New York Restaurants

**NOTE: The restaurants are not really organized in any particular way, I tried to group restaurants by location…If you click on the restaurant’s name, you will be directed to the website for the restaurant where you can find out more info. Come eat with me! Oh, and leave a comment if you have a recommendation for me that is not on my list yet.

Brooklyn:

Williamsburg/Bushwick

• Whirlybird-coffee shop + breakfast tacos. oooo yeah
• Diner-south williamsburg-This place is SO good. I went for lunch and shared the market salad (had purslane, corn, tomatoes with a buttermilk dressing) and a fried green tomato and egg sandwich on a brioche roll. The fries were thick, and flecked with large sea salt granules. Our server was so friendly, sat at the table with us.
• Marlow & Sons-right next to Diner, supposed to have great pastry selection at breakfast
• Reynard’s-in the Wythe Hotel, rooftop bar
• Bliss- Bedford ave vegetarian
• Urban Rustic-nice little cafe near McCarren park
• Bakeri- Wythe ave.-cute outdoor patio, nice breads and pastries, good lunch fare
• Allswell-American gastropub
• Toby’s Estate Coffee-(6th st between berry and bedford ave)
• Sweetleaf-coffee shop
• Pies n’ Thighs-the donuts are insanely good
• Momofuku Milk Bar
• The Brooklyn Brewery
• Midway Bar-fun bar, a few arcade games, live music
• Crif Dogs-great hot dog joint right next to the bedford ave. L stop; pick up a dog on your way back into Manhattan after a crazy night
• Peter Lugers-famous steakhouse
• Saltie-sandwich shop, the “scuttlebutt” sandwich and the “clean slate” are both fantastic
• Maison Premiere-oysters
• St. Anselm
• Foodswings-vegan fast food
• DuMont
• Egg
• Fatty ‘Cue-BBQ ie pork ribs, deep fried bacon, burger, curried black eyed peas…
• Fette Sau BBQ
• Roberta’s: (Bushwhick) take the L to Morgan Ave.-great cocktails, cheese and soppressata with honey comb for an appetizer, you have to have the pizzas, tasted the pork chop
• Life Cafe-the veggie burger here looks great

Greenpoint

• Paulie Gee’s-pizzas
• Cafe Colette
• Five Leaves-great brunch, ricotta pancakes with honeycomb butter and the Moroccan scramble were the best
• Milk and Roses-cafe
• Troost-cafe

Fort Greene/Clinton Hill

• Rucola-Northern Italian Restaurant, recommendation a la Melissa Clark
• Greene Ice Cream (Brooklyn)-ice cream served inside or out (depending on the weather) of the General Greene
• The General Greene (Brooklyn near Fort Green)-brunch
• Ici (Brooklyn) 246 delkab ave.-went for brunch. Thought is was ok. cute atmosphere
• Smooch: the cafe featured in Bored to Death, AMAZING sandwiches and the best cup of coffee!
• Madiba-stopped here for a quick dinner before a show at the BAM. Ordered what was quick: the samoosa appetizer and Deep Fried I&J hake filet, calamari rings & slap chips served with salt & vinegar; lots of fried foods but the rest of the menu looked good, will have to come back
• Olea: cute brunch spot, had the Turkish breakfast: eggs scrambled with cilantro, tomato and red onion, fattoush, eggplant salad, herbed yogurt and grilled pita bread

Bed-Stuy

• Do or Dine
• Dough-donuts

Red Hook

• Baked: Red Hook, 359 Van Brunt Street Brooklyn-bakery; it was just ok for all of the hoopla it gets; cupcakes, brownies, bar cookies
• Pok Pok NY-extremely popular Thai restaurant
• Alma

Downtown/Park Slope/Cobble Hill/Boerum Hill/Gowanus

• The Chocolate Room- court st, hot chocolate, specials: Chocolate pudding cake with whipped mascarpone and brandied cherries, flourless chocolate cake with raspberry sauce and whipped cream; right next to the movie theater
• Van Leeuwen Ice Cream Shop
• Brooklyn Farmacy & Soda Fountain (in Carroll Gardens)
• Mile End-Jewish Delicatessen
• Four & Twenty Blackbirds-pies!
• Littlefield-nice spot for comedy/music-they have a bar
• Oaxaca taqueria-I had the frijoles taco and the elote-YUM; great spot to grab a quick bite to eat before heading to a show at Littlefield
• The V Spot-great vegan restaurant; I ordered the Jamaican Jerk Wrap and it was spicy and satisfying; tasted the curried kale with chickpeas and it was also terrific…the empanadas are supposed to be awesome, too

