Amazing places to eat in New York. If you’re visiting the city that never sleeps, you’ll be confronted with a plethora of dining options. You’ve heard of this one and that one, and your friend who visited last year told you about a cute place near Bleecker Street. But with so many amazing places to eat on your first visit to New York City, where do you even start?
On our last visit, spent 9 days in this amazing city. Whilst we based ourselves in Midtown, we found ourselves getting the subway up and down this frenetic island constantly. With many dining recommendations from friends, countless lists, Google, TripAdvisor and Foursquare reviews we’ve nailed down 15 of the most amazing places to eat in New York.
We can’t promise you won’t add a few pounds to your waistline, but we can guarantee your tastebuds will be rewarded. Sound like a fair deal? Read on for a list of our 15 amazing places to eat on your first visit to New York City!
#1 Ivan Ramen
I was really looking forward to trying out this restaurant after watching Chef’s Table on Netflix. Ivan is the focus of an episode and it tells his life story. Watch it to find out how a native New Yorker ended up running one of the best ramen restaurants in NYC.
The restaurant takes bookings and we went on a weekday evening. I tried the Tokyo Shio Ramen, which was absolutely delicious. Their noodles were so fresh. It’s served with pork belly, Ivan’s signature chicken broth and roasted tomato. At $16 a bowl, it’s a bargain given the high quality. This was my most memorable evening meal of the trip. It shows you don’t have to spend a fortune to eat well in NYC!
#2 Momofuku Noodle Bar
Okay, so this is another noodle restaurant, but bear with me! Momofuku Noodle Bar is owned by superstar chef David Chang. Whilst it serves fantastic ramen and other dishes, it’s the buns that have me dreaming of coming back.
For $13 you’ll get 2 buns with pork belly, hoisin, scallion and cucumber. It’s a flavour sensation. Jeff and I shared the buns as our starter, and had a bowl of ramen each for our main. It was a really satisfying dinner.
They don’t take bookings, and we arrived at around 6pm. We were seated straight away, but by the time we left there was quite a wait outside. Get there early so you aren’t disappointed!
#3 Fuku
Fuku is a casual fried chicken restaurant by David Chang. It’s located really close to Wall Street and the attractions of lower Manhattan.
Only open on weekdays, we found that this restaurant was frequented mainly by local workers. There’s a variety of your usual fried chicken goodness (wings, drumsticks etc). You can also order burgers. It’s cheap and the chicken is fresh and delicious. Definitely worth a stop if you’re in the Wall St area.
#4 Milk Bar
Milk Bar is a super popular dessert chain that originates from New York. It’s the masterpiece of Christina Tosi, whom like Ivan, is the subject of an episode of Chef’s Table. Milk Bar is part of the David Chang empire, so if you’re going to one of his restaurants, you’re likely to find a Milk Bar right next door.
Eating just one dessert at Milk bar wouldn’t be fair. That’s why we visited a few Milk Bar’s during our time in New York, to try out a few of their most popular menu items. Below were my favourites:
Cereal Milk ice cream
A soft serve but with a cereal milk flavour. That taste you get once you’ve finished your cereal and slurp up the milk afterwards. Try it for $5.50 a cup.
Crack Pie
The Chef’s Table episode will tell you all about how Christina invented this pie. It’s crisp on the outside with a gooey, buttery, caramelly flavour on the inside. Deliciousness for only $6 a slice. So good that Jeff bought the packet mix to make at home!
Birthday Cake Truffles
Milk Bar advertises these as “a birthday party in a bite”. If you want something small you can grab a pack of 3 for $6 and share them. They are vanilla rainbow cake flavoured and so good.
#5 Levain Bakery
The best cookie I’ve ever eaten? Hands down it was had here at the Levain Bakery.
There are a couple of locations but we tried the one on the Upper West Side. Put this into your itinerary if you’re visiting the Natural History Museum and Central Park.
The cookie is known for being 6 ounces (probably also the biggest or fattest cookie I have ever had). The outside is cooked and crunchie but the inside is not quite set which gives it an amazing gooey texture. My favourite cookie was the Walnut Chocolate Chip, which is apparently their specialty. Jeff loved the Dark Chocolate with Peanut Butter. $4 for the best cookie you’ll ever eat.
#6 Blue Box Cafe (Breakfast at Tiffany’s)
Whilst this blog might be about the most amazing places to eat in New York, this recommendation is a whole other level of amazing. You can actually have Breakfast at Tiffany’s! This café is located inside Tiffany’s on 5th Avenue. The café is decked out in that Tiffany colour and is super cute. We thought it might be a little bit of hype, but the breakfast was actually really delicious.
The Breakfast at Tiffany’s menu is $32, which comes with a starter of fruits and pastries. You get a choice of tea or coffee and 4 different main menu items. I chose the Coddled Egg with soft polenta, and chicken sausage. Jeff enjoyed the pancakes with berries.
It’s not a cheap breakfast but it is an experience. And remember, a browse around Tiffany’s in completely free! You’ll need to book the café online 30 days prior to your visit. Our friend booked for us and originally couldn’t get our preferred day, so the bookings do go quickly.
#7 Serendipity 3
Located on the Upper East Side. This café has been in quite a few movies, hence its popularity. A New York institution, it’s the Frozen Hot Chocolate people come here for. It was huge! It’s a little pricey for what it is (the basic Frozen Hot Chocolate is $12.95). You can also order all your usual American fare, such as hot dogs and hamburgers.
