Among the hundreds, if not thousands, of bites that restaurant critics take each year, there are some that suddenly make us sit up straighter, sharper and happier. These are the dishes that linger in our brains all the way home, that inspire obsessions over what exactly was going on in the kitchen to make those ingredients taste this good. They can be as simple as an ethereal tortilla or as elaborate as a deeply spiced, banquet-worthy chicken biryani.
This year, the task of eating out for The New York Times fell to three of us: Pete Wells, who left the table in August after 12 years on the job, and me and Melissa Clark, who have been serving since then as interim critics. Here are 26 New York City dishes we tasted in 2024 that we’ll be thinking about long into the future. PRIYA KRISHNA
Beef Fahsa at Yemenat
It doesn’t look all that promising, this thick stew darkly bubbling in a black stone pot. But fold a scalding wad of beef into some flatbread, wait until it’s slightly less scalding, and all the spices of Yemen open before you. Rich cloves and cinnamon arrive first, followed by the warmth of Yemenat’s custom-blended hawaij, and running through it all is a topping of fenugreek foam, both sweet and bitter. ($22) PETE WELLS
Masa Pancake at Cocina Consuelo
Cocina Consuelo offers one of the homiest, coziest breakfasts in the city, thanks in no small part to this pancake. This is a dense specimen, redolent of sweet-scented masa, lathered generously with honey butter and crowned with a thick fruit compote (blueberries, at last visit). It’s as if an arepa married a sticky toffee pudding. May they enjoy a longlife together. ($16) PRIYA KRISHNA
Frogs’ Legs at Le Veau d’Or
With their mild flavor, succulent, meaty texture and finger-food appeal, frogs’ legs deserve to be as popular as chicken wings. If any restaurant in town can make the case, it’s Le Veau d’Or, with its garlicky, bubbling rendition. Wait for the frantic sizzle to die down while you inhale the scent of brown butter and herbs, then use your hands to dig in. Licking the savory sauce off your digits might just be the best part. (Part of a $125 prix-fixe menu) MELISSA CLARK
Bake and Shark at Trinciti Roti Shop
I used to say there was no such thing as an exciting fish sandwich. Now that I’ve had the bake and shark from Trinciti, I’d like to take that back. The assembly process of this Trinidadian and Tobagonian favorite, sold only on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, is dizzying. The toppings piled over the hunks of fried shark are almost uncountable, though they include tamarind, coriander chutney, Trini pepper sauce and a slab of pineapple. The final product is not easy to eat, but it should be eaten quickly, and with enthusiasm. ($18) PETE WELLS
Patty Melt at the Commerce Inn
It was first served at family meal for the staff. Then it appeared as a blackboard special in the barroom. From there it sidled on to the brunch menu. As word got out, people started asking for it in the dining room. Of course, word got out. The Commerce Inn patty melt has all the classical attributes plus a few little subtle flourishes, like the scent of rosemary in the caramelized onions. It looks reasonably prim and proper, but mustard and mayonnaise and beef fat come gushing out when you eat it. ($18) PETE WELLS
Jang Mool Hoe at Joo Ok
There’s an aquarium in your bowl: barely poached bigfin reef squid, delicate Hokkaido scallops and a rich sliver of fresh sea urchin, all enveloped in a slippery, transparent layer of dashima jelly. The flavors are pleasingly restrained, accented by a few dots of chive and sesame oils and a small pool of broth (honeynut squash soy, for now). The jang mool hoe is an early course at this tasting-menu restaurant imported straight from Seoul, and it’s a dish for those who delight in the tapioca pearls of bubble tea or the exuberant chew of an udon noodle. (Part of a $180 tasting menu) PRIYA KRISHNA
Potato Salad With Trout Roe at Eel Bar
Potatoes and caviar are an eternal match, with the mild earthiness of the tuber balancing the saline funk of the fish eggs. At Eel Bar, the pairing is revamped as the sexiest salad imaginable, with a bed of creamy potatoes amply crowned by glowing beads of pungent trout roe. The brilliant soft and snappy contrast of textures may be as alluring as the flavors — or almost. ($18) MELISSA CLARK
Dungeness Crab Empanada at Blanca
