Double Knot is in many ways what you'd expect from a Midtown izakaya: Its footprint is massive - dominating two wide floors on West 49th Street - and loungey chairs encircle low tables near the entrance to accommodate the happy-hour crowd, which clears out by 7 p.m. If you're here for dinner, the Chef's Select is a solid deal: ten items pulled from across their menu plus a really excellent miso-caramel soft serve to close.
Deep in the soul of every food lover is the desire to be in New York City at any given moment. Few cities around the world offer what New York provides in terms of food. There's cuisine from every corner of the globe, from Moroccan and Malagasy to Japanese and Javanese. However, one cuisine stands front and center as the apple of the Big Apple's eye: Italian.
You're here for the pizza, so start with a cheese slice: Like a French omelet or a pilsner, there's nowhere to hide with a plain pie. Bub's version is pristine with bright tomato sauce tempered by dried herbs and sourdough tang throughout. They don't claim to be New York style, and that's wise: the pie is a little puffier with a tart crust that yields rather than shatters.
Restaurants It's a good time to be a Greater Boston diner in 2025, with exciting and diverse restaurant openings occurring all over the metro area. Each week, Boston.com will highlight the restaurant openings worth knowing about across the Greater Boston region. Some spots will already be open, while others are set to debut soon or later this year. At least one featured restaurant will always be a bonus item - either a pop-up, a collaboration, or event at area restaurants.
The New York Times has recently had a lot to say about Boston's restaurant scene with lists about Boston's top eateries and the country's best, which Boston claimed two spots. The paper's best of Boston list featured 25 restaurants in the region, including the omakase O Ya, Brookline Thai restaurant Mahaniyom, North End classic Neptune Oyster, and Italian restaurant Tonino. Last week the Times also published its list of America's 50 best restaurants, which included two eateries in Boston: La Padrona and McGonagle's.
Chicago has always been considered one of America's greatest food cities-one where fully loaded hot dogs, deep-dish pizza, and ultra luxe 18-course tasting menus are revered in the same dining scene. You could practically fill a travel itinerary with places to get Italian beef sandwiches (à la The Bear) alone. The city's restaurants, cafés, and bars reflect the diversity of Chicago's neighborhoods, and knowing where to stay is the key to having convenient access to the best spots.