Estela

"The Obamas had dinner at Estela in September of 2014, meaning this is the rare restaurant that was definitely discussed on MSNBC at some point. Since then, the place has cooled off a little bit, and it’s easy to make a reservation about a week in advance - which is something you should do. The small plates like the ricotta dumplings and lamb ribs with honey are still exceptional, and the narrow space hidden up a set of stairs on Houston Street is perfect for date night." - bryan kim, hillary reinsberg

"Estela easily ranks as the most beloved in Ignacio Mattos’s empire, serving up some of the city’s best small and medium-sized plates. Take a seat at the bar and build your meal out of a collection of European-leaning dishes. Mattos hides rich ricotta dumplings under a layer of mandolin-thin mushrooms. He grills foie gras like no one else, wrapping the fatty liver in a grape leaf. And he still offers his famous arroz negro, with almost every grain of rice magically crisped up like a paella-style socarrat." - Eater Staff

"Estela was the first restaurant from the team behind Lodi, Altro Paradiso, and Corner Bar, and it’s still the best of the bunch. If you’re looking for a nice little place where you can share interesting small plates by candlelight, book a table. Bring a date, bring your mom, or bring someone who gets excited about things like a perfect endive salad and ricotta dumplings with pecorino. The snug space up a small staircase on Houston Street isn’t too formal or stuffy, and tables aren’t tough to come by as long as you book a few weeks in advance." - bryan kim

"Estela is one of the best restaurants in New York City, so simply bringing someone here is an act of love. When you walk through the entrance and up a half flight of stairs, you’ll feel like you’ve stumbled upon a secret spot where hot people go on dates when they want a place that feels distinctly New York. The space is dark (but not too dark), the music is loud (but not too loud), and the modern American food—with things like endive salad and ricotta dumplings with mushrooms—is incredible across the board." - anne cruz

"In a hypothetical Restaurant Olympics scenario, we’d nominate Estela to represent New York City. Instead of hurling discs like jumbo Ancient Grecians, the restaurant would show off raw scallops over flattened dates with a dab of uni in between. Rather than landing a double layout dismount with two twists on the uneven bars, Estela would turn an endive salad into food fit for a last meal on earth. And they’d do it all with seductive ease, since that’s exactly the way dinner happens in their dining room above Houston Street. Even after a decade of operation, Estela is one of the best restaurants New York has. Most of the dishes at this compact spot on Houston Street accentuate whatever is in season, which means you might find celeriac and cuttlefish in warm beurre blanc, or dried shrimp on top of Cara Cara orange wedges. Always order the beef tartare and the (world’s most glamorous) endive salad, and don’t be afraid to try any newer additions to the menu. The food here never misses." - Bryan Kim, Neha Talreja, Hannah Albertine, Kenny Yang, Carina Finn Koeppicus