Atlanta Good Food category interest

Upper East Side restaurants are often cast as obscenely expensive, stuffy spots — the kind of places where regulars include a parent on Gossip Girl or bankers with expense accounts. Either way, the neighborhood’s restaurant scene doesn’t exactly scream destination dining. Yet it has always offered diverse cuisine, from excellent steakhouses to satisfying Persian fare. Here are some standouts for eating and drinking in the neighborhood.

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Eater maps are curated by editors and aim to reflect a diversity of neighborhoods, cuisines, and prices. Learn more about our editorial process.

As businesses like Reyes Deli in Park Slope and Zaragoza in the East Village go to show, some of the city’s best Mexican food is found behind the counters of bodega-taquerias. El Tepeyac, on the border of East Harlem and the Upper East Side, is no exception. The burritos, which come with carne asada, al pastor, cecina, and a few other meats, are first rate. Order one to share, plus one of the restaurant’s lesser-seen Mexican dishes, like guaxmole verde (pork ribs in a sauce made from gauje seeds and jalapeno) or entomatado, a beef stew with tomatillo and chipotle chiles.

Kaia is a rare place in the city to find South African fare. Find dishes like duck with mango chutney, chilled asparagus soup, barramundi with roasted red peppers, and a lamb burger with sour-cherry compote. It also boasts an extensive South African wine list — making it a solid pick for a glass of wine and snack or a full-fledged meal.

Known more as a konditorei in the Neue Galerie rather than a sit-down restaurant, Cafe Sabarsky does nevertheless offer breakfast, lunch, and dinner with dishes like goulash, schnitzel and spatzle, salads, liverwurst sandwiches, and sausages. Grab a bite and allow yourself to linger in a room with wood, marble, and neighborhood views adjacent to Central Park.

This branch of a celebrated Brooklyn restaurant offers Palestinian fare; dishes often take the form of massive platters fit for an entire table of people featuring lamb, chicken, or beef, and a mountain of pilaf rice sprinkled with almonds. Yes, there are dips galore to accompany breads borne smoking from the oven, and flatbreads like pizzas topped with za’atar, shawarma, and pistachios.

J.J. Johnson has quietly opened a fast-casual sibling to Fieldtrip, this one a celebration of Southern fare. Located inside Wonder food halls, the takeout spot sells skillet cornbread, cajun fries, po’boys, Southern beans and rice, and brown-butter corn. There’s an array of peri-peri meats, too.

Papaya King was dark for over a year before it reopened in this location. The new place doesn’t quite have the openness of the original. Black-and-white life-size pictures detail the history of Papaya King around the restaurant. The menu remains intact, with its hot dog-focused menu and variations that include pastrami, pineapple, jalapenos, grated cheddar, onion rings, hot honey, and mushrooms — all for around $7.

Flex Mussels owner Alexandra Shapiro opened her family’s restaurant Hoexters — with its generous seating and retro design elements — around the corner from the original location that closed in the mid-1980s. The menu features French onion soup, Caesar salad, fried calamari, shrimp cocktail, and clams piccata among starters, and meat-centric mains like a half-chicken, a whole branzino, stuffed shells, and pork Milanese. But it’s the gorgonzola garlic bread from the original menu that’s been the bestseller so far.

Eli’s Table, the Upper East Side restaurant from Eli Zabar, has returned after a three-year pandemic closure. Next door to his Eli’s Market, the restaurant’s dishes include those made with greens grown on nearby rooftops (owned by Zabar); white asparagus with egg and a vinaigrette; veal sweetbreads; or tagliatelle with peekytoe crab. It’s a wine lover’s destination, with more than 50,000 bottles in the cellar, one of the largest collections of Old World wine in the city.

A new generation of customers have claimed this swanky Upper East Side bar at the Carlyle as their own, says the New York Post, but if you’re craving Old New York, there’s no better place than Bemelmans. The place is known for its great drinks and service in a space with live music as well as murals by Ludwig Bemelmans. There’s a cover charge that starts at $10 per person. Dishes include charcuterie boards ($42), sliders ($34), and of course, caviar.