Brooklyn Heights

• Iris Cafe-cute little sandwich shop/cafe; good place to check out after walking across the Brooklyn Bridge

Manhattan:

East Village/Lower East Side

• Zucker Bakery-great bakery; order the avocado toast and the date-halva rose. Also check out their rugelach and the chocolate snowballs.
• Dirt Candy-Vegetarian food
• OST Cafe-(east 12th st and ave. A)
• Northern Spy Food Co.-intimate setting…half off on cocktails Mon. nights; kale salad and beet salad are great appetizers, the scallops were fantastic
• Ippudo-ramen-Order the Pork buns and Akamaru Modern with egg
• Back Forty-farm-to-table
• The Brindle Room-small space, very good food, “mashed potato” donuts, specials were great, white bean and cheddar soup
• Porchetta-sandwich shop in the east village, pork sandwich (pricey but great) the cracklings of the pork were awesome, simple its just rustic bread and pork. They give you mustard. Also a really small place
• Abraco- espresso bar (tiny place), good people watching
• The Beagle-appetizer and drink pairings. hello pork belly & rye and burrata & gin. I’m in!
• Edi and the Wolf-Austrian food on Ave.C
• Veselka-Ukranian soul food
• Momofuku Milk Bar-compost cookie, cereal milk ice cream, crack pie (207 2nd Avenue, at 13th Street and 15 West 56th Street)
  • Ssam
  • Noodle Bar-hot dang, order the chilled spicy noodles – sichuan, spiced sausage, spinach, cashews
• ‘Inoteca (lower east side)
• Gotham Bar & Grill
• Veniero’s Pastry Shop-classic Italian pastries
• Empellon Cocina
• Wd~50
• The Fat Radish-farm-to-table
• Berkli Parc Cafe
• Cocoron-soba shop
• Puddin’
• Sorella
• Peels
• Freemans
  
• Sauce- “the plank”=soft polenta on wood with bolognese
• The Meatball Shop-sooooo yummy! I ordered the beef meatballs with pesto atop of market greens; ice cream sandwich choc. chip cookie with Baileys Irish Ice Cream…you will have a long wait, but this place is totally worth it
• Prune-54 E 1^st st at 1^st ave; great brunch; ordered the cheesy huevos rancheros. Cute ambiance. Went for dinner and ordered a chicken dish + a side dish, so it was pretty expensive. I really liked my appetizer, it was something with eggplant. Dessert was a chocolate pot du creme which was great (just note that dessert is a small portion). The best part was the beginning when they brought out flatbread with salt and the end of the meal when they brought out a nub of chocolate. Those little touches were the best part of my experience there. I also hear they have a great burger.
• Frankie’s 17-I’ve heard the dessert “red wine plums with mascarpone” is great
• Clinton St. Bakery Co.-blueberry pancakes, biscuit sandwich with scrambled cheddar eggs, bacon, tomato jam, and hashbrowns…long wait on the weekends, but if you go during the week day you will get in and out pretty fast…really great brunch spot
• Dessert Truck
• The Wren
• Sidewalk Cafe
• Motorino Pizza-YUM, ordered octopus salad, mixed green salad, Soppressata Pizza, Cremini&Sweet Sausage Pizza; they try to rush you out of there, but the food was great!
• Babycakes 248 Broome Street (Btwn Orchard & Ludlow)-gluten-free baked goods
• Death and Company-swanky bar club
• Doughnut plant (379 Grand St, NYC)
• Yona Schimmel’s Knishes
  • 137 East Houston Street Between 1st & 2nd The Lower East Side
• Mission Chinese Food- super spicy, I ordered take-out on at 11pm and it was ready in less than 15 minutes (amazing!), ordered the stir-fried buckwheat noodles and the Mongolian long beans
• Shopsin’s-the famous restaurant from the documentary “I like killing flies”; crazy menu i.e. “slutty cakes,” mac n’ cheese pancakes…, note the rules about eating there i.e. no more than 4 people…definitely want to check this place out
• il Buco

