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New York! The ultimate metropolitan in the world that basically you could find everything here. I wonder how is it possible for me to create a list of Yummylicious places in the city alone. To top it off, it has spectacular architecture and parks, special monuments and squares, and exciting theatres, museums, and art spaces. So, I reached out to other fellow bloggers – and they have some unique and special experiences to share, including a wide range of Japanese, Chinese, Italian, to classic American treats.
Visit their travel blogs or Instagram for more wonderful travel moments!
Chocolate at Max Brenner
Treat yourself and indulge in a smores pizza
I picked one of my favorite dessert places in NYC.
If you fancy some fine chocolate, go to Max Brenner.
Founded in 1996, The chocolate bar is an international retail brand headquartered in New York. Today, Max Brenner operates in 50 locations in the world. I visited the bar at Union Square on a Thursday night and the place was already packed with people.
You could find a wide range of decadent chocolate-based desserts and pastries in there, including fondue, crepes, milkshakes, waffles, hot chocolate, tarts, and pies. The fun part was that many of these dishes are served with their own signature utensils.
My favorite is indulging in their iconic Smores pizza. The pizza is covered in melted chocolate and topped with toasted marshmallows and crunchy caramelized nuts or bananas. While it sounded incredibly sweet, the taste was light and it’s perfect for sharing! 🙂
Gray’s Papaya
Hot dogs that among the best in New York City.
Gray’s Papaya is a famous hot dog chain that used to have three restaurant chains, not one flagship left: 2090 Broadway at 72nd Street. a number of locations were in operation over the year, but it’s always the flagship that remained.
The chain was founded by Papaya King, Nicholas Gray in 1973. Gray’s Papaya got famous for its inexpensive three-dollar hot dogs, with the papaya fruit drinks that were sold with the dogs. If you ever walked by 72 Street, and Broadway, have a hot dog as I am sure it would be a great snack.
Vegan Sushi at Beyond Sushi
Even the vegan-skeptical ones loved it too
Christine from Christine Abroad
If you love to experience different kinds of cuisines while traveling, I can highly recommend you to try Vegan Sushi at Beyond Sushi in New York – a restaurant that’s popular among vegans, vegetarians, and even meat lovers.
Beyond Sushi is a plant-based sushi restaurant that you can find in six different locations in New York City; Union Square, Chelsea Market, 56th Street, 37th Street, in the Financial District, and also in Soho/Nolita – so no matter where you are in the city, there’s always a Beyond Sushi close to you.
They offer plant-based dishes such as sushi rolls, dumplings, noodle salads, and noodle soups – all healthy, natural, and sustainable. Not forget to mention that it’s affordable as well with their low prices and amount of food.
I’ve been to Beyond Sushi several times while visiting New York, and I can’t wait until next time since their sushi rolls are so delicious. I’ve even taken some vegan-skeptical family members and friends to Beyond Sushi, and they all loved it. So you can say that this is a place for anyone who loves sushi.
I can highly recommend trying the Mighty Mushroom & Sunny Side, which are my favorite sushi rolls at Beyond Sushi.
Xiao Long Bap at Joe’s Shanghai
The art of eating soup dumplings
Allison from Eternal Arrival
Xiao long bao, more popularly known as Shanghai soup dumplings, has become a bit of a food craze in New York City. You can find soup dumplings in virtually every one of New York City’s six Chinatowns. However, the best variety of dumplings can be found in the Downtown Manhattan Chinatown and the Flushing, Queens Chinatown.
My favorite place to eat xiao long bao is at Joe’s Shanghai, which is a small chain of New York-based restaurants that specialize in Shanghai’s regional cuisine — particularly their soup dumplings. You have three options: crab, pork, or crab and pork (my personal favorite).
It is a bit tricky to eat soup dumplings but there is an art to it. To eat a soup dumpling, first dip it in the mix of soy sauce, vinegar, and thin ginger matchsticks that are served in the side. Place the dumpling in your soup spoon and use your chopstick to gently poke a little hole in the side of the dumpling. This releases all the juices, which you can sip up – hence the name soup dumpling. Once you’ve slurped out all the delicious juice, eat the rest of the dumpling, enjoying the fragrant soy-and-ginger dipping sauce against the thin wrapper of the dumpling and succulent filling.
Cheese or Pepperoni Pizza at Joe’s Pizza
Another Joe’s and get ready for the Pizza Nazi
Gina from Jetset and Forget
The best pizza slice in New York City can be found at Joe’s Pizza. There are four locations for Joe’s, but the original location on Carmine Street in the West Village is hands down the best location. Think Seinfeld’s the Soup Nazi, but this is the Pizza Nazi. You must be ready to order, either your plain cheese slice or your pepperoni slice when you come to the counter, have your money ready to pay, and move to the side once you order, no messing around! This location is small, holding only about 10 people at a time, with a few tables and high stools to sit on. The sauce is a sweet tomato sauce, the cheese to sauce ratio is absolute perfection and the crust is sublimely browned leaving a fluffy crust.
