Filipino restaurants Jeepney and Purple Yam have cemented the reputation of Philippine cuisine as among the world’s best as they take spots in the newest edition of the elite 100 Time Out New York (TONY) Best Restaurants in New York City.
The TONY-recommended “100 best restaurants in NYC to dine at now”, released October 16, 2019, listed the two Filipino food restaurants among what it terms as “a dramatic overhaul of the list, replacing 65 restaurants—perhaps TONY’s biggest revamp to date—that our editors believe better reflects the way that you, dear readers, like to dine around the best city on earth”.
The top 100 restaurants on the list represent TONY editors Bao Ong’s and Emma Orlow’s and Time Out contributors’ choice of “fresh, inventive, memorable and, clearly, the tastiest establishments in town.”
“These are the 100 restaurants we can’t quit—even when there’s a constant revolving door of new restaurants and bar openings in NYC. We hope that you’ll find this latest Time Out Eat List more useful in your day-to-day: a reflection of places you actually can (and really want to) eat at, whether you’re looking to splurge a little or it’s rent week,” writes the Time Out editors in the introduction to the new list.
#84 PURPLE YAM
1314 Cortelyou Rd, Brooklyn, NY 11226, USA 5:30PM – 10:30PM (MON-FRI) | 11:00AM – 3:30PM and 5:30PM – 11:00PM (SAT) 11:00AM – 3:30PM and 5:30PM – 10:00PM +1 718-940-8188
TONY’s 84th-ranked Purple Yam’s specialty is Pan-Asian food encompassing Filipino, Korean, Cantonese, Keralan, Vietnamese, and Indonesian home cooking. The husband-and-wife team of Romy Dorotan and Amy Besa lead the NYC favorite spot.
TONY editors write: What is it? Even if you live nowhere near Ditmas, Purple Yam’s best dishes are worth an excursion. The restaurant’s superior chicken adobo, the national dish of the Philippines, features on-the-bone nuggets braised in a soy-vinegar mixture is simple and remarkably rich with a buttery finish.
Why go? None of the fare coming out of the kitchen—from the Kare-kare to the funky fermented shrimp paste—seems to be tempered to win over nonnative palates.
Purple Yam’s cuisine is also presented in its restaurant in Malate, Manila, named among Daily Meal’s Best In Asia.
#98 JEEPNEY
201 1st Avenue, New York, NY 10003, USA 6:00PM – 10:30PM (MON-FRI) | 11:00AM – 3:30PM and 5:30PM-11:00PM (SAT) 11:00AM – 3:30PM and 5:30PM-10:30PM (SUN) +1 212-533-4121 | @maharlikanyc
Taking the 98th spot in the rankings is Jeepney Filipino Gastropub. The restaurant is 2019 James Beard Awardees’ Nicole Ponseca and Miguel Trinidad’s second restaurant and brother to Maharlika Filipino Moderno. It’s named after the “Jeepney”, the WWII jeeps left behind by US occupation. Filipinos took the left-over jeeps chopped them up and tricked them out, creating a vibe, a mode of transport and a symbol that is uniquely Filipino. That is the essence of being of Jeepney and being Filipino – it’s a vibe, a mode, and a symbol of uniqueness.
Jeepney was on the fore-front of popularizing Filipino Food and its first-mover status, awards, and press cemented its cred as pioneers and has inspired chefs and restaurants around the world with its take on Filipino food, the Original Kamayan Night, an award-winning burger and Tiki cocktails.
TONY editors say: What is it? The kamayan feast is well known here, where a banana-leaf-covered table is filled with everything from whole fried snapper to sweet-savory pork sausages to be shared and eaten with your hands. This may not fit a weeknight dinner, but Jeepney offers plenty of other dishes to show off Filipino food’s diverse offerings.
Why go? Filipino fare has finally received the attention it deserves because of restaurants like Jeepney, which refuse to tone down flavors
CHECK OUT 16 Hot Trending Filipino Food Stops in New York released by PH Time is Now.
SEND congratulations to Jeepney and Purple Yam for raising the Philippine flag in New York City’s food circuit!
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