Aldea

These days, there's something almost refreshing about an independent chef and owner who isn't backed by a big hotel or restaurant group or obsessed with expansion, who simply works in his own restaurant every day cooking refined, modern, delicious food. That's chef Georges Mendes, and his modern Portuguese restaurant Aldea, in a nutshell. He can be found in the open kitchen pretty much every night of the week inspecting each plate as it leaves the pass. Want to watch him work? There's a chef's counter with an excellent view of all the action, from the grilling of the duck for Mendes' now famous duck rice to the careful composition of his sea urchin toast. Request it when making reservations.
• 31 West 17th Street, +1 212 675 7223, aldearestaurant.com, mains $28-32

Torrisi Italian Specialties

New York food snobs have been collectively obsessed with this small Little Italy storefront since it opened last spring. The focus is Italian American classics with all American ingredients – Progresso and dried pasta included. So for lunch, go for the chicken parm sub or the Platonic ideal of a turkey sandwich: juicy and creamy and slightly spicy. At dinner, they serve a $50 three-course prix fixe with luscious mozzarella made in-house, devil's chicken slathered in a Mexican chile paste and served over yogurt, pork chops with vinegar peppers, sweetbread Milanese, and little Italian cookies. Here's the catch: they don't take reservations and people start lining up before the doors open at 6:30pm, so plan accordingly.
• 250 Mulberry Street, +1 212 965 0955, piginahat.com, three-course set price dinner $50

Kin Shop

Chef Harold Dieterle, known both for winning the first season of reality show Top Chef and for his work at his West Village restaurant Perilla, opened this new neighbourhood spot specializing in his own brand of Thai food last year. His food is authentic yet refined, with some classic curries, noodles, and stir fries, alongside his own original and unpredictable takes – roasted bone marrow with taro root and radish greens and an ingenious black squid ink soup filled with squid stuffed with sausage. Make sure not to miss what has quickly become a house specialty: fall-off-the-bone goat in a Massaman curry with a buttery roti.
• 469 6th Avenue, +1 212 675 4295, kinshopnyc.com, mains $14-27

Veselka

Veselka, an East Village staple since 1954, serves all manner of comfort food, be it Ukrainian (pierogis, potato pancakes with apple sauce, borscht, beef stroganoff) or American (Cobb salad, banana pancakes, mac 'n' cheese). Their burger is known as one of the neighborhood's best, and the restaurant's brunch attracts a regular line. The best thing about Veselka, of course, is that it's bustling at all hours of the day, from the breakfast crowds until the late hours when the local New York University students need some sloppy joes and Ukrainian meatballs to sop up the booze.
• 144 2nd Avenue, +1 212 228 9682, veselka.com, mains $8-15.50

Oriental Garden

A favourite of many New York chefs including David Chang and David Bouley, Oriental Garden is a place for great dim sum, superb Peking duck, and, most importantly, excellent and fresh seafood (sitting right in the tanks by the entrance). They put forth a slew of great complex sauces and flavors but getting the black bean sauce, whether with scallops or razor clams, is always a safe bet. As is the lobster (all preparations), the seafood in bird's nest, and the grilled fluke filleted at the table. The space can be a bit boisterous and tight, but the waits are never that long. And while Oriental Garden is more expensive than some of the its dingy neighborhood brethren, the quality justifies the price.
• 14 Elizabeth Street, +1 212 619 0085, orientalgardenny.com, mains $14.95-48.95

La Nacional

Located underneath the century-old Spanish Benevolent Society, this slightly hidden spot is the last vestige of what was once New York's Little Spain. A front room with a bar and TVs serves as a de facto meeting place for the Spanish men of the neighbourhood, while the romantic dining room in the back hosts friends, couples, families, and groups. They serve the full roster of traditional Spanish tapas – get the potato tortilla – and excellent paellas and sangria. Funnily enough, the owners here opened a sleek new paella bar called Socarrat two years ago, and it is much better populated than this old timer, even needing an expansion. But their new clientele don't know what they're missing.
• 239 West 14th Street, +1 212 627 4770, lanacionaltapas.com, tapas $6-9.50, mains $16-19

Lupa

Celeb chef Mario Batali boasts quite a few strong restaurants in his portfolio – the three-star high-end Babbo, the four-star (also high-end) Del Posto, the super-casual Casa Mono, the pizzeria Otto, and so on and so forth. But an easy favourite for those who live downtown is Lupa, the always lively, casual, and astonishingly affordable pasta spot. They offer a wonderful selection of cured meats and cheeses, some fun sides and vegetables and simple salads, entrees like pork loin and saltimbocca, and a roster of addictive pastas. The carbonara and the caio e pepe are especially worth recommending, but it's hard to go wrong here. Just make sure to pair it with an excellent Italian red.
• 170 Thompson St, +1 212 982 5089, luparestaurant.com, mains $13-24

Momofuku Noodle Bar

Chef David Chang is now world famous for his group of Momofuku restaurants. He expanded to Midtown, launched a fine dining chef's counter and an ever-growing bakery, and recently signed deals in Toronto and Australia. But there's still something very wonderful and satisfying about visiting his East Village original, Momofuku Noodle Bar. They've streamline the menu since its inception, but diners can always find warm, salty, porky ramen dishes or the cold noodles with scallions – a local favourite. Nowadays they offer a whole lot more, like market specials, a set prix fixe, and, for large groups that plan ahead, a large-format fried chicken dinner. Of course, no return or first-timer can leave without a famous pork bun.
• 171 First Avenue, +1 212 777 7773, momofuku.com/restaurants/noodle-bar, mains $8-22

John Dory Oyster Bar

In the summer of 2009, the high-end and well received seafood restaurant the John Dory closed to the public in a move that surprised followers and fans of its British chef April Bloomfield. But Bloomfield and her business partner Ken Friedman have made a comeback in a major way. They've reopened their restaurant as a bar, hangout, and spot for a quick bite. The menu is much more limited – entrees have given way to small plates – but includes standouts like oyster pan roast, chorizo-stuffed squid, and smoked haddock terrine. And as a bonus, it's located in the Ace Hotel, which is also home to gastropub The Breslin, excellent sandwich shop No 7 Sub, and exquisite coffee shop Stumptown.
• 1196 Broadway, +1 212 792 9000, thejohndory.com, mains $9.50-$20

Katz's

Katz's, a must for any first-time visitor to the city, is a true New York classic. And it's one of the best examples of a real, authentic NYC Jewish deli that doesn't simply pander to tourists and actually serves locals and regulars. So be ready for brusque service, move through the counter line at a reasonable speed, and whatever happens, do not lose the ticket they hand every customer on the way in. It's their way of keeping track of your bill and you'll be charged $50 a head without it, regular or no. What to get? The pastrami, of course.
• 205 E Houston St, +1 212 254-2246, katzdeli.com, sandwiches $8.45-15.55, mains $13.40-28.95