Anyone who loves food loves New York City. There are so many traditional cuisines and innovative concepts to explore and enjoy, but if you expect good food to just fall into your lap, good luck. The mere presence of tasty food does not secure greatness, in fact, the sheer volume of eating establishments guarantees the exact opposite. In true NYC fashion, the city makes you work for it. Many food lovers respond to this challenge by poring over Zagat reviews, top 100 restaurant articles, or guidebooks, but that can be dizzying and defeating. What's my strategy to take on the city? I rely on a trustworthy local with the Yelp mobile app to back me up in a pinch. If you aren't lucky enough to have an NYC native on your side, use my examples below for guidance until you make some new friends.
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| Breakfast at Zuckers in TriBeCa Crunchy seeds, chewy bagel, creamy cheese, and velvety salmon. |
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| The Upper West Side's Zabar's is a must-see for any cook or food lover. The first floor is packed with amazing deli and prepared food options, and the second floor offers a kitchen and housewares selection that dreams are made of. |
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| A magnificent line-up of focused Zabar's lox slicers |
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| Skip the hordes of tourists in Little Italy and head to Veneiro's Pasticceria in the East Village. I love a place that sells pastries by the pound. There's no shame here, just some serious eating. |
Some people accuse the labyrinthine Eataly of being a tourist trap, but I'll be honest, I don't mind getting trapped one bit. The imported selection of Italian pantry staples and fresh food is complex to say the least, but as long as you stay focused and find one or two things to enjoy, you'll have fun in this megastore. Just don't get kid-in-a-candy-store crazy and lose all your lunch money. Find it just across the street from the iconic Flatiron Building.
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| If you can't figure out what to get at Eataly, check out the Nutella area. Yes, there is a whole room devoted to it. It's a little quieter than the rest of the store and the cookies are spectacular. |
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| Basque small plates + Dimsum service = Huertas in the East Village. Delicious monkfish with golden raisins and green olives. |
If the weather is good, the Brooklyn Flea Market at Fort Greene is an awesome Saturday outing. The vendor stalls are a mix of new artisans and vintage collections that would fulfill any hipster fantasy. Searching for the proverbial or literal diamond in the rough is leisurely and fun, when fueled by good eats and sips (see below).
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| Lonestar Empire: Great brisket, great pickles, great sauce (not pictured). We went back for seconds... |
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| The People's Pops folks having too much fun with the shaved ice |
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| With quite a few dessert options to choose from at the flea market, I was not disappointed with Blue Marble ice cream |
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| BKLYN Larder was a great Yelp detour where we found the ingredients to a fantastic picnic-style dinner. A fancy, high quality meal with no tip or pretension necessary. This casual dinner was so good we ate it for breakfast the next day, minus the wine of course. |
Though some of our stops were carefully mapped, we were grateful for our serendipitous hunger in Central Park. While on our way to the Belvedere Castle, we found the Shakespeare in the Park Delacorte theatre concession stand and it's awesomely innovative hotdog menu.
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| Picnic Dog: Tangy mustard, BBQ potato chips, scallions |
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| Buffalo Dog: Blue cheese, crispy pickled carrots and celery |
Even with abundant recommendations and perfect guides, so much of a food journey is about circumstance. You can attempt to divine and visit all the trendy hotspots, but trying to conquer this city brute force is to ignore what makes it special. NYC is an ever-changing landscape of variety, quantity, and quality. Avoid the food stress by focusing your search on a specific neighborhood, a cuisine, or a dish (e.g., East Village, Dominican, or ice cream). Alternatively, pick a start and end point (e.g., your hotel and a museum), and Yelp your way between the two places with some hungry friends. Finally, trust your gut. If you see or smell something delicious that's not on the itinerary (e.g., potato chips on a hot dog) go for it! Sure you might miss out on the next Cronut-craze equivalent, but every time you visit NYC, it will be another unique opportunity of a lifetime to eat well.
Thanks to Jordan and Monica for a spectacular time in NYC!
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