Restaurants (Boni's Picks)
List · 20 items

Restaurants (Boni's Picks)

Marcelo MesquitaMarcelo Mesquita
20 items
List

Restaurants (Boni's Picks)

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The restaurants curated by Boni (José Bonifácio de Oliveira Sobrinho), the Brazilian TV pioneer turned gastronome and co-author of the Boni & Amaral restaurant guides. A mix of his Brazilian regulars and the international houses he has championed for decades. Only addresses confirmed open in September 2026.

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Restaurants (Boni's Picks) — 10 items
NameChef's NameOwner NameEstablished YearOpening HoursAverage RatingParking AvailabilityResumoO que pedirPorque ir?ComentárioCityCountryFull AddressContact NumberInstagram PageWebsite AddressCuisineWhy Boni Picks It
11Estiatorio MilosCostas Spiliadis (founder and chef/proprietor)Costas Spiliadis / Estiatorio Milos group1997Lunch Mon–Fri 11:30am–3:30pm, Sat–Sun 12pm–3:30pm; dinner Mon–Sat 4:30pm–midnight, Sun to 11pm4.4 (Tripadvisor)NoneGreek seafood at its most literal: whole fish flown in daily from the islands, displayed on ice and sold by the pound, then grilled and dressed with oil and lemon.Pick your own fish from the display and have it grilled whole; start with the Milos Special — fried zucchini and aubergine with tzatziki.The most expensive simplicity in New York, and the clearest demonstration that with fish this good, cooking is mostly restraint.Price is by weight — ask what the fish will cost before it goes on the grill. The prix-fixe lunch is the value entry point.New YorkUSA125 West 55th Street, New York, NY 10019+1 212 245 7400https://instagram.com/estiatoriomiloshttps://www.estiatoriomilos.com/location/nymidtown/Greek seafoodWhole fish flown daily from the Greek islands and sold by the pound off an iced display — simplicity as luxury.
12Il Mulinon/dIl Mulino New York group (chaired by Gerald Katzoff); founded by the Masci brothers1981Lunch Mon–Fri 12pm–2pm; dinner Mon–Thu 5pm–10:30pm, Fri–Sat to 11pm, Sun 4pm–9pm4.2 (Tripadvisor)Street parking onlyA dark, cramped Greenwich Village room that has served the same Abruzzese menu since 1981, buried under free antipasti before the order is even taken.Let the antipasti arrive, then the veal carved at the table and the garlic-heavy spaghettini.Deliberately unchanged — a New York Italian of the old school that never tried to become fashionable.This is the original West 3rd Street house, not the later uptown or Downtown offshoots.New YorkUSA86 West 3rd Street, New York, NY 10012+1 212 673 3783https://instagram.com/ilmulinowest3rdhttps://www.ilmulino.com/downtownAbruzzese ItalianA Village institution since 1981 — endless free antipasti and tableside-carved veal, unchanged on purpose.
13Wolfgang's SteakhouseAmiro Cruz (executive chef)Zwiener family (Peter Zwiener, president and co-founder)2004Mon–Fri 11:45am–10pm (Fri to 10:30pm); Sat 12pm–10:30pm; Sun 12pm–9:30pm4.1 (Tripadvisor)Building garage; no valetFounded by Peter Luger's former head waiter, serving dry-aged porterhouse under the landmarked Guastavino tile vaults of the old Vanderbilt Hotel.The porterhouse for two or three, creamed spinach and German potatoes — nothing else is necessary.The Luger formula moved to Manhattan, in the most beautiful steakhouse room in the city.Founder Wolfgang Zwiener died in January 2025; the Park Avenue house is the original of the group.New YorkUSA4 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10016+1 212 889 3369https://instagram.com/wolfgangssteakhousehttps://wolfgangssteakhouse.netAmerican steakhouseFounded by Peter Luger's former head waiter — dry-aged porterhouse under a landmarked Guastavino tile ceiling.
14The French LaundryAra Jo (chef de cuisine); Thomas Keller, chef/proprietorThomas Keller Restaurant Group (owner since 1994)1978Dinner nightly, 4pm–8pm (last seating)4.4 (Tripadvisor)Street parking on Washington St and a lot on Creek StA stone laundry building in Yountville with its own culinary garden across the street, where Keller built the restaurant that changed American fine dining.The nine-course tasting menu, which never repeats an ingredient; the Oysters and Pearls opener is the constant.The reference point for American cooking since 1994, and still run with the discipline of a kitchen that has something to prove.Reservations open on Tock two months ahead, on the 1st of the month, and go within minutes.YountvilleUSA6640 Washington Street, Yountville, CA 94599+1 707 944 2380https://instagram.com/_tfl_https://www.thomaskeller.com/tflContemporary FrenchKeller's Napa three-star with its own garden — a nine-course menu that never repeats an ingredient.
