BEST DISHES in New York in 2025: Numbers 10-6

I’m counting down the 10 best dishes I tasted in 2025…

This was the year where I surrendered to the fact that I won’t experience every single viral dish in the city and, frankly, realized I don’t really want to. While a few of the hottest and most in-demand bites found their way on my list, so did some simple under-the-radar dishes that I haven’t stopped thinking about since trying them.

And, now here are my Top Ten Dishes of the Year:

NUMBER 10: HELIOPOLIS at CHEZ ZOU

At the clandestine rooftop bar above Mediterranean favorite Zou Zou, I discovered one of the most innovative plays on a Whiskey Sour I’ve ever encountered. The whiskey is shaken with the unlikely ingredients of yuzu, green apple liqueur, mustard seed, and horseradish. Somehow I managed to taste every flavor and it all worked so perfectly for a tangy, not too acidic refresher. I get excited about unique savory ingredients in cocktails and this one was a home run. Price: $17

NUMBER 9: HIBISCUS TINGA QUESADILLA at COCINA CONSUELO

The Mexican dishes at Cocina Consuelo, one of the most exciting recent restaurant openings above 125th Street, all taste as if you are sitting inside someone’s living room. The homey, warm environment only helps matters. I found the Hibiscus Quesadilla to be a complete revelation with crisp, griddled blue corn tortillas that reveal stewed hibiscus and sorrel root with spices and flavorings usually reserved for chicken. It’s smoky, spicy, tangy and balanced beautifully by the rich luscious melted Oaxaca cheese. Price: $15

NUMBER 8: KHINKALI at LALIKO

Khinkali are not your typical dumplings as they are large, wrinkly masterpieces with a smooth succulent dough and a spiced brothy filling. After a lesson from the waitress at Laliko to hold these from the knob and carefully bite into the dough to get to the broth, I had a super fun, interactive meal. You can choose from cheese, lamb, beef, or beef and pork for your filling. My choice was beef and pork which featured a delicately spiced meatball surrounding the broth. They were fantastic. Price: $10-$20

NUMBER 7: SEA URCHIN CUSTARD WITH SHRIMP at BRIDGES

I couldn’t have prepared myself for the play of textures, temperatures, and flavors in this decadent dish at Bridges. The base is a meaty briny round of raw red shrimp tartare floating in the sea urchin custard (comprised of locally made soy milk from the Chinatown neighborhood). It’s topped off with a generous portion of uni tongue that really pops with notes of the sea and melts on your tongue. It also melts the subtle heat that builds from the bits of chili in the shrimp and is cooled by the creamy custard. It’s a really innovative unusual dish that was one of the more exciting things I’ve tried this year. Price: $25

NUMBER 6: SUNN’S SALAD at SUNN’S

My wife and I agreed that while everything we tried at Sunn’s was really very good, nothing beat the seasonal Sunn’s Salad. The plate we were served at this tiny Korean chef-drive spot, represented peak late-summer with some of the most delicious fruits and vegetables we have ever tried. Perfectly ripe plums, sugar-sweet melons, beautiful Sungold tomatoes, and tangy marinated wax beans came together with a slather of something creamy, and an amazing dressing made from a spicy Korean sauce and fruit. I’m still not over the fact that summer had to end, but I’m thrilled I got to experience these flavors,. Price: $22