The Food Lover's Guide to the Best Ethnic Eating in New York City

I was first introduced to Robert Sietsema's excellent taste in the Village Voice, when it featured the top 100 Italian restaurants in New York City. Several amazing Italian experiences later, I knew I had to find more of his recommendations. When I stumbled across this guide, I felt as though I'd hit the jackpot. It features practically any cuisine you can think of, from Venezuelan to Tunisian with concise descriptions and suggestions of which entrees to order. The best part of the guide is that the restaurants featured are generally priced below $20 per person, a godsend in one of the most expensive cities in the world! I immediately dined at a restaurant I'd found in the guide and was bowled over by the quality and amount of food I received for the amount I paid. This is a must for any New Yorker who isn't afraid to experiment with different cuisines.

We have now tried many listings in this book, and were only disappointed on one occasion (even then the food was not bad... just not noteworthy). This book has pointed out many hole-in-the-walls we've been walking past for years, like Snack on Thompson, or Soul Fixins on 34th, that were just amazing. Even in areas where we thought we had favorites (like curry hill) the recommendations in this book topped them all (Chennai Gardens). Its true there is some risk that some places might be out of business, especially in NY, but none of our attempts have found a closed shop. The only negative about this book for Manhattanites is that many listings are in the outer boroughs, but believe me, once you've experienced this book it will make you want to get on the subway.

This leads a curious eater away from the formula and predictable eateries in Manhattan to inexpensive and delicious places in outlying neighborhoods. Highly recommended.

While perhaps not as streamlined as some others like the Zagat Survey, this is my favorite restaurant guide of the five or six I own. Its priority is the same as mine: good and interesting food, rather than decor, service or even "star quality." Most of the selections are very affordable (for New York City), which helps. In my area so far, I've tried two or three restaurants in three ethnic groupings. This guide has been accurate: the restaurant which the guide features in each group has been the best, and only in one case the most expensive. My only complaint would be that browsing for a particular type of ethnic food isn't always fast. The groups are logical but not totally intuitive, so it may take a few minutes to locate Indian food in the "South Asian" section. It's all here, though, from any sub-category of Chinese to Uzbekistani.

If you want to know all the great restaurants in New York, this is the book to buy. Much more engaging than Zagats, the author, Robert Sietsema, clues you in to the best dining in the five boroughs. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. It is a fun read and will lead to many memorable dinners.This book is a greatly expanded version of Robert Sietsema's previous book, Good and Cheap Ethnic Eats.