Tartine NYC

Fifteen seats and a corner spot in the West Village are all this bistro needs; it has held onto both for decades. The kitchen sticks to French basics: onion soup, croque monsieur, steak au poivre. It's one of the few restaurants left in the city that's genuinely BYOB, letting a couple bring their own bottle rather than face a wine list. Reservations aren't taken at all; it's walk in and wait, especially for brunch, when the sidewalk line runs down the block on a nice weekend.