The 22 Best Dishes of the Year, So Far

Santo Taco, Adda 2.0, Sip & Guzzle, Crevette, Ceres, Banh Anh Em, Michael White's Santi, Zimmi's, Papa San, and others make the list!

Jul 10, 2025

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The one trend that I can’t shake…

We’ve been eating well in New York.

I could list any number of reasons explaining why. The Mexico City-style spots rebooting our taco scene. The rise of fancy Caribbean fare. Our booming slice scene. All those pricey NA cocktails. All the delicious shellfish. And other trends.

Then again, great food is the norm here.

What’s truly plaguing my thoughts is what we’re up against. Rent-regulated apartments are getting another hefty hike, stretching the budgets of cash-strapped residents. Nearly 700,000 New Yorkers could see their SNAP benefits threatened under new federal rules, a tough break during a time of painful grocery prices.

The expiration of Obamacare tax credits could mean a loss of coverage for millions of Americans. And Trump’s Big, Beautiful Bill will change Medicaid eligibility, jeopardizing health care for the 1.5 million food service workers who depend on that program — the largest number of beneficiaries for any industry.

There are also the ICE raids at restaurants and elsewhere. The detention centers with cruel nicknames and dire conditions. The mass deportations.

We can all disagree on politics. I get that. Yet it’s indisputable that the policies we’re seeing will make life tougher (and quite possibly shorter) for so many people. Who work at restaurants. Who dine at restaurants.

I’m excited to keep sharing all the delicious stuff happening across our food scene. I’m particularly stoked about my guide to the year’s best dishes; you’ll find lots of cool photos and thoughts about why it’s such a good time to be eating out.

But if there’s one restaurant trend that should matter to all of us, it’s the ongoing rise of institutionalized, government-sanctioned cruelty. Against society’s most vulnerable, against those who need help, against those who feed us.