executive chef, Kabawa (New York) · 8 picks
Paul Carmichael cooks Caribbean food at Kabawa and Bar Kabawa in the East Village, the Momofuku project Eater named its best new restaurant of 2025. He spent seven years running Momofuku Seiobo in Sydney before coming back to New York. These are the places he eats when he is not in his own kitchen.
I celebrated my birthday at Gage & Tollner. I went and had a good steak. I usually sit at the bar. The bar is incredible with really good cocktails.
Said on OpenTable · read
order: steak
Le Veau d’Or is another spot where I felt really welcomed—small, little restaurant.
Said on OpenTable · read
They do an incredible job with the food, and I just like going. The room feels nice. It’s always packed.
Said on OpenTable · read
Roberta’s is nostalgic for me because when I lived here back in the day, when Roberta’s opened, I used to go there. They’ve got great pizza and nice little bites.
Said on OpenTable · read
Wildair is just a fun little wine bar with incredible desserts and really tasty food. The dishes there change a lot.
Said on OpenTable · read
I like homey sort of things, and I think Frankies does a really good job of making Italian American food that is memorable and super simple.
Said on OpenTable · read
The chef there, Zack Zeidman, is someone I call one of my sons. He used to work with me when he was a wee little lad, and I love his approach to food. He’s a very detailed human.
Said on OpenTable · read
That room feels really good, and I think Ignacio’s approach to cooking is very unique. I’ve been going there since it opened, and on every trip I came back to New York over the last 10 years, I’d pop in and have a bite.
Said on OpenTable · read
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Published 2026-09-13