We’re no longer seen as a cheesesteak pit stop between New York City and Washington, D.C. But in recent years, the rest of the country has finally caught on. Philadelphia has always known that Philadelphia is an incredible food city. And whenever my tastebuds want to return to Mexico, I know the nopales topped barbacoa tacos at South Philly Barbacoa will take me there. Kalaya brings me back to my honeymoon in Thailand, where my husband and I first fell in love with crab curry at Raya Restaurant in Phuket City. Zahav reminds me of my travels in Israel, where the tahini-forward hummus is as creamy as what you’d find in Abu Ghosh’s Lebanese Restaurant. What I love most about the Philadelphia food scene is how the communities who come here from around the world keep their nuanced cuisines intact - an inspiring act of resilience and perseverance when you consider that so many restaurants in Philadelphia (many of which are featured on this 50 Best list) have been able to maintain their culinary traditions over generations and thousands of miles. Over the years, I’ve had a lot of people ask me why I stayed in the Philadelphia region - why didn’t I just move to a bigger city or a remote island beach, or live a nomadic lifestyle? Aside from my emotional attachments to this place, my response was (and still is) that I feel so spoiled to live here, because no matter what meal I eat in various corners of the planet, chances are, I can find it in Philly. When Bread & Salt– one of the best pizza places anywhere around NYC– reopens for on-site dining, that’s another must-visit BYOB in Jersey City.Royal Sushi & Izakaya / Photograph by Jesse ItoĪs a food and travel writer, I’ve researched culinary traditions across four continents, from following spice trade routes through Israel and Europe to fishing with the Māori in New Zealand. It’s a casual Italian spot with great pastas, a very nice backyard, and super friendly service. While there’s no shortage of BYOB restaurants across the river in Jersey City, Corto is our favorite. Ideal wine: Keller, 'Von der Fells' Riesling Trocken 2020 Instead, share big tray chicken, hand-pulled noodles, and a bottle of wine with a friend for a casual weeknight dinner. Spicy Village is small and very low-key, so it’s not a place to go with a group. Ideal wine: Domaine Chapel, Chiroubles 2019 Just make sure to bring your own glasses. In between rounds of tacos, go watch tortillas being made at this part Mexican restaurant, part tortilla factory in Bushwick. Ideal wine: Buona Notte, Oregon Sangiovese 'Cento per Cento' 2018 While it literally gets outshined by another BYOB spot next door in Panna II– Panna II has more hanging lights than the Rock Center Christmas tree– Sigiri is where you should go for great food. Sigiri is a small Sri Lankan restaurant up some steps in the East Village. For maximum success, though, bring a group so you can order multiple ducks and bring multiple bottles of wine. If you order the Peking duck and bring a bottle of wine, then you can’t go wrong here. Ideal wine: Domaine Eleni et Edouard Vocoret, Chablis 'Bas de Chapelot' Premier Cru 2019

Ideal wine: Bengoetxe, Getariako Txakolina 2019Īlong with a great omakase, this Upper East Side sushi spot has a BYOB policy that includes ice buckets and nice glassware. Bring some albariño, Txakolina, or any other wine you enjoy drinking with fresh seafood, as well as your own glasses (unless you’re fine using plastic cups). Walk in and grab whatever looks good to you from the seafood display, and then ask the staff to cook it however you like. Ideal wine: Laherte Frères, Extra Brut Champagne 'Les Empreintes' 2014Īt Astoria Seafood, you don’t do much in the way of ordering. It’s ideal for date night, but it’s just as good for brunch. Tartine is a small French spot that’s the only BYOB restaurant in the West Village. Ideal wine: Thibaud Boudignon, Savennières 'Clos de la Hutte' 2018 Of course, you’ll also need plenty of wine (for reference, we’ve shown up with an entire case on multiple occasions). To do Wu’s right, you need to get a big group together, and top a giant lazy susan with a whole roast duck and/or suckling pig. Ideal wine: We have a whole article to help you decide. Oh, we’d also go for the pizza - which happens to be the best pizza in the best pizza city on earth. We’d go to Lucali just for the calzone, or just to hang out in the dimly lit space watching the chefs roll out dough with wine bottles, or just for the BYOB policy.

Time out nyc byob restaurants