The Top 25 Best Dishes of 2024 Our Favorite Bites of the Year

Another year has passed, and it’s once again time to reflect on all the journeys and meals of the past 365 days. And what a year it was! In 2024, we explored 30 cities in thirteen different countries. As has become our winter tradition, we began the year in sunnier surroundings, spending time in Kaitlin’s hometown of Los Angeles. We continued our winter escape with a month in Spain, journeyed to Singapore, and visited the Maldives for the first time. As always, we spent lots of time in Norway and Sweden, and we traveled a bit around Europe, to France, the United Kingdom, Finland, Iceland, and Latvia. A couple of highlight trips this year included our visit to Paris to celebrate Anders’ 40th birthday, and a month on the east coast where we ate our way through New York and Washington D.C. When we weren’t on the road, we spent our time in our home base of Copenhagen, testing all the new restaurants and revisiting old favorites. The most memorable meal of the year for us was our wedding dinner, which took place at one of our all-time favorite restaurants, Alouette. (More on that soon!)

It’s our yearly tradition to highlight the best of the best, the standout bites that defined this year of dining for us. In fact, this year marks the tenth edition of this annual list! We spent the last week reflecting on everything we ate this year, looking back over our pictures and reminiscing on our favorite meals and dishes. We ended up with a short list of almost 100 top dishes, which we argued and debated, and narrowed down until we had our final list. That’s right, it’s time for our annual roundup of our top 25 best dishes of the year!

The Food Trends of 2024

What were the food trends of 2024? Korean food is still in the spotlight, and in unconventional ways. Formerly uncommon ingredients like gochujang and tteokbokki are becoming increasingly common on menus, especially at non-Korean restaurants. This year we saw a few gochujang beef tartares and even a gochujang oeuf mayonnaise. Speaking of, that’s another dish we saw on many menus and in many variations, from Copenhagen to Helsinki. In fact, French bistro-style restaurants are generally on the rise. Classic never goes out of style.

In the cocktail world, we’ve seen a Ramos Gin Fizz renaissance. Previously, this drink was quite unpopular with bartenders, as it required over ten minutes of straight shaking to achieve the desired foam, but thanks to milkshake machines and immersion blenders, it has reappeared on menus – with fun twists! We sipped our favorite version of the year at Svanen, Oslo’s top cocktail bar, which served a “Banana Milkshake” with gin, rum, marsala, banana, pandan, honey water, cream, egg white, soda, and shaved chocolate on top.

Adult “Happy Meals” are also having a moment – Sip & Guzzle in New York serves a wagyu sando with a truffle amaretto milkshake (and a toy!) for $200, while Doug’s Hamburgers in Manchester serves a burger, fries, and a martini for about 20 quid. In general, we’ve noticed quite a bit of high brow/low brow combos, like caviar and fast food, popping up worldwide.

We didn’t waste our time trying any “crookies” (croissant cookies) this year, but we did try a trendy smashed croissant (only once!) at Keong Saik Bakery in Singapore, which served a twist on kaya butter toast on a sugary, compressed croissant. We did our fair share of ripping and dipping bagels at trendy hotspots like Pop-Up Bagels in New York, and ate open-faced bagel sandwiches from coast to coast, at Apollo in NYC and Courage Bagels in L.A. But none of them held a candle to our beloved Absolute Bagels, the world’s best bagel shop, which sadly shuttered at the end of the year. Rest in Peace, Absolute – you were our everything.

What will 2025 bring? Non-alcoholic drink alternatives continue to rise in popularity, and we expect that trend to continue to strengthen. Studies are showing that the newer generations are consuming less alcohol, and even alcohol-free bars are opening now. Maybe we’ll see AI and chatGPT playing a bigger role in the restaurant industry, too. When the robots take over, can we teach them “Unreasonable Hospitality?”

Join The Hungries!