If you have eaten in any of Victoria Blamey’s restaurants going back to Chumley’s, you are probably familiar with the way she prepares Dungeness crab. It’s complicated. It’s based on a Chilean abalone dish. It involves Chartreuse, fermented black beans, assorted bits of crab anatomy and other things that have no business sharing a plate. When you taste it, you feel the time-space continuum yawning open below your feet. In the past, Ms. Blamey has stuffed this crab into potpies and pithiviers, but at Blanca it assumes its most humble, most exalted form yet: an empanada. (Part of a $275 tasting menu) PETE WELLS
Paneer Ghee Roast at Lungi
You can smell the heady scent of curry leaves before the dish even hits the table at this South Indian and Sri Lankan restaurant. The squishy cubes are fried and stewed in a potent onion gravy, absorbing the invigorating flavor of the spices. Scoop up the cheese with thin, coconut-laced hoppers that will temper the lingering, near-punishing heat in the sauce. ($24) PRIYA KRISHNA
Squab at Noksu
The pigeon’s desiccated head and clenched foot lent a horror-movie touch to a dish that was otherwise quite inviting. The Cantonese roast duck you see hanging in Chinatown windows was the point of departure for Dae Kim, the chef at this tasting counter inside a subway station. The meat was pinker and juicier, though, and Dae Kim, gave the skin a gorgeous, burnished gloss; it was as crisp and shiny as the sugar on a crème brûlée. Mr. Kim took it off the menu two months ago, but it’s too good to stay away for long. (Part of a $195 tasting menu) PETE WELLS
Rich Chocolate Cake at Dinner Party
The best chocolate cake is rife with contradiction. It needs to be dense and bitter but still light and sweet, and covered with enough frosting to grab your attention, but not so much that it overshadows the cake. This one hits all those notes with panache. The crumb is tender and moist, but not heavy, and full of dark cocoa powder for a bittersweet spine. Swirls of buttercream on top are infused with pink peppercorns for a spicy, piney character that might be the last thing you’d think to pair with chocolate cake — until you take a bite. (Part of a $60 to $75 tasting menu) MELISSA CLARK
Yogurt Kebab at Bungalow
This kebab feels like a magic trick: crisp shreds of kataifi encase warm, spiced yogurt that oozes as you bite into it, with a flavor that flits between sweet and savory. The cabbage purée underneath is refreshingly tart, and its whimsical lavender hue only adds to the sense that this is more alchemy than cooking. ($22) PRIYA KRISHNA
Latifeh at Sofreh Cafe
Latifeh, a traditional Persian confection, may have assumed its highest and most fragrant form at Sofreh Cafe. Somewhere between a soft vanilla cookie and a dainty cake, two rounds of pastry are filled with fluffy, rose-scented cream, then rolled in chopped, salted pistachios, which add color and crunch to all that pale, ethereal softness. Nasim Alikhani, an owner and the chef, makes her latifeh often, so they never have a chance to get soggy. Each pastry is a diminutive masterpiece you can’t help but devour. ($8) MELISSA CLARK
Chalupas at Chalupas Poblanas el Tlecuile
First, you have to find it. This nomadic Pueblan chalupa stand bounces around northern Queens, occasionally posting intersections and hours on Facebook. From there, things get easier. While your batch of eight tortillas bathes quietly in hot lard, decide whether you want them covered with salsa verde, salsa roja, or both. Watch while they are stacked with white onions and shredded pork. Finally, come to terms with the reality that you aren’t going to be hungry again for a long time. ($10) PETE WELLS
Stir-fried Fatty Beef With Cilantro at Uluh
Cilantro, an essential ingredient in many Chinese dishes, is the whole point of this one. The juicy stems are tossed in so liberally that it almost becomes a salad. They pierce the aromatic foundation of garlic and fresh chiles like bright green needles. The beef is thinly shaved, tender and not as fatty as you might think. ($28) PETE WELLS
Suma Katsuo Sashimi at Sushi Ouji
Rarely seen outside Japan, suma katsuo (also called mackerel tuna) is a buttery-textured fish that’s a bit like fatty tuna. Sushi Ouji is one of the few places to sample it in New York City, where it plays a starring role in the excellent omakase. To make the most of suma katsuo’s bold oceanic flavor, the chef Ben Chen cold-smokes the fillets over cherry wood, then drizzles them with a tangy onion sauce sprinkled with sesame and nori. Wobbly cubes of ginger jelly on the side act as bracing palate cleansers — and make the deeply haunting sashimi course exceedingly fun to eat. (Part of a $129 omakase menu) MELISSA CLARK
Passion Fruit Tajín Icebox Pie at Kellogg’s Diner
