Best road-trip restaurants in New York

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Charming tavern across from the Aurora Inn serving creative pub fare, local brews and a seasonal menu on a shady patio with pool and darts.

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Looks like an old-school diner but runs like an izakaya, serving juicy karaage, steaming ramen and a wide sake list with frequent live music.

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Brighton Beach Uyghur spot serving hand-pulled lagman noodles and cumin-spiced lamb, a rare taste of Central Asian Silk Road cooking.

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Casual Brighton Beach Ukrainian cafe near the boardwalk, prized for bouncy vareniki with caramelized onions and farmer's-cheese blintzes.

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Crown Heights takeout legend famous for smoky, fiery jerk chicken hacked to order, a cornerstone of Brooklyn's Caribbean food scene.

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Williamsburg comfort-food mainstay of two decades, famed for crackly fried chicken, biscuits and doughnuts in a rollicking room.

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Brighton Beach Russian institution with a bear statue out front, heaping platters of pelmeni, herring and vodka in true Little Odessa style.

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Crown Heights Jamaican favorite in Little Caribbean, dishing rich oxtail, jerk chicken and escovitch fish now in a larger space with a patio.

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Broadway Market Polish specialist hand-making over twenty pierogi varieties from potato-cheddar to whimsical Buffalo-wing filling.

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Fourth-generation carvery descended from a 1914 meat business, serving juicy roast beef on kimmelweck rolls at its Wehrle Drive kitchen.

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Buffalo's original sponge candy maker since 1910, coating airy honeycomb centers in dark and milk chocolate at its longtime shops.

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Old First Ward tavern and brewery pouring house beer and slinging a legendary haddock fish fry on Wednesdays and Fridays.

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Restored 1937 Sterling dining car in the Larkin District serving scratch breakfast and lunch with locally sourced ingredients.

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Western New York's oldest operating tavern, pouring beer since 1868 and serving German-American plates like potato pancakes downtown.

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Long Island's only all-rosé estate, poured in a garden of white umbrellas. (North Fork)

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East Aurora institution since 1967 that perfected two Buffalo staples, the beef on weck and the char-broiled jumbo wing.

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Master Sommelier Christopher Bates seats just 24 at a communal table for a multi-course prix fixe, a James Beard nominee and national destination.

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Fun, colorful North Fork taqueria beloved for generous burritos and fresh tacos. (Main Street)

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James Beard-nominated Warren Street bakery hearth-baking sourdough breads and pastries from organic grain grown on local and regional farms.

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Collectively owned since 1973 and named one of the century's most influential restaurants, this is the birthplace of creative American vegetarian cooking.

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Neighborhood gastropub pairing elevated comfort food with a carefully curated Finger Lakes beer and wine list in a lively setting.

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Family-owned Ithaca institution serving authentic pho, banh mi and stir-fries in a casual, welcoming atmosphere loved by locals and students.

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Jackson Heights Colombian institution grown from Maria Piedad Cano's legendary late-night cart into a beloved brick-and-mortar arepa shop.

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Beloved bookstore, cafe and wine bar in the Stockade District pairing local coffee and craft beverages with a cozy literary atmosphere.

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Biodynamic 500-acre family estate pairing estate wines with wood-fired pizza. (North Fork)

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Kosher deli institution famous for towering hand-carved pastrami and corned beef, matzo ball soup and old-school Jewish comfort classics.

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Upper West Side Ethiopian mainstay since 1994, scooping richly spiced stews and lentils onto shared platters of injera.

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Barcelona-inspired tapas bar bringing lively Spanish small plates, jamon and gin tonics to the Upper East Side and beyond.

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Neon-lit 24-hour Colombian diner, a Roosevelt Ave landmark. (Jackson Heights, Queens)

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Michelin-starred Korean steakhouse with dry-aged beef. (Flatiron)

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SoHo pastry shop from the pastry chef who invented the Cronut, drawing lines for constantly changing viral creations.

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Daniel Humm's three-star Flatiron flagship, now fully plant-based, delivering an elaborate multi-course tasting in a grand Art Deco room.

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Costas Spiliadis's upscale Greek seafood destination, displaying pristine whole fish on ice and grilling the daily Mediterranean catch simply.

