Review of The New York Times Top 100 Restaurants List

What is the NYT Top 100 List?

The New York Times finds their top 100 restaurants in NYC and compiles it into one list every year. This year, 2025, they rank their top 10 and list the following 90 in alphabetical order. Here are my thoughts on the ones I have tried.

Szechuan Mountain House (East Village)

You walk in and immediately get a cozy, oriental Chinese vibe that feels like you are in a movie. The restaurant is so beautifully decorated and cognicent of Chinese culture. As a szechuan restaurant, many of their dishes have that numbing, tingly heat of the Szechuan peppercorns. Portion sizes are big and good for sharing, with good prices.

Fu Qi Special (15): sliced beef offals in chili oil

La Zi Chicken (21): diced chicken with chili peppers

Long Beans with Eggplant (16)

Salted Egg Yolk Corn (18)

I am not one for cow internal organs, so the Fu Qi Special was not quite my taste. The La Zi chicken is crispy, but too small to be juicy and meaty. It has a slight spice and a little fried tingle. They do their vegetables well, with the corn and eggplant being my favorite dishes. The eggplant dish was simple, however I don't really like oily foods. Everything here is quite oily, but that is just Szechuan cuisine. The salted egg yolk corn was a fun dish of corn kernels tossed in a salty, sweet egg yolk powder.

Verdict: It's good, and sure I'd go again...maybe

Chongqing Lao Zao (Flushing)

Dare I say, this is better than Hai di Lao. Well, their broth is at least. This hot pot establishment is known for its traditional, cozy interior. The tomato and mushroom broths are both so fragrant and flavorful. It infuses the vegetables/meats so well. Vegetables are like any other hot pot spot, but the meats are subpar. I would not come back here because the meat is not tender. It was quite fatty and hard to chew through. However, I LOVED the broth.

Verdict: I wouldn't come back unless friends want to go, and I wouldn't get meat

Dhamaka (LES)

An Indian restaurant in a food hall. Honestly, not very memorable for me. Don't get me wrong, the food was good, but I would not go back for it. I got the pre-fixe lunch menu and it came with a lot, so portions are good. Everything is flavorful and service is great.

Verdict: I wouldn't go back

Golden Diner (Chinatown)

Everyone at this point has heard of Golden Diner. Well, if you haven't, just know that they are famous for their honey butter pancakes that are said to be one of the best in New York City. Golden Diner does a fushion between American and Korean with many dishes being your typical diner food with an asian twist.

Honey Butter Pancake (10): fluffy pancake drenched in honey maple butter topped with lemon zest

Chicken Katsu Club (20): crispy chicken, blt, coleslaw in between white bread

Korean Fried Chicken Wings Saucy (18): garlic gochujang glazed wings

Thai Tea Tres Leches (12): as described topped with cream, toasted coconut, and lime

The VERY hyped pancakes were quite good. Fluffy, huge, and soaked in that honey butter. It is sweet as you can imagine. The club sandwich is not something I'd get again, since it was not very special and the KFC was like any other. The tres leches was also not a standout.

Verdict: I'd come back only for the pancake. Maybe I'd try other menu items

Jeju Noodle Bar (West Village)

A Michelin star awarded restaurant in the West Village, Jeju Noodle Bar is a dimly-lit, intimate restaurant perfect for date nights. With their refined take on classic dishes, they are serving up unique, flavorful menu items.

Toro Ssam Bap ($56): fatty tuna, egg, rice, caviar

Truffle Scallops ($40): scallops in truffle soy with mushrooms and radish

Hwe Naengmyeon (29): raw fish, cold noodles, tossed in spicy sauce

The dishes are expensive. The toro ssam bap is a dish everyone gets if they come here and it's basically deconstructed sushi. You get a layer of sushi rice topped with creamy egg, fatty tuna, various diced vegetables, and caviar. It's salty from the caviar with a refreshing tartness from the pickled vegetables. However, at the end of the day, it is not too memorable or special. The truffle scallops are truffle forward, but they are swimming in oil. The cold noodles were alright.

Verdict: Too expensive (for me), but for a michelin star awarded restaurant I suppose it makes sense. It is good to try once, but it's not a place I will revisit often (or at all). Note: I'm a broke college student. Dishes were good but nothing memorable/worth writing home for.

Okdongsik (Koreatown)

When a restaurant only has one thing on the menu, you know it's going to be good. It has to be. Okdongsik is a small 13-seat counter space with a hidden speakeasy in the back (unrelated). It specializes in dweji gomtang, a pork soup with rice and sliced pork shoulder.

Dweji Gomtang(19)

Kimchi Mandu(13)

The dweji gomtang is a very light, simple dish that comes with kimchi and a fermented pepper paste to pair. I think it's quite bland and needs the paste. HOWEVER, their kimchi mandu is outstanding. Probably the best dumpling/mandu I've had in the city. It's a chubby mandu stuffed with pork, tofu, kimchi. Now, that is worth getting.

Verdict: I'd come back, but just to get the kimchi mandu