Our 12 Favorite Recipes From Beloved Restaurants

You don’t need to work at a critically acclaimed restaurant to learn its recipes. More often than not, the secrets behind celebrated dishes are made available to the public through cookbooks, articles, and videos. These recipes are great for two reasons. First, they’re often very instructive—chefs that spend years making food that people want to eat often know something about cooking. Second, recreating a restaurant’s dish at home is a great way to experience what a spot has to offer if you’re not able to visit in person.

Keep reading for 12 of our favorite restaurant recipes you can make at home.

1. Rao’s Meatballs

Rao’s is pretty much impossible to get into. But, if you follow this recipe, you’ll get closer than its canned sauce and frozen products will ever allow. If you’re on the fence, here’s a video of Jimmy Fallon perfectly making this exact recipe with the Rao’s owner.

2. Le Bernardin’s Crispy-Skinned Fish

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In February, Le Berardin retained a four-star rating from The New York Times—the same perfect score it’s held since opening in 1986. While there isn’t one bad dish on the menu, fish has always been Le Bernardin’s specialty—and that includes this Genius crispy-skinned fish.

3. Nancy’s Chopped Salad

This is the salad from a pizza place you’ve always wanted. It’s crunchy, bright, briny, refreshing, and hard to put down. Also, because it’s from iconic chef, baker, and author Nancy Silverton, it’s packed with smart techniques—like salting tomatoes well in advance to amplify their ripeness—that can be applied to many more salads in the future

4. Chocolate Nemesis

From Ruth Rogers’ legendary River Cafe in London comes this rich, mousse-like chocolate cake that’s so good, the restaurant regularly sells over 500 slices of it each week. Of course, don’t just take my word for it: According to community member Lynn Dixon, it was “hands down the best, most decadent chocolate [she’s] ever made.”

5. Bien Cuit Shortbread

This recipe’s 109 comments say it best: “Oh. My. STARS. This recipe is amazing. I’ve made [four] batches in [three] weeks,” shares Ashley. “THESE. ARE. AWESOME,” boasts Yona. “This recipe makes the best shortbread!!,” declares Cathy.

6. Sam Sifton’s Momofuku Bo Ssäm

We have several Momofuku recipes on our site, but this pork shoulder is my favorite of them all. It’s flavorful, not fussy, and best enjoyed with a cold beer. Once you make this, circle back and explore the restaurant group’s otherbangers, like Soy Sauce Eggs and Roasted Brussels Sprouts.

7. Maialino’s Olive Oil Cake

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One of our most popular cake recipes of all time, this Genius olive oil cake from New York City’s Maialino is beloved by many, including our managing editor, who swears it’s the one cake that has never let her down.

8. Chez Panisse Almond Tart

This almond treat from Chez Panisse—Alice Waters’ legendary, Berkeley-based, farm-to-table institution—reminds us that when sound technique meets thoughtful ingredients, good things happen.

9. Ignacio Mattos’ Grilled Favas

Ignacio Mattos may be the mastermind of New York City mainstays Estela, Alto Paradiso, Corner Bar, and Lodi, but he’ll be the first one to tell you that these favas weren’t his own creation. This vibrant recipe comes from some of the members of the kitchen crew he once managed at Il Buco.

10. Superiority Burger’s Peach-Blueberry Breadstick Crumble

Brooks Headley’s vegetarian mecca Superiority Burger has finally reopened and, like its previous iteration, it’s really good. “Burger” might be in the name, but the spot is equally known for its desserts, and this peach-berry crumble proves why.

11. Torrisi’s Spicy Sauce

Before opening Carbone, Rich Torissi and Mario Carbone ran Torrisi Italian Specialties, a small, Italian American spot serving heroes, sandwiches, and really good mozzarella. Apparently, they also made this really good, easy to prepare, long-lasting hot sauce.

12. Zahav’s Hummus Tehina

This hummus from Zahav’s Michael Solomonov has achieved something few recipes on our site have: It’s been reviewed over 100 times and still has a perfect five-star rating. Trust our community, and make this—then invite friends over to share it with you.