Winter is my favorite season to cook at home. I love the produce and the seasonal seafood, the long braises and the crowded tables. I seek the same comfort out in dining rooms, which you’ll see here in my top 25 restaurant dish rankings, rooted more in comfort and reliability than ambition and creativity. That’s what’s getting me out to eat right now. Maybe my focus will change in the spring.

Only one rule: no repeats from previous annual top 100 rankings, which are linked below. Otherwise — some new faves, some old faves, and some must-visits from LA to New York to Paris to London. Let’s hit it.

Top 25 restaurant dishes | Winter edition

1. Fish ribs | Morihiro | LA
   Wrote about these in my end-of-year Bangers-Only wrap-up for 2025, and they have held up on repeat visits. Once or twice a week, Morihiro puts out a couple servings of a special I’ve otherwise never encountered. This is a rare place that breaks down all of their fish whole for sushi, which means they’re able to offer a small plate of fish ribs — prepared simply on the grill — that have an intense, wild flavor without much modification. The new location in Echo Park is a gem, especially since you can slide in and order a la carte sushi at this level of quality alongside an excellent bar. Maybe my favorite new thing in Los Angeles.

2. Ham, butter and cornichon baguette | Caractère de Cochon | Paris
   A perfect food done perfectly.

3. Snacks | La Buvette | Paris
   I stopped into La Buvette twice in five days. On each visit we fired off a round of great cheese, charcuterie, bread, their famous beans. Nothing you can’t do at home. But a welcome reminder of a beautiful way to eat: Out in the world with friends, the highest quality ingredients unadorned or fussed over, with wine picked by an expert who knows way more than you do.

4. Fresh madeleines | St. John | London

5. Breakfast sandwich | Amanda’s Good Morning Cafe | NYC
   I’d love to start more days in 2026 with this egg sandwich from Amanda’s pop up at Strange Delight and end more evenings with the freshly baked madeleines from St. John, both of which beam with a crowd-pleasing elegance and high level of care.

6. The entire entrée course | Bistrot de Tournelles | Paris
   Entrée are very much back. Maybe you’ve heard. Here I had a table full of steak au poivre, butternut squash ravioli, greens and fries. What’s not to like?

7. Nervetti salad| I Cavallini | NYC
   Cold beef tendon and onions are an ideal canvas for Nick Curtola’s Italian cooking. I ate an entire plate of this on my own with no help and could not have been happier.

8. Pastina and parm brodo | Bruce | LA
   I’m not surprised this dish has gotten mixed responses on different nights — that’s part of the tightrope walk of an evolving pop-up in a tiny kitchen. I’m just sad for everyone who didn’t share the version I received, seasoned just to the edge of saltiness and textured more like a luxurious risotto, paired with some astounding dealer’s choice wine from the Café Triste team. I hope the Bruce squad keeps this going.

9. Blinis, maple butter and country ham | Stars | NYC
   I’ll keep singing the praises of this ideal cold-night dish at New York’s best bar. Pair it with whatever white cellar pour is on the menu that night.

10. Crab salad | Baby Bistro | LA
    If anyone guesses the secret ingredient in this bad boy, I’ll gift them a lifetime paid subscription. (No cheating).

11. Clams with smoked vinegar butter | l’Arpaon | Paris

12. Holiday apple pie | Kato | LA

13. Finley Farms lettuces | Bell’s | Los Alamos

14. Sticky toffee pudding | Wilde’s | LA

15. Skate wing with sauce blanquette | Clamato | Paris

16. Olive oil and hazelnut ice cream coupe | Folderol | Paris

17. Sea bass crudo | Le Rigamarole | Paris

18. Endive salad with Roquefort, pear and walnuts | Le Grand Cafe | Paris

19. Bento box lunch | Mokochaya | Paris

20. Ricotta omelette | Le Doyenné | Paris

21. Beef arayes | NOUR Comptoir | Paris

22. Steamed cabbage and butter | Rochelle Canteen | London

23. Endive salad | Estela | NYC

24. Corn husk meringue | Cosme | NYC

25. Tamagoyaki omelet with comté | RVR | LA

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It’s been about six months since I made major updates to the Bangers & Jams City Guides, so we’re due for an overhaul.

For years, before my friends would go on trips, I’d send them a Google Doc link. Here’s where to eat, here’s what to avoid, here’s how to spend a perfect afternoon, that kind of thing. I’ve moved those Google Docs here for Bangers & Jams subscribers. Each city guide leans food centric, but expands into shopping and culture and things to do.

