After we published the 2024 list of the 100 best restaurants in New York City, we asked readers what restaurant would land at No. 1 on their own lists. This year, on the occasion of our 2025 list, we decided to pose a question to some of the chefs from the list itself: What’s your favorite restaurant in the city right now? Their answers show a perfectly New York variety of neighborhoods and cuisines. Some even overlap with The Times’s picks — but that’s purely delicious coincidence.
Wu’s Wonton King
Chinatown, Manhattan
I like to go to restaurants that remind me of home, and Wu’s Wonton King does just that. It’s loud and chaotic in the best way, you order too much on purpose and spin the lazy susan for hours. The crab fried rice, loaded with sweet chunks of crab, is a must: I always finish the plate. Overall, it’s just the kind of place where the food does all the talking, and that’s my favorite kind of spot. — Vijay Kumar, Semma
Little Pepper
College Point, Queens
It serves Sichuan food and is run by a really sweet family. Mom up front, pops in back. The first time I ate there I was so full of joy that when the chef came out of the kitchen for a second, I just started clapping, and then everyone else joined in. I just wanted him to know how amazing his food was. I love everything on the menu there — cumin lamb, scallion fried rice, braised fish in spicy broth, salt and pepper prawns, and cabbage with dried chiles to name a few.— Dria Atencio, Salty Lunch Lady’s Little Luncheonette
18-24 College Point Boulevard (18th Avenue)
Raku
East Village, Manhattan