Illustration: Clay Hickson
Ours is a town that supports its small businesses, especially those happy establishments that are able to replicate across the five boroughs (and occasionally over state lines) without ever growing too big. These are the chainlets, which outlast trends and feed neighbors in several neighborhoods at once. They’re growing and thriving — able to leverage the economy of scale without losing their local flavor — so it’s time to take stock of the new arrivals and the stalwarts we might overlook. Here are the spots we love (with their number of New York locations noted), provided they have no outposts in, say, Vegas and run no more than a dozen stores, after which point a chainlet becomes a proper chain.
The Birria-Landia truck put birria on the map in New York, specifically in Jackson Heights, which became a destination for the spicy stewed-beef tacos and corresponding consommé that once drew hourlong lines. Its influence is reflected in the fact that birria is now a standard offering across the city, including at five more Birria-Landia trucks around town.
Locations: 6 | birria-landia.com
The chicken sandwiches at Bobwhite Counter (two locations; bobwhitecounter.com) call to mind any number of southern chicken chains. Similarly, Forma Pasta Factory (two locations, formapasta.com) evokes suburbitalian with its creamy wild-mushroom fettuccine. And if it’s Mexi-Cali you’re after, the Dankwraps at Super Burrito (four locations; superburritonyc.com) remain the best fast-food dupe ever invented.
Fig Jam and Bacon
The burrata slice is the signature at L’industrie (three locations; lindustriebk.com), but this sweet-and-savory mix, dotted with creamy ricotta, is the surprising winner.
A Seasonal Square
The specialty at Impasto (two locations; impastopizzanyc.com) is Roman-style pie with a focaccia-like crust. Get it topped with fried zucchini and ricotta.
A Perfect Plain Slice
Salvatore Carlino built the pizza at Lucia (four locations; lucia.pizza) to match memories of growing up in his family’s Sheepshead Bay pizzeria. A thin-but-sturdy crust makes this a perfect slice to eat while walking.
Success is never guaranteed, even for Hallie Meyer (daughter of Shake Shack founder Danny), who opened her first Caffè Panna in 2019. The blockbuster status of her toppings-heavy ice-cream stands — which combine the best parts of Italy’s gelaterias and the Midwest’s Dairy Queens — plus a growing grocery business, with pints in stores like Butterfield Market and available nationally via delivery, make further expansion seem inevitable.
Locations: 2 | caffepanna.com
Excellent Chinese food exists in every delivery zone of the city. How it fares on a bumpy bike ride is less reliable, which is why the leakproof, firmly handled bags at Silky Kitchen (four locations; silkykitchen.com) deserve special mention. Their shallow containers are stable when stacked and tightly lidded against chile-oil seepage, while noodles and greens are dutifully separated from broth.
The thick-skinned chive-and-pork dumplings at Vanessa’s Dumpling House (five locations; vanessas.com) have been a staple since 1999. Dim Sum Sam (six locations; dimsumsam.us) turns out Chinatown-caliber shrimp shumai across Manhattan. And the fresh celery hiding inside some of Brooklyn’s Oh Dumplings (three locations; ohdumplings.com) is a welcome addition.
“Plant-based eating” was still a fringe idea and Dimes Square barely existed when Jajaja Mexicana first opened next to an East Broadway train exit in 2017. Today, however, it’s easy to see how even carnivores can appreciate hijiki-hearts-of-palm ceviche with plantain chips, mole-drenched jackfruit enchiladas, and meat-free “chorizo” nachos.
Locations: 4 | jajajamexicana.com
Lobster, frog, eel: These are just some of the choices that can be given the málà treatment — that tingly mix of numbing spice — at Szechuan Mountain House. Even with all of that, a carefully assembled “swinging pork belly,” thin-sliced and draped with cucumber on a small wooden rack, remains the signature dish.
Locations: 3 | szechuanmountainhouse.com
An offshoot of Frenchette, the now-growing Frenchette Bakery empire makes good on the implied promise of daytime gourmandise with pistachio Paris-brest and tarte au citron tucked into the dessert menu — as well as the most reliable baguettes in Manhattan.
Locations: 3 | frenchettebakery.com
With display cases dedicated to old-fashioned layer cakes, pies, and fruit-filled napoleons, Martha’s Country Bakery is the antidote to the hype-bakery craze. Another difference: Instead of limited-offering drops and winding queues, Martha’s is open, with abundant seating, from 6 a.m. to midnight.
Locations: 5 | marthascountrybakery.com
Do you take your khachapuri in a big boat with an egg in the middle or enclosed with plain cheese? You can get classic styles at Chama Mama (five locations; chamamama.com) and petite versions at Let’s Chama (two locations; letschama.com), a bakery where other Georgian flavors — tarragon scones, barberry cookies — abound.
