Eight recently opened restaurants in New York City have made it to Esquire’s prestigious 2024 list of the Best New Restaurants in America, which was unveiled on Tuesday. Among these, Le Veau d’Or in Lenox Hill received the distinctive title of “comeback of the year.”
Esquire’s list of 35 restaurants celebrates establishments that excel in offering great value, romantic atmospheres perfect for date nights, or simply the ideal setting for a lively evening with friends. The magazine described its selections as destinations where culinary artistry thrives. Notably, California also had eight mentions, including the “Restaurant of the Year,” Four Kings in San Francisco.
Other states represented on the list include Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Texas, with two restaurants each. Additional states like Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Washington, and the District of Columbia each had one restaurant on the list.
Here’s a closer look at the New York City entries:
Le Veau d’Or
Located at 129 E 60th St. in Lenox Hill, this French restaurant originally opened in 1937 and was a favorite among notable figures such as Andy Warhol, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, and Orson Welles. After decades of tradition, chefs Lee Hanson and Riad Nasr modernized both the menu and interior in July 2023, breathing new life into the restaurant. Esquire recognized the transformation, calling Le Veau d’Or “intimate” and “vibrant” and awarding it the “comeback of the year” title.
An Esquire editor praised its culinary delights, writing, “It’s the CBGB’s of Escoffier, Carême’s Blue Note—the place where the legend lives on. Frog legs sizzle in so much garlic and butter that only a fool doesn’t order fries for sopping. And damn if the duck magret aux cerises, pink under a crust of peppercorns, isn’t the best thing from Long Island since Billy Joel.”
Sailor
At 228 Dekalb Ave. in Fort Greene, Sailor is helmed by acclaimed chef April Bloomfield and is known as a “neighborhood bistro.” However, Esquire lauds it as much more than that. Opened in 2023 and already listed in the Michelin guide, Sailor is described as a “temple of culinary exactitude” by Esquire.
“Modesty is a mask. Sailor is a temple of culinary exactitude that happens to be disguised as a neighborhood restaurant,” an Esquire editor noted.
Demo
Located at 34 Carmine St. in the West Village, Demo is a wine bar that opened in February and features an innovative menu by chef Quang “Q” Nguyen and a rare wine selection curated by beverage director Jacob Nass. Esquire highlighted its unique dishes, encouraging diners to enjoy the back-bar experience.
“Sit at the back bar of this West Village bolt-hole and watch chef Quang ‘Q’ Nguyen emerge from the kitchen with plates of vertiginous focaccia topped with sesame seeds and za’atar and paired with a tangle of Cantabrian anchovies. Bet the house on a crab casino, glistening with café de Paris butter and accompanied by Ritz crackers,” the editor wrote.
Four Twenty Five
Located at 425 Park Ave. in Midtown, Four Twenty Five is an upscale restaurant by Jean-Georges Vongerichten and Jonathan Benno. This venue has become a favorite among Wall Street executives looking to unwind after market hours. Esquire praised its elegant offerings, calling it a culinary symphony.
“Take a small vessel of silken tofu and coddled egg topped with caviar, black pepper, and olive oil. It’s a symphony of softness and subtlety, like the light filtering through the frosted windows. Marvel at the two-part harmony of fluke in a plush tahini-citrus dressing stippled with chile oil,” an editor remarked.
Naks
At 201 1st Ave. in the East Village, Naks delivers a blend of traditional and experimental Filipino cuisine. The name itself is the Tagalog equivalent of “Daaamn!” The restaurant specializes in barbecue dishes like charcoal-grilled pork marinated in lemon soda, along with coconut-infused crab and crispy fried duck. Esquire commended the concise and thrilling menu for its unique flavors and storytelling.
“The menu is concise and thrilling, not just for its flavors but for the world it conjures,” an editor wrote.
Penny
Situated at 90 E 10th St. in the East Village, Penny is a seafood counter by chefs Joshua Pinsky and Chase Sinzer. Opened in March, the restaurant has reinvented the concept of the American raw bar. Esquire compared its significance to classic cinema.
“Penny is to the American raw bar what The Godfather was to American mob movies. It’s a genre reinvention so virtuosic that—no exaggeration—it can change the way you think about something as simple as shrimp cocktail,” an editor observed.
Tolo
Located at 28 Canal St. in Chinatown, Tolo offers an array of small dishes inspired by the life of head chef Ron Yan in Hong Kong. The menu features salty and spicy options like fried rice with crabmeat, raw tuna with sesame oil, and rice noodles in XO sauce. Esquire highlighted Tolo’s extensive wine list and inviting atmosphere.
“The best things at Tolo come in little bowls. Their spices and salt make you thirsty, and that’s a fortunate development, because Tolo happens to be a wine bar, one with hundreds of bottles at hand,” an editor noted.
Hellbender
Hellbender, a Mexican-American restaurant located at 68-22 Forest Ave. in Ridgewood, is helmed by chef Yara Herrera. Known for its inventive take on traditional dishes, the restaurant features nixtamalized tortillas and creative items like Mexican mozzarella sticks and a watermelon salad with homemade chamoy. Esquire celebrated the chef’s originality.
“Whether these dishes are authentically Mexican is not only a moot question but gatekeeper-y and sus. The food at Hellbender is authentically Yara Herrera, addictively good, and wildly inventive,” an editor commented.
These eight establishments not only showcase New York City’s culinary diversity but also reflect the city’s unending capacity for innovation and reinvention in the dining scene.