The most exciting thing to come out of the pandemic for us was the launch of The Hungries, our food community. Four years later, we have over 500 members spread out around the world, and they give us the absolute best recommendations when traveling. Join the club if you’re looking to make food friends (both online and offline), if you love sharing your restaurant experiences, and if you want to hear the restaurant rumors and unfiltered reviews we don’t publish anywhere else. The Hungries get first access to all our content, and VIP members get special perks at partnering restaurants and hotels around the world. We currently have Community Leaders hosting frequent events in Copenhagen, Oslo, Malmö, and Slovenia, and we’re hoping to add more around the world later this year. Sign up before January to get two months free on an annual membership!

Our Top 25 Dishes of 2024

This is one of the very few lists we choose to publish in ranked order, but please don’t put too much thought into that – no. 25 and no. 11 are not too far apart! We will follow the same rules as always: the dishes have to be 1) from a restaurant that is currently still open, 2) from the regular menu, and 3) extraordinarily memorable. For the sake of diversity, we also don’t allow repeat dishes from previous years, or multiple dishes from one chef. Without further ado, these are the very best bites from the top restaurants we visited in the last 52 weeks. Enjoy!

No. 25 – Slippurinn in Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland

Slippurinn is one of the top restaurants in Iceland, serving food as local as they can source it. Head chef Gísli Matthías Auðunsson is a firm believer that pure luxury is eating something you can’t get anywhere else; he wants his guests to really feel like they’re on the Westman Islands through his food. Our favorite dish was the famous cod “wings,” Slippurinn’s local answer to Buffalo chicken wings. Auðunsson utilizes cod collar, a part of the cod fish that is typically discarded. The edges of the fish are crispy and caramelized (like candy!) with a juicy, tender center. The cod is incredibly fresh and clean, flaking beautifully as you bite into it. The “wings” are coated in Slippurinn’s special hot sauce, made from blackened chili peppers, fermented garlic, young spruce oil, tamari, fish sauce, and apple cider vinegar. Most hot sauces are all burn and no flavor, but this sauce is complex and tangy, with just the right dash of heat. A sprinkle of pine needles adds acidity, while a drizzle of smoked buttermilk brings smoke and creaminess. It’s an exceptionally balanced dish – and way better than your average chicken wings.

No. 24 – 305 in Helsinki, Finland

Chef/owner Janne Keskevaari spent six years at Grön before opening his own spot, 305, which, after our most recent trip, has become one of our favorite restaurants in Helsinki. Every dish was bursting with flavor, but the one we still taste on the tips of our tongues is the dry-aged beef tartare with white miso, jalapeño, gochujang, crispy noodles, and onion powder. We’ve had plenty of beef tartares in our lives, but this was a completely fresh take, and we loved the creativity. It was punchy, with the gochujang adding the perfect kick and spice level. (We told you it was trending!) The meat had a pleasant, toothy texture, complemented by a satisfying snap from the fried noodles. An absolute banger of a dish!

No. 23 – Dandelion in Paris, France

Our favorite casual restaurant in Paris is the newly opened Dandelion, a modern French bistro from Antoine Villard (former sous chef of Septime) and sommelier Morgane Souris (formerly of Parcelles). Everything about the place is absolutely charming, and we know we’d be regulars here if we lived in Paris. While the savory dishes were all outstanding, the dessert soared onto our best dishes of the year. The light-as-air chou à la Tropezienne is filled with an orange blossom vanilla cream guaranteed to knock your socks off, with a light dusting of powdered sugar on top. This dessert tastes like stopping to smell the flowers on the first sunny day of spring. Floral, aromatic, rich, and buttery – the ultimate cream puff. It was so good that we ordered a second round – and, trust us, you’d do the same.

