Best restaurants on the Upper West Side, 2026.

Affectionately known as “La Petite Amélie,” this Upper West Side restaurant is more intimate than the flagship in the West Village. Offering French-inspired fare in a cozy setting, the restaurant has a Bib Gourmand Michelin rating (prestigious award given to good-value restaurants).

The menu is full of tantalizing brasserie classics at affordable prices (for the neighborhood). Start the meal with wine-steamed mussels. I’m a big fan of the house burger and seared black sea bass.

Amelie is one of my favorite restaurants on the Upper West Side for happy hour as well. The draw is the $14 wine flight, which gives you the opportunity to sample three wines from different regions (choose from a selection of rosé, white or red flights).

Better still, Monday is moules-frites day! You can score steamed mussels, french fries and a glass of wine for $31 all night long.

The brainchild of Chef Jun Park, Chick Chick made headlines when it opened on the Upper West Side in 2021, bagging a Michelin Bib Gourmand rating (good quality, good value cooking) shortly thereafter. The culprit? Crispy Nashville fried chicken sandwiches with a Korean twist.

Fried chicken thighs are dipped in clarified butter (not oil) and sprinkled with a potent mix of ichimi pepper, cayenne, paprika and gochugaru before being sandwiched into a doughy bun and topped with chilled pickles and lettuce.

Excellence is top of mind at this casual restaurant on the Upper West Side, nothing on the menu is an afterthought. Take the dirty truffle fried rice, for example, made with truffle, lemongrass, egg and mushroom, it’s as much a draw as the famed chicken sandwich.

The Upper West Side is a ramen desert, which is why Jin Ramen is on constant rotation in our household. Serving Hakata-style ramen (known for pungent tonkotsu broth), the combination of thin chewy noodles and hand-crafted broth keeps us coming back on a monthly basis during the winter months.

Standout dishes include the Tonkotsu Ramen, a house favorite made with a creamy broth created from slow cooked pork bones topped with braised pork belly. If you’d like to try a signature dish, opt for the spicy version of the tonkotsu (my husband’s favorite dish).

Upbeat and fun, Maison Pickle is my go-to recommendation for out-of-town visitors on the hunt for the best brunch in the neighborhood. In my opinion, it’s one of the few Upper West Side restaurants worth traveling for (I say this as someone who loves the area).

And travel they do, Maison Pickle is famous with locals thanks to generous portions and exciting brunch staples, namely the challah French toast and toothsome French dips. Whatever you do, make sure the pull apart bread opens the meal.

This some of the best brunch on the Upper West Side for large groups, especially if the crew likes to kick off the weekend with a round of cocktails (the libation lineup is impressive), but make reservations in advance.

Unpopular opinion. I’ll say it. Best UWS Restaurants (Table of Contents) deserves way more recognition than it gets.

Miriam is a relaxed Israeli restaurant on the Upper West Side. Focusing on seasonal cuisine, most of the ingredients are sourced directly from Israel. I think this place serves a great brunch, but the dinner menu is nothing to scoff at either.

If you’re visiting for brunch, I recommend ordering the Shakshuka (two poached eggs in rich and tangy tomato and bell pepper sauce) and Malawach Quesadilla (buttery, thin and flaky pastry style quesadilla with two eggs & cheese).

For dinner service, start with the fresh baked focaccia and spring salad (tomato, cucumber, chickpea, eggplant, radish, sunflower seed, feta, lemon herb vinaigrette). Then, mosey over to the meze platter and falafel before flirting with the main course (lamb Shawarma is my tried-and-true).

Born into a family of 21 kids, Charles Gabriel grew up picking cotton near Charlotte, North Carolina before moving to New York City at 17 to peruse a career in cooking. He worked at Copeland’s for two decades before venturing off on his own, selling expertly-executed fried chicken in Harlem.

In 2022, he decided to relocate and opened a restaurant on the Upper West Side, where he serves some of the juiciest fired chicken you’ll find in NY. What makes Charles Pan Fried Chicken is the cooking method, each piece is cooked individually in cast iron pans (not deep fried).

The meticulous process pays off, thick and crispy skin gives way to succulent meat you have to experience for yourself. Order a handful of sides like baked mac & cheese and collared greens and cap the meal with the creamy banana pudding.

The Consulate is a swanky bar moonlighting as a restaurant. Jack of all trades, the neighborhood haunt is home to a great happy hour and brunch. Should you prefer a dimly-lit locale for an evening drink, the Consulate checks that box too (with elegant servers donning vests).

When it comes to dinning options, the variety spans the gamut. Start the morning with cast iron pancakes (fluffy blueberry pancakes, maple syrup, whipped cream), nibble your way through the french. Onion soup at lunch and end the evening with short rib cavatelli and a night cap (the cocktails are excellent).

For most locals, Sala Thai is the go-to neighborhood Thai restaurant on the Upper West Side. Punchy flavors take center stage shining through in stunning curries and traditional dishes like pad se-ew. The Panang Curry (sweet potatoes, kaffir lime leaves, string beans, coconut milk) is my tried-and-true staple, but my husband is partial to the pad thai.