Teriyaki-themed concepts existed before Glaze, but a focus on premium proteins — grass-fed steak, salmon from Denmark’s Faroe Islands — means its lunch bowls can be tailored to the needs of every macro- and umami-conscious diner.
Locations: 5 | glaze.com
Jennifer Aniston hasn’t been a waitress here in decades, but the cowboy décor and saucy, super-loaded burgers at Jackson Hole still evoke a certain kind of nostalgia for a time in this city’s culinary history before chef burgers and smashburgers had arrived.
Locations: 3 | jacksonholeburgers.com
The appeal of flaky pastry filled with spiced meat cuts across cultures and time: Sophie’s Cuban (11 locations; sophiescuban.com) has served its extra-crisp empanadas with beef, cheese, spinach, or guava and cheese since 1997. Empanada Mama (five locations; empanadamama.com) blew up the scene when it opened in Hell’s Kitchen in 2003 with 24-hour service and dozens of flavors. Cesar’s Empanadas (three locations; instagram.com/cesarsempanadas) trucks have patrolled Atlantic Terminal since 2011, when Japanese Peruvian immigrant Cesar Arakaki pivoted to fried empanadas after running ice-cream trucks for 20 years. Jesus Villalobos and Nate Ramm launched Titi’s Empanadas (two locations; titisnyc.com) in 2024 — after learning the trade at their family’s own chainlet, Cachapas y Mas — with sweet-plantain dough stuffed with beef in the Venezuelan style and Pan-Latin fillings like Argentine choripan.
Sergio Ramirez was in his late 20s when he bought the first El Castillo de Jagua in 1970. After selling it to his nephew, he founded more restaurants with variations on the Castillo name like El Gran Castillo de Jagua. For a while, it got confusing — and it still is. But the remaining locations, all under splintered ownership, are known for uniformly hearty portions of Dominican and diner fare, along with Creamsicle-like morir soñado milkshakes.
Locations: 5 | castillodejagua.com, castillodejagua2nyc.com, elgrancastillo.com, elcastillorestaurant.com
A sandwich is only as good as its bread. The ciabatta, semolina rolls, whole wheat, and focaccia at Alidoro (six locations; alidoronyc.com) are proper landing spots for its sliced-to-order salumi and cheese. The same is true of the pockets of pide that cradle beef at Kotti Berliner (five locations; kottidoner.com), which turns out a spicier-than-average doner. Court Street Grocers (three locations; courtstreetgrocers.com) is a legend at this point, along with its Vegitalian hero, while Counter Service (five locations; counterservice.com) and Brown Bag Sandwich Co. (two locations; brownbagny.com) each have menus designed by Eleven Madison Park alumni.
Peter Phillips launched the national Chip City cookie chain from a single storefront in Astoria. Now he’s returned to Queens to start again with croissants at Somedays. The laminated dough is used for outlier applications like baguettes, but the plain butter croissants are marvels of chain-based engineering: uniformly large and golden.
Locations: 3 | somedaysbakery.com
When The Kati Roll Company opened in 2002, offering roti filled with the flavors of aloo and chana masalas, this city was hardly the wrap-mad lunch haven it is today. All these years later, the kati rolls sit alongside the authentic burritos and TikTok-ready chicken Caesar wraps that showed up in the meantime.
Locations: 4 | thekatirollcompany.com
Workaday sushi tends to arrive in overchilled grocery trays or all-you-can-eat omakase bonanzas. It took Nami Nori to crack the code of fresh-made hand rolls in a setting where solo diners can drop in for a fast bite anytime they’d like.
Locations: 2 | naminori.us
If your job requires so much sitting that your Apple Watch’s reminders to stand are actually useful, the long lines at Los Tacos No. 1 are a feature, not a flaw. The reward is a few thin, larded tortillas garnished with crisp meat off the trompo con todo, which ought to be consumed immediately.
Locations: 10 | lostacos1.com
Popularity is important for any raw bar: A bustling room ensures enough turnover to keep all that fish fresh. The vibrant aquachiles and must-order octopus tostadas at Mariscos El Submarino are proof of this; a healthy delivery business only increases the churn.
Locations: 4 | mariscoselsubmarinonyc.com
The golden burnished pollo ala brasa at Pio Pio was spared from the great chicken-price debate of early ’26 and for good reason: The pull-apart-tender birds, brightened with spoonfuls of the signature green sauce, can be ordered as quarter-chicken combos for under $16.
Locations: 9 | piopio.shop
Illustrations by Clay Hickson
