The best food and drink in New York

From Montauk to Niagara Falls, New York state is home to stunning natural beauty, world-class attractions, and, of course, some amazing things to eat. And to celebrate all the great food and drink that this diverse and expansive state has to offer, we’ve rounded up 41 of the Empire State’s claims to culinary fame as part of our first annual guide to the best food and drink in every state.

The Best Food and Drink in Every State for 2018: New York (Gallery)

Any conversation about the cuisine of New York state will be dominated by that of New York City, which very well might be the greatest food city in America, and possibly on the planet. Whatever you want, you can find it there. Even the cheap pizza is good. You don’t know what a bagel is until you’ve had one there. The fine dining there is second only to perhaps that of Las Vegas, but more non-household-name chefs are opening a lot more mind-blowingly good restaurants there than in Sin City. Want Mexican? There’s a neighborhood for that. Want Russian? There’s a neighborhood for that. Want Asian? There are a few neighborhoods for that. How about Uzbeki? Ethiopian? Tibetan? Burmese? Korean barbecue? Just a subway ride away. Not only does New York have pizza, bagels, and Jewish deli fare to claim as its own, it also has upscale, downscale, highbrow, lowbrow, insanely cheap, jaw-droppingly expensive, hidden gems, world-renowned institutions... the list goes on. Spend a few days eating your way through New York City, and you’ll agree that it’s the best food town in the States.

But there’s a lot more to New York state than New York City, from the great seafood on Long Island to the unique culinary ecosystem of the Buffalo region, and over the course of the past year we’ve honored everything from its best hot dogs and farmers markets to its best dive bar and craft brewery in our comprehensive and wide-ranging lists and rankings, compiled through extensive research and with input from a wide network of site contributors, bloggers, journalists, and chefs. We’ve compiled these into individual slideshows celebrating the best food and drink in every state, and you can find our New York gallery here.

View slideshow

More Best in Every State

• The Best Steakhouse in Every State
• The Best Mexican Restaurant in Every State
• The Best Chinese Restaurant in Every State
• The Best Pizza in Every State