Italian Newcomer Named Best Restaurant Of UWS: Report

UPPER WEST SIDE, NY — The Upper West Side is often ignored by New York City's stuffy foodie scene, but new additions are starting to put the neighborhood on the map.

Food publication Grubstreet put together a list of the "absolute best restaurants" on the Upper West Side, with two 2018 openings taking in the top spots. Eighteen restaurants made the ranking, which features a variety of cuisines such as Chinese, Indian, French and even pizza by the slice.

"The best of the Upper West Side’s restaurants combine comfort and leisure, administering to the not exactly cutting-edge but rarely dull tastes of its Advanced Style citizens, as well as to the Old Souls in search of a hotsy-totsy swell time." -Grubstreet

One of the restaurants, Leonti, is helmed by Italian newcomer Adam Leonti and the other, Oxbow Tavern, is the new venture of longtime Upper West Side chef Tom Valenti. In the end, Leonti took the crown as the best restaurant on the Upper West Side.

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Despite the praise heaped on Upper West Side newcomers, longtime standbys also performed well. Shun Lee West, which has dished out Chinese staples for nearly four decades, came in third place and old-school eateries such as Barney Greengrass and Murray's Sturgeon Shop also landed on the list.

Check out Grubstreet's complete ranking of the best Upper West Side restaurants:

1. Leonti
2. Oxbow Tavern
3. Shun Lee West
4. Awadh
5. Cafe Luxembourg
6. Read the full Grubstreet rankings here.