New York’s many extravagant restaurants offer plenty of once-in-a-lifetime wine experiences, but sometimes even the fussiest wine lovers crave something a bit more relaxed. At these Wine Spectator Restaurant Award winners around the city, you don’t have to choose between quality and casualness. With wine lists and menus packed with value, and more laid-back atmospheres, these lower-key spots with top-tier wines are sure to become your go-tos.
Discover more New York wine destinations in our guide to the city’s 13 top restaurant wine lists, and browse all the Restaurant Award winners located across the five boroughs.
This is just a small sampling of standout wine spots that have earned Restaurant Awards. For more food-and-wine destinations around the world, take a look at Wine Spectator’s more than 3,700 Restaurant Award winners, including the 95 Grand Award recipients that hold our highest honor (with 63 across the United States).
Do you have a favorite you’d like to see on this list? Send your recommendations to restaurantawards@mshanken.com. We want to hear from you!
Manhattan
Casa Mono
52 Irving Place, New York, NY
Telephone (212) 253-2773
Website casamononyc.com
Best of Award of Excellence
Over the past 20 years, the Gramercy Park neighborhood has become a beacon for great dining not far from the bustle of Union Square. Today, the area’s diners enjoy everything from specialty coffee to high-concept cocktails to gourmet grocery products; and, if they’re at Best of Award of Excellence winner Casa Mono, they can tuck into delicious Spanish cuisine and a wine list to match. More specifically, the restaurant’s focus is the cuisine of Spain’s Catalan region, prepared by chefs Andy Nusser and Jonathan Melendez.
What’s on the Menu
Nusser and Melendez’s menu consists primarily of small and shareable plates. This includes dishes like bone marrow with trout roe, fluke crudo, fried sardines, smoked eggplant with squid ink and mussels with chorizo. The restaurant also offers a selection of meats cut from whole, organically raised animals butchered in-house, with dishes including everything from crispy pig’s ear to pork belly to meatballs.
Wine List Highlights
Wine director James Dillman’s 600-label wine list highlights some of the finest producers in Spain, including a considerable selection of sweet wines from the likes of Jorge Ordoñez & Co, González Byass and Bodegas Olivares.
Cathédrale
Moxy Hotel East Village, 112 E. 11th St., New York, NY
Telephone (212) 888-1093
Website moxyeastvillage.com/cathedrale
Best of Award of Excellence
Whether you’re a local or visiting the East Village, you don’t want to miss a meal at the Moxy Hotel’s Cathédrale, a restaurant that stuns with both its striking—and name-appropriate—Gothic design and its 420-label, Best of Award of Excellence–winning wine list. Owned by Tao Group Hospitality, the restaurant has an Award of Excellence–winning sibling location at the Aria Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.
What’s on the Menu
Chef Joseph Abbruzzese’s French- and Mediterranean-influenced menu includes dishes like warm dates with Roquefort cheese and Marcona almonds and a potato chip omelet with Kaluga caviar and crème fraiche. For larger plates, look to dishes like the Faroe Island salmon with spring vegetables and new onion vinaigrette, Maine lobster rigatoni with squid ink pasta and steamed black sea bass with clams and chorizo, as well as a range of steaks.
Wine List Highlights
On the 420-label wine list, Tao Group Hospitality senior director of beverage Nikki McCutcheon spotlights noteworthy bottlings from California and France. In the past year, the sommelier team has put more focus on Burgundy and Bordeaux selections, particularly those with age (vintages between 1995 and 2010 are well-represented), with pricing between $100 and $300. Along with well-known names like Château Lynch Bages, William Fèvre and Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, diners will also find impressive values from Oregon, Piedmont, Tuscany, Lombardy, Rioja and other regions. McCutcheon and the team also offer a number of noteworthy wines by the glass, poured via a Coravin preservation system. There are also impressive spirits options like Glenfiddich’s 26-Year-Old Grande Couronne and The Macallan’s 30 Year Old.
