Trio Of UWS Eateries Make NYT 'Best 100' List, Including Top Pick

UPPER WEST SIDE, NY — The Upper West Side food scene reigns supreme, says one influential city food critic's now annual list.

On Tuesday, the New York Times's top food critic Pete Wells released his 100 Best Restaurants in New York City, and, in addition to capturing the top spot for the second year in the row, a total of three Upper West Side eateries made the elite list.

In its second iteration, Kwame Onwuachi’s Tatiana at Lincoln Center was once again named as the top restaurant in all of the Big Apple.

For many, the honor comes as little surprise. But one beloved restaurant, which was named last year at the tail-end of the list, rose an incredibly 25 spots in this year's ranking.

Here's the list of the places that made this year's ranking:

Tatiana (#1) 10 Lincoln Center Plaza

The hyper-hyped Tatiana by Kwame Onwuachi is still the best, Wells said. And predictably, that means you may never get the chance to enjoy Onwuachi's take on Black New York cuisine, infusing southern, Caribbean and West African food in reified iterations.

"Tatiana remains among the very few places in town where reservations are truly hard to come by," Wells writes. "You might as well learn Icelandic while you’re at it, because you’re going to be waiting a while."

Wells praises Tatiana for furthuring developing and refining their already top dishes, like the truffled chopped cheese, which he describes as "a satisfying and rather lush steak sandwich, a more fully realized recipe even though it may no longer quite qualify as a chopped cheese."

In addition to the food, Wells praises the "genuine warmth and enthusiasm" of the mostly "newcomer" staff, which he says he would "gladly take over the chilly formalities that prevail in other restaurants that charge this much or more for dinner."

Onwuachi, a Bronx native, worked his way through some of the city's top kitchens, including Per Se and Eleven Madison Park, and was a contestant on "Top Chef." He opened Tatiana, his first restaurant, early last year.

On its website, the restaurant describes itself as arising from the intersection of family and food, with Onwuachi writing that it's a "love letter to New York" that was "written with the flavors, aromas and textures of my childhood, inspired by my culinary muse (and beloved sister) Tatiana."

Jean-Georges (#19) 1 Central Park West

Not far from Tatiana sits the Upper West Side's next entry on the list, longtime mainstay Jean-Georges.

"By this point, Jean-Georges Vongerichten shouldn’t have any tricks left up his sleeve," Wells writes. "But a six- or 10-course dinner at his urbane, understated restaurant on Columbus Circle is almost sure to deliver something you didn’t quite see coming."

First opened in 1997, the eatery was long hailed as one of the best French restaurants in America and held three Michelin stars for over a decade until it lost a star in 2018.

Jean-Georges slipped six spots in the ranking this year after coming in at number 13 last year.

"Wagyu tenderloin with braised endive might look like a simple steakhouse riff," Wells writes, "but how can that sticky and intensely fruity hoisin sauce get along so well with a jus that carries the fragile perfume of bergamot?"

Barney Greengrass (#66) 541 Amsterdam Avenue

Since 1928, the veritable Barney Greengrass has been serving smoked fish, bagels, bialys, rolls, potato salad, coleslaw, sandwiches, omelets, soups, salads and more to the Upper West Side.

"The place is a cyclone of smoked-fish commerce on weekends and before any major Jewish holiday," says Wells. "On certain other days, a diner at Barney Greengrass can achieve a state close to serenity."

This year, the family-owned Barney Greengrass moved up 25 spots from its ranking at number 91 last year.

"By your third cup of coffee and second order of latkes," Wells writes, "it should be clear that you are sitting at the spiritual center of the Upper West Side."