< Introducing New York City
Where to Eat
Colorful interior of La Lucha, a Mexican restaurant in the East Village
The quality of restaurants in New York is high, but what really sets the city’s culinary landscape apart is its incredible diversity. Nearly every country on the planet is represented here. From artisanal ice cream to light-as-a-feather Vietnamese fare, New York cooks and chefs have something for everyone, including young kids. The price categories in this guide allow for a two-course lunch for a family of four, excluding wine but including soft drinks.
Eating out
Most restaurants are open for lunch, dinner, and in between, and there are plenty of 24-hour delis and diners, too. Typically, lunch is served from 11:30am or noon till 2:30 or 3pm – if the place closes before dinner – and dinner from 5:30 or 6pm till 10pm, 11pm, or midnight.
Reservations aren’t usually needed for lunch or at budget restaurants, but dinner at a brand-new or popular spot usually requires one. Phoning to book a table is the easiest option, but the online site
www.opentable.com is accessible 24/7 and often has exclusive seating options.
Eating out in New York is not cheap. Diners and small Asian or Middle Eastern spots are typically the least expensive eat-in options. Rock-bottom options include street-vendor fare (see
Street food) and pizza slices. You can peruse menus beforehand at
www.menupages.com. If using a stroller, ask ahead about stroller policy, as not all places welcome them. The city’s smoking ban is enforced at virtually all restaurants, cafés, and even bars. As is customary anywhere in the US,
tipping is considered mandatory at any non-self-service eatery. The minimum acceptable tip is 15 percent, and the standard tip for good service is 20 percent.
Breakfast & brunch
Delis, especially in Midtown, often have a counter serving up eggs, bagels, sandwiches, and coffee, plus seat-yourself tables and chairs, making them a quick and inexpensive option. Chains such as
Au Bon Pain,
Le Pain Quotidien, and
Sarabeth’s Kitchen specialize in baked goods, including croissants and muffins. New Yorkers prefer the all-American diner, which got its name from dining cars on trains. Here, breakfast staples such as cereal, fruit, French toast, pancakes, and omelets are often available 24/7 and are made to order. Some of the more family-friendly diners in town are
Bubby’s,
Galaxy Diner,
Tom’s Restaurant, and the Bel Aire Diner.
On weekends, many restaurants that don’t serve breakfast during the week open for brunch – typically served between 10am and 4pm. Brunches can be found at Clinton Street Baking Company, Dublin 6, Joe Allen, and Buttermilk Channel, among many other choice spots.
Casual outdoor seating at Bubby’s, a popular diner in New York’s Tribeca neighborhood
Galaxy Diner
665 Ninth Ave at 46th St, 10036; 2125864885
Southern/soul food
Soul food, which originated in the US south among African-Americans, and Southern cuisine overlap. Both involve special methods of cooking, such as using a barbecue or pit smoker, and have specialty dishes, such as cornbread, sweet potatoes, catfish, pulled pork, and collard greens. Among the best soul-food eateries are
Amy Ruth’s,
Miss Maude’s Spoonbread Too,
Sylvia’s,
Pies 'n' Thighs, and
Red Rooster Harlem.
New American
A food genre that has taken off in the city is New American – inventive meals made with seasonal, locally sourced ingredients with an emphasis on freshness, flavor, and thoughtful food pairings. Among the more family-friendly exponents are Tenth Avenue Cookshop, Mesa Grill, and The Farm on Adderley.
Mexican & pan-Latin
New York has some exceptional family-friendly Mexican restaurants. The small plates and tacos at
La Lucha are terrific.
Maya serves delicious food and the lauded
Tortillería Nixtamal makes its own tortillas from scratch.
The city is home to an array of Central and South American peoples and their cuisines have enhanced the restaurant scene. Café Cortadito, a Cuban restaurant, with a fun atmosphere and Latin music offers dishes such as churrasco, shrimp in creole sauce, and sweet plantains. Kids will love Empanada Mama, with its huge array of super-fresh empanadas filled with the likes of mushrooms, cheese, and shrimp.
Greek
Some of the city’s finest Greek restaurants can be found in Astoria, Queens. Cross the East River for dinner at Ovelia or Taverna Kyclades, whose specialty is grilled seafood. Other options include the Flatiron District’s Periyali and Midtown’s Molyvos.
Italian
Terrific pasta can be found at
Cacio e Pepe and
Max, while
Gennaro has great food at decent prices. For excellent antipasti and wonderful pizza,
Adrienne’s Pizza Bar is unbeatable.
Spanish
New Yorkers love Spanish tapas, and the craze shows no signs of abating. Tía Pol, a tiny Basque spot, has a tasty array of traditional small plates to try, as does Boqueria. Socarrat Paella Bar offers inventive meat, seafood, and vegetarian paella (rice dishes) and fideuà (Spanish noodle dishes).
