The New York Times critics tasted their way through more than 20,000 contenders—building on Pete Wells’s 2024 roster and adding about 100 fresh prospects—to craft the list of the 100 best restaurants in New York City of 2025, showcasing culinary excellence across boroughs, budgets, and styles. Topping the ranked Top 10 is Semma, Vijay Kumar’s South-Indian marvel whose smoky gunpowder-slicked dosa and chile-, coconut-, and curry-leaf-charged dishes continue to redefine the city’s perception of Indian cookery. Fellow standout Dhamaka dives into India’s lesser-known regional fare with unapologetically spicy, bone-in, ghee-soaked specialties—think Uttarakhand okra in yogurt or Goan garlic-pepper crab—and ethereal house-made paneer. On the omakase front, big-ticket Sushi Noz seduces purists with chef Nozomu Abe’s serene hinoki-lined counter, jewel-box otsumami, and flawlessly sculpted nigiri, while budget-friendly Sushi Ouji offers a 14-course Toyosu-sourced procession of inventive bites and pristine fish at roughly a quarter of the price, proving great sushi needn’t break the bank. Together these four restaurants epitomize the list’s core criteria—places worth splurging on, traveling for, and recommending to friends—underscoring the rich diversity that keeps New York diners perpetually spoiled for choice in 2025.