New York City’s restaurant scene is known for being expensive, competitive, and sometimes impossible to get into, but it definitely isn’t overlooked. Proof of that is in the newly unveiled 2026 list of the Best Restaurants in North America, which features 13 NYC restaurants in the top 50, the most of any city on the continent.
- The annual ranking comes from The World’s 50 Best Restaurants, a global dining guide that’s voted on by hundreds of culinary experts.
- California is well represented as well, scoring nine spots, including four in Los Angeles.
- But neither of these places is home to the number one restaurant in North America. That honor goes to Smythe in Chicago.
- The first New York City spot on the list is Atomix, at number seven. Its “meticulously crafted Korean tasting menu” and intimate 14-seat counter have helped it become one of the most influential fine-dining restaurants in the country.
- Familiar New York eateries in the ranking include Le Bernardin at 13, Semma at 41, and Gramercy Tavern at 43.
- California’s highest-ranking restaurant this year is San Francisco’s Saison at number 22.
North America's 10 Best Restaurants 2026
- Smyth (Chicago)
- Eight (Calgary)
- Restaurant Pearl Morissette (Lincoln, Ontario)
- Dakar NOLA (New Orleans)
- Mon Lapin (Montreal)
- Albi (Washington, D.C.)
- Atomix (New York)
- Quetzal (Toronto)
- Tanière3 (Quebec City)
- César (New York)