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GuideUpdated July 15, 2026

12 Best small plate Restaurants in New York

The best 12 restaurants for small plate in New York — curated by TastyPals editors.

The best small plate restaurants in New York are EZ Paella & Tapas, Salinas Restaurant, London & Martin Co., and more. Start with EZ Paella & Tapas if you want the strongest overall first pick.

By Priya Sharma•12 ranked picks•Published July 15, 2026•Updated July 15, 2026
Methodology•Editorial team
EZ Paella & TapasSalinas RestaurantLondon & Martin Co.
12 Best small plate Restaurants in New York
Google

Top picks at a glance

#1EZ Paella & TapasSpanish • New York • moderate#2Salinas RestaurantSpanish • New York • moderate#3London & Martin Co.Bar • New York • moderate

Who this guide is for

This guide covers the highest-rated restaurants for small plate in New York, sorted by Google rating and editorial judgment. Picks span New York, SoHo and Park Slope.

Quick picks

EZ Paella & Tapas
Spanish • New York
EZ Paella & Tapas suits a night out when you want spanish that feels grown-up without getting stiff.
Salinas Restaurant
Spanish • New York
Salinas Restaurant is a spanish pick in New York when you want dinner to feel a little more planned.
London & Martin Co.
Bar • New York
London & Martin Co. is the kind of bar room you reach for when the evening is meant to matter a little more.
Browse all New York restaurantsBack to New York hub
Editorial details
Author: Priya Sharma
Published: July 15, 2026
Last updated: July 15, 2026

On this page

  1. 1. EZ Paella & TapasView →
  2. 2. Salinas RestaurantView →
  3. 3. London & Martin Co.View →
  4. 4. Sir Henry’sView →
  5. 5. Boqueria SohoView →
  6. 6. ilili NoMadView →
  7. 7. Boqueria W40thView →
  8. 8. Au Za'atar - Midtown EastView →
  9. 9. Macao Trading CompanyView →
  10. 10. VALERIEView →
  11. 11. The Skylark - Rooftop BarView →
  12. 12. Zou Zou’sView →

How the restaurants compare

Editorial restaurant image stand-in for EZ Paella & Tapas
Google
EZ Paella & Tapas
New York • Spanish
9.9/10
TastyPals Score
Price
moderate
Best for
small plates
Mood
Casual
Editorial restaurant image stand-in for Salinas Restaurant
Google
Salinas Restaurant
New York • Spanish
9.9/10
TastyPals Score
Price
moderate
Best for
small plates
Mood
Casual
London & Martin Co.
New York • Bar
9.9/10
TastyPals Score
Price
moderate
Best for
Cocktails and food
Mood
Casual
Sir Henry’s
New York • Bar
9.9/10
TastyPals Score
Price
moderate
Best for
Cocktails and food
Mood
Casual

How we chose

We looked for restaurants that feel like a strong fit for the guide topic, not just the most obvious names in the city. The shortlist favors rooms with clear mood, dependable pacing, and enough distinction to help someone decide faster. Read our full methodology →

Room tone

Lighting, pace, and general energy all need to support the reason someone clicked this guide.

Food fit

We favored restaurants that feel best suited for the moment, not just restaurants with broad reputation.

Useful range

The final list tries to give readers enough variation in neighborhood, price, and style to compare real options.

