Instant national best seller.

A thrilling novel of the senses and a coming-of-age tale following a small-town girl into the electrifying world of New York City and the education of a lifetime at one of the most exclusive restaurants in Manhattan. Perfect for fans of Kitchen Confidential and Blood, Bones and Butter. 

Twenty-two and knowing no one, Tess leaves home to begin her adult life in New York City. Thus begins a year that is both enchanting and punishing in a low-level job at “the best restaurant in New York City”. Grueling hours and a steep culinary learning curve awaken her to the beauty of oysters, the finest champagnes, the appellations of Burgundy. At the same time, she opens herself to friendships - and love - set against the backdrop of dive bars and late nights.  

As her appetites sharpen - for food and wine, but also for knowledge, experience, and belonging - Tess is drawn into a darkly alluring love triangle that will prove to be her most exhilarating and painful lesson of all.    

Stephanie Danler deftly conjures the nonstop and purely adrenalized world of the restaurant - conversations interrupted, phrases overheard, and suggestions below the surface. Evoking the infinite possibility of being young in New York with heart-stopping accuracy, Sweetbitter is ultimately about the power of what remains after disillusionment and the wisdom that comes from experience, sweet and bitter.