Crown Shy
70 Pine St., New York, NY
Telephone (212) 517-1932
Website crownshy.nyc
Best of Award of Excellence
It’s not surprising that, for decades, there’s been a need for great restaurants to feed the hard-working people of Manhattan’s Financial District. Best of Award of Excellence winner Crown Shy fits squarely into that tradition. This past June, the restaurant tragically lost its owner and executive chef, James Kent, a beloved figure and mentor in the New York City restaurant scene. Chef Jassimran Singh, the former culinary director of Crown Shy and Best of Award of Excellence winner Saga (also a Kent restaurant), has taken the helm of the kitchen, bringing with him more than a decade’s worth of experience working under Kent.
What’s on the Menu
The menu at Crown Shy is stylish and enticing, with inspirations from culinary traditions across the globe. Think oysters bathed in a splash of kombucha and speckled with grilled fresh peaches and pickled habanero, long strands of mafaldine pasta in a sauce of Sungold tomatoes and Calabrian salami, or slivers of branzino served over a swirl of sambal and studded with summer peppers. Other menu classics and guest favorites include the grilled, citrus-marinated chicken with house-made hot sauce and the sticky toffee pudding for two.
Wine List Highlights
Tapping a 9,000-bottle cellar, wine director Kristen Goceljak’s program is particularly strong in Burgundy, Champagne and Italy. (Regions in California, South Africa, Greece, Portugal, Spain and farther afield also feature.) Throughout the list are notable bottlings from celebrated names such as Champagne’s Krug and Chablis’ François Raveneau. Guests will also find accessibly priced bottles from lesser-known (but wine fan–friendly) regions like France’s Jura, Portugal’s Dão, Spain’s Galicia, Argentina’s Patagonia and beyond, with plenty of offerings priced less than $150.
Lelabar
422 Hudson St., New York, NY
Telephone (212) 206-0594
Website lelabar.com
Best of Award of Excellence
Best of Award of Excellence winner Lelabar provides a relaxed, yet refined, tapas-style dining experience in the West Village. Its snug, oval-shaped bar is warmly lit and staffed by a knowledgeable team of sommeliers. During warmer months, the restaurant opens a sidewalk dining area ideal for people-watching. The restaurant also offers wine-tasting classes as well as customized wine-pairing courses served in a semi-private room.
What’s on the Menu
Head chef Oscar Del Rosario’s menu consists of fresh, shareable creations and bar snacks like charcuterie, cheeses and tinned fish. Vegetarians can look to dishes like fennel salad and beetroot carpaccio served with pistachios and lemons, while meat lovers might gravitate toward options like the chorizo with fried potatoes or crispy pork belly with romaine hearts. Lelabar is open seven days a week with a happy hour offered every day from opening until 6 p.m.
Wine List Highlights
Wine director Chris Martorano’s wine list, with 1,000-plus selections, is strongest in California, Italy and France, though it is not limited to those regions. Verticals from the likes of Bordeaux’s Château Pontet-Canet, the Rhône Valley’s Guigal, Piedmont’s Aldo Conterno and Sonoma’s Turley will catch the eyes of wine fans. But don’t miss selections from lesser-known regions like Chile, Croatia and Mexico, all worth a look if you’re making a move off the beaten path. There’s diversity in pricing too, from the many bottles around $50 to collector’s items (think Krug, Masseto and Schrader Cellars) with prices well over $1,000. The by-the-glass list offers a bit of fun for wine-savvy guests, with its “Mystery Wine” pick; if a guest correctly guesses the wine’s grape or region, their next glass is half-off. In addition, every wine (except Champagne) on the bottle list is offered by the glass with the purchase of two glasses.