Chinatown

• Nom Wah Tea Parlor-saw a video about this restaurant on the NY Times
• Joe’s Shanghai-soup dumplings; I actually went to the Joe’s in Flushing. Ordered the scallion pancakes, pork soup dumplings, black mushroom and bamboo shoots. Scallion pancakes were great but extremely greasy and fried, soup dumplings were good and heavy, and my fav was the black mushrooms. 
• Lam Zhou Hand-Pulled Noodles YUM! hole in the wall amazing place; greasy; try the dumplings
• Vanessa’s Dumplings-super cheap, good greasy dumplings; Peking duck sandwich is awesome!
  
• Vegetarian Dim Sum

Soho/Nolita

• Balthazar-I sat at the bar and had some onion soup…lovely. There is also a bakery next door to grab a pastry and a coffee
• Café Habana- get the grilled corn (on spring st in Soho); I have also had the sincronizada (quesadilla-like with black beans)
• La Colombe-great coffee on Lafayette, cute dishes
• Gimme Coffee
• Lure-fish bar underneath the Prada store
• Osteria Morini- great Italian food, homemade pastas etc., pretty heavy but very good
• Spring St. Natural-they have really good breads while you wait for your healthy meal
• Torrisi kitchen/Parm-went for lunch. Ordered the turkey sandwich to go and sat at a nearby park. Great bread, I wish I tried another sandwich, too and some of their yummy seasonal sides.
• Hung Ry-hand-pulled noodles; unfortunately the day I went for lunch they did not have hand-pulled noodles. WHAT? lame
• Tacombi Fonda Nolita-supposed to have great tacos +cute atmosphere and drinks
• Jack’s Wife Freda-green shakshuka eggs mmm
  
• Peasant
• Back Forty West
• The Smile and the Smile To-Go
• Cafe Gitane-avocado toast and couscous

West Village

• Annisa
• Buvette-their breakfast/brunch is supposed to be fantastic. steamed eggs
• Babbo-Mario Batali Italian
• Blue hill-farm-to-table
• Snack Taverna-lamb sandwich; cute spot for lunch
• The Little Owl
  
• The Dutch-nice for late night eats, the pies oh the pies…pumpkin tasted like silk so good with a chocolate crust. Fun orange-colored cocktails, best dishes: steak, duck, brussels sprouts, cornbread
• August
• Westville
• Taim-yummy falafel sandwiches, at a great location in the West Village; they also have a food truck
• Gobo
• Rosemary’s
• Joe the Art of Coffee
• Quantum Leap-vegan restaurant
• Lupa Osteria-pasta pasta!
• Bar Pitti-west village
• Minetta Tavern-classic NYC spot, burger
• THELEWALA-Indian street food, open until 5 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and until 2 a.m. the rest of the week. 112 Macdougal Street (West Third Street)
• The Spotted Pig-Must haves: the burger with blue cheese and shoestring fries, the poached eggs with corned beef hash (brunch menu), the ricotta gnudi, the beet salad, the grilled cheese with onion marmalade and mustard. 
• Magnolia Bakery-the famous cupcakes
• Empellon Taqueria
• Victory Garden (31 Carmine st. b/w Bleeker and Bedford)-soft serve goat milk ice creams. I had the garden herbal blend, which was a mixture of seasonal flowers and herbs. So good. 
• Joe’s Pizza-really great classic NY pizza. Right by the West 4th street subway stop and the IFC theater.
• Pasticceria Rocco-Italian pastries 
• Mamoun’s Falafel-$2 falafel sandwiches. Right next to the Comedy Cellar. Great place to grab a quick bite, eat it on the street, and go next door for a comedy show. 

