I have been eating my way through the UES for years now. My husband and I used to live nearby, and we got into the habit of walking up and down Lexington and Second Avenue looking for the spots that actual residents depend on. Not the Madison Avenue prix fixe places (though I’ll mention a couple worth the splurge), but the diners, the bakeries, the pizza counters, the hole-in-the-wall Thai place that changed how I think about pad see ew.
This is everything I’d tell a friend who just moved to the neighborhood.
The Actual Best Pizza Up Here
J.G. Melon
1291 Third Avenue. I know, I know. J.G. Melon is technically a burger place, not a pizza place. But I’m putting it first because it’s the most essential restaurant on the Upper East Side, full stop. The burger ($14.50) is one of the best in the city. It comes on a soft bun, cooked medium, with raw onion and nothing fancy. Cottage fries on the side. The whole meal is $22 with a beer and it feels like you’ve stepped into 1975.
Cash only. They’re serious about this. There’s an ATM inside but bring cash anyway.
JG-Melon-Burgers-08711-1-1.jpgJ.G. Melon · Upper East Side
Nick’s Pizza
1814 Second Avenue. This is the actual best pizza on the Upper East Side. Thin, crispy, coal-fired, and they don’t sell slices. You have to get a whole pie ($22-28) and that’s fine because you’ll eat the whole thing. The margherita is perfect. If you want toppings, the sausage and the fresh garlic are the moves. Skip the pepperoni, it’s fine but not special.
Sal & Carmine’s
2671 Broadway. Okay technically this is the Upper West Side but it’s worth the crosstown trip. Old school New York slice shop. $3.75 for a slice that is enormous, perfectly floppy, and exactly what you picture when someone says “New York pizza.” No tables. You stand at the counter and fold it and eat it over a paper plate. This is church.
Things-to-Do-Upper-East-Side-1005699.jpgRalph's Coffee · Upper East Side
Coffee That’s Worth Sitting Down For
Via Quadronno
25 East 73rd Street. This tiny Italian cafe feels like Milan dropped a satellite location on the Upper East Side. The cappuccino ($6) is among the best in the city. The panini ($14-18) are pressed on ciabatta and stuffed with imported meats. Get the prosciutto and mozzarella. Sit at the little counter by the window and watch the Madison Avenue foot traffic. This is a perfect 45-minute lunch.
spork-Michaeli-Bakery-1004335.jpgMichaeli Bakery · Upper East Side
Two Little Red Hens
1652 Second Avenue. A bakery first, a coffee shop second. The Brooklyn Blackout Cake ($7 a slice) is the reason people cross boroughs to come here. It’s three layers of dark chocolate cake with chocolate pudding filling and chocolate cake crumbs on the outside. It’s absurd and it’s perfect. Their cheesecake ($6.50 a slice) is also outstanding. Get a coffee and a slice of something and sit at one of the three tiny tables. This is the Upper East Side at its most charming.
The Neighborhood Staples
Lexington Candy Luncheonette
1226 Lexington Avenue. Open since 1925. This diner has original counters, stools that spin, and a griddle that’s been cooking eggs for a hundred years. The pancakes ($12) are fluffy and buttery and exactly right. The egg cream ($5) is the best in the neighborhood. Come for breakfast on a weekday and you’ll sit next to retired professors and nannies and construction workers. It’s one of the last real diners left in Manhattan and I get emotional about it.
Schaller & Weber
1654 Second Avenue. A German butcher shop that’s been here since 1937. They make their own sausages, liverwurst, and cold cuts. The bratwurst ($8 for a pack) is incredible grilled at home, but they also have a small counter where you can get a sausage on a roll for $7. Pair it with one of the German mustards they sell and you’ve got one of the most satisfying $7 lunches on the East Side.
spork-Bemelmans-1005994.jpgBemelmans Bar · Upper East Side
Eli’s Essentials at the Vinegar Factory
431 East 91st Street. Eli Zabar’s market and cafe up on 91st is less famous than his Bread bakery on Third, but I actually prefer it. The rooftop greenhouse is gorgeous. The prepared food counter has rotisserie chicken ($18) that’s deeply seasoned and juicy, plus soups, salads, and sandwiches that are genuinely excellent. Yes, it’s Eli Zabar prices (so add 30% to what you’d expect), but the quality is there. Great for a weekend browse and lunch.