Noreetuh
128 First Ave., New York, NY
Telephone (646) 892-3050
Website noreetuh.com
Best of Award of Excellence
Named after the Korean word for “playground,” Best of Award of Excellence winner Noreetuh occupies a casual yet sleek spot in Manhattan’s East Village. Tucked away on First Avenue, the Polaroid-covered space is a haven for lovers of Hawaiian cooking, and its extensive, value-packed wine list is one of the neighborhood’s best-kept (and most impressive) local secrets.
What’s on the Menu
Chef and co-owner Chung Chow presents modern, Asian-influenced Hawaiian cuisine on a menu divided into small plates—such as Japanese scallop crudo and Iberico pork belly skewers with miso-ginger vinaigrette—and entrées that are largely priced less than $25, like grilled salmon topped with furikake (a Japanese seasoning typically used for rice) or the signature Hawaiian-style Mochiko flour fried chicken. Do not miss another mainstay at the restaurant: its lineup of nori-wrapped musubi, including the classic Spam option as well as Hokkaido uni and Australian Wagyu beef versions.
Wine List Highlights
To complement these varied dishes, wine director and co-owner Jin Ahn has built a 350-label program focused primarily on German Rieslings—with a strong showing from Joh. Jos. Prüm and Keller, two of the country’s most celebrated wineries—and France, especially Burgundy and Bordeaux. The list features rotating producer spotlights and a selection of Rieslings with significant age.
Temple Court
Beekman Hotel, 5 Beekman Street, New York, NY
Telephone(212) 658-1848
Website templecourtnyc.com
Best of Award of Excellence
If you’re visiting one of the many attractions in lower Manhattan’s Financial District, Tom Colicchio’s Best of Award of Excellence–winning Temple Court is just steps away from One World Trade Center, the New York Stock Exchange, the Brooklyn Bridge and more. A destination in and of itself, Temple Court is open for dinner every night of the week, serving a market-driven à la carte menu in the historic Beekman Hotel, which was built in 1890 and frequented by the likes of Edgar Allen Poe and Mark Twain.
What’s on the Menu
Working with Colicchio, executive chef Travis Sowards crafts New American seasonal menus influenced by cuisines across Europe and Asia. The results include dishes like chilled corn soup with lobster, corn chutney and togarashi; braised lamb shoulder served with eggplant and Jimmy Nardello peppers; and ricotta-stuffed agnolotti topped with confit tomato, summer squash and basil.
Wine List Highlights
Wine director Kevin McElheran’s 425-label wine list focuses primarily on the United States and France, and it shows a great deal of regional range within those categories. Stateside, leading producers in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, including Antica Terra and Eyrie, join celebrated Napa wineries like Shafer, Spottswoode and Robert Mondavi. Moving across the Atlantic, big-name Burgundy and Bordeaux houses appear alongside myriad options from other regions like Provence and the Rhône Valley.
Terroir
24 Harrison St., New York, NY
Telephone (212) 625-9463
Website wineisterroir.com
Best of Award of Excellence
With acclaimed wine shops and restaurants, Tribeca is well-established as a key neighborhood for wine lovers. Case in point, Terroir, which earned a Best of Award of Excellence this year. Wine professional Paul Grieco opened this lively, Riesling-focused wine bar in 2010, in what had once been cheesemaking facilities. (Original wood and metal elements still feature in the design of the space.)
What’s on the Menu
Chef Bryce Sorem draws from American and Canadian culinary influences for Terroir’s menu, which features a range of “snacks,” including house-made chips, arancini, deviled eggs and tostones. There are several oyster options, including Royal Miyagi oysters from British Columbia and West Robins oysters from New York. For larger plates, expect the likes of slow-cooked cauliflower with baba ganoush, Newport calamari with cherry peppers and remoulade, a Maine lobster roll with tarragon, pigs in a blanket, tteokbokki (a Korean dish of spicy rice cakes) and a smash burger.