Chelsea

• The Green Table-inside Chelsea Market; I ordered a vegetarian bibimbop and thought it was healthy and great
• Freidman’s Lunch-cute spot for lunch in the Chelsea Market; I had the garden vegetable sandwich with tofu
• High Line Park: People’s Pop’s, Paletas, Blue Bottle Coffee, Northern Spy…
• Cafeteria-comfort food, deep fried oreos and mac n’ cheese
• Suenos-Mexican fusion
• Co.-wood oven pizza joint started by owner of Sullivan St. Bakery
• Cookshop
• Blossom du Jour-vegan to-go joint-had an awesome avocado smoky tempeh wrap
• Cafe Grumpy
• Buddakan

Flatiron

• Terri (vegan)
• Stumptown Coffee Roasters inside the Ace Hotel- SOOO yummy, great coffee
• No. 7 Sub-also inside Ace Hotel-General Tso’s Tofu is SO messy and delicious; zucchini parm is great; any sandwich with potato chips rocks
• The Breslin- Ace Hotel, lamb burger
• The John Dory Oyster Bar-the cocktails look great here
  
• Eataly-a bit chaotic and crowded, places to eat all over, fun grocery shopping, beer garden on top
• Saravanaas- South Indian food, dosas, uthappam, curries, drinks (lassi). totally filling and fun to dip into all the spicy and sweet sauces
• Aldea
• Gramercy Tavern
• Maialino-brunch is supposed to be great here
• La Follia-Italian
  
• Boqueria-Spanish tapas-it was good, not great…Patatas bravas were filling…nice atmosphere…
• Man Doo-yummy Korean Dumplings, ladies making dumplings in the window in the front

Union Square

• ABC Kitchen- Jean Georges; mushroom pizza with egg was great; my favorite appetizer was the roasted Parmesan butternut squash, Desserts: salted caramel popcorn and peanut sundae was the best dessert, also had the donuts, the chocolate cake with marshmallow frosting, I liked the presentation of the meyer lemon panna cotta
• Num Pang- OMG this place is SOOOO good…super messy sandwiches…I’ve tried the cauliflower and the pork belly sandwich. Perfect to go sit in a shady bench in Union Square park and then head to the Greenmarket
• Hu Kitchen-their smoothies/juices look great!
• Casa Mono
• Big Gay Ice Cream Truck- I had vanilla with fig infused balsamic
• NY Cake and Baking-baking supply store
• Friend of a Farmer-standard brunch fare, cute decor
• Pure Food and Wine-upscale raw vegan menu
• City Bakery- pretzel croissant and dark hot chocolate with marshmallow; love the salad bar, too. They make a great vegan banana sesame seed cake which is so dense and wonderful.
• Hundred acres
• Public
• Union Square Cafe
  

Midtown (includes upper east and west sides)

West:

• Print (and Press Lounge-rooftop bar with reflecting pool)-farm-to-table restaurant with an in-house forager; the desserts are the shiz
• Amy’s Bread-love their scones
• Totto Ramen-really great ramen between 8th and 9th ave on 52nd. you sit at the bar on stools. gets crowded so be prepared to wait or go at an “off time”
• Casellula-9th ave.; nice atmosphere, great staff, desserts and cheeses are fantastic
• Levain bakery-biggest (and quite possibly the best) cookie you will ever eat
• Momofuku Milk Bar
• Birdbath bakery-on 85th and Columbus Ave.
• Simit + Smith
• Blossom-vegan
• Blossom du Jour-vegan to-go
• Candle Cafe-nice vegan restaurant-had the quesadilla and the nachos
• Josie’s-wholesome healthy menu
• Salumeria Rosi-Anthony Bourdain went here; Italian
• Shake Shack-burgers and shakes
• The Counter-burger place in Times Square
• 5 napkin- the original burger-10oz with caramelized onions and gruyere (good place to go after a broadway show)
• Dovetail-expensive but supposed to be good and fancy
• Cafe Fiorello-went here for a pre-opera dinner and it was very convenient for that. Pretty crowded but served good food. I had parpardelle pasta with hazelnut pesto and it was great
• Hampton Chutney
• Celeste-Northern Italian food on Amsterdam b/w 84th and 85th st
• Land Thai Kitchen- (Amsterdam b/w 81st and 82nd st): good place to go to post-movie, had the Jungle Curry, papaya salad, chicken satay
• Peacefood Cafe-vegan
• Island Burgers
• Oaxaca Taqueria
• Cottage-Chinese food
• Spring Natural Kitchen
• Candle Cafe West
• Birdbath Bakery