No. 22 – Atoboy in New York City, New York

Atoboy, the casual little sibling to Michelin-starred restaurant Atomix, gets a lot of love for their exceptionally crispy, miraculously juicy Korean fried chicken – and with good reason. While the chicken is up there with the best we’ve had, it was actually a seasonal appetizer (coincidentally, a vegetarian play on that famous chicken) that ended up being one of our favorite dishes of the year. The deep-fried butternut squash gangjeong (a nod to the traditional Korean rice puff) is fried in a batter similar to their fried chicken and served in a sticky caramel sauce with foamy fontina cheese, garam masala, and cayenne pepper. It’s crispy, candied, complex, sugary, and spicy — almost like pumpkin pie, but with a hint of heat.

No. 21 – Vivant 2 in Paris, France

For the ultimate night out in Paris, we recommend a visit to Vivant 2. The buzzy, energetic vibe feels more like a disco than a restaurant, with a smashing playlist loudly blasting hit after hit from ABBA, Madonna, and Michael Jackson. The space, with only a chef’s counter, is so tiny that you end up dancing with your neighbors. The biggest surprise? The food is actually mind-blowingly delicious, even in this party setting. Just like the music, the hits just kept coming, with flavor bomb after flavor bomb. The best of all was a sort of beef tartare sandwich with fresh basil leaves and crispy, fried zucchini flowers as the “bread.” This ended up being one of our absolute favorite meals in Paris.

No. 20 – Alf in Copenhagen, Denmark

The former head chef and sommelier of Geist, Malte Sørensen and Jeppe Nørfelt, opened Alf together in Frederiksberg. The venue is designed like a Parisian bistro, an intimate, cozy space with small tables spilling out onto the street, and an innovative à la carte menu. The pièce de résistance was their take on the Danish brunsviger pastry. Instead of the traditional focaccia-like slice, Alf’s sweet treat resembles the laminated Kouign-amann pastry. It’s shaped, left to rise in a muffin tin, filled with a butter and brown sugar remonce, and baked once in the morning. When ordered in the evening, the pastry is filled with even more remonce and baked a second time. It’s served warm, topped with tonka bean ice cream that melts over the hot pastry. The brunsviger has a caramelized, crispy top and a buttery, fluffy bottom, with the gooey brown sugar oozing out of it like lava. Yes, of course, we ordered seconds – it’s one of the best desserts we’ve ever had!

No. 19 – Lutèce in Washington, D.C.

Lutèce is our favorite casual restaurant in Washington, D.C. This charming neighborhood spot has an eye-catching bold blue exterior, an adorable patio, and a cozy dining room with big, bright windows. Husband-and-wife duo Matt Conroy and Isabel Coss, who are in charge of the kitchen, are serving some of the tastiest, most original food in D.C. You can’t leave without ordering the signature dessert – whipped honey semifreddo topped with curls of 18-month-aged Comté cheese and studded with crunchy pieces of honeycomb. Somewhere between a cheese course and a confection, this is one of the most balanced sweet and savory desserts we’ve had, and we loved the textural elements at play. Our only regret is that we had to share it – next time we’re getting one per person!

No. 18 – Bar Vitrine in Copenhagen, Denmark

One of Copenhagen’s most exciting openings this year was Bar Vitrine, a restaurant from Riccardo Marcon (Barabba and Propaganda) and chef Dhriti Arora (formerly of Noma). Arora serves flavors unlike anything else in town. The menu is inspired by her Indian roots, but without borders or restrictions. Offerings rotate frequently, but you’ll likely find spice-forward dishes featuring local ingredients, flaky flatbreads, and cardamom-laden desserts. While many dishes could have landed on this list, one that stood out from our handful of visits was a play on a traditional Indian breakfast dish. A buttery, flaky pastry is filled with a rich tomato chutney that has such a deep, concentrated flavor it resembles a Bolognese sauce. Beautiful, colorful Danish tomatoes line the top of the tart, and fresh cheese is served on the side to balance out the spice level.

No. 17 – Bresca in Washington, D.C.