Wine List Highlights
At Terroir, Grieco offers a substantial program of 1,300 wines, with primary focuses on France, Germany, Austria, Spain, Italy, Portugal (particularly Port and Madeira), Spain (think Sherries) and California. One of the major emphases of this values-heavy list is Riesling—Terroir’s team even hosts an annual “Summer of Riesling” and includes information on the grape and its key regions in the wine list—with a wide range of Grosses Gewächs bottlings from acclaimed German wineries like Wittman and H. Dönnhoff, as well as whites from other leading wineries like Joh. Jos. Prüm. Terroir’s Riesling collection also features names from Austria, France, New York, Australia and farther afield, with whites from Wachau’s Franz Hirtzberger and Alsace’s Trimbach. Beyond Riesling, look to impressive picks like Marc Roy Burgundy and a 1970 bottle of Bodegas Tradición oloroso.
Ardesia Wine Bar
510 W. 52nd Street, New York, NY
Telephone (212) 247-9191
Website ardesia-ny.com
Award of Excellence
With a relaxed atmosphere, Award of Excellence winner Ardesia Wine Bar is a welcoming spot amid the bustling nightlife of Hell’s Kitchen. Above the bar and dining area is an eye-catching balcony—made almost entirely of glass—with a case showing off bottles from owner and wine director Mandy Oser’s impressive collection. The staff retrieve the bottles from what they lightheartedly call “the catwalk” as guests dine on small plates and sip fine wines below.
What’s on the Menu
Chef Bernardo Garcia has crafted a tapas-inspired menu of snacks, salads, sandwiches, charcuterie and cheese plates for diners to pair with their wine. Plates include mini braised pork tacos, salt cod fritters, spiced lamb skewers and burrata toasts with bacon-Bourbon jam.
Wine List Highlights
Ardesia’s wine list casts a wide net with bottles from across the globe, but what makes the program particularly noteworthy is its commitment to accessibility and fun. Oser has laid out the list in sections based on style instead of region (a regionally organized version is also available). These categories can include: “Sweater Weather Whites,” featuring full-bodied whites from Burgundy and the Northern Rhône Valley; “Aroma Therapy,” with aromatic white blends; and “Pinot Noir Around the World,” which spans Burgundy, California, Argentina and beyond. Oser intersperses helpful explanations and recommendations throughout the list, like an FAQ on orange wines, a footnote on how Sideways “did Merlot dirty” and a hand-drawn illustration explaining French and Italian terroirs.
Greywind Restaurant
24 Harrison St., New York, NY
Telephone (212) 625-9463
Website greywindnyc.com
Award of Excellence
In recent years, Manhattan’s Hudson Yards has become a hot-ticket neighborhood for new apartment buildings, stores and restaurants. Among these new eateries is chef Dan Kluger’s Greywind Restaurant, which opened on 10th Avenue in 2023 with a focus on seasonal, local ingredients. Greywind also features a separate menu at its attached bakery—with breads, pastries, parfaits, breakfast baos and more—and a cocktail bar, Spygold, where guests enjoy their drinks in the glow emanating from a marble fireplace.
What’s on the Menu
At its core, Kluger’s menu looks to American cuisine, but there are also clear influences from beyond the U.S. borders. Snacks include house-made “cheese-its,” carrot hummus with tahini and za’atar, and crispy potato with shishito peppers and smoked chiles. For small plates, expect the likes of chicken liver mousse with currant jam and North Carolina shrimp with kohlrabi; for entrees, there are plates like black bass with miso and eggplant, celery root “schnitzel” with zucchini, house-made rigatoni with corn and aji Amarillo chiles, and the restaurant’s own Greywind burger with “au poivre” mayo. For a somewhat more formal experience, at night, the bakery space becomes the Chef’s Table at Greywind, where Kluger offers a tasting menu; the table sometimes features “special-edition” experiences from guest chefs, such as Jake Howell from Nashville restaurant Peninsula.
Wine List Highlights
Greywind’s wine program is small but mighty, with some 95 selections. California and France are the primary strengths of the list, with picks like Ayala Champagne, Léon Beyer Riesling, Fess Parker Chardonnay and Au Bon Climat Pinot Noir. Other regions in Spain, Italy and Oregon also feature across the list.