• Penelope (in Murray Hill, on Lex. and 30th): cute breakfast/brunch menu
• Momofuku Ma Peche-amazing cocktails, great appetizers, sit at the bar and enjoy (there is a milk bar in the front, too)
• Per Se-Columbus Circle, Go for a $20 cocktail and they will bring you popcorn with truffle oil and large roasted peanuts. You will get all of the atmosphere and a small nibble for a decent price
• Szechuan Gourmet-on 39th st between 5th and 6th ave-braised lamb with Napa chilli(Frank Bruni recommended)
• Bouchon Bakery-nutter butter cookie is heaven in my mouth
• La Maison du Chocolat-expensive choco shop, very chic
• ‘Wich Craft-sandwiches
• Rue57-midtown, large menu, French/American and sushi
• Tavern on the Green food truck-in Central Park?

• Untitled (at the Whitney)
• Eat (upper east side)- good celeb spotting, prepared foods/deli
• Buttercup Bakeshop
• Candle Cafe & Candle 79-nice lunch spot, had the soba noodle salad
• Rouge Tomate-”Our seasonally inspired culinary offerings rely heavily on locally sourced ingredients and are prepared in consultation with our culinary nutritionist Natalia Hancock.”
• V-Note-vegan bistro
  

Harlem/Morningside

• Taco Mix-East Harlem
• La Marqueta-East Harlem incubator kitchen selling Hot Bread Kitchen, Dorie Greenspan cookies, Ethiopian food…
• El Paso Taqueria-upper eat side (near 97 and lexington)
• Agua Fresca-tacos on 207 East 117th Street, East Harlem
  
• Red Rooster-cornbread, nice vibe, live music
• Lenox Coffee (129th between lenox and 5th ave)-cute wooden interior cafe, nice coffee drinks, great yogurt and granola parfait with berries, quiet, pastries looked good
• Shrine-jazz bar/music venue in Harlem
• El Malecon-Caribbean food on 175th and broadway; moist tender chicken beans and rice, fried plantains; fast service
• Dinosaur BBQ-125th st. right near the west side hwy. Great place for a large group. Nice beer selection.
• Pisticci-Italian
• Bad Horse Pizza-wood oven thin crust pizzas; I liked the whitey pizza with roasted garlic
• Levain Bakery-amazing cookies on 116th and 8th ave
• Bier International-beer garden with food
• Massawa-Ethiopian food on 120th and Amsterdam, really yummy food, feels like comfort food, order the combos and the appetizers are great, too
• Max Caffe-122nd and Amsterdam-good coffee, nice loungy cafe, nice simple breakfasts and lunches
• Max Soha-pastas are really good; eggplant rigatoni Siciliana is good, mixed grilled veggies are good
• Sezz Medi-good pizzas and appetizers
• Nikko-123rd and Amsterdam-good lunch specials-curries are good (green and panang)
• Jin Ramen-broadway near 125th st
• Kuro Kuma Espresso & Coffee-new cafe serving counter culture coffee on Broadway and La Salle (near 123rd st), great cappuccino
• Joe the art of Coffee-my favorite coffee shop near Columbia university. Cappuccino=the best
• Cafe du Soleil: French restaurant, casual, nice lunch/brunch, large space; had the French onion soup
• Absolute Bagels: fresh bagels on 106 and broadway; loaded with cream cheese but fresh and satisfying, get your bagel toasted and eat in riverside park
• Juice Generation-love the coco acai smoothie
• Buster’s-nice spot for lunch, healthy-ish sandwiches, they bring you cookies at the end of the meal
• Community Food & Juice-from the owner’s of Clinton st. bakery, I’ve had the tofu salad, the burger, the farmer’s chop, the biscuit sandwich, the fish sandwich
• Mill Korean-bibimbap
• Columbia Cottage-nice Chinese restaurant, good lunch specials, good sweet and sour soup and garlic eggplant
• Hungarian Pastry Shop

Queens:

• Rincon Criollo-Good Cuban food in Jackson Heights
• Joe’s Shanghai-Flushing Chinese food, soup dumplings

Bronx:

• Taqueria Tlaxcalli
• Neerob
• Garinagu Grillers