Bresca is the more laid-back, one-Michelin-starred counterpart to two-Michelin-starred restaurant Jônt. While Jônt leans into more delicate flavors and broth-based sauces, Bresca leans all in on the butter. That means richer, more indulgent, and decadent butter-based sauces alongside hearty dishes like their famous dry-aged duck or brioche chicken. When we looked at the tasting menu at the start of our dinner, we wouldn’t have guessed that the swordfish would be our favorite from the meal, but that’s the dish that blew us away. The fish was poached in poultry fat and seared quickly, giving it a rich, meaty, umami vibe that we were not expecting from this ingredient. In fact, the color and texture reminded us more of pork than fish. The swordfish sat atop the fluffiest vin jaune sauce, with nutty, buttery flavors and a hint of spice. Underneath the foamy sauce was a succotash with purple cowpeas, corn kernels, and gigante beans (which just might be the best beans we’ve had in our lives). And, of course, some caviar to top it all off. We never thought we would love swordfish so much, but this dish changed our minds.

No. 16 – Ilis in New York City, New York

One of our top meals this year was at Ilis, the new restaurant from chef Mads Refslund (the co-founder of Noma). The name loosely translates to “fire and ice” in Danish, and the Nordic-inspired dining room centers around a huge open kitchen where seasonal North American produce is cooked over a wood fire. The chefs go to the market and get fresh ingredients every day, resulting in inventive, delicious, and sometimes experimental servings. A standout from our meal was the big eye tuna from Montauk, prepared two ways. First, we were served the tuna raw and instructed to scrape the sashimi off the fish bones. The raw tuna was so fresh, and we loved the acidity of the toppings – gooseberries, oxalis leaves, and a rose petal pesto. After we finished one side, the bones were taken back to the kitchen and the meat on the other side was cooked over the fire before returning to our table, this time covered in an orange romesco sauce (made with bell peppers, tomato, and chilis), sesame seeds, plum, and yuzu. It was so interesting to be able to eat the fish like this and feel the contrast of the raw and cooked preparations. Ilis is unlike anything else in New York, and such a fun and unique addition to the city.

No. 15 – Hermetikken in Stavanger, Norway

We enjoyed our last restaurant meal of the year at Stavanger’s newest Michelin-starred eatery, Hermetikken, where chef Stuart Barber is serving luxurious tasting menus in a cozy wine bar setting. The signature beef wellington is a worthy tribute to his British roots – a beautiful puff pastry stuffed with perfectly pink Norwegian beef tenderloin, spinach, and mushroom duxelle. The pastry was crispy and flaky – not soggy in the slightest – and the rich and acidic bordelaise sauce was to die for, made with dry red wine, butter, shallots, and huge chunks of melt-in-the-mouth bone marrow that exploded on the tongue. A dollop of caramelized shallot purée added sweetness that brought this sweet and savory meat pastry together. This was, without a doubt, the best beef wellington we’ve ever had.

No. 14 – Pineapple & Pearls in Washington, D.C.

Pineapple & Pearls is not fine dining; it’s fun dining! This Michelin-starred restaurant is the perfect place to celebrate a special occasion – it’s totally luxurious and wonderfully hedonistic. Caviar, truffles, wagyu, and vintage crystal plates are all on the table – you feel like royalty here, in the best way. And the food is equally festive – sorbets doused with Champagne, confetti-studded pancakes drizzled with 24-karat gold-flecked maple syrup, all the soft serve you can eat, and take-away cheeseburgers. But amidst the many dazzling dishes, it was actually a more humble plate of fluffy, airy gnocchi that stood out as the best of the night. Handmade with just potato and flour, it’s definitely the best gnocchi we’ve had. These potato pillows are blanketed by a buttery, creamy, cheesy sauce and tucked in with a generous amount of shaved Italian truffles. Sweet dreams are made of these.