The top fives bangers and jams for each city are listed first, in order, for everyone. Paid subscribers can click through to get the full list of recommendations.

Enjoy <3.

New York

Top five bangers

• Le Veau d’Or and Wild Cherry: The duck and cherries at Le Veau d’Or is maybe the best entree in New York. Wild Cherry has barely been open a month and is already a destination. Are Riad Nasr and Lee Hanson the best restauranteurs in the country?

• Penny: Had three meals here in a month recently, each one better than the last. A bangers-only menu of the highest quality seafood you can find, cooked perfectly. A surprisingly warm room with lovely service. Go, and order both desserts.

• Donald Judd’s house at 101 Spring Street: Went deeper on it here.

• The Chelsea: There’s no better hotel around. Look at this gym.

• Torrisi and Yoshino if someone else is paying.

Top five jams

• Sky Ting for the best yoga studio.

• Metrograph for the best movie theater.

• I’m enjoying King as a non-dinner establishment. It’s a lovely place to read and get coffee in the mornings, and it works quite well for drinks before or after dinner. Same for Altro Paradiso.

• Maru, Abraco, Cafe Integral and Culture Espresso for coffee.

• Colbo, Sorbara’s and C’H’C’M for shopping.

More NYC Bangers & Jams

Los Angeles

Top five bangers

• Baby Bistro: The most exciting new LA restaurant opening in years. At its best as a perfect, weird, only-in-LA neighborhood restaurant that rewards regular visits. But, yeah, if you’re in town, you should go experience Andy’s wonderful hospitality and see whatever Miles is cooking up.

• Kato and Baroo: The two A+ restaurants in the city when it comes to food, service, vibes, everything.

• Mariscos Jalisco: The shrimp taco here is my favorite bite of food in the world. And if you want to sit down for more of a taco splurge, head to Evil Cooks.

• The hottie at Courage Bagels: The secret is out on this one, but in case you don’t know … ask the lovely folks at Courage if they can make you an off-menu hottie. They’ll take a fresh bagel straight out of the oven, throw some high quality butter on it, and walk it straight out to you. The line has gotten less insane lately.

• Anajak Thai, Bavel and Etra for additional dinner options. Etra has matured into a wonderful groove.

Top five jams

• Little Fish: Over and over again, visitors rave that the fish sandwich here is their favorite dish of whatever LA food tour I take them on. It’s special.

• Bell’s: My favorite restaurant in California? I think so. Have never not had a memorable night here. Greg and Daisy Ryan have built something wildly special in Los Alamos. No restaurant treats their diners with more love and care. Worth the trip from LA just to eat here and spend a night at the Alamo Motel.

• LA Homefarm: I’m here 2-3 times a week for groceries. Lauri Kranz runs a perfect store.

• Stir Crazy and Sam’s Place: Easy, casual and delicious. Spots that couldn’t exist in New York in the same way.

• Komal: The best tamal I’ve ever had.

More LA Bangers & Jams

Austin

Top five bangers

• Birdie’s or Olamaie for a nice dinner. If you only have time for one, go to Birdie’s for simple cooking done flawlessly.

• Ellsworth Kelly’s Austin at the Blanton: Detailed nicely here. Go in the early afternoon.

• Town Lake: (Don’t call it Lady Bird Lake). My favorite running route in the country.

• Distant Relatives: My go-to barbecue spot. Everything here rips, but the sides in particular are special.

• Whisler’s over any other bar.

Top five jams

• Clark’s: I joke to friends that this little oyster bar is the only place worth eating in Austin anymore. That’s an exaggeration, but barely.

• Better Half: The kind of all-day hang you never want to leave.

• Veracruz: Everyone will tell you to go here for breakfast tacos. They’re right. The truck posted up at Radio is a fav, but they’re all good. Order ahead or run the risk of waiting way too long for eggs on a tortilla, no matter how well they do it.

• Juiceland: It’s amazing to me no one has been able to replicate Juiceland’s smoothie dominance in other cities. There’s nothing like it.

• Half Step: If you have to hang on Rainey Street, this is the bar. I also like drinking at Trona and Watertrade.

