The Most Talked-About Dishes in New York – May 2026

From a long-awaited burger comeback to fish-shaped desserts and Filipino doughnuts, these dishes had New Yorkers talking in May.

Liz Provencher

10 Minute read

29 May 2026

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Doughnuts at Kora. Credit: Kora

New restaurant openings get plenty of attention in New York City, but it’s rarer for a single dish to command the spotlight. Still, that hasn’t stopped everything from seasonal soft serve at one of the city’s favorite bakeries to a fish-shaped strawberry tart from generating buzz and filling social media feeds.

From menu items at brand-new restaurants that became instant favorites to longtime staples enjoying a fresh moment in the spotlight, here are six dishes New Yorkers couldn't stop talking about in May.

Le Burger at Restaurant Le B

Angie Mar's Le Burger was one of New York's original status-symbol burgers, so limited in quantity that diners lined up before the restaurant opened for a chance to order one. Demand eventually became so intense that Mar scaled back from offering just nine burgers a night to removing it from the menu altogether.

After years of requests, and just in time for summer, the iconic burger is back. What makes Le Burger worthy of nicknames like "the Birkin of burgers" and even its own MasterClass? It starts with a patty made from 90% ribeye, topped with gooey Fromager d'Affinois cheese and Cabernet-braised onions, all tucked inside a custom brioche bun.

Restaurant Le B

Strawberry Tart for Two at Bar Susanne

What’s the perfect dessert to serve at a seafood-focused restaurant perched along the East River? According to the team at Bar Susanne, it’s an adorable fish-shaped strawberry tart for two.

The dessert has become a crowd favorite thanks to a combination of peak-season strawberries, flaky pastry, and a side of rich whipped cream. Its playful presentation certainly helps, but the flavors are what keep people ordering it.

Bar Susanne

Soft Serve at Hani’s

Some people wait for Christmas or get excited for the first leaves to fall. I anxiously await soft serve season, and this month marks the start of my favorite time of year at Hani’s.

The beloved bakery has plenty of great treats year-round, but the soft serve takes things to another level by incorporating some of those baked goods into a swirl of ice cream. Keep it classic with a brownie hot fudge sundae or pair a swirl with a slice of decadent chocolate cake. Or lean into the season with the sour cherry crisp, topped with brown sugar-oat streusel, candied pecans, and sour cherry jam. Flavors change throughout the season for this weekend evening special, ensuring you'll be back again and again.

Hani's

Prawn Pot Pie at Confidant

NYC is having a bit of a pot pie moment. It may seem odd given the rising temperatures, but that hasn’t stopped New Yorkers from digging into dishes like the traditional Cornish fish pie at Dean’s or a lobster and kurobuta sausage version at Boro Brine.

Brooklyn Heights’ Confidant has its own buzzworthy offering: a prawn pot pie that became an instant favorite when the restaurant reopened in its new location. One look at the golden-brown puff pastry spilling over the sides of the dish makes it easy to understand the appeal.

Confidant

Doughnuts at Kora

It seems like every month brings a new buzzy bakery, but Kora is the one New Yorkers can’t stop talking about right now. The Sunnyside bakery infuses Filipino flavors into everything from a salted egg babka swirl to a croissant coated in edam cheese, a popular ingredient in Filipino holiday baking.

Still, the doughnuts are the reason to get up early. Limited-time flavors rotate regularly, but the fried brioche doughnuts filled with ube and leche flan ni lola remain the bakery’s signatures.

Kora

Tacos at Border Town

Border Town first garnered attention as a roving pop-up selling one thing: expertly made flour tortillas. Now that the team has a permanent home in Greenpoint, nearly every dish is wrapped in a tortilla or served with a stack of tortillas on the side.

That’s good news for New Yorkers, who can’t seem to get enough of these impossibly thin tortillas enriched with flavorful lard. Whether wrapped around fillings or served alongside larger plates, they remain the reason people keep lining up.

Border Town

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About the author

Liz Provencher is a New York-based writer covering food, drink, and travel. You can find her work in publications like AFAR, Architectural Digest, Eater, Food and Wine, Imbibe...

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