Here at Remezcla, we have our own opinions of what was the best of Nueva York this year, but we also wanted to get a sense what artists, scenesters and regular nuyorkers thought about the cultural highlights of the year. So we had some of our favorite movers & shakers who call New York home weigh in on NYC’s hidden gems, new bars, local artists, dance parties and other good stuff that happened in 2013. Read on to find out where Bodega Bamz goes to hookup, Bocafloja’s favorite food truck, what DJ blew Nati Linares’s mind, & more.

Bodega Bamz

A rapper on the rise from Spanish Harlem and ringleader of the Tanboys movement, repping Latinos in hip hop.

Best Dance Party: Negro Claro

Best Restaurant: Tabaco Y Ron

Best Bar: Uptown Social

Best Venue for Live Music: Irving Plaza

Best Art Exhibit: El Museo del Barrio

Best DJ: DJ Lady Chellez

Best Chef: Action Bronson

Best Nightlife Personality: Jada Gil

Best Food Truck: Mr Nice Guy Truck

Hidden Gem of the Year: TANBOYS

Best Music Festival: Fun fun fun Fest

Best Street Art: Cope 2

Best Film: 12 Years A Slave

Best New Scene/Neighborhood: Washington Heights

Best Local Band/Singer: Youth Is Dead

Best Place to Hook Up: Mamajuana’s

Most Inspiring Person/Moment: Chang from Guerrilla Union telling me at Rock the Bells he believes in me

Best Sandwich: Chopped Cheese

Nati Linares

Founder of Conrazón, a hyper-connected, multi-purpose collective of Latin and African Diaspora artists like Los Rakas, Zuzuka Poderosa and La Mecanica Popular.  Follow her on instagram at @naticonrazon and Twitter at @conrazon.

Best Dance Party: Bobbito’s Monday, monthly at Camaradas in El Barrio

Best Queer Party: Azucar! A Queer Latin Party @ One Last Shag

Best Venue for Live Music: Von King Park in Bed Stuy in the Summertime & Joe’s Pub

Best Art Exhibit: Wangechi Mutu at The Brooklyn Museum

Best DJ: DJ precolumbian blew my mind at #FutureRoots with Peru’s Dengue Dengue Dengue!

Best Chef: Eddie Huang–I’m not much of a foodie, but I love his “Off The Boat” Vice series

Best Nightlife Personality: Eugene David of Privileged

Best Food Truck: Rinconcito Paisa’s truck on Staten Island

Hidden Gem of the Year: Thinker Nilofer Merchant and her “On Being Seen” Talk

Best New Music Festival: I really enjoyed the vision of L.E.A.D.

Best Street Art: Cern, Mas Paz and Lorenzo Masnah aka Third World Pirate & Cekis

Best Instagram: @TheMikeSchreiber & @MikeShanePhoto. I love following photogs with purpose. Also @LadySoulFly because I love her jewelry and what she’s about. Oh and @PrincessNokia aka Wavy Spice, priceless artist subvHERsive fierceness.

Best Film: I loved “Mother of George” by Andrew Dosunmu and “An Oversimplification of Her Beauty” by Terence Nance

Best New Scene/Neighborhood: St George, Staten Island …though this category bothers me as a Native New Yorker.

Best Local Band/Singer: Staten Island’s Rising Sun All-Stars

Best Place to Hook Up: The Full Cup, one of SI’s only good music venues

Most Inspiring Person/Moment: Malala

Best Sandwich: Spicy lamb burger at Xi’an Famous Foods

Oscar Nñ

DJ and one half of Papi Juice–a dance party in Bed-Stuy aimed to celebrate male-identified queer people of color.

Best Dance Party: PAPI JUICE obvi

Best Queer Party: AZUCAR!!

Best Venue for Live Music: Bandshell at Prospect Park in the summer

Best Art Exhibit: ‘El Anatsui’ at the Brooklyn Museum

Best DJ: Geko Jones always gets the crowd going!

Best Nightlife Personality: Juliana Huxtable she is always so on point and lovely

Hidden Gem of the Year: Chinantla’s mexican bodega and restaurant on Myrtle Ave

Best Street Art: 5 pointz 🙁

Best Film: ’12 Years A Slave’ was the movie to watch this year

Best New Scene/Neighborhood: Queer Latin scene in Bed-Stuy, not sure how new it is but there’s definitely a lot of us involved, collaborating and creating together.

Best Local Band/Singer: Zuzuka Poderosa, Princess Nokia and Junglepussy. I am so here for these three artists!! The three are sooo amazing live!

Best Place to Hook Up: Brooklyn Bridge Park in DUMBO! The views, the nighttime, the summer, paletas and cervezas!

Most Inspiring Person/Moment: Not to be cursi peroooo BEYONCE and her secret album drop!

Best Sandwich: Choice Market in Clinton Hill they have the best beef burger!

Chris Video

DJ, videographer, editor and founder of the the Latin Electronic Alternative Dance (L.E.A.D.), bringing together artists, musicians and DJ’s for a two day music marathon in new DIY Bushwick space, Bossa Nova Civic Club.

Best Dance Party: Confused House

Best Queer Party: Dizzyland

Best New Bar: Bossa Nova Civic Club

Best Venue for Live Music: Baby’s All Right

Best DJ: Lloydski

Best Nightlife Personality: Trey LaTrash

Best Food Truck: El Fogon

Best New Music Festival: L.E.A.D.

Best Street Art: Nepo

Best New Scene/Neighborhood: Bushwick

Best Local Band/Singer: Fast Times

Best Place to Hook Up: Bossa Nova Civic Club

Bocafloja

Aldo Villegas is a rapper, poet and spoken word artist originally from Mexico City, known for his outspoken political and social views, he uses hip hop as a tool to create awareness within our communites and youth.

Best Dance Party: Saturdays at The Shrine Harlem

Best Queer Party: Black Weirdo

Best Bar: Apt 78

Best Venue for Live Music: SOB’s

Best Art Exhibit: Pace Prints present Kara Walker: Harper’s Pictorial History of the Civil War

Best DJ: Bobbito Garcia

Best Nightlife Personality: Tony Touch

Best Food Truck: Red Hook trucks

Hidden Gem of the Year: Maysles Documentary Center

Best Film: Fruitvale station

Best New Scene/Neighborhood: South Bronx

Best Local Band/Singer: Hache ST

Best Place to Hook Up: Uptown Juice Bar

Most Inspiring Person/Moment: Trayvon Martin protests.