More Austin Bangers & Jams

Mexico City

Top five bangers

• Masala Y Maiz: I’m convinced anyone who doesn’t have this as their No. 1 destination just hasn’t eaten here yet. The menu changes, but this restaurant with a blend of Mexican and Indian cuisine usually has a jumbo prawn dish with a vanilla ghee that is truly an all-timer. They do not miss. Like many of the city’s best spots, you want to book an afternoon reservation and make this your primary meal for the day.

• Tokyo Music Bar: Whenever I send someone here, I get some version of the same text stating, “This is my new favorite place in the world.” I’ve yet to find a bar with a better combination of playlist, experience, drinks, service, everything. Oof. It’s not an original concept, I guess, but it’s a good concept done at its absolute best. Try to go on a busy Friday or Saturday night.

• Contramar: It’s as good as everyone says it is. Some potentially less obvious suggestions: Always order the fig tart. Book a res between like 1-3pm (they’ll open up, don’t worry about it) and make it your main meal for the day. If you show up when they open, you can get a seat. The food at Entramar is just as good, but the vibe is not. So, do with that what you will. I’m obsessed with the carajillo. I’ve ordered it at the start of the meal before and the waiter told me no, which I respected.

• Paramo: Mexican classics done incredibly well. A must-go.

• Loup: During my Cool World days, we had a chef visit from CDMX who spotted my tote bag from this excellent wine bar and excitedly asked to take a picture. I moved the tote closer to the frame of his camera. He stopped me and said, “What? No, I need the Brooklyn gringo in the shot.” Anyways, this place is a blast. My top dinner spot in the city. A wonderful wine list. Delicious beef skewers. And a top tier dessert that riffs on a McDonald’s apple pie but swaps in pineapple and habanero ice cream.

Top five jams

• The whole Rosetta experience: I go to the panadería every morning when I’m in town. The guava roll lives up to the hype. Dinner at the main restaurant, which adds Italian influences in interesting ways, always delivers. And the upstairs salon bar is a stunner.

• Anything at Jenni’s Street Quesadillas.

• You might not end up doing much else in the neighborhood, but grab an Uber out to Nicos and order as much food as you can handle.

• I’m a sucker for a good all day spot, and Cicatriz is my choice here.

• La Clandestina: I don’t drink much anymore, but I break that rule at La Clandestina, a prime mezcal destination.

More CDMX Bangers & Jams

Portland, ME

Top five bangers

• Tandem: You’re mostly here for whatever pies Briana Holt has whipped up that morning. Get them before they’re gone. Then move onto the breakfast sandwich, the biscuits with butter and jam, and whatever else you have room for. This is a “go every single morning you’re in town” kind of place.

• Palace Diner: The best diner in America, run by the nicest people, who have somehow perfected all of these dishes: banana bread, the breakfast sandwich, french toast, pancakes, the tuna melt, the burger and the fried chicken sandwich. Wait times can get a little nuts so be smart about when you show up. I usually like to drop in early on a weekday during the drive up.

• Portland Hunt + Alpine Club for a perfect bar. They also have a good cookbook.

• Duckfat @ Oxbow Brewing: The original Duckfat is pretty good, but the experience on a busy day feels a little rushed and messy. Thankfully, this crew has a popup at the best brewery in the area. You can get their unbeatable fries, shakes and snacks in like five minutes. It’s great. Then go blow all of your money on Oxbow merch.

• Eventide: Just put your name in and come back a couple hours later. It’s worth it. Or swing by at night and hang at the bar. Anyone who has a bad word to say about this place is out of their mind.

Top five jams

• CÔNG TỬ BỘT: There have been so many different iterations of this Vietnamese shop. They’ve all been a delight.

• The Shop: My favorite place to eat oysters.

• Maine & Loire: Drifter’s Wife, the restaurant previously attached to this little wine shop, will be forever missed. Pop in for a bottle. You can open it in the shop and hang for a while.

• Cuties: It’s harder than it looks to run a good all-day bar. This place makes it seem effortless. I went nearly every day.

• Bite Into Maine: On a gorgeous Maine afternoon, there’s no better place to be than Fort Williams Park with one Connecticut and one Maine lobster roll from this little truck.

More Portland Bangers & Jams

London

Top five bangers

• Mountain: A humming room with big, bold flavors. I was blown away at first by how dialed in and considered every dish was here, while maintaining so much levity and fun, and that continued at meals throughout the city. I’ll be recreating the soft, lemony cheese on toast with a nice salty anchovy as soon as I’m home.

