TOP RESTAURANTS OF 2008 (1 - 20)

As I wrote yesterday, I'm posting a list of my 40 favorite New York City restaurants of 2008 on this site. The reason being that the majority of the places I eat at tend to be very affordable. I'm including a price guideline which represents the price of an average entree at each restaurant. At only five of 40 places was the average entree more than $20. Unlike many restaurant lists, which feature places that opened during the calendar year, my list includes restaurants that I dined at for the first time in 2008. Here are the top 20!

$ - Less Than $10 Per Entree
$$ - $10 - $20 Per Entree
$$$ - $20 - $30 Per Entree
$$$$ - More Than $30 Per Entree

TOP RESTAURANTS OF 2008 (1 - 20)

1. Babbo (West Village) – Italian - $$$$

2. Artichoke (East Village) – Pizza - $

3. Scarpetta (West Village) - Italian - $$$

4. Dinosaur Bar-B-Que - (Harlem) – Barbecue - $$

5. Royale – (Alphabet City) – Burgers - $

6. Il Bagatto – (East Village) – Italian - $$

7. Westville – (West Village) – American - $$

8. BonChon Chicken – (Murray Hill) - Korean - $$

9. Nick’s Pizza - (Forrest Hills) - Pizza - $$

10. Parpardella - (Upper West Side) - Italian - $$

11. Philoxenia - (Astoria) - Greek - $$

12. Aloe - (East Village) - American - $$$

13. Zaitzeff - (East Village) - Burgers -$$

14. Melt - (Park Slope) - American - $$

15. L’Express - (Gramercy) - French - $$

16. Pequena - (Fort Greene) - Mexican - $$

17. Una Pizza Napoletana - (East Village) - Pizza - $$$

18. Noodle Pudding - (Brooklyn Heights) - Italian - $$

19. Trattoria Zero Otto Nove - (Bronx) - Italian - $$

20. Bacaro - (Chinatown) - Italian - $$