New York Times restaurant critic Pete Wells recently put together a manifest list that included his top 10 picks for New York restaurants in 2015. Wells writes in the New York Times, “Ruthlessly, this ranking of my favorites was capped at 10, but I could have stretched it to 15 without any noticeable drop-off in quality.” He added, “Before winding down into a disappointingly meager fall season, it was an excellent year for New York restaurants. I suspect that we’ll look back on 2015 as the high-water mark in postrecession dining.”

Kicking off the NYT review is Cosme, the Flatiron neighborhood Mexican restaurant that Wells hails for its “subtle, sensitive and smart-looking explorations of Mexican tastes and traditions.” At the number two spot is the East Village’s Momofuku Ko, which moved to a new address, features the crowd-pleasing chicken, uni with chickpeas, and boxed sushi.

Also on the list is Superior Burger, located on Ninth and Avenue A. After only earning two stars on the NYT’s competitive list Wells justifies its placement by writing, “No other place has gone so far in the evolving experiment of stripping the dining experience to its core values. The servers are more engaged and present than in some four-star restaurants, and the vegetarian cooking of Mr. Headley and his crew, served in paper boats and cartons, is surprising, fun and truly creative. It is also getting better; the mutant cheese steak made with tofu skins seems to have improved since my review, and a recent special, a sugary white sweet potato loaded with an inspired relish of chopped pickles, serranos and tarragon, is one of the most original dishes I’ve had this year.”

Upland, in Kip’s Bay, also made the coveted New York Times list for its ability to draw and keep a big crowd as well as serve up exceptional fare and world-class wine offerings.

• The Full List