With an estimated ~28,000 food establishments of course NYC would be named one of the world’s top foodie destinations, and though it would already take over 20 years to eat at all of NYC’s restaurants, more and more continue to open–and two newbies were just named among the best in the world!
Although we’d consider ourselves expert foodies since we live in NYC, it’s always nice to have our (biased) opinions confirmed, and award-winning travel magazine and website Condé Nast Traveller is doing just that. Editors over there have spent the last 12 months sleeping, eating, and sailing their way around the globe to uncover the best new restaurants (and hotels and cruise ships), or what they’re calling their 2025 Hot List, and two of what they consider to be the best new restaurants in the world are right here in NYC!
The first NYC newcomer to make the list is Bungalow, an Indian restaurant in the East Village where Michelin-starred Chef Vikas Khanna is cooking up some mind blowing dishes. Condé Nast writes:
Bungalow isn’t just one of the city’s hottest tables; it’s an all-out celebration. Of the diversity of India’s culinary cultures, from Kashmir at its crown to Kerala in the south. Of celebrity itself: chef Vikas Khanna – who previously earned a Michelin star at New York’s Junoon and has hosted television shows including MasterChef India – is a major draw. But at its core, Bungalow is Khanna’s canvas for celebrating Indian pride.
We were lucky enough to dine at Bungalow ourselves, an experience we’re still thinking about and certainly don’t take for granted considering, on most nights, the line of eager diners hoping to score a table stretches down First Avenue. Inside, Khanna is putting some creative spins on traditional fare, offering dishes such as Yogurt Kababs, Shrimp Balchao Cones, Chicken Salli, and Lamb Tellicherry Fry.
Condé Nast also called out Bungalow’s Goan Shrimp Balchão, served in cones reminiscent of the “cream rolls” at traditional Indian bakeries, and dark rum-milk punch topped with a toasted Parle-G crumble. From the inviting ambiance to the the hearty offerings, Bungalow is a passport for your tastebuds, and a true celebration of India’s culture and food. There’s a reason the New York Times named it one of the best restaurants in America and it recently found its way onto the Michelin Guide.
Also on the world’s best new restaurants list: Le Veau d’Or in the Upper East Side. The French restaurant first opened in 1937 from the team behind Frenchette and Le Rock and has been serving dishes you truly won’t forget anytime soon since. Condé Nast writes:
French fare is not hard to come by in New York City, but seldom is it quite like this. This menu is classique, as the French culinary forefathers intended, and executed with a precision that even some of Paris’s best restaurants fail to command.
Beyond feeling like you’ve taken a trip back in time–the restaurant certainly leans into its stoic history with its old menu and memorabilia–the $125 three-course prix fixe also makes you feel as if you’ve taken a trip straight to France. Dishes are flavor-packed and fancy, with standouts including Frog’s Legs, Goujonettes (thinly sliced fish fillets that are breaded and deep fried), and Pommes Soufflés, all of which Condé Nast notes are “rarely imported dishes.”
Condé Nast also mentions the old-school French eatery’s martini, which is essentially a two-for-one beverage as it comes with a vermouth spritz sidecar. There’s a reason a meal here is among our list of the 25 things that you can’t miss doing in NYC in 2025 and Le Veau d’Or was also added to the Michelin Guide the same time as Bungalow.
In a city obsessed with the new, it’s refreshing to be transported to a glorious past.
See the full list of the world’s best new restaurants here.