The Best of
New York

To find the places recommended on these lists, we polled hundreds of stylish and savvy New Yorkers — set designers, curators, architects, and Scarlett Johansson among them — on their go-to colorists, storage-unit facilities, framers, and various other shops, spots, and services. The result: our own Yellow pages, containing exclusively excellent places.

The Best So Far

best of new york

The Best Legal Dispensaries in New York

Newly legal dispensaries for every type of high.

The Latest

Activities

  • best of new york The Best Bike Shops For used wheels, Tour de France–caliber bikes, and more.
  • best of new york The Best Boxing Gyms Including the one where Muhammad Ali trained.
  • best of new york The Best Ceramic Classes For picking up the basics, learning Japanese techniques, and more.
  • best of new york The Best Fitness Instructors For $10 pilates, a mind-body workout, “1,000-calorie burn” sessions, and more.
  • best of new york The Best Language Classes Language classes for the conversationally fluent and the just-getting-started.
  • best of new york The Best Movie Theaters Specialty theaters beloved by cinephiles across the city.
  • best of new york The Best Pilates Where dancers, Broadway performers, and 90-year-olds practice.
  • best of new york The Best Playgrounds Giant geodesic climbing nets, ravines full of sprinklers, and a variety of slides.
  • best of new york The Best Tennis Courts Including the tucked-away Tribeca tennis court that few people know to look for.

The Best Karaoke in New York

Home

  • best of new york The Best City Landscapers From terrace renovations to edible gardens.
  • best of new york The Best Custom Bookshelf Makers Built-in bookshelves for any room.
  • best of new york The Best Custom Woodworkers Whether you want a Judd-like plywood bench, a full wall of bookshelves made of rift-cut oak, or just some simple, inexpensive cabinets.
  • best of new york The Best Electricians For brownstone restorations and bar buildouts.
  • best of new york The Best Exterminators Including Chloë Sevigny’s pest guy.
  • best of new york The Best Florists Where to find bodega roses that will last two weeks, Anna Wintour-approved arrangements, inexpensive marigolds, and more.
  • best of new york The Best Framers For a 27-foot-long Richard Serra quintych or a photograph in something simple and oak.
  • best of new york The Best Home Organizers For an artfully arranged closet, move management, and more.
  • best of new york The Best Housepainters An architect favorite who has been likened to Jackson Pollock, a downtown go-to with a knack for color combinations, and more.
  • best of new york The Best Mold Experts For selling a house, cleaning the HVAC system, and more.
  • best of new york The Best Movers In a city of endless reshuffling, movers who are up to the task.
  • best of new york The Best Storage Units For the most space for the least money, a few cases of wine, inherited minks, and more.
  • best of new york The Best Tilers Who to call for impeccably tiled floors, walls, and showers.
  • best of new york The Best Upholsterers For restoring mid-century chairs, pattern-matching a couch, and more.
  • best of new york The Best Upholstery Cleaners Including one who can properly scour a horsehair-and-cashmere mattress.

Self

  • best of new york The Best Brow Groomers For tweezing, threading, and tinting.
  • best of new york The Best Acupuncturists Including one who works exclusively on cats, dogs, and horses.
  • best of new york The Best Colorists Where to go for Scarlett Johansson’s seasonal highlights, bubblegum-pink buzz cuts, “hot girl” hair, and more.
  • best of new york The Best Day Spa From midtown to Governors Island.
  • best of new york The Best Hair Braiders Including Beyoncé-inspired Lemonade braids and any kind of cornrow.
  • best of new york The Best Hair Removal Including the laser-hair-removal studio frequented by several beauty editors and a threader who is a master of the feathery, ’90s-esque brow.
  • best of new york The Best Meditation Including classes that use sound, hypnosis, and movement.
  • best of new york The Best Nail Artists For bejeweled manicures, hand-painted press-ons, and more.
  • best of new york The Best Nail Salons For long-lasting gels, weak and damaged Nails, and more.
  • best of new york The Best Nutritionists For better digestion, a busy schedule, and more.
  • best of new york The Best Physical Therapists For back spasms, learning to run again, and more.
  • best of new york The Best Piercers Piercers who’ve perfected their craft.
  • best of new york The Best Psychics A palm reading by a psychotherapist, chakra balancing with body treatments, access to your ancestors, and more.
  • best of new york The Best Tattoo Artists Technically-accurate bats, fake freckles, and the best spot for same-day appointments.
  • best of new york 2021 The Best Therapists We asked 31 notable New Yorkers about their therapists and are publishing their referrals in their own words.
  • best of new york The Best Women’s Haircutters Including the haircutter Lily Allen recommended to Domino Kirke-Badgley.

The Best Tailors in New York

Shopping

  • best of new york The Best Butcher Shops Including Carbone’s lamb-rack supplier.
  • best of new york The Best Cake Shops Cake shops for any celebration.
  • best of new york The Best Caterers Individual peking-duck buns from Nom Wah Tea Parlor, racks of ribs from Hometown Bar-B-Que, bissap mojitos from Teranga, and more.
  • best of new york The Best Cheese Shops Including a cheese shop that deals in varieties seldom seen in the States.
  • best of new york The Best Cobblers Cobblers fixing up custom platforms and vintage loafers.
  • best of new york The Best Eyeglasses Shops For hard-to-find frames, something zany, vintage Persols, and more.
  • best of new york The Best Homeware Stores Affordable vintage furniture, Japanese gifts, Brimfield-quality quilts, and more.
  • best of new york The Best Jewelry & Watch Repair The shops restoring everything from Rolexes to anklets.
  • best of new york The Best Kids’-Party Entertainers Including the magician to hire for your kid’s 5th-birthday party.
  • best of new york The Best Kitchen Shops One-stop shops for a kitchen refresh.
  • best of new york The Best Legal Dispensaries Newly legal dispensaries for every type of high.
  • best of new york The Best Niche Bookstores Exquisitely esoteric bookstores.
  • best of new york The Best Pet-Supply Stores Pet stores with food for geckos, cashmere for dogs, and everything a shrimp owner might need.
  • best of new york The Best Plant Stores Plant stores for cheap ferns and collectible cacti
  • best of new york The Best Running Shops Running stores for serious shoes or just hanging out.
  • best of new york The Best Stationery Stores Stationery stores for when you need Tiffany-blue card stock or any type of pen imaginable.
  • best of new york The Best Toy Stores A Harlem fixture owned by a former schoolteacher, the packed-to-the-gills shop in Cobble Hill, and more.
  • best of new york The Best Wedding Dresses For nongeneric gowns, avoiding the Manhattan bridal scene, and more.