Some of the city’s finest pastrami on rye can be found at this Lexington Avenue spot, which was originally in Forest Hills and dubbed Pastrami King. The sandwiches are dressed simply with grainy mustard or Russian dressing. The corned beef is tasty, too, so order a sandwich with both pastrami and corned beef and enjoy it alongside some crunchy half-sour pickles. There are multiple locations, with the restaurant on an expansion tear.

Sushi Noz landed on the Upper East Side to near-immediate acclaim, including a second Michelin star. The tranquil room is full of delicate cedar woodwork with an intimate sushi counter carved from a single 200-year-old hinoki tree. Centuries-old ceramics and an ice chest to keep the edomae-style sushi cold are very traditional. It’s an expensive omakase at $550 per person, service-included.

This well-worn barroom was founded in 1972 and keeps its nostalgic feel with melon-themed decor and its signature green gingham tablecloths. J.G. Melon serves other items like sandwiches and chili, but stick to the program and go for the burger with cottage fries. Despite what some critics say, J.G. Melon is one of the most charming restaurants on the Upper East Side.

This Kosher institution is one of the top places to find reliable Jewish deli fare on the Upper East Side. The classics are all there — pastrami and corned beef sandwiches and matzo ball soup — as well as more traditional dishes that are harder to find, like ptcha (jellied calves feet) and kasha varnishkes (bow tie pasta with barley). The original Murray Hill restaurant expanded to this location in 2011, and in 2017 added an upstairs cocktail bar to entice a younger crowd.

With a dim sum menu available day and night, Cafe Evergreen, open since 1994, features a bright, tailored dining room and Cantonese favorite dishes.

Dining at this family-owned steakhouse is like revisiting old New York. Regulars, from locals to literary types, hold court at the black leather booths or sit at the long bar sipping cocktails. The menu includes the usual cuts of steaks but other old-time items include chopped steak and chicken pot pie.

Open since 1991, JoJo from Jean-Georges Vongerichten offers casual French dining in a bright, serene townhouse, with a menu of over-the-years classics from its classics menu (example is the salmon sushi with chipotle mayonnaise, or the roasted chicken with olives and saffron and a side of chickpea fries) and its updated menu of meat, fish, and vegetables. Yes, there is a $32 cheeseburger with Russian dressing, onions, and yuzu pickles.

The resurrected Cafe Boulud from the famous and prolific chef, Daniel Boulud, opened in its new location in December; maintaining its menu sectioned by la saison, la tradition, le potager (vegetables), and le voyage. The head chef is Romain Paumier, who moved over from Restaurant Daniel, who steers the kitchen in making dishes like quiche carotte vadouvan, black sea bass wrapped in potatoes and dressed in red wine sauce; and grilled salmon with citrus and spicy avocado dressing. The pastry chef is Katalina Diaz, also previously at Daniel, who will make desserts such as a baked Mont Blanc with chestnut ice cream, ginger sorbet, vermicelle, and Swiss meringue. A la carte and tasting menu are both available.

This offshoot of the wonderful Hug Esan in Elmhurst devotes less emphasis to the fiery, meat-salad-heavy Isan food of northeast Thailand, though it is equally small, with only a handful of tables. Don’t miss the deep fried pork belly, which might become your favorite drinking snack, or the curry rice ball salad, which doesn’t quite begin to describe the crunchy, piquant, and fish-sauced toss of greenery, grain, peanuts, and chiles.

Chefs Lee Hanson and Riad Nasr had their eye on this French icon — open since 1937 — even before they opened Frenchette, in 2018. Twelve years after first contacting the original owner, the restaurant has reopened with the duo at the helm, mostly intact, with subtle changes. The prix-fixe menu holds at $125 per person — with knockout classic French dishes, an enthralling retro dining room, and terrific people watching. Take note: There’s no dining at the bar.

Bayon is one of the city’s rare Cambodian restaurants, the interior decorated like a Buddhist Temple and glinting with silver and gold. Try the trio of dips featuring ground pork and fish sauce in contrasting recipes, good for dipping with raw vegetables and wrapping in lettuce leaves, big fun for a group. There are snacks like fishcakes and satays aplenty, and for a little luxury try sliced roast duck in a red curry sauce.

