You’ve booked your plane ticket to New York City, your bags are packed, and now you’re ready to explore the Big Apple. I’ve been fortunate enough to visit a couple of times within the past year, and both times the city provided me with so many different things to do. The world is your oyster here in the city that never sleeps. From the shopping to the night life, the museums to Broadway there are just endless possibilities to keep you occupied from the moment you wake up to the time you sleep.
Not only are there an abundance of activities to do in New York City, that exact same sentiment can be said for food! It is absolutely incredible just how many different cuisines, restaurants, bars, and cafes you will find here. It is truly a foodie paradise. However as much as it’s a blessing of having such a variety of places to choose from, I found myself having a hard time narrowing places of where to eat while pre-planning for my trip while at the same time trying to avoid those tourist traps that are prevalent in any major tourist city.
It’s information overload when you have so many choices to choose from, but through my own research and personal recommendations I’ve received, I’ve narrowed down a top ten list of places you must eat at whenever you’re here in NYC! This list is tried, tested, and true by yours truly and hopefully will provide you with a quick and easy guide to make sure your food itinerary in New York City shines bright. In no particular order here are my top 10 places.
Emily
If you find yourself ever craving a burger, this is THE place to go. Known by locals and tourists alike, Emily has what is considered by many the best burger in NYC. Famously named the “Emmy Burger” - it’s pasture-rasied dry aged beef, caramelized onions, Grafton cheddar, cornichon, and topped off with their secret Emmy sauce encased between a Tom Cat pretzel bun. Each bite just melts in your mouth, it’s divine! Don’t forget to also order their deep dish pizzas here as well. Not only do they make a kick-ass burger, their pizzas here are also something you don’t want to miss!
Blue Ribbon Fried Chicken
World famous fried chicken can be found in hell. Hell’s Kitchen, NYC that is. Blue Ribbon Fried Chicken is a quick-service restaurant that serves up perfectly crispy, juicy, but not greasy fried chicken. You’ll get the perfect crunch in the skin that you look for in fried chicken without all the greasy oil we sometimes come to expect. They also have lots of sauces to choose from here and you’re free to try them all for free. Wasabi honey was a favourite of mine. Get their Fried Chicken Sandwich here as well. Fried Chicken is perfected here in all of its forms.
Mi Noodle Bar
If you’re always craving a bowl of Pho like me, look no further than Mi Noodle Bar. Super flavourful broth that is poured into your bowl table side with toppings that you might not normally find in a typical bowl of pho but still oh so welcomed! Lobster tail anyone? Or how about bone marrow? They are also the first restaurant in New York to organize a Pho challenge, so if you’re up for six pounds of pho, and three pounds of beef balls, flank, and shank in under 90 minutes you’ll receive a $100 credit and a free appetizer here for life!
Dominique Ansel Bakery
The birthplace of the worldwide phenomenon, “The Cronut,” was born right here at Dominique Ansel Bakery. It’s a donut and croissant hybrid that is a must-try for anyone making their way here to NYC. With flavours of the month here, it’s hard to pre-plan just exactly what cronut flavour you will get once you walk through the doors, but from what I’ve seen myself there really isn’t a bad flavour combination they create. When I was here last June for example I had their “Peach Pancake” and it was fantastic! This makes a perfect souvenir and gift to bring back home to your family and loved ones for those lucky enough to only be a short flight away.
Los Tacos No 1
You don’t necessarily think of tacos and Mexican food when you start planning a trip to NYC, but I certainly beg to differ when it comes to Los Tacos No 1. With a couple of locations scattered around the city, the one I went to was within the hustle and bustle of Times Square. With your choice of corn or flour tortilla, Los Tacos No 1 serves up authentic yet simple tacos straight from family recipes back home in Mexico. This was also my first time eating “Nopal” or grilled cactus. A great place to grab a quick bite to eat!
Ruby’s Cafe
This Australian cafe took me by surprise as I’ve never heard of this place from anyone, so I’ll call this one my hidden gem. It took me randomly scrolling through some food pictures on Instagram before falling in love with a picture of Avocado Toast (the millennial in me) and making my trek here to Ruby’s Cafe to give it a shot. Unfortunately their Avocado Toast is only served up until 4PM, so I opted to order the “Ruby’s Ragu.” I was blown away! Best pasta I’ve had in a long time, and it most definitely ranks up there as my top 3 pastas I’ve ever had in my life. Who would have thought I would find it here at an Australian cafe in America. But I did.
Xi’an Famous Foods
You know the restaurant is actually famous when the word is literally in its name! And I don’t doubt it one bit because so many people that I know recommended this place to me as well. Xi’an Famous Foods totally lives up to the hype. It’s a fast-casual restaurant that serves up authentic Western Chinese dishes with staples like their hand-pulled noodles and their spices. Their most popular dishes here are their “Spicy Cumin Lamb Hand-Ripped Noodles” and their “Spicy & Sour Lamb Dumplings” served humbly on just paper plates. Packed full of flavour in each bite this is a 100% must visit on any NYC food itinerary.
Joe’s Pizza
One can’t go to NYC without having a New York Slice at an institution of the city since 1975. From dusk till dawn you’ll most likely find a fairly large line up outside Joe’s Pizza waiting with people eagerly waiting to get a $3 slice of pizza. Don’t let that discourage you because the line does move quickly. No one does a more simple, regular slice of pizza better than here at Joe’s. No gimmicks. Just pure quality. Order their classic cheese pizza here and you won’t be disappointed. If this pizza is good enough for the likes of Drake and Barack Obama, it’s good enough for me!
Lady M Cake Boutique
If you start getting a sweet tooth head on over to Lady M Cake Boutique. Their signature “Mille Crepes” are literally works of art with 20 thin crepes carefully layered on top of one another mixed with a light pastry cream just waiting to be devoured. The cake will melt in your mouth when your taste buds start alternating between the crepe and cream layers. It all started with their signature vanilla flavour, but now they soon have expanded into other varieties like matcha, early grey, passionfruit, strawberry, chocolate, and many more.
KazuNori
I came back from a two week trip to Japan shortly before coming here to KazuNori in NYC, and these sushi-hand rolls were just as good if not even better than the sushi I had in Japan. There I said it. Very similar to an omakase experience, these hand rolls are made fresh to order as they are served quickly to you at the bar counter one at a time. Order a la carte here or my personal suggestion is to get their set menu ranging from 3 to 6 different hand rolls. I opted to get their set menu of 5, but could have so easily eaten 6 if not more! I will be coming back here time and time again with every visit to NYC from now on. This may be last on list, but it’s certainly not the least.