No. 13 – Kadeau in Copenhagen, Denmark

Two-Michelin-starred Kadeau is a Copenhagen gem, and one of our favorite eateries in the world. This year we visited in the fall, when Kadeau serves the “preservation menu,” featuring produce harvested and preserved during spring and summer on the Danish island of Bornholm. The dish that most surprised us was a serving of deer, an ingredient we often find boring – but not at Kadeau. Raw red deer loin was brushed with warm butter to give it a soft texture, so it melted on the tongue like wagyu. Slices of cooked deer tongue were also on the plate, alongside maitake mushrooms, preserved ramson, smoked juniper butter, and a touch of spice from salted seeds. This is, without a doubt, the best deer serving we’ve ever had.

No. 12 – Maison by Sota Atsumi in Paris, France

Another favorite meal from our Paris trip was at Maison by chef Sota Atsumi. Here, a favorite ingredient of ours was adorned in autumnal attire – raw Saint-Jacques scallops were served with baked pumpkin, butternut squash, raw cream, satsuma citrus, mackerel garum, carrot flowers, and Japanese juniper. This was such a wonderful fall dish, and so creative and tasty. Fresh, clean scallops were balanced with sweetness from the pumpkin and butternut squash, creaminess from the crème crue, and acidity from the bright citrus. Before this dish, we had never tried pumpkin and scallop together, and we fell in love with the pairing. Ironically, after this meal, we saw quite a few iterations of scallop and pumpkin dishes around Paris – but none compared to this masterpiece.

No. 11 – Kong Hans Kælder in Copenhagen, Denmark

Two-Michelin-starred Kong Hans Kælder is a world-class restaurant, offering a bit of France in Copenhagen. Dining here is the epitome of luxury, with chefs in tall toques and exceptional service. There are many fun tableside presentations, as well as decadent trolleys piled high with fancy cheeses and petits fours. While we’d hosted a dinner for The Hungries once in the private dining room, we’d never dined in the main dining room as just the two of us, so we decided that Kaitlin’s 30th birthday was the perfect occasion to do so. A highlight dish from an exceptional meal was the decadent scallop pithivier with Perigord truffle, served and sliced tableside. This was an incredibly luxurious and delicious main course, a star of the night, served with not one but two sauces – black truffle and vin jaune.

No. 10 – Burnt Ends in Singapore

Burnt Ends has been, and remains, our favorite restaurant in Singapore. Anders has been a guest at Dave Pynt’s barbecue counter countless times since 2016, and this year we finally got to visit the stunning new location. Burnt Ends is first and foremost a grill restaurant, so the à la carte menu primarily features high-quality meat, but there are also lots of secret, off-menu items sure to start your meal with style. One we couldn’t resist was the “uni toast,” a deep-fried brioche bun filled with king crab, sour cream, lemon, and topped with beef jus-glazed Japanese uni. The butter-soaked brioche was life-changing, the uni was so sweet and clean, the beef jus added richness, while the king crab and lemon added needed freshness. A decadent, to-die-for bite!

No. 9 – Plénitude in Paris, France

Chef Arnaud Donckele is a master of sauce, which he describes as “the soul of his cuisine.” Donckele focuses so much on sauce that he serves a small pot of it on the side of each dish, asking his guests to first taste the sauce on its own before eating the dish. His sauces are some of the best we’ve ever had – sophisticated, complex, and layered with diverse ingredients. The favorite sauce from our spectacular meal at Plénitude was a sabayon “Buisson Divin” made with langoustine consommé perfumed with rosemary, toasted lobster claw butter, lobster head cream, squash essence, floral marinade, flowering vinegar, shallot reduction, citrus, Chardonnay, and coriander seeds. This was one of the most balanced, buttery shellfish sauces we’ve ever had – light and airy with an amazing foamy texture and packed with flavor. It’s a sauce you could slurp like a soup. The sauce was served alongside a perfectly cooked langoustine tail and an artichoke heart topped with squash “petals.”

