There’s so much more to NYC food than pizza and cheesecake (although PTL for those, amirite?). Before we left for the trip, I made a huge list of restaurants I wanted to visit. So many restaurants, so little time. Here’s some of our favorite foodie moments from our time in the city.
Lombardi’s Pizza
How could I not start with the first pizza place in the United States? We had a hard time deciding between Lombardi’s, Grimaldi’s or Julianna’s. We chose this one based on the history. I’m a thin crust kind of person, so I couldn’t get it in my mouth fast enough. It was definitely one of the best pizzas I’ve ever eaten. Next time I’m in NYC, I’ll try the other pizza places and report back, but for now I’m crushing hard on Lombardi’s.
Tacombi
Tacombi has multiple locations. We went to the one by the Flatiron building, right next to Eataly (which is a must visit by the way). They have a paper menu for you to fill out and select what tacos and how many of them you want. The tacos come out at random times, so I couldn’t take a picture of all of them before they were inhaled. Asher said his fish taco was one of the best he’s ever had.
Maison Kayser
We stopped by Maison Kayser for a quick and healthy dinner one night. This salad with plums, tomatoes, pine nuts, deli meat and mozzarella was so good. I’m pretty sure we stopped to get some cheesecake on the way back to our Airbnb that night though. Oops.
Citizens of Chelsea
Citizens of Chelsea is perhaps my favorite food spot in all of NYC. I ordered the Barbie bowl, which is yogurt blended with pitaya (hence the pink) served with granola, fruit, coconut, bee pollen and peanut butter. Asher ordered the Brekkie sandwich, which is cheese, bacon, eggs and beetroot chutney on a cheddar chive biscuit. We both LOVED what we had. The almond milk cappuccino was one of the best I’ve ever had. In other words, make plans to visit ASAP.
Gray’s Papaya
I’m convinced that Gray’s Papaya is the best NYC hot dog hole-in-the-wall. We ordered a hot dog all the way, New York style and one with just mustard. The atmosphere and the guys behind the counter are so much fun. Don’t go here expecting a sit down restaurant experience. This is a grab-and-go, or you can do what we did and eat standing up at their counter. I loved it!
Butler
Butler is another NYC favorite. Located in Dumbo, it’s the perfect place to eat or grab a latte after taking a stroll across the Brooklyn Bridge or visiting the park. We ordered tomato and roasted pepper soup, a turkey sandwich and a latte. Everything, including the atmosphere, was excellent. We’ll definitely visit again when we go back.
Joe’s Pizza & Ray’s Pizza
Ah, the age-old question of whose pizza is better. Actually, I’m not really sure if anyone has ever questioned whether Joe’s (left) or Ray’s (right) has the best pizza. Our choice? Joe’s. Both have several locations. We visited the Joe’s Pizza near Times Square, and the line was out the door. It was well worth it, knowing that I was possibly standing in the same spot as Bradley Cooper while eating a slice of pizza. The place has tons of photos on the wall commemorating celebrity visits. Who knows? You might get to have a pizza with Anne Hathaway.
Jack’s Wife Freda
Jack’s Wife Freda has been on my NYC bucket list for quite some time. We went to their newest location in Chelsea, just a walk away from the Friends apartment building, the Chelsea Market, Google and the High Line. We had a carb overload with a waffle and baguettes. Their almond milk cappuccino was one of the best. Asher claims this was his favorite restaurant we visited.
Nom Wah Tea Parlor
Nom Wah Tea Parlor was one of our favorites. To be honest, I don’t think we were expecting much from the average looking dim sum restaurant tucked away in China Town. Asher mentions at least once a week that he misses the roast pork bun (pictured on the right). If we go back (scratch that)… When we go back, I’m pretty sure we’ll order at least four. We also ordered shrimp and snow pea leaf dumplings, and Shanghainese soup dumplings.
By Chloe
Here’s one for you, vegan people. I’m not a vegan, but those air baked fries with the beet ketchup were so good I had to go back a second time for a late-night snack. By Chloe has a pretty big menu with things like, burgers, brunch, dessert, salads and pasta –all vegan and some gluten-free. So when you feel bad about all the pizza you’ve consumed, make a stop here.
Chelsea Market & Los Tacos
We visited the Chelsea Market at least two or three times during our trip. They have some of the best food places and shops. After we went to Jack’s Wife Freda, Asher insisted on going to Los Tacos for the second time (I will never understand how he can eat so much food). Asher heralds Los Tacos, which was featured on the Food Network, as the best tacos in NYC.
Magnolia Bakery
Before our trip, I couldn’t help hearing or reading things online about the banana pudding at Magnolia Bakery. Now I must say, there is no banana pudding like my maw maw’s hot banana pudding straight out of the oven. But this one came pretty close, which is a huge compliment in my opinion. Asher loved their lemon bar, and their cakes looked delicious. So really, I don’t think you could go wrong visiting this bakery.
Eataly
I’m pretty sure there’s no food experience in NYC quite like Eataly. We went to the location right near the Flatiron building and Tacombi. Even if you don’t want to eat anything, just go. Asher got a cannoli from Cannoli E Bomboloni (again, not sure where he puts all this food he eats). Next time I’m going to get a charcuterie board.
Junior’s Cheesecake & World’s Best Cookie Dough
I don’t have photos from Junior’s Cheesecake or World’s Best Cookie Dough because we (and by we I mean Asher) inhaled the food so fast. Cheesecake isn’t my favorite, but we had to do it because, you know, NYC. Asher loved it. We also went to World’s Best Cookie Dough. We felt like we didn’t have much of a choice after seeing all the cookie videos they post on Instagram. I never really understood how much Asher loves me until he let me have part of the center of his chocolate chip cookie dough cookie. It was heaven.
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