 dishes ranked · Baked layered pasta: flat sheets stacked with ragù or vegetables, ricotta or béchamel and melted cheese, cut into a square. Meat, cheese, spinach and vegetable builds all belong here.
- Best Cacio e Pepes 8 dishes ranked · Rome's three-ingredient pasta: pecorino romano, coarsely cracked black pepper and starchy pasta water whipped into a glossy sauce — no cream, no egg, no meat. Usually spaghetti, tonnarelli or bucatini, and often finished tableside inside a hollowed parmigiano wheel. South Bay kitchens vary: a few swap in parmigiano and butter, or a pepper-cream sauce, so each listing says what it actually is.
- Best Fettuccine Alfredos 8 dishes ranked · Pasta — usually fettuccine — bound in a butter-and-Parmesan emulsion, which in almost every South Bay kitchen means a cream sauce finished with garlic and nutmeg. Ordered as often with chicken or shrimp as plain, and the South Bay's version is a comfort plate rather than the Roman burro-e-parmigiano original.
Pastries
- Best Bagels 10 dishes ranked · A single bagel sold by the piece: boiled then baked, with a shiny crust and a chewy middle.
- Best Donuts 9 dishes ranked · Fried or baked dough treats — yeast-raised glazed, old-fashioned cake, filled (cream/jelly), fritters, twists, crullers, maple bars, apple fritters, cronut-adjacent only when the named local crown is that specific shape. Rank the named donut at a shop, not the bakery as a whole.
- Best Croissants 8 dishes ranked · Plain butter croissant — laminated viennoiserie with cultured butter, a crisp shatter shell, and an open honeycomb crumb. Distinct from almond, chocolate, ham-and-cheese, or other filled croissant variants.
- Best Black and White Cookies 7 dishes ranked · A soft, cakey New York cookie iced half in vanilla fondant and half in chocolate, sold at bakeries, delis and diners. Ranked at a specific shop; the cake texture and both icings count.
Pizzas
- Best New York-Style Pizzas 10 dishes ranked · Large round hand-tossed pie with a thin, foldable slice — crisp-bottomed, chewy cornicione, low-moisture mozzarella and a simple tomato sauce. Sold by the slice or as an 18-20 inch pie. Not Detroit square, not Neapolitan.
- Best Margherita Pizzas 8 dishes ranked · The Neapolitan classic: tomato, mozzarella and basil on a thin, blistered crust, and nothing else. Judged on the sauce, the pull of the cheese and the char on the rim, with no toppings to hide behind.
- Best Pepperoni Pizzas 6 dishes ranked · A pizza topped primarily with pepperoni (cured, spiced sausage slices that cup and char at the edges when cooked). The named SKU on the menu is 'pepperoni' — not plain cheese, not margherita, not a specialty with pepperoni as one of several toppings. Includes NY-style, Detroit-style, Neapolitan, tavern, and Sicilian pepperoni pies when those are the menu's ranked pepperoni offering.
- Best Vodka Pizzas 6 dishes ranked · Pizza topped with creamy, pink vodka sauce (tomato, cream and a splash of vodka) plus mozzarella, often finished with basil and parmesan; a New York slice-shop staple.
Ramen
Sandwiches
- Best Pastrami Sandwiches 10 dishes ranked · Hot pastrami (brined, spice-rubbed, smoked and steamed beef, usually navel or brisket) sliced and piled on rye bread, typically with deli mustard. Judged on tenderness, juiciness, the spice crust and the bread. Reubens are a separate build.
- Best Bacon Egg and Cheeses 8 dishes ranked · The bodega and deli breakfast sandwich: crisp bacon, fried or scrambled egg and melted American cheese on a kaiser roll or bagel, often with salt, pepper and ketchup. Judged on the bacon, the egg and the melt.
- Best French Dips 8 dishes ranked · Thin-sliced roast beef on a French roll, served with a cup of hot au jus for dipping. Cheese and horseradish optional.
- Best Lox Bagels 8 dishes ranked · A split bagel layered with cream cheese and silky smoked salmon (lox or nova), usually finished with capers, red onion and tomato. A New York appetizing-counter classic.
