The longlist includes Sunny Lee of Korean wine bar Sunn's in Chinatown and Rasheeda Purdie of the recently opened restaurant Ramen by Ra in the East Village under the Emerging Chef category. The Outstanding Restaurant category includes two sides of NYC Italian restaurants: the Four Horsemen in Williamsburg and West Village's Via Carota. Best New Restaurant slot includes two of Eater's best new restaurants of 2025: Cambodian restaurant Bong in Crown Heights and Caribbean prix fixe Kabawa in the East Village,
You could lean into tradition with white tablecloths and candlelit Italian - perfect for a Lady and the Tramp-style spaghetti moment. Or perhaps French fine dining is more your speed. Some couples gravitate toward seafood, sharing a chilled platter of oysters or a towering shellfish spread, while others prefer the intensity of an omakase counter, where the evening unfolds course by course.
