Union Square Cafe

The story

Union Square Cafe lost its Michelin star consideration entirely in 2005 — never receiving one — and the snub sparked a genuine debate about whether the guide was biased toward French cuisine and formal presentation. Danny Meyer opened the restaurant in October 1985 with chef Ali Barker, bringing New American cooking with Italian influences to a neighborhood that would grow around it. When its original lease ended in December 2015, the cafe relocated and reopened a year later on East 19th Street. The Zagat Survey named it New York's favorite restaurant eight times between 1997 and 2008.