The desserts from the pastry chef Amanda Perdomo often steal the show here, none more than the passion fruit pie. It’s more than just a diner pie spiffed up with Tajín; there’s creativity and finesse in Ms. Perdomo’s vision. The graham cracker crust is elevated with brown butter, the curd filling has the creamy, wobbly texture of instant pudding and the Tajín meringue floats delicately atop, freckled with lime zest. ($10) PRIYA KRISHNA
Shrimp Cocktail at Penny
The brilliant simplicity of Penny’s shrimp cocktail makes most other versions seem underwhelming. Argentinian red shrimp are cured, brined and steamed, then served ice-cold, their sweet, juicy flavor needing little else besides a spritz of lemon. Should you love cocktail sauce, the one at Penny is an overachiever — tart, smooth and ketchup forward in the best way. ($24) PRIYA KRISHNA
Flour Tortilla at Corima
Serious flour tortillas are still an exciting find in New York City, and no restaurant takes them more seriously than Corima. Made from Mexican wheat, butter and sourdough starter, Corima’s is almost flaky and pocked with brown patches where bubbles in the dough met the heat of the griddle, an upside-down wok. It is one flour tortilla that is delicious enough to eat on its own, which is exactly how it is served, with a smear of smoky chile butter. ($9) PETE WELLS
Kohlapuri Goat at Javitri
At last, memorable goat curry around the corner from Bloomingdale’s. Javitri’s chef, Dhandu Ram, encourages the meat to relax during a patient, gentle braise in the pot, and wallops it with enough Maharashtrian spices and dried chiles to fell an elephant. It’s a classic good cop-bad cop routine, and it’s devastatingly effective. ($35) PETE WELLS
Pissaladière at Cafe Mado
Built on a foundation of puffy focaccia dough, this pissaladière doesn’t hew to the classic line. The other ingredients in this delectably oily, savory tart are similarly innovative. Olive relish nestles next to the caramelized onions instead of whole black niçoise, fat premium Don Bocarte Spanish anchovies stripe the top in place of the usual French fish, and a shower of lemon thyme adds a deeply perfumed and unexpected aroma. It’s not even quite as big as a typical pissaladière, but take one bite and you can taste the past melding with the here and now. It’s not French — nor Italian or Spanish — but Brooklyn to its delectable core. ($21) MELISSA CLARK
Gongura Chicken Biryani at Hyderabadi Zaiqa
This small, subterranean restaurant dedicated to the food of Hyderabad may have more biryanis than chairs. One is made with hard-boiled eggs, another with mangoes and vegetables. More intriguing still is the variety featuring a chicken leg and seasoned with gongura. A leaf prized in parts of India for its lemony sourness, gongura wrests control away from the usual biryani spices, and this kitchen is not shy about spices, carrying the rice in a new and bracing direction. ($16) PETE WELLS
Dry-Aged Duck at Heroes
Dry-aging is a technique usually applied to beef to tenderize it, and the process can add earthy, umami flavors to the meat along the way. At Heroes, the chef Aaron Lirette dry-ages duck breasts, and the result is an absolute stunner. After a 10-day stint in the fridge, the breasts are roasted on the bone and basted with yuzu and four kinds of peppers. Thin slices are served juicy and rare, still cloaked in their crisp skin, and impossible to stop eating ($75, serves two). MELISSA CLARK
Snow Crab Mandoo at Odre
The biggest surprise when you bite into a snow crab mandoo at Odre is the wrapper. Instead of meeting the bounce of dumpling skin, your teeth hit the delicate crunch of thinly sliced radish that’s wrapped like a silky sheath around generous morsels of dense, soft crab. It’s part of Odre’s $42 tasting menu — a true bargain, especially given the quality of the crab, and the finesse when using it. MELISSA CLARK
Fried Halloumi at Cafe Kestrel
These cigars of fried cheese don’t look like much. But therein lies the beauty of Cafe Kestrel, where apparent simplicity belies bewitching flavors. The sharply salty halloumi is battered and coated with a coarse, heady mixture of fennel pollen and Espelette pepper. The raw wildflower honey poured over the cheese is so thick and luxurious — and suffused with the warm spices below — that it practically demands to be licked off the plate. ($9) PRIYA KRISHNA
Vin Jaune Gelato at Bridges
The Comté tart gets much of the spotlight at Bridges, and for good reason. But the sleeper hit is the restaurant’s simplest dessert, a swoop of gelato infused with the floral, savory and even briny complexity of vin jaune, accompanied on my visit by a tart, oozy scoop of passion fruit in its nature-given glory — seeds, pulp and all. ($15) PRIYA KRISHNA
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