• Rochelle Canteen: For deeply satisfying food in an inviting space. Rochelle Canteen is as pristine of an afternoon restaurant as I can ever remember visiting. After 10 days, I’m convinced I’d rather eat out in this city than in New York.

• The menswear at the Saville Row Drake’s, Clutch Cafe and Duke’s Cupboard.

• The kitchen shop at Labour and Wait.

• Climax Books’ gorgeous collection in SoHo.

Top five jams

• The River Cafe: Probably not for everyone, but very much for me. A special occasion meal where the food is good enough and the space does the rest.

• Bar Termini: A small, charming Italian bar with knockout negronis. And one of the best encapsulations of how great the service was in London across the board. This isn’t the kind of thing I typically care too much about, but the warmth and generosity make you feel at home. It’s the anti-San Francisco.

• The coffee scene: Hjem, Compane and a number of other places just know how to quickly make you a good latte for no more than £3.50 while bringing delightful chat and staying stocked with good pastries. I might miss this the most.

• Yoga and the free sauna at Mission.

• Darjeeling Express: Asma Khan’s new location is stunning, and so is the food.

More London Bangers & Jams

Seoul

Top five bangers

• Anjumaeul: On a good trip, I leave with one obsession. A restaurant that rewires my brain a bit. One I know I’ll return to every time I visit. In Seoul that was Anjumauel, a souped up Found Oyster of sorts. They move and update small whiteboards around about 10 tables, highlighting the day’s seafood that quickly sells out. The sweet shrimp sashimi, clam pancake and herring roe bibimbap were among my favorite things I ate all week. It’s a tiny spot with a lovely owner. Most tables linger for up to three hours drinking the day away, making the queue situation … more than a little insane. (I did find a bit of a hack for getting in. If you’re a paid subscriber visiting, HMU). After ending the year a bit frustrated with the state of dining out, Anjumaeul was invigorating.

• Wildduck Canteen: I’m a sucker for any city’s Wildair — a place that does the great wine, great small plates, great vibe thing correctly — and Seoul’s didn’t disappoint. Wildduck hosted Lori and Lauren from London’s Towpath on Friday night. Enjoying their simple English cooking before heading upstairs to throw back old fashioned’s at sister bar Hills & Europa made for all I could want in an evening.

• Sancheong Sootbul Garden: I got lots of barbecue recs but landed here for black pork. I can’t imagine there being anything better. I mean, it’s just pork, salt and scallions. But wow. They also do a deceptive kimchi fried rice and let you grab free sweet cream soft serve on your way out. 10/10.

• Press Bakery: Seoul has an overwhelming amount of bakeries. This one — a stop on the way out to the airport, featuring french toast, garlic cream cheese croissants, that sausage thing pictured above and an 8am opening time — was my No. 1.

• Cafe Onion: A close second in the bakery rankings, with an Anguk branch located inside a converted Hanok. Get the pistachio croissant with white chocolate.

Top five jams

• Cafe Sinola is the one place I wish I could transport to New York or LA immediately. A coffee shop with a great vinyl collection and more care put into every detail than I’ve ever seen. The best coffee, but also a special apple cider.

• A fake Pyeongchang-dong hike: There were plenty of great hikes and walks around Seoul, but none better than roaming around this Hollywood Hills-esque area. Whenever I travel somewhere new, I like to find a rich neighborhood with dope homes and just wander around. Even better if it’s hilly and masquerades as a pseudo workout. There are plenty of boutique museums throughout Pyeongchang-dong, which makes for a fun game of art gallery or mansion.

• Coor & Meclads: My two favorite menswear stores in town. Coor for affordable basics, Meclads for a bit of a Korean Colbo.

• Buchon Yukhoe: I was warned that Gwangjang Market is a scammy tourist trap. That mostly holds up. But the hyped beef tartare with egg, sesame oil, Asian pear and optional garnishes of live octopus fully delivers.

• Zest: The only place where I felt surrounded by Americans, but a good bar nonetheless.

More Seoul Bangers & Jams

I spent a year cooking in this city and most of my life diligently eating in it. In New York, my “B+ food, A+ time” preference comes through the most. Los Angeles still probably has the best food in America, but New York has the best restaurants. A night out at the right place feels special in a way no other city can match. Unfortunately, 95% of the spots on your Resy app are certainly not the right place.

So let’s get into the recs. Each city guide leans food centric, but expands into shopping and culture and things to do. No misses, guaranteed.

