"Sitting on a low plastic stool, or perched on a bench at Mắm in Chinatown, it’s easy to form a close relationship with all the flavors and textures on your plate. Like the seating, the food at one of NYC's 25 Best Restaurants is uncompromising—from the tofu that’s made fresh every day to the perfectly springy blood sausage. In the summer, sit outside, wrapping and dipping your way through a platter of pork four ways, and another with three different mushrooms. In the winter, sit inside surrounded by mellow hip hop and the bubbling warmth of a hot pot of fatty catfish and green banana, or a soup that’s thick with shore clams and dill." - sonal shah, willa moore, will hartman, carlo mantuano, molly fitzpatrick