The New York Restaurants We Loved in May — Resy | Right This Way

Published: May 24, 2024

Now that it finally feels like summer has arrived in New York, Resy HQ is out and about and dining in full force. This month, we went on some particularly epic food crawls, carved out some precious solo dining time, as well as made time to celebrate with our colleagues, and brunched to our hearts’ content. Here were a few of our favorite meals.

Resy Staffer Spotlight: Mike Lee

Photo courtesy of Mike Lee

When Mike Lee joined Resy, the company was still in start-up mode. The year was 2014 and Lee officially became employee No. 8. Today, the engineering director is one of — if not the only — longest-standing Resy employee still working at the company, and while he has fond memories of Resy’s earliest days, he’s happy to see how far the company has grown since.

Mike’s always been into good food, even before joining Resy. As well as being an avid home cook, he’s the type of person who schedules his meals on trips in between sightseeing. And he won’t shy away from trying anything at least once. “I’m sort of an exploratory diner,” says the N.J. native and current Cliffside Park, N.J. resident. “I love to try different cuisines from different cultures.”

His advice for fellow diners in the New York/New Jersey area? “Don’t be afraid to explore and try something new,” he says.

Here are a few of his favorite spots on both sides of the Hudson, in his own words.

The One for Omakase: Yakitori Torishin
I always do the omakase there. It’s a favorite of mine, and it’s on par with anything I had when I visited Japan. They do stuff you don’t typically see here in the U.S., and at an extremely high level, like serving up some of the gristle from the chicken, or the chicken oyster, which is a particular favorite. They also do some more experimental things, too; last time I was there, they served something with a tomatillo sauce that brought a Mexican flavor to it.

The One for a Group Hang: Cote Korean Steakhouse
It’s just a really interesting cross between an American steakhouse and Korean barbecue. The quality of it is just excellent. The banchan is also really good, and my friends all love the egg soufflé. We usually do the butcher’s feast when we go.

The One for Pizza: Razza
They are always amazing, but I admit that I recommend doing takeout rather than getting a reservation sometimes, just because they’re always so packed. The first time I visited them was just after they got featured in the New York Times, pre-COVID. I went at 5 p.m. on a Wednesday, and I got the only seat available at the bar. I ordered three pizzas and I ate all three by myself and I probably could have eaten more.

The One That’s Close to Home: Minka Japanese Kitchen
They’re a really good Japanese place with some unusual dishes, right around the corner from me. They have this really interesting unagi and foie gras donburi with black truffle that was probably the best unagi I’ve ever had. They also have A5 Wagyu if you’re into that too, and a truffle tuna.

One of life’s joys is dining alone …

While watching a restaurant kitchen in full swing, and Bangkok Supper Club has a stunningly beautiful counter where you have a front row seat to the nightly choreography. You can feel the heat coming off the grill, and then taste that char on the beef tongue. You can watch the kitchen assemble the tiny, delicate crab tartlet, and then serve it right up. You’ll get FOMO watching more and more dishes go out to the dining room, but that’s why you’ll have to come back and try the rest of the menu.

— Paolo Lucchesi, Editorial Director, Resy Editorial

In celebration of AAPI Heritage Month …

Our small (but mighty!) group of Asian and Asian American coworkers made the pilgrimage to one of the oldest Taiwanese restaurants in all of New York: Taiwanese Gourmet in Elmhurst. As soon as you enter, you’re immersed in what feels like the perfect blend of Queens’ hustle and bustle with traditional Taiwanese dining rooms. Our group of 13, with BYOB bottles in hand, were led downstairs to our own little private area where we could wave to a camera if we needed the servers’ attention. Heaping plates of Taiwanese classics like fried pork chops, stinky tofu, three-cup chicken, Taiwanese sausage, and blood rice cakes, among much more, adorned the table faster than we could eat them. The star of the show for me was the staple fly’s head: a stir-fried mixture of garlic chives, pork, chili peppers, and fermented beans (where the name comes from) for the perfect blend of salty, savory, earthy, and spicy. After my last plates of lu rou fan and oyster omelet, I tapped out, stomach content with the warmth of being around my people during this important month.

— Charles Zhao, Director of Restaurant Product

As an occasional visitor to New York from London …

I’m always slightly floored at the depth and breadth of options that the city has when it comes to regional Asian cuisines. And despite only having 48 hours in New York, during which I ploughed through a four-venue food crawl [see below for a recap of that] following a case of in-flight food poisoning, there was nothing more I looked forward to than the feast I shared at Taiwanese Gourmet with my Resy colleagues.

On the train to Queens, the clouds finally parted and the first pangs of hunger in three days began to cut through the fog, like shafts of light interrupting a vampire slumber party in “Blade.” And what a restaurant to arrive at. With a case of Modelos in hand, I sensed we’d be in for a treat.

What followed was a procession of remarkable plates that were unbelievably delicious in flavor and beautifully presented. Pig’s blood cake and sticky rice sausage were ideal amuse-bouches, while standbys like deep-fried pork chop and three-cup chicken were so flavorful and faultlessly executed that you’d swear you could never get bored of them. A whole steamed striped bass made me momentarily pine for plain rice, before a deluge of plates — wind-dried sausage, clams stir-fried with holy basil, garlic chives sautéed with fermented black beans, pork, and chile — dropped on the table like bars in a 40-minute Kendrick diss track.

It’s BYOB and cash-only, and best experienced with a group of friends. But really, if I lived nearby (as opposed to, say, across the Atlantic), I’d be here at least a couple of times a month. I loved how the staff cracked jokes with us as they ferried dishes up and down those vertiginous stairs. And it’s clear that a huge amount of care goes into each and every dish. What a special place.

— David Jay Paw, Senior Editor, Resy Editorial

I want to gatekeep this place so badly but …

I think I should share Carlota because everything we had here for my recent birthday dinner was so yummy, and the space was intimate and cozy. Everyone should pay it a visit. I feel like really good tapas are tough to come by in New York, and I’m grateful for this spot. After finishing the gambas, we ordered extra bread to dip in the garlicky olive oil. Pro tip: Book a Resy for drinks at the Swan Room just across the street after your meal here.

— Gina Chun, Senior Technical Product Manager

It’s been almost a year since I last dined …

At Leland Eating and Drinking House, and I can’t imagine waiting so long again for my next visit. The staff is warm and every dish was special and unique on its own. We started with the eggplant fries and smoked pollock fritters — both are so light and flavorful. For mains, I will forever dream about the most tender duck confit leg with shoestring fries. It would be a shame to leave a meal without dessert, and the creme brûlée pie can’t be missed!

— Lala Liban, Senior Manager, Hotel Partner Growth

As a longtime lover of Din Tai Fung …

I am here to say that Pinch Chinese may become my new go-to spot. The pork soup dumplings, pork and chive dumplings, and spicy wontons set the tone for the meal at the start, with the housemade sauce on the spicy wontons being truly finger licking good. We then moved onto the spicy marinated cucumbers, three-cup chicken, and dan dan noodles. I look forward to going back and sitting at the bar (they often have space) and feasting on some of their vegetable dishes like the string beans, eggplant, and pea shoots. All that to say: You can’t go wrong when eating at Pinch Chinese, and even with Din Tai Fung opening in New York soon, I look forward to frequenting this Soho hot spot.

— Natalie Weil, Experiential Marketing

Officially crowning this my new favorite Korean barbecue in town …

Yoon Haeundae Galbi came to Midtown in 2021 by way of Busan, South Korea (the O.G. started in 1964), and the quality of the meats is just really impressive. The prime/marinated package is a good place to start before the add-ins kick in: The seafood silken tofu soup, Busan cold noodle soup, and Wagyu kimchi fried rice were all excellent. Just don’t forget to order some potato noodles at the very end, which your server will cook in the delicious meat drippings post-grilling.

— Noëmie Carrant, Senior Writer, Resy Editorial

Book a date or come here for any celebration …

Sake No Hana on New York’s Lower East Side has an ambiance and textures that immediately stand out when you walk down into its dark, sultry setting. When it comes to the food, you can't go wrong with the wafu carbonara in an uni cream sauce that’s finished with truffle and a poached egg. It’s insane. Anything coming off of the live fire is also not to be missed, including all of the robata.