Head to Ravagh when a craving strikes for satisfying skewers of meat: The barg kababs, featuring chunks of beef tenderloin, and jujeh kebabs, comprised of cornish hen marinated in lemon and saffron, come highly recommended. Charred tomato and onion accompany meat entrees; choose from an array of soups, dips, stews, and desserts, too. The Iranian-run Persian chain has three other locations in the New York metropolitan area, including one in Midtown.

As businesses like Reyes Deli in Park Slope and Zaragoza in the East Village go to show, some of the city’s best Mexican food is found behind the counters of bodega-taquerias. El Tepeyac, on the border of East Harlem and the Upper East Side, is no exception. The burritos, which come with carne asada, al pastor, cecina, and a few other meats, are first rate. Order one to share, plus one of the restaurant’s lesser-seen Mexican dishes, like guaxmole verde (pork ribs in a sauce made from gauje seeds and jalapeno) or entomatado, a beef stew with tomatillo and chipotle chiles.

Kaia is a rare place in the city to find South African fare. Find dishes like duck with mango chutney, chilled asparagus soup, barramundi with roasted red peppers, and a lamb burger with sour-cherry compote. It also boasts an extensive South African wine list — making it a solid pick for a glass of wine and snack or a full-fledged meal.

Known more as a konditorei in the Neue Galerie rather than a sit-down restaurant, Cafe Sabarsky does nevertheless offer breakfast, lunch, and dinner with dishes like goulash, schnitzel and spatzle, salads, liverwurst sandwiches, and sausages. Grab a bite and allow yourself to linger in a room with wood, marble, and neighborhood views adjacent to Central Park.

This branch of a celebrated Brooklyn restaurant offers Palestinian fare; dishes often take the form of massive platters fit for an entire table of people featuring lamb, chicken, or beef, and a mountain of pilaf rice sprinkled with almonds. Yes, there are dips galore to accompany breads borne smoking from the oven, and flatbreads like pizzas topped with za’atar, shawarma, and pistachios.

J.J. Johnson has quietly opened a fast-casual sibling to Fieldtrip, this one a celebration of Southern fare. Located inside Wonder food halls, the takeout spot sells skillet cornbread, cajun fries, po’boys, Southern beans and rice, and brown-butter corn. There’s an array of peri-peri meats, too.

Papaya King was dark for over a year before it reopened in this location. The new place doesn’t quite have the openness of the original. Black-and-white life-size pictures detail the history of Papaya King around the restaurant. The menu remains intact, with its hot dog-focused menu and variations that include pastrami, pineapple, jalapenos, grated cheddar, onion rings, hot honey, and mushrooms — all for around $7.

Flex Mussels owner Alexandra Shapiro opened her family’s restaurant Hoexters — with its generous seating and retro design elements — around the corner from the original location that closed in the mid-1980s. The menu features French onion soup, Caesar salad, fried calamari, shrimp cocktail, and clams piccata among starters, and meat-centric mains like a half-chicken, a whole branzino, stuffed shells, and pork Milanese. But it’s the gorgonzola garlic bread from the original menu that’s been the bestseller so far.

Eli’s Table, the Upper East Side restaurant from Eli Zabar, has returned after a three-year pandemic closure. Next door to his Eli’s Market, the restaurant’s dishes include those made with greens grown on nearby rooftops (owned by Zabar); white asparagus with egg and a vinaigrette; veal sweetbreads; or tagliatelle with peekytoe crab. It’s a wine lover’s destination, with more than 50,000 bottles in the cellar, one of the largest collections of Old World wine in the city.

A new generation of customers have claimed this swanky Upper East Side bar at the Carlyle as their own, says the New York Post, but if you’re craving Old New York, there’s no better place than Bemelmans. The place is known for its great drinks and service in a space with live music as well as murals by Ludwig Bemelmans. There’s a cover charge that starts at $10 per person. Dishes include charcuterie boards ($42), sliders ($34), and of course, caviar.

Some of the city’s finest pastrami on rye can be found at this Lexington Avenue spot, which was originally in Forest Hills and dubbed Pastrami King. The sandwiches are dressed simply with grainy mustard or Russian dressing. The corned beef is tasty, too, so order a sandwich with both pastrami and corned beef and enjoy it alongside some crunchy half-sour pickles. There are multiple locations, with the restaurant on an expansion tear.