12 ranked picks

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Sir Henry’s — Sir Henry's is a three-floor bar on 8th Avenue that doesn't bother picking a lane — and the concept is specific enough that it actually works. The origin story traces back to a legendary Cork nightclub from the '70s and '80s, filtered through the ghost energy of CBGB's, Studio 54, and Max's Kansas City, with funky, artsy '80s and '90s decor that reads as genuinely researched rather than Pinterest-assembled. Ground floor runs louder and looser, the second floor breathes a little, and the third is Disco Sally's — a full disco bar with a live DJ. That vertical range is what makes Sir Henry's credible across contexts: it's reportedly just as functional for a Tuesday lunch as it is for a Saturday that bleeds into 2am, without pretending to be something different at either hour. The kitchen is where the concept justifies itself on a weeknight. The Hot Honey Chicken Sandwich is the dish diners consistently point to — crispy chicken on brioche with a sweet-heat honey sauce that, by all accounts, has a delayed back-of-throat burn that's the whole point of ordering it. The Blue Crab Rangoon Dip is bar food with actual ambition behind it. For brunch, the Birria Breakfast Tacos have developed a reputation as the kind of order people message each other about. The Warm Blueberry Crumble Bread functions as a shareable sweet counterweight to the savory side, and the Brunch Burger rounds out a menu that's priced fairly for the neighborhood and what it's putting on the plate. Practically speaking: the second floor is the right call for dinner — less chaotic than the ground-floor bar crowd, less decibel-intense than Disco Sally's. Wednesday or Thursday gives you late hours without the weekend headcount. Brunch slots, particularly bottomless, book up fast, so plan ahead. Start with the Hot Honey Chicken Sandwich and the Blue Crab Rangoon Dip together. View restaurant →
Au Za'atar - Midtown East — Au Za'atar in Midtown East is doing something quietly radical for the neighborhood: it's positioning Lebanese breakfast and brunch as a destination in their own right, not a secondary offering bolted onto a dinner menu. In a stretch of Manhattan dominated by deli counters and power-lunch steakhouses, the kitchen commits to a level of regional specificity that most Middle Eastern restaurants in New York trade away in favor of a flattened, pan-Arab crowd-pleaser. The menu is built around Lebanese morning and midday traditions, and the distinction, by all accounts, is legible in every dish. The Vegetarian Falafel Benedict is the signature draw — a dish that reportedly takes the structural logic of a classic eggs Benedict and rebuilds it through Levantine technique, with crisp falafel standing in where an English muffin would. Diners consistently point to it as the order that makes the concept click. The Fattet Hummus is what regulars recommend for first-timers: a layered construction of toasted bread, hummus, and yogurt that the menu positions as both textured and cohesive, rich without tipping into heaviness. Lahmeh W Beid — spiced ground meat with eggs — is known for hitting a savory, aromatic register that reads as deeply satisfying brunch food, while Kafta W Jebne Bi Ajin, a flatbread with minced meat and cheese, is the table-share dish the menu seems designed around. Al-'Ayn rounds out the picture as an approachable entry point for anyone newer to Lebanese morning cooking. The restaurant is best suited to a group of three or more; the menu is structured for sharing, and the price point for Midtown makes that equation genuinely favorable. Weekend brunch is the window to target. Start with the Fattet Hummus, and let the less-familiar dishes lead from there. View restaurant →
Macao Trading Company — Macao Trading Company is doing something specific in Tribeca and doing it without apology: a Portuguese colonial-themed bar and kitchen that commits to the concept all the way through — dim lantern light, exposed brick, back-room atmosphere that reportedly feels more like old Macau than Lower Manhattan. This is not a bar that tolerates food as an afterthought. The room is designed for people who want cocktail hour and dinner to blur into one long, conspiratorial evening, and the kitchen is apparently built to hold up that promise. The menu is tight and intentional. The Seared Sesame Tuna leads the savory side and is consistently cited as the kind of dish that reframes expectations for what a bar kitchen can actually produce — a sesame-crusted preparation with a cool center that diners regularly point to as a reason to return. The Beef Carpaccio is known for being properly dressed, with enough acidity to work against a second or third round of drinks. When people are spending, the Pan Roasted Lobster is reportedly the move — caramelized rather than timid, the kind of treatment that justifies the splurge. On the sweet end, the Malasadas have a reputation as the thing regulars come back for specifically, warm and well-executed in a way that Portuguese-influenced pastry should be. The Macao Sundae rounds out dessert as the more indulgent option and, by multiple accounts, the one that disappears fastest. Practical note: the back of the room books up and the front gets loud on weekends, so Tuesday or Wednesday is the call if conversation matters. The reported approach is tuna and carpaccio while drinks are cold, lobster if the night is going well, and Malasadas before anyone suggests leaving. View restaurant →
Zou Zou’s — Zou Zou's is making a specific argument about what Middle Eastern cooking can be in New York, and it's an argument worth tracking down. This is not the falafel-and-hummus shorthand that stands in for the cuisine at half the spots in the city. The kitchen's reputation centers on fire and char as primary languages — a room built around dramatic, large-format cooking that diners consistently describe as transformation rather than mere preparation. It draws the table that wants spectacle alongside substance: a group celebrating something real, a couple who actually talks about what they're eating, anyone ready to commit to the full arc of a meal. The menu is structured to build. The Lamb Tartare is known for a brightness that reportedly cuts against expectations for raw lamb, with a spice calibration that guests tend to keep talking about. The Hot Kasseri Cheese arrives bubbling and is consistently cited for that satisfying pull and stretch that slows a table down in the best way. From there, Zou Zou's real convictions come through in the large-format proteins: the Fire-Roasted Leg of Lamb is the menu's anchor, known for deep smokiness and a crust that diners describe as shattering at the edge. The Tomahawk Ribsteak is reportedly every bit the showstopper it looks like — char and heavily marbled interior doing the work in equal measure. The Whole Lobster Kebab is the flex order: dramatic, priced for a special occasion, and widely regarded as the table centerpiece worth planning around. The strategic move here, based on how regulars approach the menu, is to anchor your order around one large-format protein and build backward rather than grazing piecemeal. Book for groups of six or more on weekdays, when the kitchen can give the big plates the attention they demand — and request a table with sightlines to the open fire. View restaurant →

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Park SlopeSoHoAmericanSpanishMiddle EasterndinnerDate NightGroup Dinner

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Personalized city picksCleaner shortlistsBuilt for iPhone and Android
TastyPalsTonight
Your taste. Our picks.
Smarter follow-through after the guide: better restaurant context, quicker narrowing, less second-guessing.
For tonight
Date night spots with warm rooms and polished service
Next step
Keep exploring in the app when you want a tighter shortlist