For a Nice Dinner
BB-Bagels-UES-1005235-2.jpgUpper East Side
Cafe d’Alsace
1695 Second Avenue. A French-Alsatian brasserie that’s been quietly excellent for years. The choucroute garnie ($28, a mountain of sauerkraut with sausages and pork) is phenomenal in cold weather. The beer list is one of the best on the East Side, with a bunch of Belgian and Alsatian options you won’t find elsewhere. Steak frites ($34) is also very solid. Dinner for two with drinks runs $80-100 and it feels like a proper night out without the Midtown markup.
Sushi of Gari
402 East 78th Street. The omakase here ($85-120) is one of the best sushi values in Manhattan. Chef Gari does unexpected things with his fish. Seared tuna with tomato, salmon with tofu sauce, things that sound weird and taste brilliant. Don’t order a la carte your first time. Do the omakase at the bar and let them surprise you. My husband was skeptical about the cooked preparations and now this is his favorite sushi restaurant in the city.
The-Met-2024-1006162-1.jpgThe Metropolitan Museum of Art · Upper East Side
Tiella
1109 First Avenue. A tiny Italian place that doesn’t get enough attention. The pasta is handmade daily and the cacio e pepe ($19) is textbook perfect. Creamy without cream, peppery, clings to the noodle. The branzino ($28) is also excellent. It’s small enough that you need a reservation on weekends, but Tuesday through Thursday you can usually walk in. Dinner for two with a bottle of wine is around $100, which is reasonable for pasta this good.
Cheap Eats That Deliver
Upper-East-Side-1005765-antonina.jpgUpper East Side
Naruto Ramen
1596 Third Avenue. The spicy miso ramen ($16) is what you want here. Get it with extra chashu ($3). The broth has real depth, the noodles are properly chewy, and the portion is huge. Skip the tonkotsu, it’s fine but the miso is where they really shine. This is the best ramen on the Upper East Side and it’s not particularly close.
Cascabel Taqueria
1542 Second Avenue. The tacos ($4.50-6 each) are small but packed with flavor. Get the carnitas (crispy pork) and the pollo (roasted chicken with mole). The guacamole ($12) is made fresh and it’s enough for two people. Margaritas are $14 and strong. This is a great casual dinner spot, especially if you sit at the bar. Two people can eat well for $40-50.
spork-ZabarsEdit-2518-1.jpgZabar's · Upper West Side
Moustache
1621 Lexington Avenue. Middle Eastern food that punches way above its price point. The pita bread comes out of the oven puffed up like a balloon and it’s incredible. The lamb sandwich ($13) is the star, but the falafel ($12) is also very good. Hummus and pita ($9) as a starter while you wait. The space is tiny and they don’t take reservations, so come early or expect to wait 15-20 minutes. Worth it.
My One Splurge Recommendation
UES-1249.jpgUpper East Side
The Simone
151 East 82nd Street. If you want one truly special dinner on the Upper East Side, this is where I’d send you. It’s a French-American restaurant in a brownstone, with white tablecloths and serious cooking. The roasted chicken ($38) is one of the best in the city. The steak ($52) is dry-aged and excellent. Desserts are all made in house and the chocolate souffle ($16, order it at the beginning of the meal) is worth the wait.
Dinner for two with wine will run $180-220. It’s a splurge. But it’s the kind of restaurant that makes you remember why New York is New York. The service is warm without being stuffy, the room is beautiful, and the food is cooked by people who clearly care.
What to Skip
A few things to avoid. The diner chains on Third Avenue that look cute from outside are mostly mediocre. Any restaurant directly on Museum Mile (Fifth Avenue between 82nd and 105th) is going to be overpriced and underwhelming. You’re better off walking one block east to Madison or two blocks to Park and eating there. Also, the food court in the Met is fine for what it is but please don’t make it your meal plan. You’re in the food capital of the world. Act like it.
The Upper East Side gets dismissed as boring or too fancy, and I get why. But the eating up here is genuinely great if you know where to look. Come hungry, bring cash for J.G. Melon, and text me if you find something I missed. I’m always looking for new spots.