Ethiopian
Children love food that they can eat with their hands. Ethiopian cuisine fits the bill: injera (a spongy bread) is used to scoop up wat (vegetable or meat stew). Meskerem, Awash, and Meskel won’t disappoint.
Meskel
199 East 3rd St, 10009; 2122542411
Meskerem
124 MacDougal St, 10012; 2127778111
Indian
Curry Hill, near Lexington Avenue, and East 6th Street in the East Village, have the highest concentration of Indian restaurants in the city. Saravanaas and Tiffin Wallah have excellent all-vegetarian options. Brick Lane Curry House is a great spot for authentic curry dishes, while Banjara is known for slow-cooked specialties such as sharabi kababi, a deliciously juicy clay-oven chicken.
Saravanaas
81 Lexington Ave, 10016; 2126790204
Tiffin Wallah
127 East 28th St, 10016; 2126857301
Chinese
Head to Chinatown for some of the city’s best Chinese eateries. Golden Unicorn and Dim Sum Go Go are terrific for dim sum, while Joe’s Shanghai is famous for its soup-filled dumplings. Seafood is the specialty at Oriental Garden, where the fried shrimp balls, oysters in a clay pot, and lobster are superb.
A family enjoying a variety of seafood at a Chinese restaurant in Brooklyn
Dim Sum Go Go
5 East Broadway, 10038; 2127320797
Thai
Thai food is very popular in New York.
Republic has a big selection of noodle soups and other traditional Thai fare.
Thai Market excels at appetizers and classic curries. The most acclaimed Thai spot in the city is
Sripraphai, which is great for authentic flavors.
Vietnamese
While fans of Vietnam’s light, refined cuisine are plentiful, there aren’t many restaurants in the city. Among the best are
Nha Trang and
Omai. Both are known for their noodle soups and beef, seafood, and vegetable entrées.
Japanese
Japanese fare of all varieties abounds in the city. For noodles, try
Ajisen Noodle for ramen and
Cocoron for soba. For sushi, seek out
Japonica or
Jewel Bako. Kids love the ramen noodles and skewers at
Hana Michi near Herald Square.
Jewel Bako
239 East 5th St, 10003; 2129791012
Street food
Some of the tastiest and cheapest food is offered by street vendors. Calexico offers burritos, tacos, and grilled corn. Alan’s Falafel serves up platters of hummus and baba ghanoush. N.Y. Dosas offers vegetarian dosas (South-Indian crêpes) in several varieties. The roving Treats Truck, with assorted brownies and cookies, and the Van Leeuwen Ice Cream Truck are ideal for a delicious pick-me-up.
Alan’s Falafel
Broadway, between Cedar St & Liberty St, 10005
N.Y. Dosas
50 Washington Square South, 10014; 9177102092
Chocolatiers, ice-cream shops & bakeries
Independent shops with excellent made-in-New-York chocolates may not be plentiful but are worth tracking down. The confections at
Jacques Torres,
Chocolate Bar,
Li-Lac, and
Kee’s Chocolates make a perfect treat.
The city has some outstanding ice-cream and
gelato (soft ice cream) shops, among them
Cones,
Il Laboratorio del Gelato (see
Lower East Side),
Chinatown Ice Cream Factory, and
L’Arte del Gelato. For sweet shops, try
Doughnut Plant (see
Lower East Side),
Buttercup Bake Shop, and
Two Little Red Hens for baked treats, and
Patisserie Claude for handcrafted French pastries.
Cones
272 Bleecker St, 10014; 2124141795
Patisserie Claude
187 West 4th St, 10014; 2122555911
Kids’ Corner
Do not miss…
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Egg cream is an invention from the 19th century, originally enjoyed by immigrants on the Lower East Side. It’s a kind of fizzy milkshake made with seltzer, chocolate syrup, and milk.
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The City Bakery’s hot chocolate is legendary. It’s thick, like a liquid bar of chocolate, and comes topped with a marshmallow if you wish.
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Once upon a time, hamburgers came in one size – but that was before sliders. Sliders are mini burgers in a tiny soft bun. Now they come in many forms, with crab cakes, veggie burgers, and even lobster inside.
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Track down Doughnut Plant for a Tres Leches doughnut. It has a crispy sugar layer outside and fluffy cake inside, with soft cream baked inside it, rather than added after baking.
Bite into soup!
Chinese soup dumplings are not immersed in soup. Instead, the soup is inside and it squirts out when you bite into them.
The more the merrier
There are so many types of delicious ice cream to try in New York. Frozen custard is a thick, creamy ice cream made with egg yolks. Gelato is Italian-style ice cream that’s usually made without eggs or added cream. Both are usually heavier, with less air added to them than regular American-style ice cream.
