Ethnic food in NYC is a natural expression to the diverse and eclectic community of millions of people who live in the city. Here are some of the women-owned ethnic, authentic restaurants in the big apple, representing food from almost every continent.
1. Kubeh @ Greenwich Village
Middle Eastern Restaurant * $$
Recommended by Michelin Guide for 2019, Kubeh is a restaurant specializing in the traditional Middle Eastern dish named ‘Kubeh.’ Kubeh is a hand-rolled dumpling, sometimes filled with meat or varying ingredients, and sometimes all the ingredients are mixed as a ball. The chef and owner, Melanie Shurka, learned secret recipes from Israeli women of Syrian, Kurdish and Iranian descent, who inherit the traditional recipes from generations before them.
Kubeh is open daily from breakfast to dinner, serving a wide selection of original delicious Middle Eastern dishes, including hummus, shakshuka, malawach, and baklava.
Melanie Shurka, Chef & Owner
Website
464 6th Ave, New York, NY 10011
2. Mokbar @ Chelsea and Brooklyn
Korean Restaurant * $$
Recommended by “Diners’ Choice” for 2019, this Korean restaurant is all about capturing Korean culture and lifestyle through its cuisine. Learning the traditional recipes from her grandmother, the chef and owner, Esther Choi, believe that food is the expression of a country’s history, language, tradition, and geography. Using only fresh, seasonal ingredients, Mokbar’s menu includes Ramen broths, bowls, kimchi, and dumplings. Open daily serving lunch to dinner.
Esther Choi, Owner
Website
75th 9th Ave., New York, NY 10011
3. Txikito @ Chelsea
Basque Restaurant * $$$
A Basque restaurant specializes in the unique flavors and textures of this Spanish region. Chefs and owners, Alex Raij and Eder Montero, captured the essence of Basque cooking by combining high cuisine and traditional home cooking. Known for its simplicity in techniques as well as ingredients, the Basque cuisine includes dishes such as spiced fries, artichoke gratin, sofrito, and seasonal Basque specials.
Alex Raij, Owner
Website
240 9th Ave., New York, NY 10011
4. El Quinto Pino @ Chelsea
Tapas Restaurant * $$
With the belief that tapas bring people together, chefs and owners, Alex Raij and Eder Montero brought to NYC the textures, flavors, and essence of the Spanish cuisine. This tapas bar is rooted in multiregional Spanish tradition, but with a unique interpretation. Recommended by “Diners’ Choice” for 2019, the restaurant serves a large variety of tapas dishes with meat, fish, and vegetables, alongside a wide selection of Spanish wine and cocktails.
Alex Raij, Owner
Website
401 W. 24th St., New York, NY 10011
5. Mimi Cheng’s Dumplings @ Nolita and East Village
Taiwanese Restaurant * $
A Chinese and Taiwanese cuisine based on the home cooking of the owners’ mother – Mimi. The handmade Taiwanese dumplings are filled with organic local vegetables, organic chicken, and pasture-raised pork, all served with homemade secret sauce. Mimi Cheng’s Dumplings is open daily from brunch to dinner, offering a selection of the restaurant’s signature dumplings as well as various Chinese and Taiwanese dishes, such as Dan Dan noodles, scallion pancakes, and chicken bone broth.
Hannah and Marian Cheng, Co-Owners
Website
East Village: 179 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10003
Nolita: 380 Broome St, New York, NY 10013
6. Tsion Cafe @ Harlem
Ethiopian Restaurant * $$
An Ethio-Israeli restaurant influenced by the journeys of the owner Beejhy Barhany around the world. Tsion Café is serving dishes of Ethiopian and Mediterranean cuisines, a wide selection of wine from Ethiopia and South America, various imported beers as well as original Ethiopian tea and coffee. Open Tuesday to Sunday, Tsion Café is more than a restaurant, but an artistic hub hosting art previews, live music and film screenings.
Beejhy Barhany, Owner
Website
763 St Nicholas Ave, New York, NY 10031
7. Tanoreen @ Brooklyn
Middle Eastern and Mediterranean Restaurant * $$
Since 1998 this Middle Eastern restaurant is bringing together both tradition and change. Inspired by her mother’s cooking and her experiences traveling aboard, Chef Rawia Bishara, with the assistance of her daughter Jumana, made Tanoreen a symbol of culinary heritage and multicultural cuisine, making you feel like eating at their home. Open daily, and the menu includes traditional Palestinian, Middle Eastern, and Mediterranean dishes, such as hummus, tabbouleh and kabob, and shawarma.
Rawia Bishara, Owner
Website
7523 3rd Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11209
8. La Vara @ Brooklyn
Spanish Restaurant * $$$
Recommended by Michelin Guide for 2018, La Vara is a Southern-Spanish restaurant influenced by the Jewish and Moorish heritage of this regional cuisine. Chefs and owners, Eder Montero and Alex Raij, created a menu that integrates authenticity and contemporary, bound with a distinguish aromas of cumin, saffron, and orange blossom. The menu offers a large variety of cold, hot, and fried dishes, as well as a wide selection of wine and cocktails.
Alex Raij, Owner
Website
268 Clinton St., Brooklyn, NY 11201