15Chez l'Ami LouisAlain Souliac (last publicly reported; no 2026 update)LVMH Hospitality Excellence (majority since June 2024); Louis Gadby hosts1924Wed–Sun 12:30pm–1:30pm, 7:30pm–11pm; closed Mon–Tue3.7 (Google)n/dA 1920s bistro in the 3rd that has refused to modernise: a wood-fired oven, a few tables, and portions sized for another century.The whole roast chicken, the slab of foie gras and the shoestring frites with garlic and parsley.The most argued-about restaurant in Paris — loved and attacked in equal measure, and unchanged by either.No website or official Instagram; book by phone. LVMH bought control in 2024 — worth checking the kitchen has not changed hands.ParisFrance32 rue du Vertbois, 75003 Paris+33 1 48 87 77 48n/an/aClassic French bistroWood-fired roast chicken, slab foie gras and shoestring frites in a 1920s room that refuses to modernise.
16Tan DinhFreddy VifianVifian family (brothers Robert and Freddy Vifian)1968Tue–Sat 12pm–2pm, 7:30pm–11pm; closed Sun–Mon and in August3.7 (Tripadvisor)n/dA Left Bank Vietnamese house run by the same family since 1968, better known among collectors for its wine cellar than for its cooking.The steamed ravioli and the caramelised pork, with a Bordeaux from the older vintages on the list.The off-piste Paris pick: Vietnamese food served with one of the deepest and oldest cellars in the city.Small room, reservations essential; closed the whole of August. No official Instagram.ParisFrance60 rue de Verneuil, 75007 Paris+33 1 45 44 04 84n/ahttps://tan-dinh.frVietnameseUpscale Vietnamese on the Left Bank with one of the great wine cellars in Paris — his off-piste Paris pick.
17Le CalandreMassimiliano AlajmoAlajmo family (Raffaele and Massimiliano Alajmo)1981Tue 8pm–10pm; Wed–Sat 12pm–2pm, 8pm–10pm; closed Sun–Mon (summer closure mid-Aug to early Sep)4.7 (Tripadvisor)On-site parkingA low building outside Padua where Massimiliano Alajmo took three Michelin stars at 28 — still the youngest chef ever to do so — and has held them since.The saffron risotto with liquorice powder, the dish that made his name, inside one of the tasting menus.Technique in the service of lightness rather than display; worth the detour from Venice, which is the whole point of a three-star.Closes for several weeks in late summer — confirm dates before travelling.RubanoItalyVia Liguria 1, 35030 Sarmeola di Rubano (PD)+39 049 630303https://instagram.com/lecalandrehttps://alajmo.it/en/pages/homepage-le-calandreCreative VenetianMassimiliano Alajmo took three stars at 28; the saffron risotto with liquorice powder justifies the detour from Venice.
18Dal PescatoreNadia Santini and Giovanni SantiniSantini family (fourth generation)1925Wed–Thu 7:30pm–9:30pm; Fri–Sun 12pm–1:30pm, 7:30pm–9:30pm; closed Mon–Tue4.6 (Tripadvisor)On-site parkingA farmhouse in the Mantuan countryside, run by the same family since 1925, where Nadia Santini became the only woman in Italy to hold three Michelin stars.The tortelli di zucca — the definitive version — and the eel or the guinea fowl.Regional Lombard cooking taken to three-star level without ever leaving its own tradition; a long drive that is part of the experience.Stars held continuously since 1996. Isolated location — plan the drive and book far ahead.Canneto sull'OglioItalyLocalità Runate 15, 46013 Canneto sull'Oglio (MN)+39 0376 723001https://instagram.com/dalpescatoresantinihttps://www.dalpescatore.comLombard traditionalNadia Santini's family has held three stars since 1996 — a farmhouse in the Mantuan countryside, worth the drive.
19La CabreraGastón RiveiraGastón Riveira (La Cabrera group)2002Daily 12pm–4pm, 6:30pm–1am4.3 (Tripadvisor)Validated parkingThe Palermo Soho parrilla that set the template every other one copied: oversized cuts arriving on a board surrounded by a dozen little side dishes.The ojo de bife or bife de chorizo to share, and let the ramekins of sides do the rest.Opened in the middle of Argentina's 2002 crisis and became the city's most exported restaurant — still the reference parrilla.Two adjacent addresses on the same block; expect a wait without a booking.Buenos AiresArgentinaJosé Antonio Cabrera 5099 / 5127, Palermo Soho, C1414BGQ CABA+54 11 4831 0325https://instagram.com/lacabrera_bsashttps://www.lacabrera.com.arArgentine steakhouseOversized sharing cuts arriving with a dozen little side dishes — the Palermo parrilla everyone else copies.
20Genyadana HamadayaKazuichi Nagumo (head chef; single source)Mita family (proprietor Yoshihiro Mita)1912Mon–Tue 5pm–10pm; Wed–Sat 11am–3pm, 5pm–10pm; closed Sun3.3 (Tabelog)NoneOne of Tokyo's last surviving sukiya-style ryotei, founded in 1912 in Nihonbashi-Ningyocho, serving kaiseki in private tatami rooms.The seasonal kaiseki course in a private room — the menu follows the calendar, not the guest.A form of dining that has almost disappeared from Tokyo: no counter, no spectacle, an entire room and one server for your meal.Reservation only. A 3.3 on Tabelog is high for the format — Japanese ratings compress at the top.TokyoJapan3-13-5 Nihonbashi-Ningyocho, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 103-0013+81 3 3661 5940https://instagram.com/hamadaya_tokyohttps://www.hamadaya.infoKaiseki ryoteiFounded in 1912 — one of Tokyo's last true sukiya-style ryotei, private tatami rooms, reservation only.
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