There’s a law in this city and it should be carved into subway tiles: if you call a restaurant “underrated,” it’s done. Finished. Over. Don’t do it. You might as well whisper “sellout” and hand the landlord the keys.

Because here’s how it goes every single damn time in NYC: someone drops “underrated” in a caption → a crowd forms → prices slip up → regulars vanish → management panics → the menu changes to chase attention → the vibe collapses like a cheap souffle.

Look at exactly how this trajectory plays out again and again. Win Son? A perfect neighborhood gem that got hyped and suddenly you couldn’t walk in without elbowing a tourist. Kopitiam? Stellar loyalty replaced by lineups nobody wanted. Superiority Burger? Loved because it was a secret. Then hype. Then chaos. Bonnie’s? Same tape on repeat, the second the “underrated” tag got attached, the room shifted.

New Yorkers don’t even realize they’re doing this. We brag about the “underrated” spot like we discovered it, but the next week it’s booked two weeks ahead. The neighborhood feels it first, that subtle chemistry between cooks and patrons and then it’s gone.

Underrated isn’t a compliment here. It’s a death sentence. It turns local flavor into a fleeting fad. It pulls focus from the places that actually matter and sends copycats chasing photons. It turns loyalty into waiting lists.

If you want a restaurant to survive in this city, celebrate the specific, not the code word. Talk about why the arroz hits, or how the owner remembers your order, or the dish that always slaps. Don’t slap a blanket “underrated” on it like you’re casting a spell of doom.

Because in New York, that’s exactly what happens.

Like this? Explore more from: