The 23 Best Fries In NYC

Good fries are hard to make at home. There is plenty of anecdotal and scientific evidence to explain why homemade fries typically fail to stack up to restaurants. Anyone who has been to a fast food place knows that even the worst fries tend to come out crispy in restaurants, while those made at home tend more toward limpness. This can be especially disappointing for health-conscious consumers, who want the satisfaction of biting into a crispy fry without dealing with all the trans fats you get from fast food. 

But there is nothing we can do in the face of science: The reasons for this crispy-soggy debacle are many, but mostly it's that these restaurants use old oil, whose broken-down molecules tend to bind more closely with the potato, and they contain additives, such as cornstarch and dextrose. The choice of potato when making French fries is also important.

But the good news is that if you can't recreate the perfect fried potato at home, you don't have to resort to fast food, especially in New York. There are a number of great restaurants that serve up delicious fried potatoes with all the crispiness. So let's take a look at where you can find the best of these fried potato havens.

At Laser Wolf, in Brooklyn, the fries are anything but an afterthought. In fact, the kitchen has to start preparing them a full three days before they're planning on serving them. Once they're ready, they're served with a tahina ketchup. At $14 (at the time of publication) these aren't exactly cheap, but you get to enjoy them in a lushly decorated environment with a beautiful view of Manhattan. If you're here for snacks, pair your fries with any of the top-notch appetizers, especially the Moroccan carrots or the cucumbers with harissa. If you're serious about eating, order your fries to munch on with a steak or chicken shishlik.

Houseman is an all-around great restaurant with an approachable neighborhood feel and some top chefs at the helm, including the likes of Ned Baldwin, who apprenticed with Jean-Georges Vongerichten and Alain Ducasse, among other culinary heavyweights. So, it would make sense that they can churn out some high-quality fries. 

In particular, New York Magazine reports the kitchen soaks Idaho russet potatoes for 24 hours, and when it's time to serve them up, the potatoes are then boiled in water with a splash of vinegar and left to cool before the first frying. After the second frying, they're topped with Diamond Crystal kosher salt, and the result is perfection.

Don't shun fries just because they happen to be called pommes frites, especially if you're dining at Pommes Frites. Our beloved potatoes are said to not really be French after all (fries might originate from Belgium), but it's time we come to embrace the frites. To do so, we suggest heading to this West Village locale known precisely for its late-night fries, among other things. Not only can you complement them with a wide selection of sauces, which include standouts like black truffle mayo and rosemary garlic. But you can be sure they'll never run out of this dish, as there's always a batch going on hot oil, ready for the next crowd of fry-lovers to walk in.

Many restaurant fries, even great restaurant fries, can make you forget that this side dish is actually made with potatoes. Not so with the fries at New York's Balthazar, where they somehow taste even more like potatoes than they probably did before, without letting go of the crispy essence that makes fries, well, fries. 

The chefs do this by peeling the potatoes, of the russet variety, crafting them into the right shapes, and letting them bathe in water overnight, according to the New York Times, and when it's showtime, they drain the potatoes, dry them, and fry them twice at different temperatures. Then the salt goes on and the rest is history.

Any self-respecting steakhouse should know how to make two things really well: steaks and potatoes. The Hawksmoor does both exceedingly well. The fries are cooked in beef tallow three times for good measure, according to Pete Wells in his New York Times review of the restaurant, and he says they deserve a dip in the anchovy hollandaise sauce, which "is so good that I started looking around for other things that could be dunked into it." You can also dip them in a variety of sauces. For true decadence, ditch the salad and enjoy the fries with Hawksmoor's celebrated cheeseburger, served with bone marrow and Briana cheese.

If you want Balthazar-level fries but can't get a table, try those at Pastis, which are cut from the same cloth — meaning made in the same style as its sister restaurant. Although the fries can sometimes be hit or miss, with crispy golden potatoes one day and slightly soggy ones another, this matters little when you order them with the mussels or lobster, as you should. And when you're scarfing them down at 10 p.m. in a post-work drinks frenzy, they have the ideal flavor no matter what state they're in.

Where there are good burgers there must be good fries, and since Minetta Tavern has some of the top burgers in town, the fries have obligingly followed. Fries, or pommes frites in this case, come with the lobster roll, Minetta burger, or Black Label burger, but you can also order them all on their lonesome to get into some real, straight-up French fry appreciation. Just be sure to leave some room for the burgers here. The dry-aged Black Label burger is famous in NYC and beyond and was even one of Anthony Bourdain's favorite burgers.

What better place to get French fries than at a restaurant called Frenchette? It's practically in the name. And because everything is very French, once again it's time to look out for pomme frites on the menu instead of fries. Eat them on their own or with the duck with bearnaise sauce, the bavette au poivre, the beef tartare, or the New York strip steak. 

These fries are cut a bit more thickly than what you might find at Balthazar or Pastis, but they're just as good, and the cooking method is adjusted accordingly. At this place, you'll also want to leave some room for other food though. The menu is packed with delights, and it's no wonder it won the James Beard Award for Best New Restaurant in 2019.