La Lanterna di Vittorio
129 MacDougal St., New York, NY
Telephone (917) 639-3236
Website lalanternacaffe.com
Award of Excellence
Opened in a converted Greenwich Village townhouse in 1977, La Lanterna di Vittorio has held an Award of Excellence for more than a decade. The 200-year-old building has history too, as it once belonged to Revolutionary War officer and early American politician Aaron Burr. Four working fireplaces and an enclosed patio shrouded in greenery create a romantic backdrop for intimate dining.
What’s on the Menu
Chef Vittorio Antonini Sr.’s Italian menu is anchored by made-to-order pizzas. You can expect dishes like crostini (ranging from a bacon and Brie version to one with mushroom pesto), a bresaola panini (one of multiple paninis on offer), a wide range of Italian cheese, an arrabbiata pizza, a Neapolitan pizza and lasagna Bolognese with house-made pasta (one of 15 lasagna options, including three lasagna flights).
Wine List Highlights
Vittorio Antonini Jr.’s 120-wine list spotlights regions around the world, with strengths in Italy and California, with many bottles priced less than $50. Indeed, this village mainstay is a favorite for its approachable pricing, plus its all-day hours (from 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. on weekdays, and to 3 a.m. on weekends), which make it an easy stop for an espresso, a glass of wine or a cocktail. For wine, expect everything from Ca’Viola Barolo to Capezzana Carmignano to Zinfandel to Belle Glos Pinot Noir.
L’Express
249 Park Ave. S., New York, NY
Telephone(212) 254-5858
Website lexpressnyc.com
Award of Excellence
Serving bistro fare and a classically French wine list on lower Park Avenue, L’Express offers a little slice of Lyon in the Gramercy Park neighborhood of Manhattan. It is also one of several wine destinations (including 10 Restaurant Award winners) from leading New York restaurateur Simon Oren of Chef Driven Hospitality group, who also owns neighboring Best of Award of Excellence winner Isabelle’s Osteria and Grand Award winner Nice Matin in the Upper West Side.
What’s on the Menu
Head chef Amitzur Mor takes bistro dining to the next level with the breakfast, lunch, brunch and dinner menus at L’Express. Guests can start the meal with classic French salads and appetizers like frisée aux lardons, tuna niçoise, boeuf tartare and escargots, then follow it up with one of the more sumptuous Parisian and Lyonnaise entrées, such as duck confit, short rib Bourguignon or steak au poivre.
Wine List Highlights
As with Oren’s other restaurants, the wine program at L’Express is overseen by celebrated wine director Aviram Turgeman. L'Express has maintained its Award of Excellence since 1999, with a list of 315 choices and a primary focus on moderately priced wines. French producers on the list include Clos Ste.-Magdeleine, Paul Jaboulet Aîné and Lynch Bages.
Peasant
194 Elizabeth St., New York New York, NY
Telephone (212) 965-9511
Website peasantnyc.com
Award of Excellence
With Best of Award of Excellence winner Restaurant Marc Forgione and Award of Excellence winner Peasant—as well as Peasant’s adjoining wine bar and, since 2022, a restaurant at the historic One Fifth Avenue skyscraper—chef and restaurateur Marc Forgione is one of New York’s wine and dining leaders. At the candlelit Peasant downtown, the chef offers a warm and relaxed atmosphere to enjoy his homey interpretations of classic Italian fare cooked with a brick, wood-fired oven.
What’s on the Menu
Locally sourced vegetables, seafood and meat are all on offer. Forgione’s menu features dishes such as oysters with bone marrow, summer squash with salsa verde, eggplant parmesan agnolotti as well as the chef’s “M&M’s,” a dish of mafaldine pasta, meatballs and red pesto arrabbiata sauce. Diners can also expect Forgione’s signature whole-roasted pig served across three courses.
