Interior 

Herb guacamole 

The team behind the impeccably refined (and high-flying) Eleven Madison Park took a different tack for this surprising but mindful turn toward fast-casual fare.

Website: madenicenyc.com

Address: 8 W. 28th St.

Phone number: no phone

Number of seats: 31

Entrée price range: $11-$15

Popular dishes: Spring Chicken: romaine and snow pea salad, roasted chicken, asparagus, snap peas, sunflower seeds, almond, and Parmesan and lemon vinaigrette; Cod Provençal: seared cod, chickpea purée, braised fennel, tomato, olives and crispy chickpeas; Pork n’ Carrots: confit pork shoulder, warm grain, roasted carrots, bacon, kale and sherry-bacon vinaigrette.

What others say: “Fast-casual fare in the hands of Daniel Humm and Will Guidara doesn’t yield your usual assembly-line bowl.” — Florence Fabricant, The New York Times

Interior

Cod Provencal 

This famous space with decades of history and now in the midst of the High Line and all the art galleries in Chelsea re-opened recently under the charge of chef John DeLucie of The Waverly and the team behind Cafeteria.

Website: empire-diner.com

Address: 210 10th Ave.

Phone number: 212-335-2277

Number of seats: 100

Entrée price range: $15-$26

Popular dishes: Empire double patty burger with American cheese and herbed French fries; sourdough pretzel fried chicken with chile mustard sauce; crispy artichokes with white anchovy aïoli.

What others say: “Empire Diner, the famous Chelsea luncheonette whose Art Deco exterior has been featured in everything from Woody Allen’s Manhattan to the opening credits of Saturday Night Live, re-opened … to merge the old with the new.” — Alyson Penn, Time Out New York

Interior

Empire double patty burger

Israeli chef Meir Adoni has been wowing diners with Middle Eastern food he gives a decidedly modern and adventurous spin at this stylish addition to a dense fine-dining haven around the Flatiron District.

Website: nurnyc.com

Address: 34 E. 20th St.

Phone number: 212-505-3420

Number of seats: 60

Entrée price range: $17-$39

Popular dishes: Smoked eggplant carpaccio fire roasted with feta, raw tahini, dates, pistachios and rose water; Palestinian tartare — hand cut beef, smoked eggplant cream, sheep yogurt, baby artichokes and raw tahini; Turkish Delight on the Hudson — seared foie gras, rhubarb, figs, honey lavender yogurt and coffee.

What others say: “For his first New York restaurant, which he opened … with Breads Bakery founder Gadi Peleg, Israel’s most celebrated chef is steering clear of Israeli-food stereotypes, defining his cuisine instead as modern Middle Eastern.” — Liza Schoefein, The Forward

Interior

Spices

Smart and stylish Sichuan cuisine with a creative twist is the focus of this well-trafficked spot in the hip and still developing neighborhood of Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

Website: birdsofafeatherny.com

Address: 191 Grand St., Brooklyn, N.Y.

Phone number: 718-969-6800

Number of seats: 100

Entrée price range: $12-$30

Popular dishes: Dan Dan noodles with minced pork, mustard green shoots and sesame oil; Kung Pao chicken stir-fried with peanuts, peppercorn, dried chile pepper and garlic; poached wontons in chile sauce with pork, pepper and sesame.

What others say: “New Sichuan spots are always welcome in any neighborhood — that numbing, fiery mix is one of my most frequent cravings — but when a place opens within a block of a movie theater (which means I'll be in the area a lot anyway), and comes backed by a Michelin-starred crew, well ... personal excitement levels tend to run a little high.” — Scott Lynch, Gothamist

Interior

Dan Dan noodle