This French brasserie in Rockefeller Center may not specialize in fries, but it makes them well enough to warrant a trip, especially when paired with one of its main dishes. We recommend trying the fries with the bison au poivre, especially because they're included in the dish! But jokes aside, they're not just a pretty garnish. They hold their own against the steak and are the ideal tool for soaking up any leftover sauce or juices.

Inspired by taverns and bistros, this spot in Chinatown feels a bit like both. Incidentally, taverns and bistros are both places where you can typically find good fries, so it should come as no surprise that Corner Bar has them in spades. The pommes frites with aioli are not to be missed, either as a stand-alone or as a side with your hanger steak or roasted chicken. And since there's no rule against drinking something sophisticated with something as lowly as the common fry, wash down your pommes frites with a few glasses of champagne. It pairs well and there are two whole pages on the wine list dedicated to different styles of this bubbly libation.

The classic French-style pommes frites is not the only way to make good fries. They are also called patate fritte in Italy, which is the case at Altro Paradiso in SoHo. Pair them with a bistecca fiorentina as a perfectly balanced side. Like so many of its peers, Altro Paradiso is able to create a fry with a wonderful exterior crisp while keeping a smooth, soft interior. 

It's probably time to branch out and try true Belgian fries. There must be something in the water in Francophone countries, because this, too, is an excellent way to cook potatoes. In fact, authentic Belgian fries are known for being a bit thicker than regular French fries (more like shoestring fries), for being fried in beef and even horse fat when done traditionally, and they have historically been enjoyed with mayonnaise. 

One restaurant that gets this right better than others is Mark's Off Madison, which serves its version of Belgian fries with garlic aioli, spicy sauce calypso, and ketchup. But don't worry if these don't do it for you. You can always fall back on the Piedmontese fries with truffle oil and parmesan cheese, which is really no fallback at all.

This list contains a lot of restaurants where you might not expect to find the best fries in the city. But it's only fair to include some establishments that actually specialize in this culinary delight, especially if they deserve it. Dame, a chip shop in the Village, deserves it. The fish is the star of the show here, but there is no fish and chips without chips, and even a great piece of hake served up with sub-par fries is likely to be dragged down by its side. At Dame, the chips, or fries, if you prefer, hold their own and help make the dish.

Lord's is a good place to go if you're looking for "proper English chips," as the menu calls them, instead of greasy American-style French fries. Pair them with your sirloin steak with green peppercorns or with pretty much any other protein on the menu, and you'll be fully satisfied. Butter abounds in most of the dishes here, so a side of fries might be just want you need to soak it all up properly.

The French fries at Chez Ma Tante are more like French-Canadian fries, if you will, but that does not take away from the experience. In fact, everything here is good, from the smoked trout rillette to the duck leg confit and lemon tart. But, don't skip the skate frites, which are no less satisfying than steak frites at your favorite restaurant despite the fishy variation. Even so, these thick-cut chips served with aioli sauce turn the dish into something resembling the finest fish and chips.

In the category of "I'll have what she's having" are the pommes frites at Le Crocodile, a brasserie in Williamsburg where on any given night, you might find every single diner enjoying a large plate of the stuff. These are typically served with the roasted chicken or steak frites, each of which imbues the potatoes with generous helpings of juiciness, but that doesn't mean they'd deny you a plate of lonely fries if you ask nicely.

If you can get a table at this small but popular spot, try the fries on your first visit, as you may never get in again–it's that difficult to get reservations. The fries here are so good they're golden — or at least the menu says so — and are served up with garlic aioli. Enjoy them alongside the storied burger: Ahe double Wagyu cheeseburger, served with pickles, and an egg and bacon if you're going all out.

Expensive steakhouses are a dime a dozen in New York City, so it's nice to come across one that won't require you to take out a second mortgage on your home. Still, the quality of the meat is good at Quality Eats, just as the name implies, especially because of the focus on lesser-known cuts. Another good quality item on the menu here is the brown bag curly fries, which perfectly complement the steaks and butcher's cut burger. In fact, if your fries fill up your plate more than the steak does, that's definitely not a bad thing.

Lafayette, Andrew Carmellini's grand cafe and bakery in NoHo, is another famous New York City spot for fries, and for good reason. Skinny and crispy, the pommes frites here come in paper cones cradled inside silver cups in true brasserie style. Experience them as part of your moules frites dish, with spicy tomato broth, fine herbs, and rouille, or along with your prime NY strip steak au poivres. While these dishes include the frites, don't be afraid to also order them to accompany your brisket burger or chicken estragon. The duck confit could also use some help with absorbing that scrumptious foie gras jus. 

This charming spot in the East Village (with locations in Long Island City and Union Square) excels at making fried chicken, so it's not too much of a stretch to imagine that it makes good fried potatoes as well. In fact, it does, and to see for yourself, order the hand-cut fries cooked in beef tallow. Enjoy them with any of the fried chicken options, in particular the Buffalo chicken sandwich, which is exalted by the Buffalo sauce and house-made ranch. 

If you're starting to get worried about ingesting all this fried food, order yourself a fresh Caesar salad or a kale and quinoa salad. Both are bright and tasty and do a great job of removing the guilt factor of eating fried foods.