Top fives bangers and jams are listed first, in order.

Bangers

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Are you visiting LA? Great. Here’s what you do. Pick a neighborhood, rent a house, stay for at least a week, and then … never leave. Seriously. Do not leave that neighborhood for any reason. Visitors make the mistake of bouncing all over LA, then complaining that they don’t get it or that it’s merely fine. But the beauty of LA is that there’s very little to do. Embrace it. By your third day, you’ll start to accept that life really can be this wonderful and easy.

That’s my primary tip for my adopted home. Keep reading for recs on some of the best food in the country, with the caveat that if you’re sitting in traffic to get to any of these places you’ve done something wrong.

Top fives bangers and jams are listed first, in order.

Bangers

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I went to college in Boston and stuck around for a few years after that. Wasn’t for me! The two hour drive up to Portland really made things more palatable. The city and the surrounding area is a magical place, worth a long weekend road trip or an extended stay.

So let’s get into the recs. Each city guide leans food centric, but expands into shopping and culture and things to do.

This guide will update after each visit. Top fives bangers and jams are listed first, in order.

Bangers

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It’s been five months since the last update to this bi-coastal restaurant ranking. After multiple trips back and forth between LA and New York, we’re due for some changes. A reminder on the criteria:

• I’m including restaurants in New York and LA that appeal to my sensibility. A lot of that means good food. It also means good service and a good time.

• I’m limiting this to places where you can sit down and order dinner at a table. No QR codes, no counters, trucks or stalls. I love some of those spots. Mariscos Jalisco remains the best bite of food in LA. But this is a specific exercise. Where do you wanna go on a date? Where do you celebrate a new job? Where do you take your parents?

• I made a long list of favorite spots and then scored each one based on four weighted category (40 points for vibe, 35 points for food, 15 points for repeatability, and 10 points for delivering on a clear vision). These final rankings are the composite scores for each restaurant.

There are seven new restaurants on the list and plenty of movement throughout the top 25. You can find the full category scores at the bottom. Enjoy.

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I have a friend visiting Los Angeles from New York for the first time soon, meaning when my brain feels broken from work I’m killing time by thinking of where to take her.

LA is a weird place to visit. Bounce around trying to see everything and you’ll quickly lose any tether to reality. The sprawl breaks you. I love living out here because I have everything I need in my neighborhood. I rarely sit in the car for more than 15 minutes. If I had my way, we’d probably go out once and otherwise just hang in the backyard and cook.

But I like being a good host, and LA has plenty to offer. Here’s my recommended food-based, pseudo-itinerary — the essential dinner reservations, the must-visit lunch spots, how to enjoy yourself and avoid planning too much.

A lot of these picks overlap with Bill Addison’s wonderful, new list of the 101 best restaurants in California for the LA Times. Bill and I are gonna chat about it on Tuesday afternoon here on Substack. Come hang out.

Tune in on Tuesday

A first timer’s LA guide

To start, I’ve got a few rules:

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When I was growing up in Austin, old geezers would repeat over and over again how much better the city was a decade or two ago. Now I’m one of those people! If you’d like the opinion of someone who visits no more than twice a year and considers the place generally torched, welcome. I have thoughts. (And plenty of begrudging love).

Each city guide leans food centric with recs, but expands into shopping and culture and things to do. Let’s hit it.

Top fives are listed first, in order.

Bangers

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Here we go: Bangers & Jams, London Edition. I’m one of those people who gets that “I could definitely live here” bug three days into most trips. It’s happened everywhere from Santa Barbara to Marfa to Mexico City. But I think that pull has been the strongest in London.

Let’s get into it.

Bangers 

• Mountain: A humming room with big, bold flavors. I was blown away at first by how dialed in and considered every dish was here, while maintaining so much levity and fun, and that continued at meals throughout the city. I’ll be recreating the soft, lemony cheese on toast with a nice salty anchovy as soon as I’m home.

Read more

New York is the best restaurant city in the world. Los Angeles is the best food city in the U.S. But Mexico City is the best food destination in North America. I don’t think it’s all that close. You can “do it” in about four nights, but … why not stay longer?

Each city guide leans food centric, but expands into shopping and culture and things to do. No misses, guaranteed.

Top five bangers and jams are listed first, in order.

Bangers

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Due to some time zone hopping, my body has been experiencing Saturday for about 36 hours, almost enough time to come down off the high of a week in Seoul.

