New Jersey Restaurant Makes New York Times Top 50 List

Korai Kitchen (NO DINE-IN WITHOUT RESERVATIONS!), a Bangladeshi restaurant in Jersey City’s Journal Square neighborhood, has been included in The New York Times’ 2026 list of 50 favorite restaurants in the United States. The annual list features restaurants from across the country and, importantly, does not rank them from No. 1 to No. 50.

A Jersey City restaurant gets national attention.

The New York Times’ 2026 restaurant list was assembled by a 16-person scouting team that traveled around the country to find restaurants for the collection. The team visited places ranging from small-town restaurants to major-city destinations, and the Times says its scouts paid for their food and did not accept freebies.

Korai Kitchen is the only New Jersey restaurant included on the 2026 list.

What makes Korai Kitchen different?

The restaurant focuses on Bangladeshi cooking, with the Times highlighting the food’s use of ingredients including chiles and mustard oil.

The restaurant’s weekend experience is particularly distinctive. According to New Jersey Monthly, diners are offered a rotating prix-fixe meal described as an eight-course feast, though it can extend well beyond eight dishes. The meal lasts about three hours.

That format is a significant departure from the quick, predictable restaurant meal many people are accustomed to. At Korai Kitchen, the meal follows a longer progression of dishes.

This isn’t the restaurant’s first appearance in The New York Times.

In 2025, the newspaper gave the restaurant three out of four stars and named it a Critic’s Pick, according to New Jersey Monthly. The publication’s chief restaurant critic, Ligaya Mishan, also wrote about specific dishes.

The restaurant has therefore attracted attention from the Times for more than a year.

The menu isn’t the only way to experience it

Korai Kitchen’s dining schedule is somewhat unusual.

New Jersey Monthly reports that the restaurant serves its dinner experience on Friday and Saturday nights, while takeout and delivery are available on additional days. The weekend prix-fixe menu is listed at $95 and changes regularly.

Reservations are required for the dine-in experience, so anyone planning a visit should check the restaurant’s current arrangements before going.

A national list without a ranking

The wording surrounding The New York Times list is also worth noting.

Although it is sometimes described as a list of America’s “best” restaurants, the Times says the 50 selections are not ranked. No restaurant is No. 1, and no restaurant is last. Instead, the publication presents them as its 50 favorite places in America at the time of the 2026 selection.

The list includes restaurants in a wide range of locations and at different stages of their histories. Some are new, while others have been operating for decades.

What it means for Jersey City

Korai Kitchen’s inclusion also shows how a relatively small, highly specialized restaurant can attract attention beyond its immediate neighborhood.

For diners who haven’t visited yet, the Times’ recognition may provide another reason to add the restaurant to their list. For people who already know the restaurant, the national recognition offers a new reason to celebrate a Jersey City dining destination that has been building attention for years.