Women-Run Restaurants To Visit in NYC (After the Pandemic, of Course)

A classic New York City meal — and a necessity. The Black Seed bagel recipe was developed by the executive chef and head baker, Dianna Daoheung. Her menu includes an array of bagels and bagel sandwiches, but if you don’t see something you are particularly drawn to, feel free to design your own! The cream cheese is also made fresh, options including but not limited to scallion, plain, and veggie. With locations in Nolita, East Village, Battery Park City, Chelsea Market, Nomad, Rock Center, and Bushwick, you will be able to enjoy Black Seed Bagels from anywhere in the city. 

Galli Restaurant provides another crowd-pleasing menu. Located in Lower Manhattan, this restaurant is a quaint spot with all the Italian food you could ever want. Chicken marsala, bolognese, gnocchi d’autunno, and carbonara are just a few of the many options. Galli serves brunch, lunch, and dinner, and they cater! If you are an Italian-food lover, this is the first phone call to make for your post-pandemic party.

If Italian isn’t exactly your style, though, check out Txikito, a Basque-inspired restaurant that offers a mixture of French and Spanish culture through their delectable cuisine. You’ll find it right in Chelsea, but it “transports you to this celebrated Spanish region with seasonal specials, a thoughtful wine list, and a convivial atmosphere.” If the sound of housemade foie gras, pochas, and pulpo doesn’t make your mouth water, I don’t know what will!

Maybe you only have a taste for something French, though. In that case, take a right at the corner of King Street and Sixth Avenue. There, you’ll find a King, owned and run exclusively by four women: Annie Shi, Clare de Boer, Jessica Shadbolt, and Sade Zimmerman-Feeley. Their menu draws on the South of France and includes dishes such as “lombatello chargrilled over rosemary branches with duck fat potatoes, spinach and salsa verde,” artichoke vinaigrette, and “monkfish on the bone grilled with sungold tomatoes, lentils, marinated anchovy and large leaf rocket.” If you haven’t already booked a reservation, the dessert menu will change that: it boasts a classic chocolate cake, persimmon sorbet, and an almond and spiced fruit galette. Visit their site to view the rest of the options.

Eastern Europe offers cuisine significantly different from the western regions. If you’ve ever found yourself longing for a good Russian meal but have never known where to go, look no further! Mari Vanna is entirely Russian-inspired, down to the design of the restaurant itself, which looks as if it has been transported back to the time of the czars. In fact, two of its four locations are St. Petersburg and Moscow! The menu consists of traditional Russian meals such as borscht, chicken Kiev, potato vareniki, and Siberian pelmeni. Even if you’ve never had Russian food before, and have never had a craving for it, you certainly will by the time you leave Mari Vanna!

European-style food can be overrated, though, and often lets us overlook some other great cultures. “Balaboosta” is a Yiddish word that means “the perfect housewife and mother.” While we know women can be whatever perfect thing they want, Einat Admony chose to be a restaurateur and chef. Balaboosta’s menu emanates Chef Einat’s Persian, Israeli, and Yemenite background, forming the perfect dishes. Roasted cauliflower, fried olives, and hummus basar are just a few things to get you started before moving onto the entrées which include dishes such as Impossible meat couscous, beef brisket, and chicken tagine. And if upon visiting Balaboosta you find yourself so in love with their food (how could you not, really?), signed cookbooks are available for purchase!