UWS Restaurant Named Among Yelp’s Top Picks In U.S.

UPPER WEST SIDE, NY - Reservation-makers, start your engines.

Yelp just released its top 25 new restaurants in the U.S., including one Upper West Side pick: Tatiana by Kwame Onwuachi.

““This restaurant truly is an ode to New York … it deserves every bit of the hype,” Yelp user Hajir said of the restaurant, which hopped onto the food scene in November 2022. It currently touts 4.4 stars on Yelp based on 244 reviews.

“The okra is just so good. The goat curry patties could be lunch every day for me. My favorite dish was the chicken. It brought the white sauce and hot sauce of New York food carts to the table in a way that was really fun and tasty. The chicken was so moist and perfectly seasoned, and the sauces were exactly what we wanted. Cocktails are good and the ambiance is fun.”

Dubbed Onwuachi’s “love letter to New York,” Tatiana focuses on the flavors, aromas and textures of Onwuachi’ childhood in the Bronx and the old neighborhood of San Juan Hill. Big sister Tatiana looked after Onwuachi while their mother worked as a chef in the Big Apple, according to the restaurant's website.

As a result, Tatiana by Kwame Onwuachi draws on a variety of flavors from Chinese takeout to Caribbean roti to bodega fare.

Other dishes include egusi dumplings, oxtail & crab rangoon, curried goat patties, take-out mushrooms, shawarma roasted chicken, mom dukes shrimp and short rib pastrami suya. You can view a full menu here.

This isn’t Tatiana’s first accolade. In September, The New York Times named Tatiana to its annual list of the 50 best restaurants in the U.S.

“If you can score a reservation at this New York hot spot—known for its Afro-Caribbean-influenced menu—fans recommend ordering the crispy Curried Goat Patties (with green-seasoned aioli and spicy mango chutney), Egusi Dumplings with crab (made with ground melon seeds and served atop Nigerian red stew), and Short Rib Pastrami Suya (skewered wagyu meat—make it a sandwich with the caraway coco bread and melted red cabbage),” Yelp said in a release.

Tatiana by Kwame Onwuachi is open Monday to Saturday from 5 to 10 p.m.

Aside from Tatiana, Yelp listed one other New York City eatery in its new ranking. That restaurant is Laser Wolf, an Israeli spot in Brooklyn.

The ranking was made by analyzing ratings, reviews and health scores (where available) from buzzy restaurants that opened after Jan. 1, 2022, per Yelp.

You can view the full ranking here.