These four NYC restaurants made Yelp’s 100 Best list
Every food lover and their mother has a best-of list these days—we certainly do, with our 50 best restaurants in NYC right now ranking—and the restaurant goers over at Yelp are no exception. The crowd-sourced review platform recently unveiled their list of the top 100 best restaurants in the country and while it was no surprise that several New York City-based venues were accounted for, it might surprise you exactly which restos made Yelp’s list.
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Coming in at number 91 is Bua Thai Ramen & Robata Grill, the contemporary Thai joint that doles out dumplings, curries, fried rice and oodles of noodles over on the Upper East Side. Yelp users singled out the restaurant’s “excellent and speedy” service as well as its yummy pineapple fried rice and sweet details like an Instagram-ready flower wall.
A fellow Thai-inspired concept took the number 72 spot: THEP in Lenox Hill, praised for its “irresistible” version of Pad Thai, its flavorful Pad See Eiw and its sweet-and-tangy, tamarind-sauced chicken wings. Zen Ramen & Sushi in Herald Square clocked in just a few rankings above at number 69, thanks to its “phenomenal food” like spicy tonkotsu bowls, seafood ramen and sushi like the King Kong roll (shrimp tempura, spicy tuna and lobster salad, topped with avocado and wrapped with soybean paper).
But the highest New York City showing on the nationwide list was courtesy of Los Tacos No. 1, which was featured not once but twice on Yelp’s rankings at number 15 and number 30. (There are several Los Tacos locations around NYC, hence the multiple showings.) The Cal-Mex chainlet fires up a wide variety of tacos, tostadas, quesadillas and more, with fillings ranging from classic carne asada to grilled cactus.
So which restaurant in the U.S. claimed the top spot among Yelp users? That would be Toa Luau in Haleiwa, Hawaii, which features a full outdoor feast as well as a live Polynesian show. Looks like NYC has to ramp up its dinner-theater options!