Wine List Highlights
For wine pairings, guests choose from wine director Michael Laudenslager’s list of about 90 labels. The focus is primarily on smaller wineries practicing sustainable techniques in Italy and the United States, as well as Champagne. This covers much of the Italian landscape—including lesser-known grape varieties like Vitovska—with wineries from Friuli to Piedmont to Tuscany to Molise to Campania and beyond. Expect well-known Italian names like Piedmont’s Elio Grasso, Alto Adige’s J. Hofstätter and Tuscany’s Caparzo. For after the meal, there are also ample lists of amari and digestifs.
Tolo
28 Canal Street, New York, NY
Website tolonyc.com
Award of Excellence
At the intersection of New York’s Chinatown and the buzzy Dimes Square neighborhood, chef and restaurant owner Ron Yan created Tolo, a Cantonese-inspired wine haven in Lower Manhattan. Set in a dark and cozy space with an open kitchen, 1960s lamps and rattan chairs and tables, the restaurant is a fresh and welcome addition to the city’s ever-growing wine bar scene.
What’s on the Menu
Taking a cue from other popular wine bars in Lower Manhattan, Tolo’s menu is composed of smaller plates made for sharing. Try updates on classic Chinese dishes like crispy fried fish morsels bathed in sweet and sour sauce, wok-kissed string beans topped with spiced minced pork, or sticky rice with salty-sweet Chinese sausage and shiitake mushrooms. A can’t-miss is the “typhoon shelter–style” fried chicken topped with fried garlic.
Wine List Highlights
The wine list is overseen by wine director Dora Grossman-Weir and the team from retailer and wine bar group Parcelle, a leader in New York’s natural wine scene. Tapping the full list from Parcelle’s Chinatown wine bar, the program is particularly focused on France (especially Burgundy), Italy and Spain, with a wide number of bottles priced around $100. For those looking to splurge, the “Old & Rare” section of the list features selections dating to the 1980s, made by the likes of Champagne’s Ruinart and Robert Mondavi. At Tolo (as at Parcelle’s wine bars), you can create a “personal wine profile” that keeps track of wines you’ve previously had and/or taken to go, helping the sommelier team home in on the right bottle for your meal.
Vinateria
211 Frederick Douglass Blvd., New York, NY
Telephone (212) 662-8462
Website vinaterianyc.com
Award of Excellence
At Award of Excellence winner Vinateria in Harlem, owner Yvette Leeper-Bueno has created an inviting space meant to make guests feel like they are at home (while enjoying excellent wine, of course). Located on the bustling corner of Frederick Douglass Boulevard and 119th Street, the restaurant presents a minimalist yet cozy atmosphere for enjoying a Mediterranean menu. Vinateria is open seven days a week for dinner and offers brunch on Saturdays and Sundays, as well as a daily happy hour.
What’s on the Menu
Highlights of the Italian- and Spanish-influenced menu include lamb chops served with a romesco sauce, black spaghetti with octopus and spice-roasted duck served with a parsnip and apple puree. For smaller, shareable dishes, consider the cod croquettes, the fried calamari or the selection of cheeses. Meanwhile, desserts include olive oil cake, crème brûlée and tiramisu, which can be paired with a selection of amari or sweet and fortified wine options.
Wine list Highlights
Wine director Thomas Patrick Odeen’s 135-label list complements the menu and is packed with values, including options from smaller and environmentally focused producers. Italy comprises the largest portion, with names like Montalcino’s Camigliano, Trentino–Alto Adige’s Alois Lageder and Barolo’s Giacomo Borgogno & Figli. Spain and France are also well-represented, with the likes of R. Lopez de Heredia Viña Tondonia, Château Phélan Ségur and Château Simone. Adding to the program’s guest-friendly nature are 16 wines served by the glass, as well as informative maps preceding each section of the full list.
