Restaurant Recs., NY

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.

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The Scuttlebutt and the Clean Slate at Salite

Brooklyn:

Williamsburg/Bushwick

Greenpoint

Fort Greene/Clinton Hill

  • 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
  • Mekelberg’s – beer, sandwiches, and mini grocery
  • Speedy Romeo – pizza
  • Fancy Nancy
  • Emily – pizza
  • Sisters
  • The Good Batch – bakery

Bed-Stuy

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

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The Pines, Brooklyn: Carrot Salad | Fluke (close to The Bell House)

Park Slope/Prospect Heights/Cobble Hill/Boerum Hill/Gowanus

Brooklyn Heights

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

Ample Hills Ice Cream

Crown Heights
Midwood
  • Di Fara-famous pizza (on the way to Brighton Beach)

Manhattan:

Mission Chinese Food

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
  • Mighty Quinn’s Barbecue-2nd ave and 6th street
  • 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
  • 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 1st st at 1st 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
  • 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
  • El Rey Coffee Bar & Luncheonette: avocado del sur, falafel, beet pickled egg, any of the pastries but esp. the sweet potato bread with caramel and aleppo pepper

Abraco Espresso

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

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 Breakfast at Two Hands, on Mott st. b/w Broome and Grand

Soho/Nolita

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Breakfast at Jeffrey’s Grocery: quinoa oatmeal, crushed English pea toast, vol au vent

West Village

OST Cafe

Tribeca

Chelsea

Flatiron

  • Sweetgreen
  • 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

Murray Hill

  • Penelope (in Murray Hill, on Lex. and 30th): cute breakfast/brunch menu
  • Rose Bakery
  • Marta’s– 29 East 29th Street; pizzas and antipasti by Maialino chef and manager Nick Anderer and Terry Coughlin

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
  • Scarpetta

The City Bakery

Midtown West/Hell’s Kitchen:

  • 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”
  • Danji-modern Korean food; SPE certified (means “health through food”); vegetarian menu available
  • Casellula-9th ave.; nice atmosphere, great staff, desserts and cheeses are fantastic
  • Blossom du Jour-vegan to-go
  • Shake Shack-burgers and shakes
  • The Counter-burger place in Times Square
  • 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
  • 5 napkin– the original burger-10oz with caramelized onions and gruyere (good place to go after a broadway show)
  • Don Antonio-50th st and 8th ave. Order the montanara, a Naples specialty. “The dough is flash-fried in oil before being finished in the oven, creating a crust that’s puffy and golden, not saturated with grease as you might expect. Tomato sauce, basil, and super-smoky buffalo mozzarella.” Check out this round-up of pizzas on First We Feast
  • Hummus Kitchen

(Upper West)

Mid:

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“The Smash” at Little Collins

Midtown East/Upper Eat:

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The Rice Bowl with Grilled Tofu at Community Food & Juice (in the back: Egg White Veggie Scramble)

Harlem/Morningside

East Harlem

Central 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
  • Yatenga-French

West Harlem

Hamilton Heights

Morningside Heights

  • 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
  • Nikko-123rd and Amsterdam-decent lunch specials
  • Joe the art of Coffee-my favorite coffee shop near Columbia university. Cappuccino=the best
  • 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
  • Hungarian Pastry Shop
  • Thai Market-pretty good Thai; I often get delivery from here in a pinch
  • 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
  • Buster’s-nice spot for lunch, healthy-ish sandwiches, they bring you cookies at the end of the meal
  • Freda’s-Caribbean
  • Doaba Deli-hole-in-the-wall Vegetarian Indian food on Columbus Ave. and 106th st.

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Brunch at Queens Comfort

Queens:

Long Island City

Bronx:

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