#8 Joe’s Pizza
When you think of amazing places to eat in New York, you surely must try a slice of New York pizza! There are so many to choose from, and no one has time for bad pizza in this city. We went to a few but my most memorable trip was to Joe’s Pizza. For only $3 I got a massive slice of Pepperoni pizza. The tomato sauce base was sweet and the pepperoni had a great flavour. There are a few locations and I tried the one closest to Bryant Park. Don’t be deterred by the line, it moves quickly.
#9 Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse
Special guest contribution from Jeff on this one! Whilst Kristen was out enjoying her wondrous $3 Joe’s Pizza, I slipped off to Del Frisco’s. Some friends had just completed the New York marathon and were looking to celebrate. This was by far the most expensive meal of our US trip at $160 a head, but it was an amazing meal. The steak was cooked just perfectly, it fell apart with the knife. I was also introduced to lobster and mac and cheese for the first time. Wow wee! There may have also been some excellent Malbec consumed.
It was significantly outside of our travel budget (it helped that Kristen had a $3 dinner!), but if you’re looking to splurge, this could be a great place to do it for the meat lover. Keep the budget down by ordering fewer sides and appetisers!
#10 Freemans
Freemans is a great place for an intimate dinner or a night out with friends. It had the local New Yorker vibe. It’s located on the Lower East Side and you’ll find it down a little alley way. It’s a dimly lit restaurant with lots of candle, which adds to the cosiness. I had a really lovely main with half roast chicken. Other options on the menu included duck leg confit and seared filet mignon. Prices start at around $35 each. With some starters, drinks, taxes and tips the bill does add up. It’s not the cheapest meal you’re going to have in NYC, but it’s the atmosphere that you come here for.
#11 Ellen’s Stardust Diner
Haven’t got the budget to visit a Broadway show? Or perhaps you were inspired by the show you watched? A visit to Ellen’s is a spectacle for the those that love singing and dancing. It’s a 1950’s retro themed diner located on Broadway. It’s unique in that all the wait staff are aspiring Broadway performers who deliver live performances at the restaurant. Your server will get up and perform a Broadway hit to the whole restaurant, and then go back to taking your order.
The food and drinks are nothing spectacular, and to be honest are a little pricey given the quality. But if live music is your thing, add it to your itinerary.
#12 Buvette
I had one of the best brunches ever at this delightful little French restaurant in West Village. It has a super cosy interior with small tables and a large bench space. A fairly limited menu is on offer, but the range is enough. I chose steamed eggs and prosciutto with toast. It came out on a small plate and didn’t look like much at all. In fact, I was a little disappointed just looking at it. But those doubts melted away when I had my first bite. The eggs were so full of flavour and the prosciutto was so delicate and tasty (and took me back to Italy!). I finished wanting more, and will definitely have this place down on my list of return visits for next time.
Coffee lovers take note, they only offered full fat milk. No skim, no almond, no varieties. If that’s an issue for you, grab your caffeine fix before you eat here!
#13 Luke’s Lobster
Unlucky for some, but not you, number 13 on our list of the most amazing places to eat in New York is Luke’s Lobster. This is a fast casual restaurant serving, you guessed it, lobster rolls! We went to the location in Dumbo, Brooklyn. It had a big sign stating it was “Voted New York’s Best Lobster Roll”. An unqualified award was good enough for us to consider! We didn’t have lobster anywhere else, but we’re hard pressed to disagree. We tried a special with 3 mini rolls (Lobster, Crab and Prawns). It’s the roll that wins out too – so fresh, buttery and toasted just right.
#14 Los Tacos No. 1
This was a last-minute find when we found ourselves looking for a cheap feed. We checked out all our usual review sites (Google, Foursquare, Tripadvisor), and this Mexican restaurant had some of the highest ratings we’d ever seen. There are a couple of locations in NYC, and we went to the one right near Times Square.
It was the perfect place for a quick, cheap meal. There was a line but it moved fast. We chose a combination of tacos and tostadas, which start at $3.50 each. 2-3 tacos per person is a good portion. You can choose from grilled steak, grilled chicken, marinated pork or grilled cactus (yes, cactus!). The steak was so fresh, topped with a spicy salsa. Ask for mild or none at all if you can’t handle the heat! There are plenty of standing booths (no seats) to eat your meal. Afterwards, slip back into the busyness of Times Square.
#15 Halal Guys
Within just a few minutes of landing in New York, you’ll see that there are street vendors everywhere! The food smells really good. However, if you’re like me, you may be concerned with the cleanliness and quality. Halal Guys is your answer to that!
This street vendor has been offering up tasty goodness for years, and always has a line. For $8 you get a combo platter with chicken and beef gyro, with rice, bread and some salad. They are also known for their “white sauce” (I don’t know what was in it and am a little afraid to ask, but it was good!). It’s the perfect place for lunch or dinner on the cheap.
So there you have it, 15 amazing places to eat in New York. Be sure to put these on your itinerary for a first time visit to New York City! Have you tried out any of these places before? Have any other recommendations for amazing places to eat in New York? Let us know in the comments below!
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Thi post had me drooling!!
Had us drooling writing it haha! So many great places to eat!