Before the trip, I told friends it felt likely this would be the only time I visit the Korean capital. I already take that back. Seoul was inviting right away, accessible and wonderful despite being more populous than New York with nearly three times the population density. If more of the coffee shops opened before 11:30am, I might already have a return booked.

I met up with some friends who stopped in Seoul for a week before popping over to Japan. This kept coming up as a common move. It sounds smart. But Seoul stands up well on its own for a weeklong adventure. You can’t see it all, of course. You’re consistently reminded of the city’s enormity. But you can get a good grasp, especially through a steady stream of amazing meals.

I’ve got a piece coming later in the week on how the modern dining scene in Seoul has me rethinking what’s going on right now in LA and New York. But to start here are my top recs — sorted into bangers & jams, ranked mostly in order — for a seriously impressive food city, including a personal top-five restaurant of all time, Seoul’s version of Wildair, pastries, barbecue and shopping.

Bangers

• Anjumaeul: On a good trip, I leave with one obsession. A restaurant that rewires my brain a bit. One I know I’ll return to every time I visit. In Seoul that was Anjumauel, a souped up Found Oyster of sorts. They move and update small whiteboards around about 10 tables, highlighting the day’s seafood that quickly sells out. The sweet shrimp sashimi, clam pancake and herring roe bibimbap were among my favorite things I ate all week. It’s a tiny spot with a lovely owner. Most tables linger for up to three hours drinking the day away, making the queue situation … more than a little insane. (I did find a bit of a hack for getting in. If you’re a paid subscriber visiting, HMU). After ending the year a bit frustrated with the state of dining out, Anjumaeul was invigorating.

Read more

I published a (somewhat controversial) Top 25 Bicoastal Restaurant Rankings on Saturday, highlighting my favorite spots right now in New York & LA. It was fun and brutal to make. A worthwhile exercise.

It’s a deeply personal list, which is why The Odeon and Luv2Eat Thai ranked so highly and Dunsmoor did not. I started off with a list of about 150 eligible restaurants. To recap the eligibility requirements:

• I only included places where you can sit down and order dinner at a table. No QR codes, no counters, trucks or stalls.

• They had to reasonably be regarded as located in Los Angeles or New York, the two cities covered most closely over here.

• They had to deliver across four categories. Those were vibe (40 points for the space, the service, the music, the decor, the crowd), food (35 points), repeatability (15 points for demanding regular return visits), vision (10 points for execution of a clear POV).

I whittled down the list of 150 to 29 restaurants I recommend, visit and think about the most. The scoring system helped me click everything into place from there. For the final part of this little content trilogy, here are the full category scores and rankings for the 29 finalists. You should be able to sort and search them and everything if you’re viewing this outside of the Substack app.

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Dining desires change all the time. A couple weeks ago, a friend and I got lunch at Sunset Tower because I wanted quality fries, mediocre chicken paillard and a good vibe. Later that night, a few of us double-dipped Queen St. and Here’s Looking At You, a mix of simple pleasures and ambitious cooking that makes for a great Los Angeles evening.

Oftentimes, I make these kinds of where-should-we-go decisions based off instinct. Something feels right in the moment, so that’s the choice. But a few spots are just undeniable. Sorting out the the very top tier of New York and LA dining is the point of this top 25 rankings project: All things being equal, where should you go tonight, and where should you return to over and over again?

So, here’s Volume 1 of my bicoastal restaurant rankings. I got into the criteria a bit last week. A refresher:

• I’m including restaurants in New York and LA that appeal to my sensibility. A lot of that means good food. It also means good service and a good time.

• I’m limiting this to places where you can sit down and order dinner at a table. No QR codes, no counters, trucks or stalls. I love some of those spots. Mariscos Jalisco remains the best bite of food in LA. But this is a specific exercise. Where do you wanna go on a date? Where do you celebrate a new job? Where do you take your parents?

• This constraint favors New York, the banger and stronger restaurant city. LA, the jam, might have better food in more diverse mediums, but I was unfazed ending up with eight LA selections and 17 New York ones.

• I made a long list of favorite spots and then scored each one based on four weighted category (40 points for vibe, 35 points for food, 15 points for repeatability, and 10 points for delivering on a clear vision). These final rankings are the composite scores for each restaurant.

Alright, let’s get into it. Here are my personal favorites of the moment, from No. 25 to a No. 1 that surprised me. I’ll post the full category scores later in the week.

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