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New York · checked November 14, 2026
10 classic restaurants in New York that still hit the spot
The oldest has been open since 1879; the youngest, 1975. Every one is still getting the praise today, and each card says what to order and how to get in. Oldest first.
1Since 1879A photo like it · E4024, CC BY-SA 4.0
Gage & Tollner
Order: The chophouse classics: oysters, a steak, the Parker House rolls, and a cocktail from the bar
Why it still hits the spot: Brooklyn's oldest restaurant room, once a TGI Friday's, reopened by Sohui Kim, Ben Schneider and St. John Frizell. The gaslight-era dining room is landmarked, and Time Out gave the new kitchen four stars for keeping the old dishes and making them sing.
Good to know: Book on OpenTable; dinner nightly from 5pm. The Sunken Harbor Club tiki bar is upstairs.
Where we found it: Time Out New York: Gage & Tollner (4 of 5 stars) · ABC7: 125 years later, Brooklyn's oldest restaurant is still building community (2026-06) · The Infatuation: Gage & Tollner
2Since 1885A photo like it · Andy / Andrew Fogg from near Cambridge, UK, CC BY 2.0
Keens Steakhouse
Order: The mutton chop (or the smaller Taste of Mutton at the bar), with a martini
Why it still hits the spot: Clay pipes on the ceiling, a dining room that has barely changed in a century, and a chop that is still the reason to go. The New York Times kept it on its 2026 list of the city's 100 best restaurants.
Good to know: The pub room and bar take walk-ins and serve the same chop for less fuss.
Where we found it: The New York Times 100 Best Restaurants 2026, via Secret NYC (2026-05) · World's 101 Best Steak Restaurants 2026: Keens (2026) · Haute Living: Best steakhouses in NYC 2026 (2026-10)
3Since 1888
Katz's Delicatessen
Order: Hand-carved pastrami on rye, a sour pickle and a Dr. Brown's
Why it still hits the spot: The pastrami landmark since 1888, and still the sandwich every other deli is measured against: thick, peppery, carved by hand while you watch. It leads the pastrami list in our New York guide.
Good to know: Hold on to the ticket they hand you at the door. Tip the carver a dollar and you get a taste while he cuts.
Where we found it: Chef Amazing: Where to eat in New York (pastrami on rye) (2026-11) · MICHELIN Guide: New York's 5 most iconic restaurants
4Since 1908
Barney Greengrass
Order: Sturgeon scrambled with eggs and onions, with a bagel or bialy
Why it still hits the spot: The Sturgeon King, still run by the Greengrass family, still on the Times' 100 best in 2026. The room is as plain as ever; the smoked fish is as good as it gets.
Good to know: No reservations. Go on a weekday morning; weekend brunch lines run long.
Where we found it: West Side Rag: 3 UWS restaurants on the New York Times' 2026 best list (2026-05) · The Infatuation: Barney Greengrass
5Since 1913A photo like it · Wilfredor, CC0
Grand Central Oyster Bar
Order: A dozen oysters from the long list and the oyster pan roast at the counter
Why it still hits the spot: It opened with the terminal in 1913, under a vaulted Guastavino tile ceiling. Sit at the counter, watch the pan roasts go out, and it still feels like the best seat in Midtown.
Good to know: Skip the dining room: the counter is the show. Lunch on a weekday is easiest.
Where we found it: Time Out New York: Grand Central Oyster Bar reopening (2021-08) · Resy: The Resy guide to New York's old-school restaurants
6Since 1914
Russ & Daughters
Order: The Classic: a bagel with Gaspé nova, cream cheese, tomato, onion and capers
Why it still hits the spot: The 1914 appetizing shop that defines the New York lox bagel, four generations on. It is in our New York guide and on our food walk, and nothing in the city has knocked it off.
Good to know: Take a number at the shop and eat on a bench, or sit down at the Russ & Daughters Cafe on Orchard St.
Where we found it: Chef Amazing: Where to eat in New York (bagel with lox, the food walk) (2026-11) · Time Out New York (via our guide)
7Since 1920A photo like it · Edsel Little, CC BY-SA 2.0
Nom Wah Tea Parlor
Order: The original egg roll, shrimp and snow pea leaf dumplings, and a roast pork bun
Why it still hits the spot: The oldest restaurant in Chinatown, on the bend of Doyers Street. Wilson Tang kept the 1920s room and made the dim sum worth a detour again.
Good to know: Order off the paper menu with the pencil. Weekday afternoons have no wait.
Where we found it: Time Out New York: Nom Wah Tea Parlor · Atlas Obscura: Nom Wah Tea Parlor · Wikipedia: Doyers Street (oldest continuously running restaurant in Chinatown)
8Since 1937A photo like it · Petar Milošević, CC BY-SA 4.0
Le Veau d'Or
Order: The prix fixe: céleri rémoulade, then duck magret with cherries or the veal, then île flottante
Why it still hits the spot: A 1937 bistro that Orson Welles and Grace Kelly ate in, brought back in 2024 by the Frenchette team with the red banquettes intact. It is now on North America's 50 Best Restaurants list.
Good to know: Dinner Tuesday to Saturday, prix fixe only. Reservations go fast; set an alert on OpenTable.
Where we found it: North America's 50 Best Restaurants: Le Veau d'Or (2026) · East Side Feed: Upper East Side restaurant ranked 10th best in North America (2026) · The Infatuation: The best French restaurants in NYC · Time Out: One of New York's oldest French restaurants has reopened (2024-07)
9Since 1954A photo like it · blmurch's, CC BY 2.0
Veselka
Order: Mixed pierogi (boiled or fried), a bowl of borscht, and the potato pancakes
Why it still hits the spot: A Ukrainian diner on the same corner for 70 years, still making thousands of pierogi a day by hand. A James Beard nominee for Best Restaurant in 2023, which says it all for a diner.
Good to know: Open late most nights; the counter is fastest.
Where we found it: Veselka: about and 70th anniversary (2024) · 6sqft: Behind the scenes at Veselka · Resy: Veselka
10Since 1975A photo like it · Apeach316, CC BY-SA 2.0
Raoul's
Order: Steak au poivre; at the bar, ask for the burger au poivre
Why it still hits the spot: The Raoul brothers' SoHo bistro from 1975, still dark, loud and a little louche, and the steak au poivre hasn't changed. The bar burger is one of the city's famous few.
Good to know: Only about a dozen burgers a night, at the bar only, first come. Book the dining room on Resy.
Where we found it: Resy: As SoHo's iconic Raoul's expands, what keeps it a classic · The Infatuation: Raoul's
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How we pick: open 40+ years and still praised now; our own stories and guides first, then this year's critics and best-of lists; every place checked open. Photos marked "a photo like it" show that kind of food, not that place's. Chef Amazing is not paid by any place on this page.
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Researched and published by Chef Amazing, from our own stories, this year’s critics and food press, and a check that each place is open. Nobody pays to be on our lists: how we pick. Spot something wrong? Tell us and we fix it.