No. 8 – Vyn in Simrishamn, Sweden

One of the most anticipated restaurant openings in Scandinavia was Vyn, which opened a year ago and received two Michelin stars in May. Chef Daniel Berlin is back and better than ever. A dish that’s become a Vyn signature, and the most memorable from our meal, is the “hot and cold scallop” – a half raw, half cooked Norwegian scallop, served with a velvety sauce made from apple, dill, sugar kelp seaweed, and scallop roe. The bottom of the scallop was still raw and completely ice cold, with a silky, slippery texture; meanwhile, the seared top had a meatier bite and a caramelized crust with a crunchy, crispy edge. We love scallops and are lucky to indulge in them often when dining out, but this was a completely unique preparation and original way of handling such a beautiful product. We loved enjoying the textural and flavor contrasts of a single ingredient in one serving.

No. 7 – Koan in Copenhagen, Denmark

It’s no secret that we’ve been long-time fans of chef Kristian Baumann’s delicate, nuanced style of cooking. Koan is his crown jewel – we adore this intersection of Korean and Nordic cuisines. A highlight dish from our most recent meal showcased the world’s most luxurious ingredient: a barbecued, extra-large Norwegian langoustine tail, in the ultimate surf-and-turf showdown. The langoustine was brushed with a paste made from caramelized apples, aromatic berries, pickled wild garlic, and sweet onions, and topped with a melt-in-the-mouth slice of kimchi-cured ribeye. This magical combination was hidden beneath shingles of oxalis leaves, and the dish was finished with a beef and lobster butter sauce.

No. 6 – A.T. in Paris, France

We’ve been wanting to dine at A.T. for a literal decade – and we finally made it this year! Our meal was exquisite, with every dish bursting with flavor and imagination. We declared it to be our best fine dining meal in Paris. We loved seeing inspiration from Japan and the Nordics, lots of local French ingredients, and a distinct fingerprint that at the end of the day we can only define as chef Atsushi Tanaka himself. And the artsy presentations match the impeccable flavors. The signature dish we most looked forward to tasting lived up to our expectations. Oval-shaped slices of raw carrot clung to the side of a ceramic bowl, adhered by dollops of carrot purée. Inside the bowl was a foamy Brittany spider crab bisque flavored with tonka and cocoa beans. This dish was rich, creamy, and layered, with a sweetness so pronounced we nearly asked for seconds instead of dessert.

No. 5 – Alouette in Copenhagen, Denmark

Alouette will forever have a special place in our hearts. Since our first visit in 2019, it’s become our home away from home, the restaurant where we’ve taken every friend and family member who has visited us, and the place where we’ve celebrated countless milestones and special occasions – so it was only fitting that we had our wedding at the new Alouette this summer. That’s right, owners Camilla Hansen and Nick Curtin pushed their baby bird from its Amager nest this year, letting Alouette spread its wings and settle into a new home. Their ambitions burn as brightly as the open fire at the heart of their kitchen, where new flavors and ideas constantly spark into flame. Our favorite dish this year was a Norwegian langoustine tail, brined and ever so lightly grilled on the fire, and served with a beurre blanc with a touch of oregano oil and elderflower. (Sauce master Curtin strikes again!) This sauce was an elderflower bomb, floral and buttery, with added depth and herbaceousness from the oregano oil. Curtin makes some of the best sauces in the world – incredibly balanced, intricate, and addicting, with completely one-of-a-kind flavor combinations. Though Alouette has evolved, it continues to be our favorite restaurant in Copenhagen.

No. 4 – Brutalisten in Stockholm, Sweden

Brutalisten is an experimental restaurant from artist Carsten Höller, focused on one-ingredient cooking. The restaurant’s manifesto states that only water and salt can be used in addition to the main ingredient. The chefs start with high-quality, seasonal produce and experiment with techniques rather than adding unnecessary ingredients. We were blown away by the originality of the team at Brutalisten; the restrictions push the chefs to think outside the box. Our favorite dish of the meal was all about the dairy cow. Raw slices of the inner thigh were served together with dairy products from the same cow (fresh yogurt and caramelized cream) and a calf bone jus. The dry-aged meat had the quality of jamón ibérico – it was so fatty and dissolved on the tongue. The jus added richness, the yogurt added freshness, and the caramelized cream tied it all together with perfect sweetness. This was a spectacular dish and such a fun display of “one ingredient” – it’s easy to see why this has become a signature at Brutalisten. This is easily one of the most interesting (and delicious) restaurants in Stockholm right now.

