American, seasonal in Flatiron, New York City

Gramercy Tavern

The Grown-Up at the Corner

4 of 5

Gramercy Tavern opened in July 1994 and has been the benchmark for New York hospitality ever since. The pitch is simple: an ever-evolving seasonal New American menu that leans on the restaurant's relationships with local farms and purveyors. That sentence is a mission statement everywhere else. Here it is the kitchen.

Michael Anthony is the executive chef and Karen Demasco runs pastry. The New York Times gave the place three stars in 2007, the James Beard Foundation named it Outstanding Restaurant of 2008, and Zagat named it the most popular restaurant in the city more than once. Pete Wells ranked it eleventh among the city's 100 best in 2023. Michelin gives it one star. None of that explains why it feels warm. A great host does.

Go for the room, which pairs a polished dining room with a tavern side that has always felt like a neighborhood place. Thirty years in this city is a geological age for a restaurant, and nobody lasts that long by accident. This one still gets that nod. The cooking is seasonal and serious, but the place never forgets to be a restaurant first, a shrine second. Walk in without a reservation to the tavern side if the main room is full, and you will not feel like a second class guest.

Order this

The seasonal menu, whatever is in, Something built around a local farm, Dessert, from Karen Demasco's kitchen

The damage

$$$

Go

A Tuesday evening, or lunch if you want the room without the pressure

Find it

42 East 20th Street, New York, NY 10003