- Best Shawarmas 8 dishes ranked · Chicken, beef or lamb stacked on a vertical spit, roasted, and shaved to order into pita, laffa or a saj wrap with garlic toum or tahini, pickles and salad - or served the same meat over rice or salad as a plate. Rank the named shawarma SKU at a shop, not the restaurant as a whole. Gyro and doner are separate builds.
- Best Cheesesteaks 7 dishes ranked · Philadelphia-style sandwich of thin-sliced griddled beef and melted cheese on a long soft roll, usually with grilled onions. Cheese is Cheez Whiz, provolone or American; peppers and mushrooms are common add-ons.
- Best Chicken Sandwiches 7 dishes ranked · One piece of chicken in a bun: usually a fried thigh or breast, sometimes Nashville-hot, panko-crusted katsu on milk bread, or grilled, with slaw, pickles and a house sauce. Crunch, juiciness and the bun all count.
- Best Banh Mi 6 dishes ranked · Vietnamese baguette sandwich with mayo or butter, pickled carrot/daikon, cucumber, cilantro, chile, and a protein (thit nuong, dac biet, heo quay, etc.). Rank named sandwiches, not shops as wholes.
- Best Chicken Parms 6 dishes ranked · Breaded chicken cutlet under marinara and melted mozzarella, served as a hero on a seeded or Italian roll; a New York deli and red-sauce classic. Cutlet crunch, sauce and the bread all count.
- Best Gyros 6 dishes ranked · Seasoned lamb or beef shaved off the vertical spit, piled into warm pita with tzatziki, tomato and onion.
- Best Italian Sandwiches 6 dishes ranked · Italian cold-cut sandwich on a soft roll or hoagie, built from a combo of Italian cured meats (salami, capicola, mortadella, sometimes ham or prosciutto) with provolone, lettuce, tomato, onion, oil and vinegar or Italian dressing. Ranked at a specific restaurant as a named sandwich, not the shop as a whole.
- Best Chopped Cheeses 5 dishes ranked · New York bodega sandwich of ground beef chopped on the flat top with melted American cheese, served on a hero roll with lettuce, tomato and onion.
Sushi
- Best Poke 9 dishes ranked · Cubed raw fish - usually ahi tuna or salmon - marinated in soy, sesame and onion and served over rice with seaweed, avocado and crunchy toppings. Hawaiian in origin, built to order at a counter here.
- Best Spicy Tuna Rolls 5 dishes ranked · The classic maki roll: chopped raw tuna mixed with a chili-mayo or sriracha sauce, rolled with sushi rice and nori, often with cucumber or scallion. Rank the named spicy tuna roll, not the sushi bar as a whole.
Tacos
- Best Al Pastor Tacos 9 dishes ranked · Street-style tacos of spit-roasted achiote-marinated pork (trompo / al pastor), typically on corn tortillas with onion, cilantro, salsa, and often pineapple. Rank the named pastor taco at a taqueria, not the burrito version, not the shop as a whole.
- Best Carne Asada Tacos 8 dishes ranked · Grilled marinated steak (carne asada) served in corn or flour tortillas — usually a plate of 2-3 street-style tacos with cilantro, onion, salsa. Rank the named carne asada taco SKU at a taqueria, not the restaurant as a whole, not the burrito version, not the torta.
- Best Birria Tacos 7 dishes ranked · Crispy or soft corn-tortilla tacos filled with slow-cooked birria (beef or lamb), typically dipped or served with consommé. Quesabirria (cheese + birria, griddled) counts when that is the named local crown. Rank the named taco at a restaurant, not the shop as a whole.
- Best Fish Tacos 7 dishes ranked · Tacos filled with fish — battered and fried Baja style, or grilled or blackened — usually served two or three to a plate with cabbage, crema and salsa.
- Best Carnitas Tacos 5 dishes ranked · Tacos filled with slow-cooked, confit-style pork shoulder, usually chopped and crisped on the plancha, served street-style on corn tortillas with onion and cilantro.