No. 3 – Jônt in Washington, D.C.

Our top meal in the U.S. capital was at Jônt, the fine dining tasting menu restaurant that inspired our trip to Washington, D.C. The chef’s counter faces the kitchen, where executive chef Ryan Ratino mans an open fire and binchotan grills. Jônt is heavily Japanese-inspired, using ingredients and cooking techniques from Japan. Their signature donabe-cooked sasanishiki rice is one dish that never leaves the menu. The rice is cooked in a Japanese clay pot and seasoned with kombu, maitake mushrooms, cultured butter, wild king crab from Hokkaido, and Australian winter truffles. This is by far the best donabe rice we’ve had – the texture of the rice absolutely melted in our mouth, and was bursting with flavor. This restaurant is in a league of its own in D.C. and right up there with the best meals we’ve had in the States. Jônt currently has two Michelin stars, but it won’t be long until they earn the third.

No. 2 – Jordnær in Copenhagen, Denmark

Denmark’s newest three-Michelin-starred restaurant is indeed a meal worthy of a special journey. Chef Eric Kragh Vildgaard is committed to sourcing the highest quality ingredients; “only the best for our guests” is not just a catchy slogan but a way of life at Jordnær. The decadent tasting menu showcases seafood accompanied by buttery sauces, often topped with a generous amount of luxury ingredients. Take, for example, our favorite dish – a takoyaki (doughnut ball) filled with rich lobster claw meat, and topped with caviar and Australian truffle. We were instructed to have this snack in two bites – first, starting with the truffle and caviar on top (which felt decadent, luxurious, and also a bit sinful), and second, the warm and juicy lobster doughnut. What an astonishing, amazing meal. The cooking is precise and technically perfect, yet chef Vildgaard also takes risks and dares to dream with his inventive flavor combinations. The food at Jordnær is truly some of the best in the world.

No. 1 – Chef’s Table at Brooklyn Fare in New York City, New York

What a rollercoaster of a restaurant Chef’s Table at Brooklyn Fare has been for us. In a shocking twist of events, it went from being a place we said we’d never return to our favorite fine dining restaurant in NYC. With two new head chefs in charge, Max Natmessnig and Marco Prins, we found ourselves called back to the counter – and we’re so glad we answered that call. Natmessnig and Prins have completely revamped the menu; it’s more modern, more European-inspired, and much punchier in flavor. Amidst many marvelous dishes, there was one we never wanted to finish: a Maine diver scallop served with a vin jaune sauce, fig leaf oil, and kaluga caviar. These flavors were on fire – the vin jaune was crazy buttery, with a sweet nuttiness reminiscent of an almond butter cake. Combined with the fig leaf oil it almost took on the flavor of woodruff – floral, woody, herbal, and desserty, like a Biscoff cookie. Housemade potato chips added crunch, while diced red onions added acidity. And a generous heap of caviar seasoned the dish to perfection. Months later and we can still taste these flavors, remembering how they lingered on our tongues. All hail the comeback kid – Chef’s Table at Brooklyn Fare is better than ever!

What were your favorite dishes in 2024? Please share in a comment below.

Here Are Our Top Lists From Previous Years:

The Top 25 Best Dishes of 2023
The Top 25 Best Dishes of 2022
The Top 25 Best Dishes of 2021
The Top 25 Best Dishes of 2020
The Top 25 Best Dishes of 2019
The Top 25 Best Dishes of 2018
The Top 25 Best Dishes of 2017
The Top 25 Best Dishes of 2016
The Top 20 Best Dishes of 2015