Bánh

"Bánh serves dishes like bún bò bơ with sizzling buttery beef, a pork belly bánh mì that’s a contender for the best in the city, and a crispy bánh tiêu appetizer that’s filled with sticky rice and pork floss. Between an appetizer and an entree, you can easily walk away having spent only $30 on an exciting dinner. The casual set-up makes this place perfect for a meetup with a friend or a low-key date near Amsterdam Avenue and 107th Street." - bryan kim, willa moore, neha talreja, hannah albertine, will hartman

"This popular place on the Upper West Side has a few different varieties of phở—including a dry veggie version with mushroom broth on the side for dipping—but our favorite is the dặc biệt. It comes with fall-apart tender brisket, fatty tendon, and crunchy strands of tripe in an intensely flavorful star-anise-and-cinnamon-forward broth. We hate it when meat comes overcooked in phở. That won’t happen here. The thin slices of beef arrive appropriately rare, so they can reach a nice medium temperature after a few minutes." - will hartman, neha talreja, bryan kim, willa moore, carlo mantuano

"One of the reasons we love Bánh so much is because it’s equally as great on a cold winter night as it is on a summer afternoon. Picking up a pre-Central Park-walk bánh mi? Flawless. Trying to get a walk-in table in February for a third date that involves sharing a bowl of phở? Also a stellar move. But what’s really great here are the other snacks and sandwiches, especially the bánh chưng chiên, a crunchy glob of fried glutinous rice full of savory pork and mung beans. " - willa moore, sonal shah, neha talreja, will hartman

"Bánh Vietnamese Shop House has made the Upper West Side one of the city’s primary destinations for Vietnamese food. Many dishes appear with nuances such as a turmeric-laced banh xeo with a coconut batter, and a wealth of inclusions like marinated shrimp, smoked pork belly, and mung-bean puree. Creative banh mi are fit for a picnic at nearby Central Park, and every meal at here is an adventure." - Robert Sietsema

"Bánh was one of the best things to happen to the Upper West Side in the last few years, and the wait at prime dinnertime is proof. That’s why we love a weekend lunch here, maybe after a morning in Central Park, when the line for a table isn’t long. Get the BBQ pork bánh mì, or a very star anise- and cinnamon-forward bowl of phở if you need full body warmth after a late fall park walk. The best part is watching the bustle of the kitchen, which runs the length of the room, while waiting for your food to arrive." - sonal shah, willa moore, carlo mantuano, carina finn koeppicus, will hartman