Brooklyn
Winona’s
676 Flushing Ave., Brooklyn, NY
Telephone (718) 388-4900
Website winonasbk.com
Best of Award of Excellence
Above the entrance of Best of Award of Excellence winner Winona’s is the large sign of the appliance store that previously inhabited the space. But don’t let this understated facade fool you. The restaurant was founded four years ago by owners Cressida Greening and Emir Dupeyron, who had previously led an apartment-based supper club for friends; that concept became Winona’s, now a go-to dining destination in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn. Beyond a small entryway bar, the main dining room is bathed in natural light with plenty of plants and a high, wood-paneled ceiling, creating an outdoorsy quality in the roughly 40-seat space.
What’s on the Menu
Head chef Alex Piñeiro’s menu changes seasonally, providing a variety of distinctive, but approachable dishes. To start the meal, there are choices like smoked trout dip with homemade potato chips and grilled shishito peppers with caper yogurt, as well as oysters garnished with mignonette and marigold petals. For mains, the restaurant offers plates like roasted chicken, rib eye steaks and cavatelli served with summer squash. Weekend brunch is a popular option, with dishes like shakshuka, pork hash and the Full Winona (a large platter of American breakfast essentials). The restaurant is open for dinner Wednesday through Sunday and closed Monday and Tuesday.
Wine List Highlights
Wine director Henry Mermer curates the 400-selection wine list, drawing from an inventory of about 1,100 bottles. Much of the list showcases natural wines and leans French, featuring names like the Loire Valley’s Domaine Huet and Olga Raffault and Champagne’s Tarlant. The skin-contact offerings are notable, with more than 40 choices from a wide array of wineries, including Domaine Matassa, Werlitsch and Martin & Anna Arndorfer. The list also offers plenty of opportunities to move off the beaten path with wines like Poulsard from Jura or Coteaux Champenois (still wine from the Champagne region and a rare find in the United States).
Kru
190 N. 14th St., Unit 101, Brooklyn, NY
Telephone (347) 599-0266
Website krubrooklyn.com
Award of Excellence
In trendy Williamsburg, you’ll find Award of Excellence winner Kru, a Thai restaurant from the husband-and-wife team of chefs Ohm Suansilphong and Kiki Supap, who prepare traditionally inspired cuisine through the lenses of local ingredients and contemporary techniques. The restaurant’s name (meaning “teacher” in Thai) pays homage to the duo’s culinary mentors, the original inspirations for the chefs’ distinctive dishes. Adding to the experience is Kru’s setting in a contemporary-design dining room with exposed brick walls, hanging fixtures and a tiled cement floor, all bringing a casual yet sophisticated ambiance.
What’s on the Menu
Kru’s dishes are largely guided by Suansilphong’s upbringing in Thailand (much of it spent at his parent’s restaurant) and Supap’s experience as a third-generation dessert specialist. Suansilphong serves small bites (a creamy crab meat tartlet with labneh and sea bean, for instance), small plates (cold noodle salad with prawn and pineapple) and big plates (red curry–rubbed branzino with coconut), all of which are intended to be shared around the table. Diners can also expect dishes like Suansilphong’s slow-braised beef tongue with massaman curry and potato, as well as Supap’s peach melba with poached peach, raspberry and khao mak, a fermented rice yogurt ice cream.
Wine List Highlights
Featuring nearly 100 labels, the Kru wine list is curated specifically for pairing with Thai cuisine. Selections of dry and off-dry Rieslings, lower-alcohol white wines and light reds (many served chilled) pair well with the spicier dishes on offer. Specifically, you’ll find impressive bottlings like Billecart-Salmon’s brut rosé Champagne, Domaine Huet’s Vouvray Demi-Sec Clos du Bourg and Fontodi’s Chianti Classico, the latter representing one of the fuller-bodied reds on the list.
Edited by Collin Dreizen, Chris Cardoso, Julia Larson, Olivia Nolan and Greg Warner
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