Sushi Noz landed on the Upper East Side to near-immediate acclaim, including a second Michelin star. The tranquil room is full of delicate cedar woodwork with an intimate sushi counter carved from a single 200-year-old hinoki tree. Centuries-old ceramics and an ice chest to keep the edomae-style sushi cold are very traditional. It’s an expensive omakase at $550 per person, service-included.

This well-worn barroom was founded in 1972 and keeps its nostalgic feel with melon-themed decor and its signature green gingham tablecloths. J.G. Melon serves other items like sandwiches and chili, but stick to the program and go for the burger with cottage fries. Despite what some critics say, J.G. Melon is one of the most charming restaurants on the Upper East Side.

This Kosher institution is one of the top places to find reliable Jewish deli fare on the Upper East Side. The classics are all there — pastrami and corned beef sandwiches and matzo ball soup — as well as more traditional dishes that are harder to find, like ptcha (jellied calves feet) and kasha varnishkes (bow tie pasta with barley). The original Murray Hill restaurant expanded to this location in 2011, and in 2017 added an upstairs cocktail bar to entice a younger crowd.

Dining at this family-owned steakhouse is like revisiting old New York. Regulars, from locals to literary types, hold court at the black leather booths or sit at the long bar sipping cocktails. The menu includes the usual cuts of steaks but other old-time items include chopped steak and chicken pot pie.

Open since 1991, JoJo from Jean-Georges Vongerichten offers casual French dining in a bright, serene townhouse, with a menu of over-the-years classics from its classics menu (example is the salmon sushi with chipotle mayonnaise, or the roasted chicken with olives and saffron and a side of chickpea fries) and its updated menu of meat, fish, and vegetables. Yes, there is a $32 cheeseburger with Russian dressing, onions, and yuzu pickles.

The resurrected Cafe Boulud from the famous and prolific chef, Daniel Boulud, opened in its new location in December; maintaining its menu sectioned by la saison, la tradition, le potager (vegetables), and le voyage. The head chef is Romain Paumier, who moved over from Restaurant Daniel, who steers the kitchen in making dishes like quiche carotte vadouvan, black sea bass wrapped in potatoes and dressed in red wine sauce; and grilled salmon with citrus and spicy avocado dressing. The pastry chef is Katalina Diaz, also previously at Daniel, who will make desserts such as a baked Mont Blanc with chestnut ice cream, ginger sorbet, vermicelle, and Swiss meringue. A la carte and tasting menu are both available.

This offshoot of the wonderful Hug Esan in Elmhurst devotes less emphasis to the fiery, meat-salad-heavy Isan food of northeast Thailand, though it is equally small, with only a handful of tables. Don’t miss the deep fried pork belly, which might become your favorite drinking snack, or the curry rice ball salad, which doesn’t quite begin to describe the crunchy, piquant, and fish-sauced toss of greenery, grain, peanuts, and chiles.

Chefs Lee Hanson and Riad Nasr had their eye on this French icon — open since 1937 — even before they opened Frenchette, in 2018. Twelve years after first contacting the original owner, the restaurant has reopened with the duo at the helm, mostly intact, with subtle changes. The prix-fixe menu holds at $125 per person — with knockout classic French dishes, an enthralling retro dining room, and terrific people watching. Take note: There’s no dining at the bar.

Bayon is one of the city’s rare Cambodian restaurants, the interior decorated like a Buddhist Temple and glinting with silver and gold. Try the trio of dips featuring ground pork and fish sauce in contrasting recipes, good for dipping with raw vegetables and wrapping in lettuce leaves, big fun for a group. There are snacks like fishcakes and satays aplenty, and for a little luxury try sliced roast duck in a red curry sauce.

Head to Ravagh when a craving strikes for satisfying skewers of meat: The barg kababs, featuring chunks of beef tenderloin, and jujeh kebabs, comprised of cornish hen marinated in lemon and saffron, come highly recommended. Charred tomato and onion accompany meat entrees; choose from an array of soups, dips, stews, and desserts, too. The Iranian-run Persian chain has three other locations in the New York metropolitan area, including one in Midtown.