The pizza slice was born in NYC, as 5.3 million Italian Immigrants came to the New York area in a 40-year span and they loved their pizza. But the original pie from Napoli was too large to fit inside of the workman’s lunch boxes that were building the Empire State Building, so the pizza had to be cut into smaller pieces and hence, the slice was born. If I know I am going to be in the West Village, I do not go home until I have had a slice, it’s tradition and a not to miss!
Cronut at Dominique Ansel
Get in line for the legendary and trademarked cronuts™
Lizzie and Dave from Wander Lus and Life
If you are a believer in the hype, then you have to try one of the most talked-about pastries in New York, the Cronut. A Cronut is a croissant/doughnut hybrid invented by New York pastry chef Dominique Ansel. It was introduced in May 2013 and pretty much became an instant hit. In fact, just days after introducing it, foodies and media crews were camped outside the bakery at 6 am waiting to get a taste. The Cronut is usually filled with flavored cream and fried in oil. Probably the most interesting thing about it though is that it takes 3 days to make. The lamented dough needs a lot of rest before being mixed with butter and it is only on the 3rd day where the frying and piping come in.
Whilst the Cronut is extremely popular, don’t be fooled by knock-offs. A trademark was registered for the name “Cronut” only 9 days after first going on sale, which means that you can only purchase official Cronuts at the Dominique Ansel Bakery in Soho. Of course, he also has stores in London, LA, and Tokyo too. If you want to taste this popular treat you should be prepared to wait in line. When we visited, we had to wait about 20 minutes before ordering. I should also note that they only do one flavor of Cronut per month and there is a strict 2 per person limit. The flavors are quite seasonal, for example when we visited in October our flavor of choice was Pumpkin Cranberry. In all honesty, you really couldn’t eat more than 2 anyway. I mean they are delicious and as you take a bite, the flaky pastry almost melts in your mouth. But they are also really sweet too.
Pastrami at Katz Deli
The best pastrami in the NYC
Sue from Travel for Life Now
If you are traveling to New York City, you must have pastrami at least once.
Pastrami is beef brisket that has been soaked in brine (mainly salt and spices) and then smoked. Corn beef is prepared the same way, except it is not smoked. Both of these methods were used to preserve meat and prevent it from spoiling. Eastern European Jewish communities brought pastrami making from Europe to the United States.
In the late 1880s and early 1900s, the Lower East Side of New York was teeming with immigrants – Jewish, Italian, Irish, mainly. There were dozens of Jewish delis in the neighborhood serving traditional Jewish foods. There are now only three remaining establishments from that era: Katz Deli (since 1888), Russ and Daughters (since 1907), and Yonah Schimmels (since 1890).
Katz is still my bet for the best pastrami in NYC. Katz’s pastrami is moist, thickly sliced on rye bread, and often smothered in mustard. One sandwich is big enough for two people, especially if you asked for extra slices of bread ($1 extra). The main drawback to Katz’s is long lines. If you don’t have time, try the Second Avenue Deli (now on 33rd Street) which is a very traditional restaurant serving all kinds of Jewish food. Harry and Ida’s is a more modern take on pastrami (served with cucumber kraut, anchovy mustard, and dill). The pastrami is cut thick and is nicely seasoned.
Cupcakes at Magnolia Bakery
That’s where Carrie Bradshaw had them
Yulia from Foodie Miles
If there’s one thing I’ll never skip in a new city, it’s dining at a place that was featured in one of my favorite movies or TV series. That’s how I ended up at Magnolia Bakery on Bleecker Street. Magnolia Bakery was featured in the third season of Sex and the City, when Carrie and Miranda had cupcakes on a bench outside of the shop and discussed Carrie’s new crush, Aidan.
Magnolia Bakery was famous long before it was featured in the notorious TV series. It was opened in 1996 by Jennifer Appel and Allysa Torey who are said to be among the pioneers in making these beloved treats. Originally, Appel and Torey made cupcakes to utilize cake batter leftovers but inadvertently contributed to popularizing them.
From one small bakery Magnolia expanded to a chain with locations around the USA and abroad, including bakeries in Dubai, Doha, Abu Dhabi, Tokyo, and Mexico City. There are six branches in New York City, but if you want a proper Carrie Bradshaw experience, head to the original location at 401 Bleecker Street. It’s not unusual to find a long line outside of the shop, especially on weekends.
Pizza at Totonno’s
Has been in New York for almost 100 years
Karen from Wanderlisting K
If you’re visiting NYC, you must have New York Pizza. As a New Yorker, I swear that we have the best pizza in the United States. Our pizza is derived from the pizza made in Naples, which was brought over by the many Italian immigrants who came to New York City at the turn of the century. The first pizzeria in the United States was opened in NYC in 1905. A good New York pizza is hand-tossed with tomato sauce, high-quality mozzarella, and a thin crust. Some swear that it’s the water that makes the difference.. (It’s good to note that a good pizza isn’t overly greasy although there’s nothing wrong with a little grease!)
To blend in, don’t use a fork and knife. Instead, pick up your slice, fold it in half, and take a bite.
You can find great pizza all around New York City and it’s even possible to pay as little as $1 per slice, however it doesn’t mean it’s great. Honestly, I’ve had a lot of great pizza at divey places, however, Totonno’s is one of New York’s oldest pizzerias and it might be worth the trek to Coney Island just to try the Margherita pie.
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