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NoHo favorite serving vibrant, seafood-forward Thai dishes family-style in a breezy, always-packed dining room.

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Stylish K-Town favorite for homestyle Korean mother's cooking. (Koreatown)

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Japanese import that ignited New York's ramen craze, ladling rich tonkotsu broth and serving pillowy pork buns in a lively room.

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Ivan Orkin's Lower East Side flagship serving inventive shio and shoyu bowls with springy house-made rye noodles.

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Tribeca's three-Michelin-star modern Korean tasting-menu destination, the first Korean restaurant in the US to earn that rating.

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Boisterous Koreatown barbecue favorite grilling marbled meats over charcoal with a generous spread of banchan.

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Upper West Side bakery famous for enormous, gooey-centered cookies that reliably justify the block-long line.

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Standing-room taqueria turning out griddled tortillas and family-recipe tacos. (Chelsea)

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Masa Takayama's Time Warner Center sanctuary, holding three Michelin stars for its exacting, ultra-premium sushi omakase.

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Modern, upscale Astoria estiatorio spotlighting fresh Mediterranean fish. (Astoria, Queens)

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Marcus Samuelsson's lively Harlem restaurant blending American comfort food with global flavors alongside live music and a buzzing bar.

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Sit-down cafe from the century-old appetizing shop, all smoked fish and bagels. (Lower East Side)

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The pioneer that put Queens Thai food on the map. (Woodside, Queens)

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Brooks Headley's cult East Village spot proving vegetarian and vegan fast food can be genuinely craveable and inventive.

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West Village omakase counter that triggered the modern New York sushi wave, running an acclaimed nigiri progression.

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Midtown Edomae counter prized for rigorous, minimalist nigiri and one of the best value serious-sushi seats in the city.

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Harlem soul food institution since 1962, the self-proclaimed Queen of Soul Food serving fried chicken, ribs and Sunday gospel brunch.

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Perennially packed Astoria Greek taverna famed for grilled fish. (Astoria, Queens)

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Nolita all-day spot mashing up Thai flavors with American diner comfort in a cheerful, retro-tiled room.

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One of the city's most refined ramen parlors. (Midtown)

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Cult Midtown shop specializing in a silky paitan chicken broth topped with torched pork chashu, drawing constant lines.

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East Village pasticceria since 1894, an irreplaceable Italian sweets institution for cannoli, cheesecake and espresso.

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Craft-beer-focused Niagara Falls gastropub pouring an extensive tap list beside elevated pub fare and one of the area's best burgers.

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Independent Third Street wine bar near the falls pairing eighty-plus wines with genuine brick-oven pizzas and shareable plates.

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Long Island City Chiapas-style Mexican from chef Cosme Aguilar, a former Michelin-starred room celebrated for its deep, complex mole.

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Cash-only Astoria taverna with no printed menu, where you pick from the seafood case and it hits the charcoal grill whole and simply dressed.

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Rochester outpost of the beloved Syracuse-born pit in a historic railroad station, smoking ribs and brisket with live blues energy.

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Flagship brewpub of Rochester's Genesee Brewing overlooking High Falls, pouring house beer with a rooftop patio and pub menu.

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Lovingly restored late-1940s boxcar diner and Landmark Society gem serving classic all-American breakfast and lunch fare.

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Park Avenue all-day diner run by a Greek family, dishing generous breakfasts, souvlaki and comfort classics to a loyal neighborhood crowd.

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Downtown Rochester institution since 1918 and originator of the trademarked Garbage Plate piled with meats, macaroni salad and home fries.

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Family-run 24-hour Rochester spot famous for its heaping Zweigle's-topped plates and a cult-favorite house hot sauce.

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Family-owned Japanese mainstay since 1994, the East End's go-to for fresh sushi. (Main Street)

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Quaint village bakery and cafe turning out artisan breads, fine French pastries and specialty pies, a favored spot for breakfast in town.

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Local no-frills deli and roadside stop on the North Fork prized for hearty breakfast sandwiches and sizable heros.

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John Fraser's refined tasting-menu destination showcasing the region's farms and bays. (Main Road)